Chapter IV
Mikei
My introduction into this epic of good and evil is just a bit different from all the others thus far. It wasn't initiated by some battle with a supernatural force, with the fate of my world resting in my small, girlish hands, but with a slight vibration in my right pants pocket. I stopped in the middle of the paved walkway, on my way home from yet another day at high school, and pulled a small, narrow, black contraption from the aforementioned pocket - my Palm Pilot. I flipped open the cover, removed the stylus from the notch in back and navigated the menus with an ease that was almost mechanical in it's nature, which only comes from over usage.
What a world we live in; a fifteen-year old boy receiving and sending e- mail while walking down the street. Isn't modern technology grand? Yet, what I found on the small LCD screen sent me into degrees of puzzlement. The screen read:
"Unknown Sender - 'God Pounds His Nails (Important!)'"
Now, usually when I find strange e-mails from people I don't know, They're destined straight for the trash can, but as I soon found out, the Fates had different plans for this e-mail. Whether it was from curiosity of discovering who this "unknown sender" was or from a divine being controlling my hand, I opened the mysterious e-mail and read its contents. I found out that it was sent by one, Kirk Sabre and its contents seemed to be some kind of biographical story. I won't go into detail, since you have no doubt read it before yourselves. Suffice it to say, I was intrigued by this tale and my highly overactive imagination wasn't wasting any time in coming up with reason why I was chosen to be part of this incredible adventure. Let me tell you, nothing I came up with could have prepared me for what happened next.
I was in the process of putting my Palm Pilot back in my pocket and start back on my walk home, when I felt washed over with a feeling of…well I guess serenity is the only way to describe it. It was like floating in a pool of water. I was relaxed, calm, and warm. It took me a moment to realize that I was enclosed in a pillar of light that was not being supplied by the burning sun millions of miles away. The world around me was slowly disappearing in the searing white light that only intensified.
My calm gave way to panic, and the gentle warmth soon became a burning. I felt as if I was on fire, and my brain was screaming at my body that it should be in pain…but strangely enough, I felt nothing. I was totally numb. The sound of my Palm Pilot clattering to the ground became nothing more than a distant echo, even though it fell only a few feet from my hand to the ground. But that didn't matter anymore, the world around me was fading into black, like the end of a play or something. And then it was gone, and I fell into the bliss of unconsciousness.
When I regained consciousness, I was no longer on the pavement. Hell, I wasn't even in the city anymore! When I woke up it was dark out. I lay unmoving while my brown eyes adjusted to the low light. A darkened figure came into view as my eyes focused, causing me to jolt upright. Something cool and damp fell from my forehead to my lap.
At my sudden movement, the figure turned in my direction, and a lamp was lit. The small flame cast light upon a young boy who looked about the same size and age as myself. The light was too faint for me to make out his features, though.
"You're awake," he whispered softly. I could barely hear him. I didn't give an immediate reply. I couldn't find my voice; I felt completely disoriented. I took the moment to take in my surroundings.
From what I could tell, I was in a giant barn. I was lying in a pile of odorless hay in a stall along the back. Patches of the roof were missing, exposing thousands of bright, twinkling stars.
"You still must not be feeling well. I found you out there, just like him." The other boy held out a tin can filled with water. He didn't' continue his thought. "Drink slowly. You don't want to get sick." I took the can, and the boy's advice. I only took a small sip. Swallowing was more painful than I expected. I just realized that my throat was like sandpaper. Again, I tried to speak, but all that came out was a dry, scratchy croak. I took another sip, and nearly spit it out at the sound of the high-pitched clawing outside.
"Shh," the boy whispered again. He leaned in and placed his index finger over my cracked lips. His voice carried a loving and worried tone. His breath was warm and sweet against my face. "There are demons right outside."
Mikei
My introduction into this epic of good and evil is just a bit different from all the others thus far. It wasn't initiated by some battle with a supernatural force, with the fate of my world resting in my small, girlish hands, but with a slight vibration in my right pants pocket. I stopped in the middle of the paved walkway, on my way home from yet another day at high school, and pulled a small, narrow, black contraption from the aforementioned pocket - my Palm Pilot. I flipped open the cover, removed the stylus from the notch in back and navigated the menus with an ease that was almost mechanical in it's nature, which only comes from over usage.
What a world we live in; a fifteen-year old boy receiving and sending e- mail while walking down the street. Isn't modern technology grand? Yet, what I found on the small LCD screen sent me into degrees of puzzlement. The screen read:
"Unknown Sender - 'God Pounds His Nails (Important!)'"
Now, usually when I find strange e-mails from people I don't know, They're destined straight for the trash can, but as I soon found out, the Fates had different plans for this e-mail. Whether it was from curiosity of discovering who this "unknown sender" was or from a divine being controlling my hand, I opened the mysterious e-mail and read its contents. I found out that it was sent by one, Kirk Sabre and its contents seemed to be some kind of biographical story. I won't go into detail, since you have no doubt read it before yourselves. Suffice it to say, I was intrigued by this tale and my highly overactive imagination wasn't wasting any time in coming up with reason why I was chosen to be part of this incredible adventure. Let me tell you, nothing I came up with could have prepared me for what happened next.
I was in the process of putting my Palm Pilot back in my pocket and start back on my walk home, when I felt washed over with a feeling of…well I guess serenity is the only way to describe it. It was like floating in a pool of water. I was relaxed, calm, and warm. It took me a moment to realize that I was enclosed in a pillar of light that was not being supplied by the burning sun millions of miles away. The world around me was slowly disappearing in the searing white light that only intensified.
My calm gave way to panic, and the gentle warmth soon became a burning. I felt as if I was on fire, and my brain was screaming at my body that it should be in pain…but strangely enough, I felt nothing. I was totally numb. The sound of my Palm Pilot clattering to the ground became nothing more than a distant echo, even though it fell only a few feet from my hand to the ground. But that didn't matter anymore, the world around me was fading into black, like the end of a play or something. And then it was gone, and I fell into the bliss of unconsciousness.
When I regained consciousness, I was no longer on the pavement. Hell, I wasn't even in the city anymore! When I woke up it was dark out. I lay unmoving while my brown eyes adjusted to the low light. A darkened figure came into view as my eyes focused, causing me to jolt upright. Something cool and damp fell from my forehead to my lap.
At my sudden movement, the figure turned in my direction, and a lamp was lit. The small flame cast light upon a young boy who looked about the same size and age as myself. The light was too faint for me to make out his features, though.
"You're awake," he whispered softly. I could barely hear him. I didn't give an immediate reply. I couldn't find my voice; I felt completely disoriented. I took the moment to take in my surroundings.
From what I could tell, I was in a giant barn. I was lying in a pile of odorless hay in a stall along the back. Patches of the roof were missing, exposing thousands of bright, twinkling stars.
"You still must not be feeling well. I found you out there, just like him." The other boy held out a tin can filled with water. He didn't' continue his thought. "Drink slowly. You don't want to get sick." I took the can, and the boy's advice. I only took a small sip. Swallowing was more painful than I expected. I just realized that my throat was like sandpaper. Again, I tried to speak, but all that came out was a dry, scratchy croak. I took another sip, and nearly spit it out at the sound of the high-pitched clawing outside.
"Shh," the boy whispered again. He leaned in and placed his index finger over my cracked lips. His voice carried a loving and worried tone. His breath was warm and sweet against my face. "There are demons right outside."