This was my winning entry for ASN's brand new Avatar Drabble contest. The prompt was as follows...
Theme: Sunset
1. Beauty- A sunset is one of the most beautiful sights to see. I want to be able to feel the warmness of the sun on my skin, to see the orange and deep red of the sinking orb, and to picture the purple and pink clouds melting into the sky as the sun goes down.
2. Emotion- A sunset is usually a sign of romance, the day ending, calmness and serenity. Pic something like this, and portray that in your drabble.
3. Creativity- Try to think of something out of the box. I want you to really think about what you're writing. Stretch your mind.
SUNSET
The world died every day at sunset.
The light slowly drained away from the sky and land and the sea, leaving behind only darkness. The clouds in the sky, the textures of the leaves on the trees, the scattering of rocks and sands and grasses that made up the Earth, the rhythmically lapping waves and the foam that rode them- all of these things became invisible to even the most piercing eyes. Sight is nothing more than reflected light, and no flame or crystal or tiny fly is bright enough to fight back the night.
The world disappeared every day at sunset.
With the light, went its gentle heat. Light was more than just illumination; it was energy, and everything absorbed that energy like a thirsty sponge in the deepest ocean. Few things in the world, though, kept that energy for themselves. Almost all the objects on the Earth, even the Earth itself, shared the energy in the form of soothing warmth. Living creatures were no exception, and they above all else rejoiced in the exchange of heat. Yet when the Sun went down, the energy was gone from the very air, and what was once given freely became something to hoard… and to steal.
The world froze every day at sunset.
During the day, the sky is beautifully opaque, sometimes a soothing shade of blue, other times a resilient gray. The only thing that flies through the greatest heights during the day is the Sun itself; nothing else can even approach its splendor. Clouds and rains might pass beneath it, but the Sun still sails above all, always glowing through even the thickest obstacle. Whenever humanity needs a sign, a waypoint, a helpful guide, its members need only look up, and the Sun will be there to help. Once it is gone, the sky sheds its colors, and the chaotic stars rampage across the heavens. The stars cannot overcome the clouds, or the rains, or even the pathetically tiny constructions of mankind. Even when the stars can be seen, they are so shifting and scattered that only the most clever and educated can read them.
The world becomes an enemy at sunset.
To Sokka, it is an indisputable fact- the world died every day at sunset.
Yet, he does not fear death or the dead. Sokka could march into the darkest, coldest, most hostile night, and stand boldly with his back straight and his face looking forward. For, even in the land of the dead, there is someone he can trust to love him forever, and keep watch over him. When Yue gave up her life at the North Pole, in the Sacred Oasis, she became the Spirit of the Moon.
The Moon cannot rise until the Sun has set.
So, every day, he watches the sunset with contentment. As the world disappeared in the dark, froze in the cold, and became an enemy overhead, he simply enjoyed the sight for what it was, and awaited the arrival of his first great love. It wouldn't be until late into his adult life that he could put the phenomenon, and his feelings, into words.
"The world dies every day at sunset. But death can be beautiful, too."
END
