Oracle Of A Shadow
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“I am the Oracle of a shadow. I have seen all that has been, and will be.” The voice was deep but soft as it spoke to me from within my mind. “You are not alone in this world anymore,” he said with an airy laugh before continuing on his way down into darkness once more.
His words echoed through my head for what seemed like hours after they had left him behind; echoing until finally fading away completely leaving only silence where there should’ve been sound. It wasn’t long however before another set of thoughts began filling up those empty spaces inside my skull again: these ones were much clearer than the last though still just as confusing.
They came at me one by one over time, each new thought making sense when compared to its predecessor yet never quite adding anything concrete or useful to the whole picture. Eventually, even their voices faded out too leaving nothing but emptiness between them and myself…and then something else entered my consciousness instead.
Something far stranger than either of the previous two sets of thoughts combined together could ever hope to achieve. This thing’s presence felt different somehow – almost alien if you can believe such a notion possible given how strange everything around us already is.
Yet despite being so unlike any other entity I’d encountered thus far it didn’t feel hostile towards me nor did it seem intent upon doing harm. In fact, whatever it was made no attempt whatsoever to communicate with me beyond simply existing alongside me without saying a word.
After some time spent trying unsuccessfully to get answers out of it (or perhaps because of it) I eventually gave up on asking questions altogether and decided to try talking directly to it instead.
<Hello?> I asked tentatively, <Is anyone home here…? Or do we need to go knocking first before entering someone’s house uninvited?> There was no response save for the faintest hint of movement somewhere nearby which suggested whoever/whatever-it-was might actually be listening to me after all.
Not wanting to take chances I tried speaking louder next time round, hoping maybe I hadn’t scared off my mysterious companion entirely.
“Who are you?” I called out loudly enough to make sure everyone close by would hear me regardless of whether or not they wanted to listen. Again there was no reply except for the same slight shifting motion I’d noticed earlier. Still unsure about who exactly I was addressing I kept going anyway.
“What do you want with me? Why won’t you talk to me?” My question trailed off halfway through as realization dawned on me. Whoever this creature really was, it couldn’t possibly know why I needed help. All it knew was that I existed and therefore must also require assistance.
That meant the best course of action right now was probably to ask it outright what it intended to do for me rather than waste precious energy wondering aloud what it could possibly mean to ‘help’ me.
So I repeated my original query in slightly less forceful terms while simultaneously raising my hand high above my head and pointing straight ahead.
The answer I received back was both unexpected and somewhat disappointing.
Nothing happened. No lights flashed overhead, no doors opened up beneath my feet, and nobody appeared out of thin air to offer me advice. Instead, I found myself standing perfectly still in place staring blankly forward at absolutely nothing.
For several seconds longer, I continued waiting patiently for something to happen, but none of the usual signs indicating that someone was communicating with me manifested themselves anywhere along the line.
Frustrated, I turned to look behind me expecting to see the source of my problem sitting quietly beside me. What greeted me instead was a sight so bizarre I nearly fell backward onto my ass. Standing there looking back at me was a man dressed in black robes whose face looked vaguely familiar although I couldn’t immediately recall where I’d seen him before.
He wore a hood pulled low across his brows concealing most of his features including his eyes. Only the tips of his pointed ears peeking out from underneath the edge of his cowl betrayed the fact that he was indeed human. As odd as it may have sounded coming out of my mouth I honestly believed this person was real.
More importantly, I knew instinctively that he was supposed to be helping me. But how? And why?
My confusion quickly evaporated however when the figure raised his hands slowly upwards toward the sky and started chanting softly under his breath. At least I think it was singing. Whatever language he used was unfamiliar to me so I’m afraid I don’t speak it very well.
Regardless, the sounds emanating from his lips soon filled every corner of the room and reached out to touch me wherever I stood within it. The effect was instantaneous and utterly overwhelming. A wave of warmth washed over me followed closely by a feeling of utter peace and tranquility.
Before I realized what was happening I found myself floating gently upward into the night sky accompanied by a gentle breeze blowing past my cheeks. Then suddenly I stopped moving altogether, hovering in midair suspended inches above the ground below.
Looking down I saw that I was surrounded by countless tiny glowing orbs dancing silently amongst each other like fireflies caught amidst a summer storm. They were everywhere; thousands upon tens of thousands of them swirling around me in an endless sea of light. It took only moments more for me to realize just what these things truly represented: souls.
Each individual soul contained inside those little balls of light had been trapped away long ago during the Great War and subsequently forgotten until now. Now they finally remembered who they once were, and what purpose they served in life.
Their memories returned to them all at once bringing forth feelings of joy and contentment. These emotions flooded outward from their bodies filling the entire world with a warm glow that bathed everything in its path. In short order, the whole planet began changing color from deep blue to bright yellow then orange and red.
Soon the sun itself rose up from the horizon casting a brilliant golden hue across the land below. Clouds formed rapidly one after another covering the heavens completely turning day into night. Finally, the last cloud disappeared leaving the moon hanging alone in the darkness above.
This too changed colors from white to silver and eventually to gold. By the time the full cycle was completed the earth was covered in a blanket of purest green. Everything glowed brighter than ever before, and yet somehow seemed even softer and gentler than normal.
Even the wind felt different. Its soft caress against my skin sent shivers running throughout my body making me feel alive again for the first time since I can remember. When the transformation ended the stars came out to play revealing the vastness of space beyond our atmosphere.
There wasn’t any sound either save for the occasional whisper of distant voices carried on the winds. Yet despite being deafened by such silence I heard clearly the words spoken directly into my mind.
“Welcome home.”
I blinked hard trying desperately not to lose my balance while simultaneously fighting off the urge to fall asleep. My head spun wildly as if I’d consumed far too much alcohol without realizing it. All I wanted to do right then was lie down somewhere comfortable and close my eyes for a few minutes.
Unfortunately, I didn’t know exactly where “home” might actually be located or whether I could find it easily enough. So instead I decided to take a chance and ask whoever was speaking to me to help guide me in the proper direction. After all, I reasoned, I really did need some assistance getting back to Earth anyway.
A moment later I found myself standing outside a small cottage nestled between two large oak trees. Although I recognized the location instantly I hadn’t expected to arrive here quite so fast. Not wanting to waste precious time wandering aimlessly through the woods searching for the house I stepped cautiously towards the front door hoping to discover it unlocked.
To my surprise though the door swung open effortlessly welcoming me inside. Inside I discovered a cozy living area complete with a fireplace, sofa bed, kitchenette, and bathroom. On top of which sat a single wooden chair facing a simple table holding several books along with a glass of water and a plate containing three slices of bread topped with cheese and sliced tomatoes.
Sitting atop the desk next to the window was a laptop computer connected to a wireless network. Next to it rested a pair of binoculars resting comfortably in their case. Beside both items lay a note written neatly on parchment paper reading simply: Welcome Home!
After taking a seat I opened the book nearest to me titled How To Be Happy Forever. As I read I couldn’t believe how similar this place looked to the one I’d left behind. The same furniture, the exact layout of the rooms, the smell of fresh baked cookies wafting from the oven downstairs…everything was identical except for one thing.
Here there weren’t any people. No humans no animals, nothing but empty buildings and fields stretching endlessly in every direction. And although I knew instinctively that something terrible must have happened to cause everyone to disappear I still wondered why nobody else had come looking for us.
Why would anyone leave someone stranded on a deserted island when we needed rescuing most of all? Wasn’t that sort of behavior considered cruel and unusual punishment under the law? Or perhaps they thought I wouldn’t survive the ordeal and therefore didn’t want to get involved at all.
Either way, I figured it best to keep quiet about my discovery lest word spread quickly causing panic among the locals. Besides, maybe somebody already knows what’s going on and is keeping it secret for whatever reason.
That sounded reasonable enough to me considering the fact that I had absolutely no idea whatsoever what was transpiring here. With that in mind, I turned my attention back to the book and continued reading.
The End