The Dome

The stone guardian must have been protecting the great dome and its buildings for a long, long time considering its begrimed condition. Elders tell tales of guardians who continue their duties even through the most numbing winters.

From the treetop, Yuna signals Kubo, “Go now. Quickly.”

Outside of view, they swiftly swung through the vines and branches around the protector of the dome. Kubo kept a hand on his pouch. He hadn’t sewn it as well as Yuna and thus the flap threatened to come undone and spill his fruit. Yuna motioned him to hurry lest he fall behind, increasing chance of detection.

Together, they come across a tree growing within the side of the building. The conflict between stone and wood created space wide enough to go through.

From outside, they could tell it was terribly dark within but they’ve already come this far. They proceeded and the dome faded out of their view.

While entering, Kubo cut his foot on some broken glass. Yuna was startled at his reeling in pain, but among the shock they felt something above–vines. The roof, despite its ruined condition, blocked much of the sun where they stood. Kubo, being the taller one, felt around until he could steadily pull himself up and flung himself to the other side of the room where it was more well lit. Yuna followed close behind.

Near their landing stood a wall. Mostly intact and it was overlaid with something akin to a painting. But it wasn’t a painting, it seemed like one of the Ancient’s art murals. Such remnants resembled paintings but lacked textured strokes and used unbeknownst tools to carve in the finer, sharper details. None have worked out their methods as of yet. Yuna brushed away debris to reveal the past but was met with colorful nonsense. It was hard to make out but hues of red, purple, and green circled a cloudy white center. It burned against the dreary canvas. White specks littered all over, like grains of sand. No pattern whatsoever. Typically, Yuna appreciates relics of the past but finds nothing more to take away from a collage of colors. She grunted and removed herself. Kubo was waiting.

The apes wandered, each investigating their own interests but sticking by each other as they roamed. Though, they weren’t fond of the foundation. Too cold for their soles and palms. Made it uncomfortable to walk. They would go as far as to hop from one island of dirt to the next. Like children playing a game.

They moved through a gap in a wall. This new room was considerably brighter. The margins were lined up with fascinations.

One in particular caught the eye of the curious Yuna. A grey rock. A model of a grey rock. A near perfect sphere had it not been diseased with valleys and pits. She wondered where in the woods was there a rock like this? Its pattern seemed awfully familiar but before she could dwell on it a strange feature caught her attention. A bipedal figure stood at the top, holding an ancient tribal banner. As to which tribe remains a mystery. In a place like this, it probably belonged to a notorious people. The figure’s skin was white and loose, with a shiny, bulbous head. Or eye? This piqued Yuna’s curiosity.

A gold plate rested just below, filled with ancient symbols, most likely providing more insight. Yuna could only form her own interpretation.

Kubo was itching to kill his boredom but Yuna wouldn’t let him around with the other models. Unlike Kubo, she did not need an outlet.

Kubo walked towards the center, where it was darkest. He searched around for something of interest, maybe an exit. He scanned all around and then he looked up. His pant-hoots rumbled as low breaths and then escalated into loud screams, echoing all around the room.

From the ceiling hung more spheres like the one they had just stumbled upon but of varying sizes and colors. Some were the size of an elephant while others resembled a fruit.

Light shined through the ruined ceiling, illuminating their hues and allowing all sorts of growth to creep in from above. The foliage ensnared and has held these relics through generations.

Without hesitation, Kubo latched on to the nearest hanging vine and raced to the ceiling. He bathed in the sun before jumping onto a blue sphere. The more vibrant colors drew him, naturally. He marvelled at its hue, more pure than the sea or the sky. It was just as vivid from Yuna’s place on the ground, even through all the vegetation.

She stood by as Kubo jumped onto another sphere. The vines shook rapidly in their tautness. Beige was not as interesting of a color but a wide ring surrounded this model. The only one to have this feature by the looks of it. He tried to walk on the ring surface but fell through at the first step. Luckily, he held onto a thick wire with his feet, laughing all the while. Yuna didn’t condone tomfoolery.

“Kubo, stop! These things…not for play!” Yuna looked around, continuing her evaluation. “Feels more…important.”

While she stood by her feelings, she couldn’t help but think they were irrational, no matter how strong they were. Had Kubo been smart enough to sensibly challenge her, she would offer no logical explanation.

“How are…balls important?” Kubo snickered, “Is for children.”

“Children smarter than you.”

The light had faded from a striking yellow to a calm orange-red. Dust and dirt floated in the glow. Daylight was waning.

Kubo carried on tinkering and dallying. Yuna was too fixated to pay him any further attention. Even though she could not grasp their meaning, she couldn’t stop gawking. Why did only one possess a ring? Yuna thought. She was particularly fond of one of the smaller models. From her point of view it looked like a blue marble with green stains. Then there was the red sphere. A bit faded in color and similar in size.

Yuna couldn’t resist. Soon, the stars above would appear and the moon would shine but neither would offer enough light to highlight the colors. A quick pull and she was staring at the blue fascination. Its shade was unreal. But for as quickly as she was filled with wonder, she was filled with disappointment.

The night took over. The moon floated above, its birthmark as prominent as ever. Fortunately, its light was enough for Yuna to see her hands as well as a glint through an archway down below. It was faint but it was a room they had not explored yet.

She landed on the floor and barked at a reluctant Kubo to do the same.

Leading him up a steep flight of stairs, they noticed the ceiling was different. And then they realized. Finally, they were within the dome.

Despite the gap, it did not seem damaged, at least not in the same way as the other ceilings. It had split open seamlessly.

Upon reaching the top of the stairs, a giant, metal relic emerged into view. A giant pipe or chamber of sorts. Like everything else, it too was within the earth’s grasp though its metal hull flared in the moonlight, specifically the apex. Yuna was under the impression that it was tampered with or was soon to topple given its tilted posture.

Kubo, again, without hesitation, used the scaffolding greenery and started for the top. The climb was easy. As he walked upon the metal hull, its hollow nature revealed itself. Peering over the apex, he examined the inside, expecting to look down an empty tunnel. Instead he glanced at a light, likely the reflection of the moonlight but it was distorted. He gestured to Yuna to come up. However, her gaze fixed onto a glint at the base.

He waited for her until his patience ran out. “Leave now?”

No response.

Kubo slid down. Yuna was peering into something. It was too dark to discern what. She backed away and simply said “Look.” Her face was blank.

He was uncertain. Never has her tone been so empty.

The light breathed through a piece perfectly sized for his eye. As he got closer he realized it wasn't just a single light. There were many. Some gleamed much more than others and with different colors. All within purple and blue mists, circling a white center. All littered across an imperceptible sea of nothing. An absolutely featureless background. Kubo couldn’t make sense of it. His fur stood on end. His heart raced. “Painting.” was all he could say.

“Sky.” Yuna pointed up. “It looks…at sky.”

“Do not…understand.”

“Me too.” She said, “Builders…of this place…understood. There is…more sky. More stars…we cannot see. But this…helps us see. Far away.”

Kubo felt sick. Unable to stand on his hands and feet. Surely this was showing something else than what Yuna was implying. Maybe there was something inside, like a trick. But he remembered how hollow it sounded. All of a sudden he felt so small. Yuna felt the same but despite being as stunned as Kubo, she was able to piece together its implications.

“Maybe…” she paused for a long moment, gazing at the stars, then she whispered, “...the blue marble…”

Kubo couldn’t control his breathing. “No. Elders…were right. This place…is cursed. It curses you!”

Yuna was lost in her own thoughts.

Kubo was cursed now too. The painting represented something much more. There was a truth hidden in every corner of this place. The colorful spheres. The familiar, gray rock.

No. Enough.

He made way through a dark entanglement, searching for an exit, hoping that his companion would be following. But when he turned she was as still as a statue, her fur glistened in the moonlight, head held up high.

In his sack, he pulled out a handful of figs and tossed them her way.

The woods were just beyond.