To Those Who Died

Every year, there is one day that has come to be feared by many.

The prosperous town of Sollan. There are places called kingdoms, empires, and even city-states all throughout the continent, countries with large populations, massive amounts of land, and bountiful economies. The town of Solan is by no means inferior to these countries; it far exceeds the population count of most kingdoms, it is comparable in size to the largest empire of the continent, and its economy’s so great that the standards of living couldn’t be compared to those of royalty.

Yet its citizens call it a town. A town, by a generalized definition, is something that is smaller than a city, so the perception of “how a town” should be, are somewhat medium amounts of what constitutes a country. It does not in anyway, belong to a classification where people, land, and economy are peaking. Nevertheless, the “townspeople” were so used to calling Sollan a town that it never changed during its years of growth and development.

For outsiders, it is quite bizarre that a country as big as Sollan declares itself as a town to all the mighty countries of the continent, some of the kings even took this as an insult saying that they call it a town since for them, it’s to small to call it even a city. There are others as well that think that the culture and technology of Sollan is outdated even though in reality, this town was the pioneer of many inventions, cultural discoveries, and innovations that is now being used by other countries.

One thing to note is that Sollan does not have a nobility system and its people abhors aristocracy. This made it easier for its citizens to have better lives since there are no ranks or titles that divides the populace, everyone here are merited on their efforts alone. Therefore, the citizens are satisfied by what they do since all of them sees each other’s hard work, they take pride in their upbringing and do the best for the prosperity of the town.

Conversely, this halcyonic paradise has been the source of envy and insecurity for country leaders. This feeling of jealousy was so drastic that most of them tried countless ways in bringing destruction upon the town; they have tried bribing the town’s officials, hoping to cause upheavals and rebellions from the inside; they tried spreading diseases and plagues to the townspeople; they even formed a coalition army to outright invade the town. And yet surprisingly, the town stood strong, so strong that it even thrived on all of these unscrupulous events.

And all of these intermingling claims, may it be to ridicule the town or praise it, creates the imagery of Sollan. To everyone who knows of Sollan, there is this lingering feeling of wonder and curiosity to how a town as great as an empire gives them a sense of belonging. They have unanimously and unconsciously agreed to how mighty, mysterious, and magnificent the town of Sollan is.  

A quarter of the year have passed, and it is now the second cycle of the moon. In this continent’s terms, it means that it’s almost the peak of the summer season. The natives of the town call this certain period of time as “The Sun’s Arrival.” This period is like a celebration for the native people of Sollan and it lasts for a whole cycle of the moon. During this time, townsfolk are preparing for their summer crops and are conditioning them for yield, thinner clothes are seen for almost everyone already, and the heat begins to penetrate through everything. Additionally, the last day of “The Sun’s Arrival” is considered to be the most significant, it is highly regarded as a sacred day for the townspeople who have Sollan as their home.

Oddly enough, the town of Sollan doesn’t have amenities for the summer season like water parks, public pools, and such. It was also an accepted tradition that foreigners start to leave the town during this period. This meant that in summer, what remains in the town of Sollan would be the townspeople, those who were born and raised in this mystical town.

In the first few days of “The Sun’s Arrival,” the town chief ensures that people who were not born in Sollan will be purged out from the town. He must ensure that each and every native will have time to prepare for the upcoming celebration. There will be a large-scale inspection in the whole town during this process and no one has been able to escape from being escorted out. No matter what status you have, may it be a king, an empress, or even just being a traveler, if you are not born in Sollan, you are to get out from town.

Once everything’s settled and the town is free from any foreign busybodies, the town chief would order a close to all entry and exit points within the town. This process is meticulously implemented in order to avoid any discrepancies and disturbances during the celebration. Eyes from the outside ruins the mood, this is something that the town chief knows for a very long time.

The remaining days of “The Sun’s Arrival” would then be dedicated to diligent preparation for the last day of the celebration. Here, the adults would need to instruct the young ones of the things that they must and must not do. They would also need to optimize and maintain their health throughout the event. It goes without saying that there is no one excluded in this process, old and young, male and female, everyone is involved, and everyone must make a satisfactory amount of effort.

The last day of “The Sun’s Arrival.” All of the townsfolk are now fully prepared, they know what to do as if it was ingrained to their very souls from the moment they were born. The last day of summer, the longest day of the year, the day that comes in many names.

The Eternal Day.

The Perpetual Scorch.

The Curse of Daylight.

That one day that happens at the middle of summer, is the day where everyone is tasked to go into the town square. Everyone started to move as they made last minute arrangements, as parents start to prepare their children, telling them words of encouragement, and making sure that they are fit and healthy enough for what’s about to happen. Once night comes on the fated day’s eve, the townspeople ready themselves before midnight comes, they dress up as thinly as possible and makes sure that they drink up as much water as they can. This is one of the main reasons why the people of Sollan are always in good shape, it is one of their customs to never let their bodies become weak and sickly.

One of the special attractions of the town of Sollan is their clock tower, located at the northern part of the town square. It is one of a kind as there is only one hand on it and no numbers to indicate time; on the part that should have the number twelve on it, there instead is a symbol of the sun. Outsiders had long asked for the meaning of this clock, yet the only response that they ever get from the natives are smiles and empty eyes as they look at the tower, as if they were lamenting for it. Yet, these very natives, who cast loneliness upon the clock tower, has ironically named it “The Clock of the Rising Sun.” With the feeling of apparent contrast, those who seek answers for their questions just gave up and let their curiosity fade through the air.

Once the very hand of the clock tower reaches its sun, once it reaches exactly midnight, the sounds of toiling bells would be heard from the clock, and the townspeople knew that they should be in the town square already, exposed to the chilling wind with thin clothes and ready hearts. They knew that they must be in their respective positions by then.

Once they hear the sounds of those bells, everyone will then start an arduous journey, a long-standing tradition that has been practiced by the people of Sollan for over centuries. One that they can clearly abolish and abandon, yet they can’t; in their hearts and mind they understand, they mustn’t.

At exactly midnight, the official start of the day, they are to stand still from their posts. They are to do nothing else, just stand where they are at and stay. They are to do this for the whole day, with everyone having to make sure they last until the very last second.

They start from dusk, from the winds that blow the cold.

Then come the rising sun that starts to bring warmth to the air.

The sun steadily makes it way through the blue sky, giving its usual light.

As the sun basks slowly on its journey, change arises.

Ever so slowly, morning turns to its noon, carrying with it, the sweltering heat.

As it reaches its peak, the middle of the day, the sun seems still.

When the sun is directly above the town, it started to burn the sky.

Noon comes as the burning sun sets for halfway its path.

Trudging through the sea of blue, the sun turns everything to bright yellow.

At last, the sun mellowing from rage, cautiously brings dawn.

And the night falls, the night that heals the scorching air.

Continuous with the flow of time, midnight descends, and the clock sings again.

And thus, the longest day of the year, the summer solstice, sleeps again.

After a few seconds of silence, many of the townspeople sighed in relief. There were those who fainted immediately, there were those who fell on their knees, yet the saddest were those who ran for their loved ones even though they suffered. Children that didn’t move anymore, elders whose body parts started to crumble, husbands and wives with interlocking hands that didn’t survive the cruel sun. It may be akin to a massacre.

Nowhere to be seen is the town chief, as he struggled to reach the center of the town square. Reaching an empty space, he bowed perfectly, and with flowing tears, he spoke to the words inscribed on the ground.

“Please accept our apology, and let the town prosper for the year.”

Feeling those words, everyone stopped with the mourning and crying. Everyone took every ounce of strength that they still have and respectfully bowed in the same direction of the empty ground. In the silence of the moment, the town chief remembered what the former chief had told him.

The words inscribed on the ground at the center of the town square were the last words of someone. Those words were etched on the ground as a reminder for us, the words that was embellished in the mind of the first town chief. Those words were spoken by a woman. She was the last victim of hidden history of Sollan, she was the last one to burn.

And that was the end of the eternal day, the perpetual scorch, the curse of daylight. That was the indeed the end of the longest, saddest day of the year for the townspeople. The one day that gives true meaning to the town of Sollan.

Another day has dawned upon the prosperous this town. The town chief instructed everyone to greet those who are entering the town with beaming smiles and to make sure they enjoy their stay. Various amenities were opened, and new projects are started for further development of the town. Foreigners who were eagerly waiting for the reopening came flooding and started hunting for the best inns. As more people started to gather in the town square, one little girl was lost in the crowd; as she was about to cry, she noticed something, then started reading it.

I shall burn for my people, and you shall as well. This place will hold the eternal revenge of the true people of Sollan.

The little girl did not understand what it meant and was found by her mother. The mother, after checking what her child was looking at, grabbed her daughter and left, with a smile on her face.

The lively and flourishing environment once again surrounds everyone, and life continues to be happy for the ever so wonderful, ever so lively, and ever so prosperous town of Sollan.