The Day the World Stood Still

Raindrops fall on the crowd. The ground swells, unable to hold the tears that the heavens themselves have let out. There stands a man over a freshly dug grave.

“You were the only one who ever believed in me.The only one who understood where I came from. Why I did the things I did.” the mysterious man kneels to one knee picking up a lump of mud from the dirt pile. Flinging it onto the casket below. “You were like my brother. Two halves of the same coin, like two stars shining in the sky. Yet one of us was destined to consume the other.”

The crowd begins to disperse muddy footsteps squelching through the soaked grass toward their chariots. The man stays looking, peering into the grave. His friends and family come place a hand on his shoulder, and whisper. “Whatever it takes.” The man is unphased, he does not break his gaze on the casket.

“White. Your casket is white, with gold trim. A torch etched into the face.” the man says under his breath. “You were always the keeper of light. How ironic that your light dims for my shadows to grow.” I will truly miss you brother.”

A crack of lightning flashes across the sky. The man is unmoving, he looks toward the sky. Feeling the rain on his face he grabs the shovel from the mud pile, and picks it up. The weight of the shovel matched the weight he felt in his mind.

“You couldn’t let go could you.” he says, throwing the first load into the grave. “You just had to hold onto your convictions, didn’t you. You always had to get in my way.” he goes for a second shovel full the pile gives way as his anger grows.

“You were always mom’s favorite. She couldn’t stand looking at me, but that didn’t matter. I had you. You were all I had, and now you decided to leave me here all by myself.” scoop, after scoop the man continues to bury the casket.

“Why! Why did you have to get in my way? We could've lived together, you just had to give me control. But no you always had to be in control didn’t you. You were my better half, the one who always protected me. Shielded me from the world.”

The man falls to his knees, the rain continues to fall down his face masking the tears that he sheds. He balls his hands into fist and strikes the ground.

“You said you were going to change the world, remember? You were supposed to be something. Help show us that someone who looked like us, talked like us, WALKED like us could actually become something. But instead here you are rotting away.”

The grave starts to fill with water, as the heavens do not hold back their tears. The man looks over to his left a picture of the deceased under the canopy the family sat to say their good byes.

“I am going to miss you brother, but I promise you this. OUR dream will not fade. I promise you that no matter what it takes we are going to change the world together.”

Another crash of lighting breaks across the sky illuminating the area.

“Whatever it takes, brother.”

The wind begins to pick up, a chill flows down the man’s back. A whisper from a ghostly voice.

“Malathar. Malathar”

Malathar turns his head no you are dead, you decided to leave not me. With a look of panic on his face he covers his ears.

“Malathar, Malathar. Brother” the ghostly voice continues

Malathar frantically stands to his feet. He grabs his shovel with trembling hands, and begins to shovel the grave closed again.

“Why brother, why have you silenced me? Why have you buried me?” the ghostly voice echoes in his mind.

“Faster Malathar, faster.” Malathar whispers to himself. His chest rises and falls with every shovel of mud he places on his brother’s grave. Cracks of lightning continue more violently this time. Thunder roars throughout the sky, the wind picks up slicing at his wet face brought on by the chill of the air. He pushes past his shivering body.

“Faster Malathar, faster.” he heaves as another shovel full of mud lands on the grave. Shadows whisper from all around him.

“Bury him. Hurry. He must not be allowed to continue.”

Malathar shovels the last scoops of mud onto the grave. Smack, smack, smack the sound of the iron shovel making contact with the mud echoes throughout the sky. The wind dies down, the rain stops. Another crash of lightning lights up the sky. Malathar looks down seeing the tombstone of his brother. He sees his face only darker, no smile, no light behind his eyes, only shadows.

“You were the only one who ever cared about me. The only one who ever took time to understand me brother. No matter what it takes, I’ll change the world.”

Malathar looks down on the tomb. Reading the tombstone

Here lies Solendar

Beloved Son, Ruler, Friend

King of Nothing

I’ll change the world for the better, no matter what it takes.

Malathar finishes reading the tombstone. It’s your time to rest Sol. I will get the job done. He kisses his palm and touches the mud mound. Promise me you will take care of Mother. He rises to his feet and turns around. Turning his head to the side he says.

“I’m sorry but you had to die for me to survive.”

Just then an arm grabs him, and starts to shake him. He shakes his head breaking the trance that those words had on him. Tavo looks at him.

“Did you hear me Sol? They said a noble killed Tatiana. Sol!” Tavo says, shaking him harder.

“No. Do not call me that anymore.” he says as if his mind is still fixating on other things. “My mother called me Sol. She was my light, and with her gone there is no reason for that name to live anymore.” he said

Tavo looks at him with a confused look. His eyebrow raised with a questioning glance.

“I gave everything to these people. Solendar, King of Nothing. Not anymore. I told my mother that I would change this world, no matter what, and I meant it. Tavo.” Sol says with a fire in his eyes. “You will address me as Malathar, named after the commoner who dared to dream, and rise up against the upper class.”

Tavo looks at him with fear in his eyes. “Sol, that name would paint a target on your back, the nobles, and Tarsen…” Malathar interrupts him.

“I said it’s Malathar now.” He says coldly “Let them come, my mother is now cold, freshly buried in the ground, and you wish to concern me with the nobles? Let them come. I have nothing left for them to strip from me. Malathar King of Nothing.” Malathar grabs his mother’s broach, and throws it on the ground. No matter what it takes. I WILL change this world” Malathar says with a thunderous boom.