Shimmering Silver

And lo, it rained from the sky; ripples of blue echoed through the air akin to the early morning, as if the sun rent the veil of night. Terror enveloped me, but in wonderment that fear fast diminished. The stars of the night sky dulled in its presence as the horizon was engulfed by billowy white clouds, tinged with fiery wisps at their fringes. As the light faded and the celestial gift plummeted to earth, its descent accompanied by a shrill and discordant whistle, the ephemeral day drew to a close and yielded once more to the night. The stars reclaimed their brilliance, and the blue turned to black.

My eyes were unable to avert their gaze from this wondrous sight, for it was a blissful offering from the heavens that had fallen into the nearby woods: a gift meant for me to open. Curiosity stirred within me, urging me to quell any lingering doubts. I resolved to march towards the crater and pull at the ribbon. This treasure would be mine and mine alone. I longed to weave my hands through its warmth, allowing it to cool against my breath. I loved it, truly and deeply. That distant thud that shuddered the house upon its landing was a summons directed at me, a beckoning that could not be ignored. It craved my affection.

***

A nervous dread enveloped me as I ventured through the gnarled branches of the forest, the scent of gasoline and woodsmoke pervading the air. The fumes stung my eyes, obscuring my surroundings in a milky haze. Without the need for sight I followed the call that brought me to the hearth of this fire, not conveyed in words but in a sorrowful melody that could be felt in each nerve of my being. Once again the dread is hammered down, pushed deep below the all-encompassing love until its weight rendered it to a mere powder.

Large swells of smoke undulated from the centre of the impact. They swirled in a tumultuous motion, reminiscent of the foaming waves of an enraged sea crashing upon steadfast rocks. Within this chaotic display a cocoon of pale crystalline air gleamed with grandeur. As I ventured closer my sweat evaporated into wisps of vapour that quickly became one with the swelling smoke. With a sweeping motion I waved my hand through the glaze and arrived at its core.

A shimmering silver presence floated before me; the tears washed my eyes clear so that I could gaze upon it without hindrance. It blotted out the sky, an immense entity that defied reason, and yet I found myself able to cradle it within the palm of my hand. Its touch ignited the ground and transformed the landscape into a fiery inferno, while an inexplicable chill permeated the air. At first glance it appeared a flawless, perfectly round sphere. But in the next moment it danced and twirled around me like raindrops caught in a volatile storm. It possessed the ability to mirror the surroundings, reflecting the woods with pristine clarity. And then in the blink of an eye it transformed into a radiant light, coated in an oil-like substance that bestowed upon it all the colours of the rainbow, shifting in hue from dusk to dawn. 

“I am here,” I said, though the words were not solely my own, as they harmoniously echoed from the mouths of others surrounding me—men, women and children wept in unison. We had all answered its call, yet my love surpassed theirs. The essence of who I am wailed as well, but I disregarded their cries and sought solace in the shade of the towering trees, those too strong and old to be ripped up from the ground. Their shade would shield me from the sight of what I had to do, what the silver needed of me - it could love only one. 

***

Their blood warmed my hands as the core of this silver was washed with a chill air. “Have I earned your love?” I asked, my voice resounded in solitude, the words curled in the air with grace like a spectral mist. The wind took my question, ascended high until it could no longer be seen, blended into the bright light of the silver entity.

And in that moment fear seized me. Incomprehensible utterances trembled through the broken branches of the surrounding trees, leaves bled embers, and the ground receded beneath me. The dread and doubt that I had buried, crushed and disregarded were no longer fleeting moments of uncertainty; they had consumed my entire existence. For a brief spell I was free - free to see that I had become prey, groomed and lured by that which hungered mightily. I rose high, as light as a feather caught in the storm, akin to spoken words ensnared in searing mist on a cold night.

The silver transmuted into something else entirely. Initially it enveloped me in a blanket of velvet warmth. Soon thereafter tendrils began to thread through my skin, knitting us together as one. At first it felt like love, a pulse of soft ecstasy goosepimpling my skin. But that moment was fleeting, soon after I could feel pure ice weave through my bones. I looked on as it clambered over my body, its face taking shape until the silver became a mirror, the reflection a scared man; a familiar stranger. As it kissed me I felt myself fall back down to earth and into the dark.

***

The ground was where I awoke, reminiscent of an abandoned runt from the litter. Nestled amidst the fallen leaves I awaited the break of true day. At first I crawled, my movements uncertain, until the recollection of walking flooded back to me. Faltering over clumsy feet towards my mother, her radiance shimmered with pride - she couldn’t hold back the tears. A memory long forgotten and not my own, brought to the surface only now that it was needed.

I ran, as an inexplicable force propelled me forward, urging me to something unknown. It evoked within me an overwhelming desperation; an emotion so deep I struggled to grasp an understanding of its purpose. I dashed homeward, burst through the door and tumbled up the stairs. A confusing dread clawed at its cage, the sight of an empty bed where two once slumbered brought me to tears. But why? In the adjacent room a smaller bed intended for a child remained empty and unmade.

Two voices among the countless last night now bore an eerie familiarity. The dried blood that coated my arms began to burn and itch. A lingering presence persisted within me - a parasite of the man that should be long lost amidst the rubble of the void. In boundless darkness his tormented screams resounded and reverberated through the depths of my being, erupting from my own lips in a howl of pain, wrestling control. The feeble flickering of light, mere fleeting moments of dominance, witnessed this vessel gain possession of a knife.

“I am your gift,” I whispered to him, my voice laced with wisdom, “Watch from your shelter of safety as I give purpose to your existence. Allow my love to radiate through you, turning the shadows into everlasting day.” Yet he paid no heed to my words, dismissing my guidance without a second thought. I plunged it deep into my throat, succumbing to the irrepressible urge to die as if it had become my sole purpose. Deeper still I drove the blade until the pouring wound wept tears of red, and then shimmering silver.