Chains in the Light

His voice keeps roaring in my ear, “Run, they lie to you! This only ends in destruction! Run!” I’ve heard this chant and this ritual my whole life, but this time it feels different. We come here and get our treasures that our highest one so willingly gives to us after we make promises and give all parts of ourselves to him. Then those treasures fill us till the next day, but ever since that strange man came to our city, this ritual hasn’t made my heart feel safe and confident as it used to. My heart feels heavy; it hurts.

A week ago, a strange man from a faraway land came to our city, shouting through the streets, saying that our leaders were showing us a fake world. He said the world we're living in isn’t lit, it’s dark. He said we don’t have freedom, but are chained to the walls of this city. He said that they say we are safe, but they are leading us to a chamber for their own feasting. When he spoke, I could barely even hear him with the noise people were making. People were shouting at him and calling him all sorts of vile things. Some even threw things at him. Rocks, shoes, vases, water, garbage, but he blocked everything they threw at him. But despite all that, even if I couldn’t clearly hear him, I could definitely see him. I did not see his face clearly nor his stature or form, but he shone so bright that it hurt to look.

The leaders of the city told us that he and his people have been tricked by a foreign king and that they live enslaved to him. He said that they once lived in our great cities, but one day a group of people just like them came and deceived them, and that they, too, are enslaved by their King. He said that their king gives them no freedom and that he is ruthless and truly hates us and our people. We are monsters in the sight of this foreign king, and he lives to destroy us and have his own tyrannical ways. His kingdom is full of suffering people; enjoyment is not a possibility. He lurks around his kingdom just to condemn and punish those who go against his ridiculous letters that he writes to restrain them. It is a dangerous place full of lies, and those who leave for his kingdom never come back.

“Ruby, RUBY!!” my friend called out to me. When I looked up, the ritual was stopped and everybody was staring at me and at the person standing in front of me.

“Hi, Dad. What’s wrong? Why did we stop the ritual, and why is everyone looking at me like that?” I scoffed, “Look somewhere else!”

“Your mind's not into it. You aren’t giving your all. How can you receive our highest treasures if you don’t even give yourself to him?” My dad was one of the highest leaders of our city. Everyone looked up to him. He hated the foreigners more than anyone. He once sent an army to destroy them and their message. It didn’t exactly work out for him, but he wants nothing more than to see them destroyed. I couldn’t tell him I was thinking about what they said.”

“I don’t know, I was just distracted. No big deal. Let’s just go again.” I said

“No, that’s all we're doing for today.”

“What!? No! How can I go without any treasures? That's just crazy; I need it to make it through to tomorrow. I can’t wait!”

“Then will you give your everything to the highest one?”

“I will, I promise, so just get off my back.”

“Fine, start the ritual again!”

It started again, and this time I tried my hardest not to get distracted. They wouldn’t give me a second chance.

I got my treasures, but for some reason, they weren’t shining as bright as they usually do.

When I got home, I put my treasures down in my room. I spent hours just looking at them like I always do, but this time it felt different. After looking at it for a while, the trousseau started to look less shiny and beautiful. I got tired of looking at it, but if I couldn’t look at them, what would I do until tomorrow? How was I supposed to be filled without it? Our highest one said that it would always make us full of happiness and life, but I don’t feel happy, and I don’t feel like I’m full of life.

The words of the man came back to me right away. “Run! They lie to you!”

“ What if he’s right?” I said to myself, “What if they are lying to me. But what if they’re not? Maybe it’s just me.”

I went out for a walk to get some fresh air when I saw a light come out of an alleyway. I followed it, and it was the same man who came shouting at our ritual last week. He was talking to the homeless people on the side of the buildings. He was with others with the same light as him. They were giving them food and water, giving them clothes, treating their wounds, and helping them get up. They were taking them somewhere. Some of the people didn’t go with them, but many did. The rest of the men with light left while the man from the ritual was still there, sitting with one of the homeless women and her child.

“What are you doing here?” I said, coming out from behind the building's corner. “You’re not welcome in this city, stranger. So get out of this city before I call the authorities.”

He stayed looking at me with a smile on his face while another one of his men came and took the woman with her child.

“What are you doing with that woman and the others. Are you spreading your lies and trickery to them? You attack the weak ones? How low of you?”

“That’s rich coming from you, fire eyes. I would say you’re lower than low, and as of now, weaker than them.” He looked me up and down before speaking again. “At least that’s what it looks like.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?!” I said

“Nothing, nothing, ones like you are hopeless anyway. Well, I must be on my way now, so I’ll see you around, or not.”

“Wait!” I said as he was walking away. He turned around, still with a smile on his face. He walked closer and stopped in front of me. His light was bright but not as bothersome as it was the first time I saw it.

“What is it?” he asked me calmly. I hesitated to speak. If someone heard the words that were about to come out of my mouth, they might actually kill me or at least send me to some camp to educate myself.

“Why do you say that it’s a lie what they tell us? How do you know? And how can you willingly work for a king so cruel? Does he force you to do this? Are you ok? How do we survive without the treasures every day?”

“Hold on, that’s a lot of questions. To answer your questions….meet me here tomorrow night.”

“What? Wait, just tell me now.” I said to him as he was walking away.

“You’re not quite ready now. Come tomorrow. Oh, and try not to take any of that trash they give you tomorrow, that stuff really stinks.”

“What? You mean our treasures?”

“If that’s what you want to call them. See you tomorrow, fire eyes.” When he left, the air around me was a little bit heavier, and my eyes opened a little bit wider.