Day 12: The Prophet
The Prophet, aka William Watson is the first man from Earth who discovered the wormhole between our planet and Arkana. Unintentionally, yet he brought evil with him. Now 250 earth years later he is a respected holy man on Arkana, and the founder and leader of the Sentinels.
EXCERPT
Fields of Elysium
A YA romantic fantasy
The Prophet’s expressionless face didn’t give the truth away.
“You must let him fulfill his destiny or the destruction of the Arkanian civilization will be your fault.”
“Victor said that your presence was first documented about two hundred years ago. You don’t look a day older than sixty.”
“Fifty-eight actually.”
“You lived on Earth, didn’t you? And came back from time to time.”
“Just like you, American girl.”
“What? How did you know?” I stepped back, uncertain about the Prophet’s intentions.
“It’s very easy to recognize an American. You have that peculiar accent.”
“But you don’t.”
He chuckled shortly. “What I wouldn’t give for a glass of good California wine or a bite of an In-N-Out Burger!” he said with perfect American cadence.
Hearing these earthly words gave me a strange feeling, way beyond my comprehension. I didn’t know what to say from the shock.
Taking in my bewildered face, the Prophet merely sipped on his drink.
“I’m sick of this honey mead,” he growled, and sent the glass flying into the hearth. The flames flared up and whipped out of the fireplace as the alcohol fueled the fire.
“Come. We have a lot to talk about.”
I looked behind me, as if I was waiting for a sign to tell me what to do. All the eyes of the carved birds seemed to stare at me. I shuddered. At that instant, going along with the Prophet seemed a much better idea than sitting in this cold, creepy room alone.
He led me down the long corridor, passing room after room, then ushered me into a giant space with floor-to-ceiling shelves of books, much the same as I imagined the libraries of prestigious universities.
I walked along the shelves, slowly, reading titles and names of authors. Every known book from Earth history seemed to be represented there.
“Impressive, isn’t it?” the Prophet commented. “Sit down. I’m sure you want to hear my story.”
Turning my back on the remarkable collection, I hurried to the upholstered armchair closest to the Prophet and sat down.
“I found the wormhole when I was eighteen years old. I was so young, hungry for adventure.” He sighed, leaned back in his chair and pulled his right leg over his left thigh. He tightened the grip on his ankle and raised his eyes at me.
“I was a foster kid, shunted from one family to another. I’d just left my last family, gotten a job at a car wash in downtown L.A., and rented a small studio apartment. With only a high school diploma my options weren’t too promising. One day, I was hiking alone on a hillside in Los Angeles as usual. I assume there is no need for me to describe where I found the passage.” He squinted at me, and for the first time I noted a wee bit of friendliness in his glare.
“It was all a miracle. First, I didn’t understand what had happened to me, but I was brave enough to advance deeper into the forest on the other side. That’s when I found the natives. I couldn’t believe my eyes. They lived in houses on trees, connected by bridges made of wood planks and rope. I was undeniably a stranger to them, yet they greeted me warmly and fed me meat stew. There was so much beauty and love going around there. I had never experienced anything like that before.” He paused. “Are you following me?”
“Yes. I think I can keep up,” I said, semi-derisively.
He scowled, but quick to change his mind about his reaction, he shook the annoyed expression from his face.
“When I went back home I realized how much faster time passed on the secret place I’d discovered. I’m sure you were just as perplexed at first as I was.”
I nodded, hoping he would continue without so many interruptions.
“I went back the next day and the day after that and again and again. The natives welcomed me as their friend, showed me around, taught me their ways. That’s how I discovered the crystal. And not just that, but that there were so many diamonds and precious gems, so much gold, all untouched. I persuaded them to start mining the stones and the gold. I brought back bags full of them to Earth and I sold them. I became extremely wealthy in a short period of time. I thought myself very fortunate for being able to live the life I always dreamed of. I lived on Earth like a king. And to keep my good relationship with the Arkanians, I brought back jewels and gifts from Earth and gifted them to people. After a while they all looked at me like I was some kind of a god. Life had never been better for me.
“Then something truly unexpected happened, something that changed my perspective forever. The daughter of the woodlanders’ leader returned from a learning trip. I had never laid eyes on anything as beautiful as she was. She was as glorious as an angel. Her hair was flaming red and curly, her body slender and tall, and her eyes, oh those eyes! So enchantingly green. I loved her from the very first moment. And soon she returned my feelings.
“A year later, Arkana time, and with the blessing of her father, we got married and soon we were blessed with a beautiful daughter.” He stopped, looked at an oil painting by the door. A woman and a baby were smiling at each other with undeniable love and tenderness.
“But our precious baby girl became sick. I didn’t know then but I do now that I had brought a virus with me from Earth. A virus the Arkanians’ immune system had not developed a defense against. I killed my own child.” The Prophet’s alcohol-dazed eyes turned misty now, and I felt my throat closing up. He was talking about his loved ones so touchingly that I could feel his pain.
“If I only had a doctor with me from Earth! … My wife, Suffie, couldn’t bear the pain and shortly thereafter she walked into the lake and drowned herself. In agonizing pain, I hiked the highest mountain around and at the very top I leaned over a cliff, ready to jump. I didn’t want to live without her and I couldn’t face up to the mistake that led to the devastation of my life.
“But then I had a vision. A giant white falcon descended from the sky and it began to talk to me. It said that I had interfered with the perfect creation by entering into this new Earth without permission. It commanded me to leave and forget everything I’d seen here. I fell to my knees and begged it to let me stay. That, or else kill me. Anything, but not force me to leave. The voice thundered at me, churning the wind around me like a tornado, almost sweeping me off my feet, but I stood my ground. I was prepared to die.
“Then the fury calmed, the sky cleared, and the falcon was transformed into a man. His face was Peace itself. Perfect. Beautiful. Calm. Stepping closer he put his hand on my heart. His touch stilled my soul and filled my head with knowledge. I collapsed to my knees, and I bowed to him, knowing surely he was God. My forehead touched the ground, but when I looked up, he was gone.
“However, all the knowledge was still in my head and I understood that he had given me another chance, with one demand. He expected me to dedicate my life to helping his chosen people live in happiness and peace.
“You want me to believe that God appeared to you?” I interrupted, more than a hint of disbelief in my voice.
“I’m old enough not to care about what people believe or not. I won’t try to convince you. You can just listen to my story and forget it by tomorrow, or you can take my words as truth. It’s absolutely up to you.”
“I’m sorry for doubting you, but it’s extremely hard for me to believe that God would appear to you, and even more, grant you your request to stay.”
“Believe me, I dwelt on that for a long time, too. I agonized for weeks, months, trying to think of the best way to help the Arkanians. And then my plan, just like anything else you spend enough time working with, was finished. I brought over fifty carefully selected scientists from Earth to impart their knowledge to the Arkanians and help me build a modern yet peaceful place where humans and nature could coexist in perfect harmony. And only that. It seemed like a perfect plan. Especially since I’d be helping the woodlanders live easier, more fruitful lives, using my inventions. But how wrong I was!”
The Prophet stopped talking, his gazed fixed, as if he was gathering his thoughts.
“The first rule I made was to prohibit the people from Earth from mating with the natives of Arkana. But you can’t restrain nature and can’t stop life. Soon there were many Motleys, cross breed children, as well as earthling babies since I brought over many female scientists as well. I still can’t understand why I didn’t see this all coming. Bringing more people across the Sacred Passage! What was I thinking?” He touched his brow, shaking his head.
“Slowly things started to get out of control. The number of earthlings multiplied with great rapidity, but our perfect way of life wasn’t enough for them. They wanted to mine natural resources and haul them back to Earth. They wanted to go back to Earth and be wealthy, and have control and power.” He stood up now, and leaned an arm against the bookshelves.
“I couldn’t let that happen.” Now anger tinted his voice as he continued. “I fought them for years, but their numbers grew greater as did their power. They started to gather natives and forced them to build an empire, using them as slaves. I had never revealed the entrance of the passage but it was only a matter of time before one of them found it anyway. I had no choice but to put a force field around their city, locking the helpless native slaves within.” He sighed with his head bowed, then straightened up and composed himself. Facing me once more, he was as sullen as the first time we entered his home.
“I haven’t been back on Earth for a while. I still fear that someone might follow me. I’m determined to avoid leading somebody to the passage inadvertently.”
He reached for my hand and pulled me to my feet, his face a mask of pain and longing.
“I miss Earth terribly.”
“Why do you tell me all this?” I asked in a low voice, intimidated by his proximity.
“Because I know who you are. And I know that you spell danger.”
“I’m not like those people in Terraka city.”
“Ah, yes, we all thought the same about ourselves and look where we are now.”
“So what do you want from me? You expect me to go home and forget everything I’ve seen here and know about this planet?”
“Exactly. That’s the only way.” He paused, taking in my panicked expression. “Come, let me show you something.”
Written and illustrated by A.B. Whelan
Thank you for reading,
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Thanks a bunch for sharing! :)
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