Michael

  An overwhelming expanse of blue and green stretched out before Michael, leaving him dazed and lost. There was nothing in the unfamiliar landscape that could serve as a reference point to tell him where he was. The green earth beneath his feet had no mountains or hills, trees or bushes, depressions or ravines, or any other deviation that would take it away from the geometrically perfect plain that stretched out before him toward an incalculable infinity. The turquoise sky was of the same design. No clouds or birds were flying, only a solitary orange sun shining high above his head.

  His feet were bare, and they looked tiny like his hand. They were bruised and dirty, but he didn't attach any importance to their appearance. The short, hair-thin grass between his toes was strange. It felt soft, like standing on woolen carpets, and its tips were painted in a deep scarlet red; plucking a blade released a pleasant scent of wildflowers. There was no wind. The plain lay still, as if what he saw were an oil painting. And despite the sun, it wasn't hot. But for some strange reason, he felt his eyes getting wet, and an inexplicable sadness invaded his heart. Standing there, motionless and not knowing where he was, only worsened his condition. He had to set off and find answers.

  But the problem was which way to go. To his right and left, he found more of the perfect blue and green. The place was unfamiliar, and there was nothing to guide him. Each direction felt as daunting as the other. Even the sun was working against him. Its position at the highest point in the sky meant it cast no shadow on the grass. Besides, he didn't know which hemisphere he was in to determine his north. He felt lost, truly lost. Michael hesitated, contemplating the vastness before him. Could he trust his instincts, or would they betray him as swiftly as the fading memories of what led him here? He could just walk on and hope that something would change in the terrain, or that some animal would appear soaring through the sky, but that was like leaving his future to destiny. And how far would he have to walk? Ten miles? A hundred miles? It was unlikely he would find anything.

  A strong feeling told him to look behind him. Behind him was what he was searching for. But he refused to turn around; looking back would only cause him more sadness. However, in the end, this feeling and his desire to know where he was proved stronger. With reluctant movements, he turned around.

  He saw the blue and green again. But there was something else. About a mile away, he spotted the ruins of some ancient building, scattered across the plain. They looked small from where he was. He sighed deeply. Seeing the place filled him with sadness and an innate revulsion. He didn't know the reason for these emotions, but he sensed that he would find the answer there. He just had to walk forward.

  Michael set off.

  As he walked across the green grass tipped in red, the sun also decided to walk across the infinite blue sky. One hundred steps. One thousand steps. Ten thousand steps later, and he still couldn't reach his destination. The ruins still lay in the distance. It was as if he had never moved from his spot, or as if the ruins had grown legs and were running away from him every time he looked away. The day passed quickly. The sun was now setting on the horizon to his right, turning the sky and the plain into a copper-like orange.

  Michael continued walking.

  Night arrived, but darkness did not invade the plain, for two moons were wandering along the same path that the sun had taken during the day; one larger than the other, one with more holes than the other, one redder than the other, yet both sharing their radiance with the world. White, yellow, red, and blue stars kept them company, and a cluster of billions of these, along with gas and dust, formed an endless violet galaxy that covered more than half of the dark sky.

  Michael continued walking.

  Day and night took turns every thirty thousand steps. He felt neither heat nor cold, nor hunger or thirst. His body showed no signs of fatigue from all the walking. Yet the sadness never left him. He could still feel it in his blue eyes, that occasionally shed a silent tear along the way.

  Michael stopped

  He saw the ruins still in the distance. He wondered if what he was doing was worth it. Why continue if the distance between him and the ruins remained the same? Nothing would change. He lay down on his back on the grass and closed his eyes, trying to get some sleep. Maybe after a nap he would come up with a better idea. It was daytime. He had stopped shortly after sunrise, and the sun was bothering his face.

  ?“There you are, my big little man,” said a voice.

  Michael sprang to his feet and searched desperately for the owner, but all he found was a massive wall of perfectly square granite blocks looming before him. Somehow, he had managed to reach the site of the ruins while he was asleep. The distance had deceived him. Before, the ruins looked like pebbles, but now, one stands before him like a hill.

  “Up here, my big little man,” said the voice.

  Michael looked up and saw a woman sitting atop the wall, her feet dangling in the air. She waved at him. “I’ve finally found you, my big little man,” she said. “I had lost you.”

  The woman let herself fall from the wall and landed beside him, bending her knees to break her fall. She slowly sat up, stretching her legs, arms, and back. “That hurt a little,” she said.

  Michael watched her. She was enormous. He barely reached her waist. Although her pale skin was marked with bruises and cuts, and her clothes stained with blood and dirt, none of that could tarnish her beauty. Her black hair was cut short, and her eyes were turquoise blue like the sky above. She looked him up and down, flashing a pretty smile that only made Michael sadder, feeling a pang in his heart. She crouched down to his level. Two gold rings dangled above her left ear. He recalled them. He liked to touch them every time she hugged him.

  “What’s wrong, my big little man? Why are you crying?” she asked, wiping the tears from his eyes with her hands. “And you’re all dirty and bruised. I can see they treated you badly.”

  Michael felt ashamed and lowered his gaze.

  “No, no, don’t cry,” she said in a warm whisper. “Come, give your mom a hug.”

  “No. I don’t want to.”

  "Why not?

  Michael didn't know what to say. He was just afraid to hug her. Or maybe it was embarrassment.

  “Don’t be ashamed of me, Michael. I’m your mother. Come here, give me a hug, my big little man.” She opened her arms and gestured for Michael to come closer.

  Michael rushed to her and hugged her tightly, wrapping his arms around her neck. “I missed you, Mom,” he said through tears. “I really missed you.”

  The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

  “Me too, my little man. Me too.”

  After hugging for a long minute, they separated. She wiped the snot and tears from Michael's face with her shirt. "There. You look much better like that," she said, stroking his hair.

  “Mom…”

  "Yes, tell me?"

  “You stink.”

  She smiled. Then she hugged him again, but this time harder, pressing Michael's head against her chest. “Now you and I smell the same,” she said.

  “Nooo! Let me go!” Michael shouted, laughing.

  She let him go. Michael took advantage of his freedom and walked away from her. “Why did you do that?” he protested.

  "And how dare you tell your own mother she stinks, huh? Alright, alright. I'm sorry. Forgive me. Please, don't look at me like that. Come here. Let me kiss you as an apology."

  Michael approached her to receive his kiss, but what he got was another bear hug. And to top it off, she picked up dirt and grass from the ground and rubbed them on his face.

  “Nooo!” Michael screamed.

  “Call me stinky again, you spoiled brat,” she said, letting him go.

  “You always do this,” Michael said, looking at her with pursed lips. “You say you’re going to give me something, but you just want to mess with me. You’re always deceiving me.”

  “It’s not my fault you’re as stupid as my sister. And you cry just like her.” She stood up and walked toward the wall, tracing its surface with her fingertips. “Do you know where we are?” she asked.

  “I don’t know,” Michael replied as he wiped his face with his shirt.

  “I thought you knew. You were the one who brought us here.”

  Michael stared at her. He sensed hatred in her words. She had her back to him, looking at the wall.

  “How did they make this thing? The granite rocks were cut and fitted together perfectly. You can barely fit a hair between them,” she said.

  “What do you think it was before?” Michael asked.

  “An obelisk.”

  “An obelisk? How do you know?”

  "’Cause we were the ones who tore it down. I think Grandpa went too far with his fire. Follow me. I want you to see this."

  His mother led him through the ruins, some were as large as she was, while others were as large as a house. She stopped in front of the largest ruin of all, which was once the base of the obelisk. It was light brown, the color of sand, and had cracks all over its surface. A circular marble platform, smooth as a mirror and of the same sand-brown color, surrounded the base of the obelisk.

  “It was enormous before the battle brought it down,” his mother said. “I’ve never seen anything like it. The interesting part is on the other side.”

  She circled the platform until she reached a piece of rubble of enormous size, lying horizontally on the grass. One side had a pyramid shape and the other was broken. A large black crystal was embedded in it, much larger than the pond Michael remembered near his home. It was oval and perfectly smooth, like the lens of a magnifying glass. Michael saw the dirty, battered reflection of his mother and himself on the crystal.

  "What is it?" he asked.

  His mother shrugged. “You tell me. You arrived before us.”

  Michael felt a sudden headache. Confusing memories came to mind. He remembered the obelisk before it collapsed, and how its colossal size gave the illusion that it was piercing the clouds. In its zenith was the black crystal. He remembered how it sparkled; a brilliant white sphere moved in the darkness of its surface. It looked to him like an eye, watching the army around the obelisk with meticulous curiosity. But when the sphere fixed its gaze on him, he became its obsession. Wherever he went or was dragged to by his kidnappers, the white sphere desperately followed him.

  And then, the sphere turned blue and enlarged, covering the entire black crystal. The earth trembled. A blinding light exploded from the crystal and shot into the sky like a beam of sunlight, annihilating the clouds that were covering the plain at that moment in a burst of colors. Those surrounding the obelisk became alarmed. Their panic and screams sabotaged the ambush they had prepared. A storm broke out over the plain; wind and flames surrounded Michael and those with him. And there, in the midst of the storm, two eyes shining with an eerie silver light laughed wildly within a whirlwind of fire, howling death and destruction for those who dared to touch his blood. More eyes responded to the call.

  The earth trembled once more. The blue sphere at the top of the obelisk split into smaller ones. Ten in total. Each one gazed at the silver eyes and Michael with the same excitement a lover shows for the object of his affection. The whirlwind of flames and laughs reached where he was. Then, everything went dark.

  ?Michael woke up.

  He sat on his mother's lap. She leaned against the base of the obelisk, atop the marble platform. She had her arms around him and was whispering a melody. He recognized it. It was what she sang to him every time she tucked him into bed.

  “You fell asleep,” she said.

  Michael said nothing. He was sleepy. He let his head fall onto her chest.

  "That's it, go to sleep. I know you're tired after everything you've been through. Come on, close your eyes. I'll take care of you."

  His eyelids felt heavy, but he didn't want to sleep. If he slept, he would never see her again.

  “You shouldn’t have left the house, Michael. Look at the trouble you caused.”

  "I'm sorry."

  "I know you're sorry. But sometimes words aren't enough... You have to make amends for what you did."

  Again, he sensed the hatred in her words. “What should I do?” he asked uncertainly.

  "For now, just close your eyes, and trust me." She kissed his cheek.

  The earth trembled.

  Michael was startled and tried to stand up, but his mother wouldn't let him.

  “Relax. It’s just a little quake. It will pass,” she said, holding him tightly.

  The marble began to crack around him, and he could hear the base of the obelisk crumbling. But his mother wouldn't let go of him.

  “Mom, we have to go!” He screamed in despair.

  “Calm down, calm down. Everything will be alright, Michael. Everything will be alright.” She whispered. There was no alarm in her voice.

  The ground gave way beneath the marble, and they began to sink along with the platform and the base of the obelisk. Michael despaired as he watched the ground swallow them and debris rain down around them.

  “Mom, we're going to die buried alive!” Michael shouted, struggling against her grip.

  The marble and earth beneath them opened up, and they began to fall into a deep tunnel. Michael saw a dark abyss at the bottom. The debris was falling towards it, and so were they.

  “Mom! What are you doing!?” Michael shouted through tears.

  “It’s only fair, Michael Hunter. It was all your fault. I always warned you not to leave the house alone, but you never listened. You caused all of this. You destroyed your family by letting yourself be taken away. How does it feel to show your face every day to those you’ve hurt so deeply? Aren’t you ashamed? You kill your cousins’ fathers and grandparents. Your grandfather had to watch his daughter die, and your aunt couldn’t say goodbye to her older sister. Look how much pain you’ve caused by ignoring me. It’s not fair that we’re all dead while you, the one who caused all this tragedy, are still alive. It’s only fair that you come with us into the abyss. It’s what you deserve. I’ll take you with me before you hurt your cousins ??again.”

  She hugged him tighter. Michael didn't struggle anymore. Her words had unlocked his memory. He remembered where he was and what had happened to him. He surrendered his body to his mother's will. It was fair. Just as she said, he provoked all of this. He was barely a five-year-old child, but he should have noticed the danger that lurked around his family.

  Everything was his fault.

  Mother and son fell into the abyss in an embrace of love and grief. He smiled as the darkness swallowed them up like the jaws of a beast called justice. He heard nothing, felt nothing, only a lightness in his soul knowing that this heavy burden would be lifted from him. It didn't matter if he died in the end. It was better to die now than to live his whole life with the guilt of knowing he had killed his family. It was his redemption. And then…

  Michael woke up.