//------------------------------// // Ch01 It starts..... // Story: The Reigns of History // by 8chill //------------------------------// "We are gathered here today, in remembrance of a loved one." "This woman has lived her life to the fullest with respect and dignity." "Blessed be......." 'Why?' There was no response. No one to give me an answer. I couldn't hear anything. It was so quiet. I looked around my location to discover that I was in an open field. Well, as open as you can get; there were a few trees there. The sheer size of them left me to wonder just what all their canopy covered. A calm, cool breeze filters in this peaceful paradise; wrapping around and caressing every standing object. The gentle, green grass was cut precisely to not interfere with movement. All in all, it was a nice place, one could easily rest here... But there was something peculiar about this peaceful field. It was littered with numerous rectangular stones all of different sizes and shapes. And in front of one particular stone lies a hole, a hole so large that it seems unnatural in a place such as this. It was at this point I realized, numbly, that there were people beside me, all wearing clothing of the deepest black. Judging by their mouth movements; they were quietly mumbling. But I still couldn't here anything. It was like they weren't there at all. I was looking at statues; faces unchanging, unflinching. It was at this point I was hoping for something... anything! Silence was all there was. Nothing. Absolutely nothing. I was jarred into reality when someone tapped me on my shoulder. I looked towards the person with heavy eyes only to see them pointing at something. Following their finger, I turned and looked into the direction they were pointing. My eyes rested on a box that was ornately decorated, crafted with skill. To anyone else it would be a thing of beauty. Something to be marveled, appreciated, cherished even. But to me, it was a box. A box that took something from me. A box that hides the true marvel in it. That box..... That dreaded box... Shaking myself from my thoughts, I move my eyes from the object of despair, to a man who was walking towards me. He too was ornately decorated, but with cloths of increasing complexity and colors. He walked with a calm steady rhythm, seemingly unaffected by whatever else was going on. His eyes held purpose, as if practiced but all the same kind and strong. He was a minister. He eventually arrived upon my location. He looked into my eyes, probably understanding the pain, anguish , and devastation I was going through, and put on a soft smile. "Do you have anything you wish to say?" he asked. My chest clenches painfully. "I..." My breath is becoming short. "I....uh" My vision waning. "Son, are you alright?" he asked with a voice laden with concern. "I......." Ugh. I awoke with a start. Heart beating painfully against my chest. It was as if it wanted to leave my body altogether! Sweat clung to my body like a layer of molasses. Eyes wide, I began searching for that invisible phantom that plagues me. After a moment of spent searching, I began to calm myself. "Come on Carl, get it together man. Its been three years!" I said to myself. I should probably get up. No. I have to get up or else I'll be here all day. I pulled the covers back and swung my legs over the edge of the bed. After a moment to gather myself, I stood up and proceeded to walk to the bathroom. Once there, I began the task of going through my daily rituals. You know the ones that most people go through everyday. Brush your teeth, wash your face, brush your hair, and blah blah blah. Basically done, I was about to leave when I decided to look into the mirror. You see I kind of have a bad habit of not really looking into mirrors all that much. I know it's bad, but it's just something I developed over time. The image in the mirror wasn't really ugly, but I wouldn't call it beautiful either. I am your average 23 year old African American guy, pseudo black hair, light brown skin and stood at nearly six feet tall. I admit I'm a little "heavy" or overweight if you choose to say, but not to the point where one could call me "fat." Yeah, I call my hair pseudo black and its for a reason but its pointless to get into detail. It's my eyes that are what I'm focused on at the moment. A simple glance can tell anyone that my eyes are brown but to me they were a little more than just brown. I can't really explain but its something I feel so its best to leave it be. I walked out of the bathroom and headed towards my closet. Opening it up, I scanned the many articles of clothing searching for something to go out in. "Let's see. What should I wear?" I reached in and started pulling random shirts and pants out giving them brief judgements. "Not wearing that. That's too old. I don't even know what this thing is but I'm not putting it on." Getting a little frustrated, I dug deeper into the closet looking for something decent. I pulled something out only to toss it back with unhidden horror. "What in the world was I on to even have this thing in here! Well, whatever it's garbage now." Tossing the offending item away, I began my search anew before finally deciding on a simple green polo with grey cargo pants and a pair of black gym shoes. With my outfit settled, I left my room and headed to the kitchen of my apartment. As I got near, I stopped and thought about whether or not I should eat before deciding against it. I can always get something while I'm out. Plan set, I grabbed my keys from off the counter and my lucky sunglasses. I started heading towards the door, taking a moment to check and make sure everything is okay, satisfied I locked the door and left. 'No way! I can't believe this!' I mentally yelled to myself. My boss had called and left a message on my cell phone saying that I needed to come in today. Apparently, the Tuesday shipment came in earlier than expected and now they're short on staff members to stock. Sighs. This is why you should be careful employing yourself to a large hardware and housing store. Stuff like this is bound to happen. Man and it was my day off too! "I really don't want have to come in today and deal with those knuckleheads. I already had a rough start and now this." The knuckleheads were a two dudes who played around and shirked their duties. Leaving me, the responsible one, to clean up after them. They even had the nerve to call me their friend after I end up doing their jobs for them. Ha. Friends. As if I need such a concept as that. Now don't get me wrong, if you believe in friendship; good for you. You were able to find a friend? Congratulations. You were able to maintain a constant friendly relationship? Good Job! Me? If there is anything my life experiences has taught me is that friendship is like a coin toss. If you get heads, great, rainbows and sprinkles galore. If you get tails, tough cookies welcome to the world of cynicism the best policy you can have. People smile to each other saying that they care about you, that they love you, or they believe in you. But in reality, they don't truly trust you. Its more of a performance, where you must play your role precisely in order for success. After all, its impossible to truly know someone, which makes friendship an unneeded risk. That's why I don't need friends, I only have associates or allies in a manner of speaking. The risk isn't as great in comparison to the potential consequences. Besides, you can always cut off ties easily and not get betrayed or lied to. Realizing what I'm doing, I shake my head to clear out my thoughts. "I really wish I could stop over thinking things. It hardly ever helps the situation I'm in," I said to myself while glancing around the cafe. I was looking for something to distract me when I found it. A brochure advertising trips to Alaska to enjoy the scenery, food, and the Aurora Borealis. It was something I always wanted to do. If only i could...... Quickly a plan formed in my head that could save me from the frustration I was feeling. Picking up my cell phone; I dialed my place of employment. "Hey Chris, about that vacation time I have left........" Ten hours, four connecting flights and fifteen hundred dollars later, I'm here. Away from the hustle and bustle, crazy, and headache inducing nonsense that is my life. Its just as I imagined it, quiet and peaceful, just like...... I hurry and grab my things; I want to experience this new exciting place and behold the spectacle of lights that can only be found here. Besides, I don't need to go down that tail of thoughts. Not again. Luckily for me, I was able to easily find my way around thanks to a few friendly locals. I was even able to find a location not commonly used to see the Northern Lights. All I had to do, was pack enough essentials to basically be able to survive three days alone. Purchase some clothing better suited for this type of venture. Learn some basic survival skills should I need them. Leave information behind in case an accident happens so that someone can identify me. Easy. Right? "I can't believe I'm actually doing this." I said to myself amidst the crunching sound of the snow beneath my snow shoes. "Who would of thought that Carl was capable of something like this? Walking in freezing temperatures, away from civilization, with no support just to see colorful light dancing in the sky." I said amused. A few years ago, I would have never tried something like this. I was never the 'adventuring type' or outgoing person. I was and still am the cautious, calculating guy that watches everything from the sidelines. I took the whole 'look before you leap' value and made it a personal philosophy. I finally arrived to the area I was looking for. At first glance it didn't look like much, just tall snow-covered deciduous trees as far as the eye could see, a few boulders laying haphazardly around, and of course a few hundred metric (crap) tons of snow. But what made this area interesting, was the fact it was a circular clearing, surrounded by trees all pointing inwards. "I guess there's nothing left to do but to set up camp." Fifteen minutes later, everything is set, all there is left to do is find a spot to best watch the event. "Hmm.... That little hill over there should be good." I laid down in the snow staring straight up at the night sky waiting for what I knew was coming to me. A few minutes later, and I was rewarded with one of the most spectacular sights imaginable. The waves of colors clashing and interacting in the upper atmosphere was simply stunning. Time didn't matter to me at that moment, just lying there enjoying this cosmic parade was enough in my books. Nothing could possibly ruin this moment. It is when you challenge fate that things can take a turn for the worst. Before I could even realize my grave error, fate struck. The hill I was laying on collapsed beneath me. Terrified, I started yelling while falling through what looked to be an underground cavern. It was lined with crystals of all shapes and sizes and what looked to be a pool of water at the bottom. A moment later, I impacted the water hard enough to seriously injure myself. Luckily, I floated up to the surface with nothing more than a few bruises and sore back. Thankfully, I landed near the edge of the pool and could easily walk up the embankment to get out. Which was a good thing since: A) I'm partially hydrophobic, B) normally terrified of large areas of water and C) I only know how to float; not swim. Peering upwards, I guessed that the distance I fell was roughly 60 feet, judging by how close the rim of the pit looked to be. As I started my way out of the pool, the water seemingly got more resistant and colder. Thinking it was my muscles locking up, I pressed on at an increased pace. The more I moved, the weaker and colder I became. There was no way hypothermia could have possibly occurred this quickly! My level of concern increased rapidly as I was getting weaker. It was a moment later when it clicked in my mind what was happening. This 'water' wasn't causing me to lose body heat or my muscles to stiffen; it was actually draining my energy! Panic stricken, I desperately tried to fight against this strange liquid hoping to get out but to no avail. I was stuck, trapped like a fly would to a spiders web. The ionized light show above continued flickering from colors and hues, dancing playfully, almost as if it was laughing at my struggles; taunting me for being so foolish. Despair set in as I realized it became useless to try. Nearly completely drained, I became too tired to fight back. My eyes slowly closed as I sank deeper into the ice cold liquid until I was no more. ~Authors Note~ Well this is the first chapter of my first story ever on Fimfiction! So I want to apologize now if the story you read was complete and utter trash. I don't have talent when it comes to story telling or writing, but I read a few works that inspired me to at least give it a try. Oh and one last thing, the authors of the stories I gained inspiration from are as follows: Kiroberos,Slick Dash, and Coal Buck and should they ever find their way to this fiction, I've but one thing to say..... I blame you. Its all your fault.