"Where are we?" I say more to myself than Xisul. It's weird. I'm sure I've never set foot here but I feel like there's something familiar. Like I should know this place.
The magnetic field is surprisingly high. It must be the core. Judging by the silver-glint of the planet's surface, along with waves of blue baked into the rock, I wouldn't be surprised if this world was largely made up of cobalt. I whistle.
If the priests of Epiterra knew about this place, they would go beside themselves at the potential to exploit it for its resources. It's not scintilla, but it's still an excellent material for building their fleet of space ships.
But as far as I can tell, this place is undefiled. Not a hint of human touch anywhere except--
I pause. What is that?
I've been to my share of terrestrial bodies throughout the galaxy. And... how do I describe it? Whatever that is, it looks made but not.
And it's breathtaking.
It's not the cobalt in it's raw form that stretches as far as the eye can see, where the light scatters across its surface and creates that metallic, matted look. It's not the way the ground raises upon itself so that it looks like multiple basins cascading one over the other. Almost as if I was approaching a series of giant, naturally made steps. It's not even the way that the atmospheric pressure squeezes highly-charged particles against the planet's surface so that there's this steady neon-like glow that outlines everything.
All of that's beautiful, don't get me wrong, but it's what's at the center, nestled at the topmost stair of the basins. It's blue, and lilac, and, when the light hits it just so, gold or silver, but still transparent. A large crystal wall, buffed but never cut, so that the faces are asymmetrical and unique. On either end is a shimmering cobalt frame that extends about three-quarters of the way up the side.
"Have you ever seen anything like this, Xisul?"
She shakes her head. For once, her mouth is silent. She must be as in awe of this place as I am.
We take a few steps toward the base, hesitant to see if there are any traps that are planned for trespassers. There's no doubt in my mind that this place was built by some culture, perhaps thousands of millennia ago. Maybe the Pre-Moda Era. Had it been built by the priests, the lines would be sharp, smooth, uniform. A reflection of the inexhaustible pursuit of perfection by the hegemony.
No, this looks too raw, too natural and yet... not natural. Hands must have placed this thing here. But why in this remote place so far flung from any civilization in the galaxy? And what for?
I take another step.
"Cobar, be careful."
I grin.
"Worried for me, Xisul?"
"Shut it. If you get hurt, don't think I'm going to save your butt. I'll be on the first beacon out of here."
I cock my head in her direction. "No heroes amongst your people, right?"
She sucks her teeth. "No hero for someone who pokes around unknown structures like a stupid."
I snort. Xisul doesn't mince words with her opinions. It's one of the things I find attractive about her. That and the way her eyes are shaped. I shake my head. Not attractive. Interesting. That's the right word.
I turn back to the structure and start making my way upward.
When I get to the last step, I pause. Nothing has come to kill me yet. That's a good sign.
"Cobar, we should go," she says, her tone strained.
I ignore her and close the gap between me and a small stone alter that is placed strategically in front of the translucent wall. There are no vines or trees that strangle the altar - is it even possible to grow such things here? Regardless, there's only the residue of fine minerals that have dusted the surface. I brush them off with my hand and try to read the inscription.
But it's no language I've ever scene. Not in my years of travel or study.
As I approach the crystal wall, slowly, slowly, something strange happens. It's as if the wall itself comes alive and starts to illuminate.
I can't help myself. I lean forward to touch the crystal and it's like it melts... or flows? It's not hot but it's liquid. I pull my hand back and inspect my glove. It shines, but other than that, there's no residue. Now I'm really curious. I walk around to the side of the crystal where it's framed by the cobalt ore. I try to peer around to see what is behind the stone.
Nothing. Just more of the planet.
What is this material? I inspect the sides again, the altar, the crystal itself. I touch it again and same thing. It melts but doesn't melt.
Why does this seem familiar? And then it hits me.
I've never cared for the stories. Never. I always figured they were just an annoying part of my culture. Legends cooked up by my ancestors to make them feel like they weren't alone in the universe. Myths that alienated me from ever living a normal life with the modded.
But there is one tale that all great-grandfathers spoke of ad nauseam. About one of our forefathers who was cast to the corners of the galaxy where time bended on itself. Rejected and alone, he saw wall of precious stone that was clear. It was there he heard The Voice and made a covenant with the eternal King and worshipped.
I swallow.
But those were just allegories, right? There's no way they could be real. Could they?
Could they?
I take a step back and catch my breath at the thought.
I've just been to the first worship service of the unmodded.
The Pretty Doll by SlyPigglet3
A little orphan named Daisy had a pretty little doll named Butterfly. Daisy lived in a church hidden by the forest, the church was very, very old. The church housed orphans and the nuns took very good care of them. One day all the girls went outside to play, but when Daisy went back to the church, Butterfly was missing! Daisy looked all over for Butterfly but couldn’t find her. Daisy went out the next day and sat in the shade of a big tree. She looked beside her and saw Butterfly! Daisy skipped all the way back to the church and sat beside a beautiful stained glass window. Then she placed Butterfly across from her and had a tea party.
The End
Susanna’s Surprise by SlyPigglet5
Once upon a time there was a girl and her name was Susanna. Every day she went to a hidden church so she could think. One day a group of monkeys with fire burned the hidden church down. But a unicorn came to her rescue! Susanna and the unicorn became best friends. And they lived happily ever after.
The End
Fortune’s Story by SlyPigglet1 (week 4)
This is the story of how I found my dog, Fortune. It had been a warm summer evening and I was walking through a church ruin partly concealed by the local flora. Even though the church was decayed, it was a wonder to walk through. There was a stone pew, lying on its side in the leaf litter. Bits and pieces of stained glass in stone arches that reached to the treetops glittered like jewels in the sunset. It was magical to behold. That evening I had gone to enjoy the warm weather and get inspiration for the next book I was going to write. I was sitting on one of the pews when I heard a small sound. At first I dismissed it as a bird call, but it became louder and more persistent, eventually becoming undeniably a dog’s whimper. I got up and started looking for it, under pews and stone ledges until I finally found the source of the sound. It was a small dog, not much more than a puppy, really, and it had been curled up in a corner of the church behind a wall of climbing ivy. I picked it up and it lifted its face and licked me. I giggled and said, “Well, hello there!” It wagged its tail.
I took a quick peek between its hind legs. “So you’re a boy, huh? Well, it sure was your good fortune that I was here, little guy. I wonder who you belong to.” He licked me again.
I carried him to my car and took him to an animal shelter nearby to have him checked for a microchip or a clue to whom he belonged to. They took him and inspected him while I waited in the lobby. They came back saying he was completely healthy, but as far as they knew, he didn’t belong to anybody.
“It’s really quite sad,” the lady at the front desk said. “Some people just toss a dog away when they don’t want it anymore. We’ll just have to keep this little guy here until someone comes to adopt him.”
I looked down at the small ball of fluff now laying on my feet. “I’ll take him.” I said before I realized it.
The lady at the front desk smiled and talked me through the process of adopting a dog. I signed some papers and walked out the door a proud owner of the dog I had decided to call Fortune.
We stopped by PetSmart to buy dog food and then headed home. It was late evening when we arrived home, so I fixed us some dinner and we went to bed. The next morning after I walked Fortune I sat down at my computer to do some writing. I glanced down to where Fortune was draped over my feet and smiled. I began typing:
“FORTUNE’S STORY”
“Yes,” I thought, looking down at my fluffball, “Fortune’s story.”
The End
