Fragmented Reality (2)

Every night at midnight, the purple clouds came out to dance with the blushing sky. And every night when the sky changed, the streets of the city beneath it fell silent.

Not a single person would dare to be caught outside when the light appeared and the clouds came calling. For anyone that happened to stray from out of their homes was lost forever, never to be seen or heard from again.

Years ago, the light appeared like a faint glow just beyond the mountain range of the desert. And those who were curious enough to learn of its presence made the arduous hike, never to return from their journey again.

But eventually, the strange light and the clouds that churned around it drew closer to the city and its people. They were drawn to it, like moths to a flame, but when those who remained discovered that they too were lost, everything changed. What was once an intriguing phenomenon, transposed through the silent beauty of its allure, quickly shifted to something else entirely. Now it was for them, the portal to which their loved ones had been lost.

But over time, as it settled above the city, the people simply learned not to go out whenever it appeared. Time began to heal the hearts of those whose worlds were shattered by its presence and decades later, it simply became a part of their lives. An inconvenience...

But for young Celeste, it called to her. Most nights she was able to ignore the grip it had on her, but as the little girl grew in her years, she found herself waking up to its draw.

She could see the light peering through the thin veil of her curtains, and it took everything for her not to pull them back. She wanted so desperately to gaze into the mystery that was the light. And more than anything, she wanted to understand it. But her mother made certain to remind her that it was impossible.

The light became a story for the children just as much as it was a warning for those who misbehaved. And it worked well. Celeste, like all the other children, took those stories to heart at first. But not long after her seventh birthday, she began to feel something else whenever it was spoken of. And when her thoughts were drawn to it, she became consumed by it.

Until finally, one night, she couldn't stand it any longer. She peered across the dark bedroom to where her mother slept and waited for a moment, making sure that she was in fact asleep. And when the faint glow emerged from behind her curtain, she carefully crawled toward the window.

Soon, the light grew brighter, and that insatiable desire came flooding throughout her body. She needed to see it, if only just once.

So, when she lifted her hand toward the curtain, she hesitated for a moment as though she could hear her mother's voice scolding her and getting ready to pull her back at any moment.

She knew that what she was doing was wrong. And she knew what would happen if she followed through with it. But the pull on her was just too much to bear. It was as if the more she resisted, the more it called to her. Until eventually, it was all she could think to do.

But still, the young girl fought it. And as she nearly won the battle, the light from beyond the veil began to pulse. It started with just the one, and then came another. Soon, one burst of light turned into a rapid cadence which grew in its intensity until Celeste couldn't take it any longer.

She quickly pulled the curtain back just enough for her head to squeeze between and watched in awe at the sight before her.

The light appeared as an orb that hovered over the center of the city like a lantern which hung from the sky. Just moments before, the darkness of the night covered the landscape like a shroud, relenting only to the ambient pins of light from the distant stars. But now it appeared as though time had been reversed, and dusk was still upon the city.

The light took its place as the sun, and the clouds around it silently writhed around its energy. Vibrant colors of gold and pink had been smeared against the purple clouds and the light continued to draw in the world around it. Including the young girl who watched it with her widened and eager eyes.

And much to her surprise, she hadn't disappeared or died from simply looking at it. Which meant that either the stories she had been told were wrong or a flat out lie. But as she continued to gaze at the brilliance of the scene before her, one final burst of blinding light pulsated over the city before the figured of a man dropped down from the orb and into the streets below.

Celeste gasped and quickly covered her mouth in an attempt to muffle the sound. When she glanced over at her mother once more to make sure that she was still asleep, the girl decided at once to go out and investigate the strange mystery.

After carefully navigating her way through the small apartment, she opened the door, ran down the steps, and made her way out into the street. She hesitated for a moment and finally took her first steps beneath the shifting sky. Eventually her feet began to quicken, and soon, she was running toward the place where the man had fallen.

Down the dusty roads and through the empty alleyways, she made her way through the city until she finally arrived at the spot. Directly above her, the light still remained, and the clouds still churned around it. But the man was nowhere in sight. She nervously searched in every direction and looked around every corner she could find, but still there was nothing.

She began to question herself and doubt whether she had actually seen a person fall from the sky as she was so certain just moments ago. But with nothing to prove her claim, she sighed as her once eager shoulders dropped with disappointment. Though suddenly, she jumped at the sound of a man's voice from behind her.

"Hello, Celeste," the man said warmly as he approached her.

He was tall, and he wore clothes so foreign to her. They were nothing like the plain and worn fabric of young Celeste and her people. And he carried himself with a confidence she had never seen. His dark brown hair fell loosely over his eyes, and he cautiously lowered himself down to her level.

"You-you fell from the sky?" she asked as her voice trembled.

"Yes, I did," he replied with a reassuring smile.

“Who are you? What are you doing here?” So many questions had raced through her mind as she struggled to make sense of everything.

“My name is Gerald,” he replied. “And I’m looking for someone.”

“Who?" she asked.

“Well, you…”

Her heart dropped, and all at once, more thoughts began to flood the young girl’s mind.

“But we don’t have much time,” He continued. “We need to hurry.”