The Bells

He was in a city he did not know, it was late at night or early morning, the sky was a foggy black, and the streets were in a permanent zone of twilight. There were people on the street, walking alone, but he could not make out their faces; they were hooded, masked or in shadows, and avoiding others, so he was doing the same.

How long had he been walking? He didn't know.

Where was he going? He didn't know that either.

Where had he come from? He had vague memories, but the clouds in his mind hid place names and the people he thought that he once knew.

And then it started, The Bells!!

He could hear the noise, but he didn't know where the noise was coming from. But maybe that was the place that he had to find; it could be a signal, or a summoning.

The grey cars still drifted by, and the faceless streetwalkers still wandered, not changing their direction. He was tempted to ask, but they did worry him, so he thought better of it and tried to follow the sound himself. Something told him that he had to find the bells, which was now why he was here, he told himself.

Finding the bells was all that mattered now, so he continued along the streets, avoiding contact with any others who were out in the foggy blackness.

Then he noticed something very strange, although he could see everything, it was definitely the middle of the night, but in the windows of the buildings, no lights shone, the streetlights were unlit, and the cars had no lights on either. This was more confusing than disturbing. was he dreaming? He didn't think so, but how do you know when you're in a dream when everything seems real? The questions were mounting up, and the bells kept ringing. He walked on.

In the distance, he saw a tower; he wasn't sure whether it was a church or not, but the bells seemed to be coming from there. He walked on, the foggy black night stayed the same, time was passing, but it didn't seem to be passing for him. He realised he had no watch, no phone, no wallet, or ID. There were no clocks or time displays that he could see, though they might have spilt light into the street. This situation got stranger by the second, but he could not go back; all that mattered was the bells.

The ringing seemed to change, to become more insistent. He quickened his pace; he had to get there as soon as possible.

He came to the tower, and the bells were ringing from this place. It was not a church, but a tall Gothic structure. It had no clocks, and he went in, and there was a stairway, which he assumed would take him to the bells.

He counted 236 steps and came out onto to stone platform, where he saw a grizzled figure pulling on the bell ropes.

The figure turned and said:

"Oh good, you're here"

"You were expecting me?"

"You are the next ringer, you will ring the bells until your sins are purged, and you will be replaced by another, and you can move to the next place. I will leave now, you must ring the bells unto you have purged yourself."

"If I don't?"

"You will become a faceless one and wander these streets forever. If that happens, there is no escape. If you ring the bells, you can move on"

The grizzled figure left and walked into a cloud.

He had no choice, he took the bell ropes and started ringing, waiting for the next ringer to replace him......