On The Last Day.
It was the sound of something struggling on the water that woke up the boy. He gently wormed his way out of his mothers arm, and she stirred. Thier eyes met at once, she did not say a word. Her hand came out of the shadow and her fingers extended touched his cheek, popping the breath he was holding. The boy laughed pushing her hand away.
"Catch it if you can. Today is the last day." She smiled.
Outside, the hut was bathed with a pale bluish hue of the coming morning. The stars were yet bright and the boy could see clearly the path to the water. Not that he needed to see or needed a path. He was not looking at all. He felt buoyed by a feeling of lightness he was not accustomed to, he needed calmness to hunt. behind him, he could feel the gaze of his mother on his back. He dared not look back, her eyes would remind him of the fear he knew he should have right now.
The island was unusually quiet this day. He could clearly her the Jinns sleeping on the palm trees. Looking up, he saw an old jinn staring at him, on its belly was the intricate carving the boy was always curious about. It was forbidden to talk to jinns, his mother said. The jinn, produced a dark object from its had and pointed it to him as if offering it. The boy knew better, walking ahead as if nothing happened.
The animal in the water now lay motionless on the beach, but the boy could see its gills move rapidly. It was a great sailfish, the colors danced on its fins. It was near death and breathtakingly beautiful. Stooping low in the trees, the boy searched for its enemy. He waited and waited, he had to wait till colors of the dawn shifted.
The enemy appeared as if it never left. Its current shape was that of a young boy much like himself. It was suddenly standing right beside the sailfish, looking out at sea. The boy knew two things. The enemy has shaped himself as a boy because it knew the boy was there and that the boy had no idea what he was dealing with. He has never seen anything take the form of his likeness. The fear started creeping back in to him, his palms started sweating on the spear.
The boy stood up and walked on to the beach. He pushed the spear purposefully into the stand and knelt on one leg. Taking a heap of sand into both his hands, he rubbed it on his face. Taking a another, he let it fall gently to the ground making his intentions clear. The enemy did not seem like it noticed.
"Your prize is an offering to me. I accept it if you shall give it". The boy like the sound of his voice saying the words he had been thinking of saying.
The enemy moved , with the kind of disjointed grace like a hunting egret on the beach. Turning to face the boy it stared at him. The boy found he was full face with himself , and this moment would be the last thing he would think of when he died many many years later. It was as if the enemy was trying to tell the boy who the real enemy was. Only the eyes was different, the pupils changed colors like the sailfish fin beside it.
"I will offer it to you." The enemy spoke. "I also accept you as my prize, if you shall give yourself... I know what today is. I will tell you. There are many last days. too many to count. Too few to die for. "
It was the sound of something struggling on the water that woke up the boy. He gently wormed his way out of his mothers arm, and she stirred. Thier eyes met at once, she did not say a word. Her hand came out of the shadow and her fingers extended touched his cheek, popping the breath he was holding. The boy laughed pushing her hand away.
"Catch it if you can. Today is the last day." She smiled.
Outside, the hut was bathed with a pale bluish hue of the coming morning. The stars were yet bright and the boy could see clearly the path to the water. Not that he needed to see or needed a path. He was not looking at all. He felt buoyed by a feeling of lightness he was not accustomed to, he needed calmness to hunt. behind him, he could feel the gaze of his mother on his back. He dared not look back, her eyes would remind him of the fear he knew he should have right now.
The island was unusually quiet this day. He could clearly her the Jinns sleeping on the palm trees. Looking up, he saw an old jinn staring at him, on its belly was the intricate carving the boy was always curious about. It was forbidden to talk to jinns, his mother said. The jinn, produced a dark object from its had and pointed it to him as if offering it. The boy knew better, walking ahead as if nothing happened.
The animal in the water now lay motionless on the beach, but the boy could see its gills move rapidly. It was a great sailfish, the colors danced on its fins. It was near death and breathtakingly beautiful. Stooping low in the trees, the boy searched for its enemy. He waited and waited, he had to wait till colors of the dawn shifted.
The enemy appeared as if it never left. Its current shape was that of a young boy much like himself. It was suddenly standing right beside the sailfish, looking out at sea. The boy knew two things. The enemy has shaped himself as a boy because it knew the boy was there and that the boy had no idea what he was dealing with. He has never seen anything take the form of his likeness. The fear started creeping back in to him, his palms started sweating on the spear.
The boy stood up and walked on to the beach. He pushed the spear purposefully into the stand and knelt on one leg. Taking a heap of sand into both his hands, he rubbed it on his face. Taking a another, he let it fall gently to the ground making his intentions clear. The enemy did not seem like it noticed.
"Your prize is an offering to me. I accept it if you shall give it". The boy like the sound of his voice saying the words he had been thinking of saying.
The enemy moved , with the kind of disjointed grace like a hunting egret on the beach. Turning to face the boy it stared at him. The boy found he was full face with himself , and this moment would be the last thing he would think of when he died many many years later. It was as if the enemy was trying to tell the boy who the real enemy was. Only the eyes was different, the pupils changed colors like the sailfish fin beside it.
"I will offer it to you." The enemy spoke. "I also accept you as my prize, if you shall give yourself... I know what today is. I will tell you. There are many last days. too many to count. Too few to die for. "
