Lemongrass and a Dash of Honey

Abyss

"Why? Why don't you want them to suffer, when you have the power to make them writhe in pain, their very hearts to be wrenched from their bosoms, thrown to be eaten by their very own dogs? Why not make them experience that torture? That way, no one will question us again; we alone will be at the top, the most terrifying of them all!" The beast's voice chuckled out its words as joyfully as it could, in a raspy tone full of imposing fierceness, anger and raw hatred which continued in a limitless echo in the vast, formless abyss. I had often visited the beast in this endless place; it had no end nor any beginning, no windows or concealing walls, not even a floor to rest our feet on. The Abyss was just a deep, black void which had no physical body at all. It was a place where I could easily converse and keep an eye on the beast whenever I could, its loud, ear-piercing shrieking always echoing through the eternal mist.

Stretching a sigh, I complacently retained my silence, my strong sense of pity for the creature actually materializing as a blinding white mist in the dark. Seeing it in so much pain...its agony opaque in its translucent eyes melted my heart. Its bared teeth and ferocious growling were all empty, a simple mask to hide its mound of discontent. The beast sniffed up the glowing mist in one powerful breath, its crystal pinkish eyes once again turning scarlet,"You DARE pity me!?! Foolish child, do you not know who I am? I am the Great Beast of the Abyss! The Defiler! Feared by all, revered by even the most evil of humans, proud ruler of this realm; yet you, a single lonely wayfarer DARES to pity ME?" The bellowing roar shook the entire space including my confidence, my hands beginning to tremble and my eyes widening just at the sight of it. It truly did deserve to be feared by all; it had a long crocodile snout except with razor teeth as sharp as knives, its eyes like gleaming rubies amongst its myriad of emerald scales that gave off an eerie green light which made its stained claws shine the brightest. It almost suddenly noticed my stalwart personality waver, pouncing with its harsh words echoing from its toothy grin, "I know everything about you, young one. You have a way with masking your anxious, bleeding heart but I see straight through it! Turned away by all you know, exiled by society, ignored by your own friends, a disappointment in the eyes of your own parents!" I felt my knees giving up on me, the once white aura hovering around me turned into a poisonous fog, the entire left side of my body burning like struck with steaming acid. The weightless Abyss had also changed, a sudden pull of gravity dragging me downwards. We were falling.

"No..." my voice slowly wavered as the Beast laughed even louder than before, proud of watching its overpowering will engulf me. "Yes! Open your mind to the truth! You know that you are a failure. That is why I offer you a chance! Feed your hate; let it become a part of you that both you and I can escape this wretched place! Together no one can stop us, so join your power with mine!"

I tightly shut my eyes. I could feel its hatred seeping into me. Something inside my heart, something dark, was threatening to take over all those ideals I stand for.I knew all that the beast spoke of was not a lie; it was true that I have made wrong decisions that have cost me much happiness. For once I did not want to be nodding and telling everyone that 'I am fine', such a blatant lie just to please the people around me. For once, I didn't want to be used and just tossed aside like a piece of unwanted trash. For once, I did not want to be the one who had to cry within her just because there wasn't anyone there to listen. But, what I want more than anything else in this world is to lose that gut wrenching pain, the pain of feeling all alone, small, insignificant, ignored and cast aside as a mad dreamer. I wanted the pain to end, but that small flicker of light still left in me called out, 'This is not the way to achieve the peace you want!'  

That tiny voice of reason gleamed through and out of my mind, absorbing all the mist of discontent and hate. It rang out in one sharp clear voice as radiant as the sun and musical as a songbird,

"There is no result of smiting anguish with fear and hate, it is our faith. It is our trust that this world is a bright place, that it can be so much greater. Everyone is a part of something greater, their ideals important as every other creature's. Nothing can ever remain unchanged, as long as there is hope."

I opened my tear-streaked eyes, the enormous droplets dripping downwards into the endless tunnel, urging me to continue despite the beast's threatening crouch. "You depend on feeding off human anger; you engulf the hope and dreams they have with your hate," I pointed at it without the smallest sensation of fear,"And I know that it is not your fault!" It paused at my words, the ferosity draining from its glassy eyes. "Yes, I understand you very well, and why you do all this! Its not your fault that you have such a strong envy for those who roam in the light while you are subjected to this prison, this dark, dark prison. I understand you. You are not the only one with the bleeding heart; the one who has to suffer everyday in loneliness. Do not worry, cry it out! Free yourself from this burden! There is no one here to judge you so why be afraid? Set yourself free; free as a bird,swooping through blue skies filled with warmth." The dropping sensation stopped. The constant sound of painful breathing ceased. The still air of the Abyss had returned, but something else was different. The beast had been absolutely still. Its demonic glass eyes had turned a very soft, milky pink, its ruffled scales settling down while its knife-like teeth neatly clicked inside. Droplets as blue as ink trickled from its round eyes. I had seen its tears for the first time. "Traveler, why am I like this? Stuck here for eternity, ignored by all throughout generations, unknown to the world," its words slurred as its tears soon drizzled openly, floating around it like royal blue bubbles,"Please, set me free from the dark. The pain...it is too much. Your words remind me of the sun, oh how beautiful its light was..." The creature no longer seemed beastly, but almost resembled a human, its deep-cut heart pouring out. It reminded me of myself.
"Take my hand," I extended my palm towards it,"Let's see the light."
Its claw gently touched my palm, and the beast vanished.

Almost instantly, I felt lighter. My heart beats slowly for the first time in many years. I hope you rest well friend, the voice within me echoed causing the the black curtains of the Abyss to crack, its illusion melting away like an old nightmare to reveal the fresh rays of a new sunrise.
Its warm rays dancing on my skin while my heart fluttered.
Free.

*************
Hello everyone! This is my new short stories book; Abyss is only the first story! These stories fluctuate according to my feelings; I was really sad when I wrote this thus the dark symbolism.
I'm still writing The Way To Truth but I have currently put it on a hiatus. Anyways, hope you enjoy my new stories! By the way, good luck to everyone giving their finals! Hope you guys do amazing in your exams!
PS) Don't forget to like, suscribe and leave a comment! Its really encouraging and makes me really happy to see your views and critique of my work, so comment away!^_^

Imantheawesome7
Monday 9th May 2016