The Darkest Question

Chapter 7

I felt something punch my stomach, and I feel back down, to the rocky ground. As I looked at the dark ground beneath me, I saw the light, in my periphery, that had engulfed me before, begin to be pushed back. As I started to looked back up, and recover from the sudden stab to my stomach, the atmosphere slowly returned to the dark, dreary, and insidious state it had been in. I looked ahead, but the path before me was different: no longer had the path seemed to go on for miles, stretching in utter eternity, but I saw simply a void of complete blackness. To the left of the void, was where the path lead on, taking a turn, sharply, making a left. I started back on, carefully not to fall over the edge, else I slip into this dark void to my right and all beside me. As I made my way, with the greatest of care, for now the path has been made straighter before me, toward and around the edge of the cliff, I thought back to Astrea; however, for some reason, my mind was torn, my emotions made shipwreck. I thought of her body, of her form, of her eyes, of her nose, of her hips, of her hands, of her mouth, of her lips, of her breasts, of her waist, of her hair, and of her neck. Didn't I deserve her? Didn't I deserve to have her? But then, as I thought more of my right to her body, I thought of the violation of nature I had committed. I thought of the great crime I perpetrated: betrayal. I betrayed her. I could've had something real with her. I could've had an actual future with her, if only I had tampered my lust, my desire. The more I thought of this, the more I felt the breeze of an icy wind. I looked forward, clasping my arm to my chest, as the wind whipped and stabbed me through my chest with the coldest of chills I had ever known. I stopped for a moment; I had to catch my breath from its loss in the chill. As I looked down, the darkness surrounding me, something that glowed had reflected off the rocky ground. I looked up, and saw the path turn right into an open valley, where I could see what looked like a great door, whose vertical length seemed to go above the entire cliff and beyond. I walked, hurriedly, toward the door.

As I came to the valley, I saw three fires. There were two stands beside the door and one that hung from chains in the middle of the door. I looked intently at them. They burned in a most horrid rage. As I came nearer to the door, and the fires, I saw the beast standing there near the entrance of the door. His eyes were aflame, I couldn't look at him directly. He smiled at me with the most disturbing grin. I approached him, although cautious this time not to get too close. The fires near me started to rapidly heat my arms and face.I looked to the side of me, the fires started to grow, and swirl upward into what looked like the form of a snake. I looked back at the beast, whose grin only widened, as the third fire, hanging directly above him, started to mimic the upward swirl into a snake like form. I felt my nerves bounce. My body told me no, this wasn't good. My being told me to run. I needed to leave. I needed to go back. "Creature", I yelled, for now the roaring of the fire was too loud for normal tone, "Let me leave; I want to go; I want to get out of here!" The beast moved his hand upward, his eyes blazing with fire, and the fire which hung from the middle, screamed. The flames from all three fires began to engulf the entire valley, completely surrounding everything but my body, the beast, and the door with flame. The beast looked at me from afar and cried loudly:

Forgiveness, doth thou seek?

Everlasting is thy shriek,

For thou must learn,

and learn you shall,

Of your crime

And wretched tale

The thoughts of Astrea come to me again. My betrayal, My murder. My slaughter of the innocent, of love, of future, of her life, of my life, of all my good. What have I done? What have i done? Oh, what have I done? I just need forgiveness. I just need her to understand that I nothing because of what I've done to her. I loved her; I love her now. I drop my knees, in this heated and fiery atmosphere swirling around me, and began to cry, to wale loudly. I scream. I cry. I tear. "P-pl-Pleaseeeee", I blurt out. I clutch my stomach, which is knots from my screams of woe. "Let me see her! Let me see her, that was the deal. Pl-ple,Pleaseeeeee. Let me te', te', tell her, I'm sorry" I scream, that loudest I can, in tears: "Astrea, please! I'm so sorry". I looked at the creature, unmoved and still waiting, n the flames by the door. "Please", I say, as my tears are dried by my determination. "If I can only see her. Let me see her!" The beast, looking at me begins to walk slowly to me, through the flames. He reaches me; I stare at his hooves. "Please, let me see her", I slowly start to sob again. As sob by his hooves, I hear what seems like drums. I hear the beating of drums, hard, loud, and what I can only describe as sinister. I look up at the beast; He smiles that awful grin again and turns around, singling me to follow him. I get up, whipping away my tears. He leads me toward the door, a huge dark copper door, lit by the flames from behind. He stops and turns to me; His mouth begins to spread slowly, into that most dreadful smile. The pounding of drums get's louder, as I hear the sound of mental scratching across rock: the door is opening.