Balance

Chapter 2

2

            Though the blade was cold and smooth, it tore a gash that seared. Burning pain that pulsated with every breath bubbled and filled her being. If she had felt trapped before, she now felt chained to this relentless sort of agony.

            Then, she felt nothing at all.

            She was aware, yet her senses were dulled completely. The pain was gone, but then, so was everything else. She heard nothing and saw only darkness that could have stretched on for miles. She couldn’t move, or see if she even had appendages to move. A faint chill settled about her, and it was as if she had become one with the void.

            A tiny, bright light slowly wormed its way out of the dark. It was nothing but a little orb, no larger than a firefly; a droplet of sun. Tentatively, she reached out to touch the light. Eleanor wanted to hold it, feel it, to simply stare at if for all eternity. The silence that surrounded her now was not eerie, as it was before, but more calming and gentle. With one finger she prodded the pearl. It quivered, and then expanded until it was twice the size of Eleanor. It ate the endless darkness piece by piece, relishing every bite. The space was painted in the glow, which began to mold and take on distinct shapes: a pillar, a chair, a flame. Soon enough, her hands and legs reappeared as well as her senses. She could feel the warmth on her skin and face as well as hear a fire crackling and smell its smoke.

            When a voice greeted, “Eleanor!” she nearly jumped out of her skin. The girl whirled to face a young man and woman, each seated behind the same dark wooden desk. The woman who called her was one of the most beautiful Eleanor had ever seen. Soft, bone-white hair flowed almost to the carpet. Dazzling gray eyes that held motherly warmth looked upon Eleanor with such pride the girl had never known. A shining silken gown skirted over her plump body to end just above bare feet.

            The man looked as different from his companion as he could be. Sharp, angular cheekbones lined his face, placed under glaring red eyes. He seemed tall and thin as a lamppost. The man’s shaven scalp shone as much as the woman’s dress and he seemed clean, cut and curt in his fitted black suit.

            “Stop staring with your mouth open like that. It makes you look dumb.” He finally spoke, earning a scowl from his comrade.

            “Don’t mind him,” she smiled once more. “He’s just a little grumpy.”

            “’Grumpy’ isn’t the word for it. More like ‘disinterested’.”

            “Are you God?” Eleanor blurted. The bald man chuckled almost immediately.

            “Of course not! I can barely handle the stress this job puts on me. To be God and carry the weight of the whole universe in my hands? I would go insane.” He studied Eleanor for a moment, before asking incredulously, “You don’t believe you’re in Heaven, do you?”

            Eleanor looked to her feet, dejected. The woman pinched her partner. “Really? You’re not making this a very welcoming first impression.”

            “Well, I’m sure that getting stabbed wasn’t a very welcoming entrance here, either.”

            The woman put her face in her hands and groaned. After a pause, she addressed Eleanor for a third time. “Sorry. I really am. Let’s start this over again, shall we?” She cleared her throat. “Welcome, Eleanor Dredge! Please, have a seat.” The blonde gestured to a soft white armchair sitting before the desk. Eleanor slid into the too-big seat, eying the beings warily.