A journey from darkness into light.
ARRIVALS
“Come in, do come in.”, whispered the tailor gently as he helped Eldon to limp heavily through the doorway. As he closed the door he cast an eye along the dusty road and across the rooftops. Eldon stumbled in the fabric shimmering in the light from the closing door. He tried to focus on it, but slipped and fell heavily into the chair next to the low table and darkness enfolded them as the door closed, only a bright lit frame surrounded the wooden door.
Eldon closed his eyes, feeling the man quickly crossing the room and hearing water splash into a glass he muttered his thanks. Footsteps, muted somehow on the wooden floor, crossed back to Eldon sitting heavily in the chair and as he took a rough pottery mug thrust into his hand he felt the chair fall away and his body become light and he was airborne.
Floating into the swirling patterns of dust that danced in the spears of light breaking in between patterns of fabric falling from racks strung across the walls. There were fabrics of every colour, patterns that shifted and danced even as they hung still and unmoving in the quiet dark of the room.
Eldon floated across the room, shifting with the whirling constellations of the stars that were really patterns of dust. He moved lightly and easily, though not in any way that he desired, twirling around galaxies of dust-stars and shifting steadily across the void of infinity of the room. Looking back across the galaxies he had passed to the chair by the door it was empty, his body no longer there. He watched the bright light framing the ill-fitting door fade and the sunlight disappear.
There was a light knock and the door opened, a light floated in. It shone gently and illuminated the fabrics hung around the door, its glow spread across the floor, where garments lay scattered and discarded. As the floating light touched upon them the patterns on them shifted and moved, animals embroidered in golden or silver or glowing green or vibrant red began to leap and chase and follow each other. An owl came floating down and slammed into the ground where a mouse had been on one shirt. A fox bounded along a track guarded by sentinel forest trees, running wild eyed from something pursuing it. An eagle soared over the tree tops of a forest and turned on the wind to rise on warm air bending out of a clearing with corn growing in it, towards the edge of the clearing a tree fell heavily, yet silently, down.
The floating light continued into the room, more clothing scattered across tables and chairs, animals danced and fires flickered into life. A city with shining roof tops burned into life and the buildings came crashing down, the city walls fell crumbling into a river, people ran across, cheering, shouting, waving guns and charging through the gaping hole in the walls.
On a table garments lay piled high, surrounded by the stacks of clothing a body sat down, the body was indistinct, but it felt heavy and sore somehow, tired from some long journey. The person, a tailor, worked on a shirt. It was complete but for the left cuff, the shirt caught on the the tailor’s foot as he stood up to welcome the glowing new presence, dragging to the floor where he left, pooled up on the floor. The glowing light spoke, softly and in a voice that reminded Eldon of the rustling of leaves on a spring morning. “They have found you. You are discovered. You must leave. Must leave immediately.”
The tailor surveyed the room and watched the light move around the table towards him, “I have business to attend to. I have no time for leaving.”
“They are coming.” replied the voice from within the light.
The tailor swept a pile of pieces of cloth into his hands, they sparkled with damp blood as he crossed the room. “There have been complications. I have a new... guest.”
“You can offer guests none of your time. You have to leave. You must go. Immediately. Leave this vagrant. Let him take the fall for the house. Maybe then you will get a little further before they realise and set out to track you.”
“I will not abandon him. He is... different.”
“Don't be a fool, tailor. You cannot stitch him back together while you flee. Leave him and save your-self. You owe that much at least to The Order.”
“I will not...” the tailor began.
The glowing light flashed brightly, illuminating the room, “I cannot keep them from you any longer. They are coming. They are coming. And you will be taken. Go. Now.”
The light was gone. The room suddenly dark again, Eldon, floated back towards the door, a red glow framed it as if a stormy day was dawning. The light scattered across crowded clothes on the floor. On a shirt Eldon watched a pack of wolves running through a forest, they kept separating and falling till only one way left, Eldon watched it run, trees flashing past, the trees shifted into flames, burning high and bright. An owl swooped low and snatching something from the grass, an eagle dived low over a lake and with a splash of sparkling diamonds pulled a fish from the water. A lone wolf sat in a cave lair, another limped in, dripping flashing red drops of glittering blood. Eldon watched the blood running and forming into a rectangle. The wolves prowled slowly, behind the shape that shone and glittered.
A door shimmered into focus, framed by the blood red rectangular shape. It sparkled and glittered as he realised it was the door beside him. Eldon looked up at the door, then the door shattered inwards. He was thrown by the force of the blow across the room. The dust-stars swam and spun across the room. A crow called loudly, there were clattering claws as two creatures fled behind him. A fire flashed brightly in the grate and the room was consumed by fire, the walls glowed and burned brightly and then the flames were gone, as quickly as they appeared, the walls bare and rough plaster, but not scorched. A nose and mouth entered the door, Eldon watched from the far side of the room as the head of a dragon slid through the door. In its eye was fire and destruction and death. Its teeth shone golden and razor-edged and as it pushed in the door frame and wall fell away to huge silver horns. Eldon watched, paralysed, as the dragon opened its mouth and fire licked around the room. A hand caught Eldon and heaved him from the room as the walls fell, as he was thrown from a window he turned and watched the building fall and the dragon rose to full height, the hand caught him and pulled him up.
A hand was shaking him, “come on, come on, come on. Get dressed, it's breakfast time. Wake up. We must be gone. Wake up. Wake up.”
A crow called loudly, the room felt bright beyond his closed eyes. Eldon rolled over and opened his eyes.