The sound of a pair of little feet against the cold stone floor resonated in the long hallway. Hurried, yet the time between each step was small. A little girl ran, her hair swaying with the wind. Running, her breathing was heavy, her delicate and fragile form moving unevenly, her arms folded to her chest, not being able to balance well. Her small arms were carrying a box, big and old, made of wood. Simple yet the carvings on its husk and the edges, in contrast to the little girl, made it clear it didn’t belong to her. Her white dress fluttered, sometimes getting stuck between her legs. making her travel more complicated.
Hallway after hallway, room after room, the little girl was on the lookout for an exit. This was merely the beginning of her journey.
The journey of a messenger.
That box was important for her.The windowless hallways let the ashen light of the sun cover her figure, the shadow created engulfing every step of the path she took, growing bigger, akin to the pupil of an eye when seeing something desired.
Going up stairs, or downstairs, or even both options as well. This place is merging and converging yet also expanding, trying to hide her from the light of the ashen sun, moving in the sky, watching how she tries to hide away from its watchful eye. Sometimes she would escape, catching her breath in some shadowed place. The light calls everything to be in its embrace, but the darkness was her friend in this place. But those moments of respite were soon interrupted by the persistence of the sun, always moving relentlessly, slowly, pouring its light where darkness was once. And what was a safe place became the limelight, and her in the spotlight once more.
The sky was tinted red, the ashen sun moved with liberty in its despotic ruling, blessing everything it touched with its holy light, purifying, covering everything it watched in a bright and vivid crimson which it defined as its rightful form. No moon nor stars could rival the sun, they were long gone, no big nor strong enough to not be engulfed by its crimson might. There was no space left for them to stay in the boundless sky. Yet the sun was old and decaying, like its world, thinking it had already done its job. Yet, to its surprise, somehow the little girl was there, in its ruling. The only being left to purify, or perhaps she had never belonged there. The light called everything to get closer to its might, yet she was resisting its call.
No matter how many corners the girl turned, no matter if her feet hurt, no matter if her nails were torn for holding tightly the box on her chest, no matter how thirsty she was, or how her legs ached, or how her lungs felt like breaking her ribs, or how her heart thumped against her chest, or how much her mouth tasted like iron, or how her throat was dry for breathing, or how her eyes hurt from the ashen light, or how her body twisted to maintain balance, or how her stomach felt like throwing its empty contents, or how her arms felt rigid like stone for holding the box.The sun would always be there, behind her. Looking for her, finding her, watching her run, trying to escape from its might.And she had to take the box far away from that place.
After all, her journey was just beginning, and even if this first step was a trial, the next ones would surely feel easier. No beast could be compared to the omnipotent light. Yet, as powerless as she was against such being, she had just as much determination. She had to deliver the box. Where? To where it was needed. She would know where its rightful place was, and so she parted, with those words in her mind. She would carry the box to the end of the world if that was where the box needed to be.
She continued running, her body almost on the verge of collapsing under her own weight, but she had to go on. She ran and ran, trying to stay under the shadow of the ceiling that was slowly being devoured by the ashen presence, the light covering more and more ground, persistent on catching up to her, like a twisted hide and seek game.
Another lap on this course, another corner to turn and another staircase to go down, another tunnel to go through and another staircase to go up. Straight, straight and then to the left, visages of a long gone glorious past filling her peripheral view, dissipating under the blinding light. There was not enough time to look back and watch the world disappear behind her, not when the sun almost was on her feet, the shadows and the floors working faster to guide her, protect her. Another hallway appeared, yet this one was different from the endless ones she went through. This one had a rich crimson carpet with golden embroidery of a long forgotten emblem cushioning her feet. It was the end of this place, that was as much as she could sense. And so she moved her tired legs even faster, holding the box tight against her chest, the soft carpet allowing her feet to have some brief moment of rest, blessing with its soft texture under the soles of her feet. The more she ran, the more the tired ashen sun tried to consume the last of this world, going after her… no, after the box she was holding, as if something inside of it was calling out for it.
A final door right in front of her, she just had to run more and more, white light sipping through the creaks of the wooden door that marked the end of this world and the real beginning of her journey. The sun almost caught up to her, the soles of her feet, although cushioned with the carpet, could feel the heat of the light from how close it was. And the door was closer and closer. Beads of sweat fell through her face, falling from her forehead. The heat of the sun was almost unbearable, the carpet and the ceiling almost being completely consumed by its light. It was no longer a hide and seek game, now it was race against the clock, or against the god of the world. Her legs carried her to the door, pushing with her whole body, slowly opening it while the white light of the other side seeped more and more. When the sun was the closest, the door completely opened, making her fall to the other side. Ashen and crimsom sparks flew and then dissipated in nothingness, maring the end of an old world and its decaying ruler.
The girl fell in the white and gentle light, enveloped by its warmth and closing her eyes. The box was safe and so was her. She closed her eyes, floating into the nothingness, knowing that her journey was far from over yet right now, she could enjoy this moment to rest.
