Tower
Unforeseen catastrophe, disruption of one’s style of life or way of thinking which may be followed by enlightenment.
When I awoke the next morning it was to the cool nose of Pumpkin. I groaned, and rolled to face away from her, wanting to sleep just a little longer, but as if on cue snow came over and dragged his sand paper tongue over my cheek. I finally lay on my back, and pet the two creatures before getting up and stumbling drunkenly to the kitchen. I filled their bowls and then as they ate I made myself scrambled eggs. From the kitchen I could see the back yard from the window near the stove. As I ate I looked to the grassy back yard, the swing set, and sand box. I craned my neck and could see the chicken coop. Then as I looked straight I saw the old tree that stood closest to the house, thou it was still at the end of the yard.
My mind went blank, and then it flooded with memories. That tree, that area of grass, that cold day two years ago. I had confronted him, I had found out the secret of my life, the reason for my pain.
I learned my destiny.
My aunt was being taken away by the ambulance, they said probably a heart attack, but I just knew it had to be that boy, just had to be! I ran out back, and saw him by the tree watching the ambulance drive away. I froze for a moment, and then when I knew that everyone was gone I walked briskly up to him, and as if he knew what I wanted to say, but couldn't for some unearthly reason, he just looked at me, almost... Almost as if apologizing. That face, his eyes and his expression, I instantly lost all my steam, and finally after so much heart break I leaned into this stranger, and cried while he held me.
I cried and babbled, asking 'why me? Why?' Until my head hurt and I just wanted to sleep, I suppose that's where my exhaustion started. When I had finally calmed down I tried to pull away from him, this person whom I blamed for everything, but he held me against him, and I didn't struggle, I felt safer then I had in years. I craned my neck to look up at him, and I gasped. He was still medium build, and looked about 18, but his lack of apparent aging was less stunning then his actual looks. His hair was short; only just barley went down to his eyes, but the color! His hair was half pure angelic blond on the right, and half deep black on the left, as if someone had drawn a line down the middle of him. And his eyes too were split, the right a crystal blue, the left pure black though behind it there seemed to be a crimson light. And as if to make my confusion more terrible he put me at arm’s length and had me scan him. Even his clothes were split! He looked like a mismatched doll, half angel half grim reaper. He wore a robe type outfit, long sleeved and it went down to his feet.
"Are you so surprised?" He said in the most inhumanly beautiful voice that it was like singing and talking at the same time. And yet it seemed almost demonic in its purity. I backed out of his hands, and turned to run, but when I turned he was there, I looked back and again to him and couldn't comprehend how he had gotten from the tree to where he was. My head was spinning, and I almost collapsed, but then his strong arms where holding me up.
"Do you remember me?" He asked in his sickly sweet voice and then the images, like an old movie reel filled my mind, and I watched transfixed. I realized that these pictures were memories, memories of past lives, some on farms others in small towns, all different yet eerily the same in some aspects.
But there was one memory, the last one that wouldn't show itself, but rather seemed to crumble before I could grab it. When my head cleared I was again looking at this boy who was older then I and I realized that I knew him, had always known him.
"Do you remember me?" He asked again and this time I nodded and shivered slightly. "What is my name?" I looked up to him and let the last of my past slide away with my tears.
"You're my master, your name is Dylan. You're the Angel of death." And with that feeble sentence I had lost every shred of humanity, because in being his I myself was what he was.
I was an Angel of death too.
