WE #7 ~ CK

     The night was dark and mysterious as a meager assembly of men struggled through the November chill. Time seemed to pass quite slowly as a steep precipice unfolded beneath our mangled boots. Our wearied eyes searched the vicinity for any hopeful signs, but none emerged. In the distance, a shadowy figure enters my visage, floating over the snow with ghost-like progressions. Mere seconds pass and he is within our midst. Our party’s journey is halted, awaiting this stranger’s response. A raspy voice surfaces.

     “what you are searching for lies ahead; but what you are yearning for can not be seen with human eyes.” 
    A long black cape ripples over the earth, and then he is no more. A fellow comrade turns to me.
    “My lord, whatever shall we do?”
    I hesitate, uncertain of my thoughts.
    “We’ll continue on,” I say, and we proceed up the cliff in silence.
    When we arrive at the peak, a dreadful massacre has ravaged the land. Piles of corpses lay splattered in blood, many homes have been diminished to nothing more than shreds. A few lone flames flicker here and there, indication of a fire that has passed. Many of the knights in our company stand with mouths agape, words refusing to come. I fall to my knees and weep. Our sources had informed us that these horrific killers would not be attacking for another week. The journey we had organized was meant to join us with another faction of knights to formulate plans of action. Through blurred vision, I knew that those courageous souls now belonged to the nameless sea of the dead. We were too late. I don’t think any one of us could comprehend the reality before us, nor did any words appear to suffice this appalling scene. Slowly, I arose, surveying the land before me. Stumbling through the crunchy snow, I arrived at a knot-covered tree. Beneath me, my view finally rested upon a tiny purple flower springing up from the soil blanketed in white. In that moment, I realized that the mysterious stranger was right. What we were searching for was the desolation before us, but our hearts yearned for some glimpse of hope. And I suppose that phenomenon could only be uncovered within ourselves, like the sight of life in the midst of winter. Maybe any explanation couldn’t be derived from this attack. Perhaps the damage done could not have been avoided. But I realized, deep within myself, that there was still hope.
    “post tenebras lux,” I whispered, as we started for home.