My vision opens up to a sea of darkness. Looking at my own appearance, I appear to be almost like a hollow bubble or perhaps floating ball, with a small speck of light at it's center. There is an immediate afterthought of “this is not right,” but what is apparently correct is unknown to me. The light that shines within me is the only thing that can be made out within the immediate surroundings. Either I am all that remains in this world, or perhaps this darkness that surrounds me acts as a curtain which serves to hide what should be seen. Curiosity builds up from within, wondering where exactly this is. Figuring there is no answer to be found here, there is only one choice left. I venture forward.
It feels like an eternity has passed, but is there such a thing as the notion of time in this world? There is no sun or moon, no sky. There are no emotions. There is nothing. I begin to question whether this journey had covered any distance at all. Perhaps I had simply been floating in place this whole time? Am I even capable of moment? Will this darkness ever end? The final question is answered when I come across something that resembles a large set of drapes. Their color perfectly resembles the surrounding darkness, concealing how far upwards they go. As I ponder what to do, there seems to be no other option besides scaling them, but how? Floating in front of the drapes, I begin to imagine myself maneuvering upwards along their material, and somehow begin to do so.
As the journey continues upward, I find myself once again wondering how long this would go for. Perhaps I have exchanged a never-ending path forward with a never-ending path upward. But the answer is soon enough reached when it appears as though I had reached the summit of this peak. Searching around, I carefully navigate as I search for the next step. There appears to be a short bridge now trending downwards. As I continue to move down more and more, I wonder if this is the right decision after having spent so much effort going up. Questions like “is this the right way?” and “will this just lead me back down again?” fill me. Retreating back up the path I had just been on, I attempt to return to the summit once more when whatever force that tied me to this fabric failed me. Losing my connection, I find myself simply falling downwards with no drapes nearby.
Thoughts that resemble what my emotions should have been come to mind. Panic over the fact that we are falling uncontrollably. Curiosity as to what will happen once we hit the bottom. Bewilderment at the fact that with no hands we managed to climb at all. The free fall ends with a sudden stop. And perhaps with that fall I have managed to unlock new sights. I seem to be floating in something that certainly resembles a golden bowl. What's more, there seem to be other balls like myself present here, although they differ with their filling. Where as mine holds a faint glow, there's contain a darkness not unlike our surroundings. I am only able to make out their presence by their shifting movements in contrast to the golden backdrop. Disregarding them for now, I walk towards the edge of the bowl and peer towards the beyond. In the distance another golden bowl seems to float in the air, appearing level with my own but it's contents replaced with balls that shine brightly.
Staring at the lights off in the distance, I take note of the dark balls which have begun to amass behind me but I choose to ignore them. Those stars in the dark seem so captivating, that I nearly do not realize when a change begins to undergo within me. I feel emotions rising up where previously I had felt nothing. Happiness. Joy. A yearning for belonging. With my hollow self now being filled with light, thoughts of rejoining those lost comrades in the other bowl begin to assault me. After my transformation, the dark balls all began to retreat to the other side of the bowl, except for one. As I plan my escape, it begins to approach me. When it's edge finally graced mine, another change begins. This one more sinister. Anger. Hatred. The yearning to belong is still there, but it's content with staying here among the darkness. My own being feels as though it has begun to crack. Resentment towards having lost the light. Jealousy towards those who still have it. And pity towards those who will walk the same path. While I suffer in the chaos of my own volatility, a new figure appears.
Looking upward, a gigantic woman now fills some of the void of this world. She stands completely still between the two golden bowls, her figure towering over them in terms of size. She wears a robe, split down the middle by color, one side nearly blending into the surrounding background of the darkness, the other such a bright and pure white it nearly pains one to look at it. Her eyes were covered in a blindfold, sparkling in the same hue of gold that adorned the surface of these bowls. Her hands extend outwards, each one with golden chains stretching off the tips of her fingers. The chains extend downwards to support both of the bowls, now becoming clear as to how they were appearing as floating before.
As the darkness continues to coat my insides, the woman's head begins to turn toward us. With her eyes covered and lips unwavering, that is a face which does not betray it's owners thoughts. As the weight of her gaze continues to bear down upon all those sharing this bowl with me, my transformation finally completes. The faint light that once shown within me has vanished. Whether it was corrupted or consumed I did not know, the only thing that was clear was how unclear I appear with this darkness having taken root. But what happens immediately afterward could not be expected. The golden metal whose surface I floated upon, now begins to move, and I along with it. While our side begins to dip downward and enter the beginning phase of free-fall, off in the distance the bowl bathed in light begins to rise. One can only prepare for a harsh descent as it is revealed that the chains will not stop our fall. Bracing for impact, I become aware that the woman's expression had changed.
She was smiling.
