Blinded by the Light

Fleep was nearly blinded by the Brightness as soon as he entered the room. It was unusual for anything to be this bright in here. For as long as he has grown up in the area, this room was dark and quiet. But not today.

Along with the light, there was commotion and noise. He remembered the stories that were passed down from parent to child of the great Brightness. It was the gods calling them back to their homes.

For generations, Fleep’s family had wandered the world, trying to survive in the darkness. Foraging for food, and shelter from the wild animals that were always looking for them. It was a brutal world to survive in.

The young were vulnerable for such a long time, they were hidden until they went through the “Aging.” During their trials, they were at their most vulnerable. It was a time for introspection and self-realization; a near-hypnotic state where the young were not as aware of the world around them.

Fleep went through the Aging several turns ago, he remembered how he felt when he came out of his trance. He was different, changed. Fleep saw the world differently. He finally understood what his elders had been telling him about life after the Aging.

The Brightness changed slightly. It was moving. It amazed him. Though it was still intense, he was slowly gaining his ability to see other things more clearly. The gods were walking the world again! The terrible sight made him freeze where he was sitting. It really was the time the elders said in hie lessons. Fleep thought to run home to tell his friends, but the light was overwhelming, compelling him to stay. With every second in its presence, he felt an impossibly overpowering draw. He needed to see the gods. He wanted to be taken to the homeland. He thought of his family and friends. They weren’t here! They will miss this!

He felt motion out of the corner of his eyes.

“Greetings Fleep, I was wondering if you had heard the brightness has appeared,” it was Glurk, one of the elders. His brown fur had much more white in it lately.

“Do the rest know? Should I get them?” as Fleep said the words, he knew he would be unable to escape the thrall of the Brightness.

“Stay, they will know about it soon enough. ‘The Brightness will echo throughout the Darkness, bringing the gods back to hold and bring us home’.”

Hearing the words that they all learned from the minute we could understand sent a chill through him, reminding him that they all had prepared for this.

“I wish my parents were still around to see this. They deserved to be free of the dark for their last moments.”

“They are free, young Fleep, just in a different way.”

The sensations of more of his clan arrived. Without realizing it, he had been moving closer to the Brightness. He didn’t know if it was from the crowd pushing in from behind him, or his subconscious desire to be near it. As he got closer, the intensity of the Brightness was like heat on his fur, even at this distance. It was oddly reassuring and comforting.

Glurk had moved even closer, his movements less stiff. Did the Brightness bring the eternal youth and peace they all hoped for? Suddenly, sister Guine went zipping by the two, straight to the brightness. Her fur was standing out in all directions. As her image disappeared into the sheer intensity of the Brightness, she let out a scream of ecstasy. Then she was gone. Like a dam opening, the rest of the clan flew by him, straight towards the light.

Fleep was able to hold back for a second, mesmerized by the sight of his entire clan, dancing around the brightness. It was terrifying and otherworldly at the same time. The need to be there was too much, and he ran to his family. Faintly, he could hear shouting from the gods, but it barely registered in his single-minded dash for salvation.

Too late to react, he felt the god reach out for him. Fleep was struck from the side and knocked halfway across the room.

The power of these gods! he thought. Stunned, he shook himself and dashed back towards the Brightness. He was more wary of the gods’ reactions, but he didn’t care, he must be with his family when the Brightness takes them.

The cries of rapture from his clan members drove him mad with need to be there. He couldn’t be left behind; it would be a fate worse than death! This time, he watched for the gods and ducked when they reached for him. He was almost there! It was time to go home!

With a burst of strength, Fleep made the final push to the Brightness. The heat of his efforts surprised him as he felt like his fur was starting to singe.

Without warning, the smallest god hit him from behind, sending him directly into the Brightness. His shout of joy quickly turned screams of pain and terror. This was not what they taught him! The heat was unbearable. His clan was disappearing into the Brightness. But they weren’t being taken back to their ancestral home, they were being incinerated! The gods were not benevolent, they were evil things, and they were here to destroy them.

Fleep made one last desperate effort to warn what was left of the clan to run. But his voice was lost in the flame. Exhausted and betrayed, Fleep died in the Brightness…

“EWW, DAD!!! Why are there so many bugs here? They are all over the place! Make them go away!”

Her father chuckled at her. Victoria was never a fan of camping. But it was important to her mother that they came to the cabin one last time in memory of her. He looked at the bag sitting by his bed. He could not seem to leave her out of his sight. This would be a hard weekend, for both him and his daughter.

“Vicky, you left the door open. They are moths. I don’t know why, but they are drawn to the light of the candle. If you shut the door, more can’t come in.”

Victoria swatted at the bugs, trying to keep them away from her. One swing sent a moth that had just flown by her into the flickering flame.

“Daddy! I got one!”