Prophecy

Lily heard the furor of the mob and was afraid. They beat on her door and circled all around the small, stone house like a flood. She smelled smoke as they set the grounds on fire and tossed flames through the broken windows.

She knew why these people, who had once been her companions and friends, now despised her, but there was nothing she could do. Her mother had hid the sign from the villagers, and they had killed her for it. Now that they knew, she was in peril.

She stood alone in the center of the room, tears blurring her vision, making colors merge and sharp edges turn soft. She chanted a spell and when it was complete she disappeared from her room and reappeared in the hills outside of the village.

She learned her magic in her dreams, the spells coming to her as visions and words and meaning. Although she learned eagerly, and took great joy in the knowledge, there was one spell she had never cast. She dreamt of it often, the visions urging her to speak it, but she was afraid. It was the spell of the prophecy.

She stood in the darkness of the wood that covered the hills and looked down into the village. A thin trail of smoke revealed the location of her house, but the rest of the village was quiet.

She made her way to a small cave nearby and hid within. Lily had come here often when she was younger, escaping the eyes of the villagers and fulfilling her own desire to practice her magic. Her mother had warned her not to reveal the sign or her magic to anyone, for fear that the people of the village might learn of her bewitchment.

Night was close. She would sleep for a few hours and then venture back into the village under the cover of dark. She fell asleep, tears still forming rivulets down her cheeks and wetting the ground beneath her face.

#

Her sleep was disturbed by visions of darkness and cold, of hard steel and bright lights. She awoke and exited the safety of her hiding place into the chill of the night. Folding her arms across her chest, she hugged herself for warmth and headed towards the village. Walking warmed her and the light of a nearly-full moon lit her way forward through the thinning forest.

The village was patrolled by watchers, hiding in shadows and peering into the darkness of the hills trying to find her. However, her eyes were better and her stealth greater and she slipped between the watchers and into the interior of the village. She weaved a cloak of darkness around her, so only the direct gaze of an intent watcher could spot her.

She made her way to the far edge of the village, near her house, and viewed the still smoking wreckage of her life. There were people there, keeping watch, but she stayed out of sight of them.

There was nothing left for her. Her mother was dead, her home destroyed and she was cast out of her community. She looked in disbelief at the ruin, and the loss ripped a few quiet sobs from deep within her. She turned from the destruction and made her way back through the village. She had only one friend left and she went to find him.

Josh lived near the center of the village. He had seen the sign years ago and had said nothing. They had been friends ever since. She crept near his house and peered through his window. He was lying in bed, staring out the window, and he gasped when he caught sight of her. She felt a hand clamp around her mouth, preventing her from speaking a spell. Then many hands grabbed at her, they tied and gagged her and carried her into the center of the village.

She heard Josh screaming from his window as they took her away, "Leave her alone. It's not her fault. It's not fair." No one listened.

She was taken to the town center and displayed before a gathering crowd. She sat in the dirt of the circle, still tied and gagged, a large bon fire at her back.

"People, people, let's have calm please," she heard the voice of Lucas the village speaker behind her. The faces of the people were hard and unforgiving as they cursed her. She saw Josh outside the circle, the light of the fire flickering across his face. Deep furrows creased his forehead and his fists pounded against his sides in frustration. His concern touched her and brought some small sense of hope to her despair. She loved him for it.

"Kill her, kill her," chanted the crowd. She struggled in her bonds, trying desperately to free herself but she could not.

"People," Lucas continued. "You can relax. We have the girl; all will be well."

"The sign, show us the sign," someone among the crowd spoke up and the rest took up the plea.

She was lifted to her feet, her back turned towards the crowd. They tore her dress, exposing her to the glare of the mob, who grew silent at the sight. Revealed in the small of her back was the sign of the prophecy, a birthmark in the shape of a triangle. Her dress was let loose and it fell down around her waist. She fell to the ground and lifted her knees to her chest to hide her shame.

"Here, before us, is evil," Lucas cried. "This girl will bring destruction on us all. Look, the sign is upon her. The prophecy is clear: the child born with the sign will bring an end to life as we know it. So I ask, what should we do?"

"Kill her!" cried the mob. "Kill her!"

Again, she was lifted brutally to her feet, her torn dress hanging down around her waist, her bare breasts exposed to the throng. She saw Josh look away.

She turned her head, trying to escape the angry faces. They feared her, and that fear had turned to rage. Her own fear welled up inside her. She did not want to die, but over the fear she felt a sudden sense of purpose. It was time to cast the spell she had been holding back. She struggled to break free from the iron grip of her captors, but she was bound too tightly.

"Kill her, kill her!" chanted the crowd and she was lifted into the air. She was grabbed both arm and leg and swung a few times over the flames of the fire. Then she was let loose into the blaze, and the flames ripped into her flesh and tore at her hair and clothes, and pain flooded through her and she felt the life draining from her. Through the pain she tried in vain to cast the final spell, but the cloth still bound her mouth. She screamed the spell again and again, to no avail. At last, as the pain tore through her and as her consciousness was fading, the gag came loose and with her final desperate cry the spell was cast and she fell silent.

#

She dreamed of pain and soothing, of bright lights and cool water, of sickness and healing. In her dreams she lay on a table with a light over her body and all around her were strange sounds. Then the pain left her and she floated free in dreams of release.

#

When she woke she was lying in her secret cave. Sunlight filtering through the forest lit the inside of the cave and cast faint, flickering shadows on the walls. Remembering the flames she sat up quickly, but relaxed when she saw where she was.

In her mind she saw the mob and the fire, but the memory was detached and distant, as if it had happened to another. She knew what had happened but when she searched for a memory of the pain and the suffering she found nothing but the dim, distant echoes of emotions. She knew that she should feel something, that she should be angry and hurt and scared. However, her memory had been eased and softened and she felt nothing.

She had survived the fire, she had cast her spell and now she was safe. She was whole and well and her dress was mended and clean. She felt stronger than she had ever felt.

Leaving the cave, she stood on the hillside and with newly heightened senses she looked down into the village. She could see the people, could hear their conversations, could smell the cooking. She felt a power inside her and a sense of purpose. She was the fulfillment of the prophecy and it was time to bring an end to this existence. She knew what must be done. It was time.

She cast a spell with a simple gesture, her power no longer requiring words, and appeared in the center of town, in the remains of the bon fire that had almost claimed her life. She was seen by a few people who ran, calling out to others when they saw her appear suddenly. Slowly a crowd gathered around her but she felt no fear. She saw Josh come running into the circle, his face bright with excitement. He stared at her, eyes wide.

Lucas made his way through the crowd and strode over to her. She held up a hand when he got close and he stopped his approach.

"So you live," he said, eyes affixed to hers. "It would have been better if you had died."

"I live," she said. "And so shall you all. I have not come to claim your lives. I have come to lead us on, to the next stage. We have lived here, in this village, for all our lives, as did our parents, and their parents, for generations. But we have forgotten our roots, our heritage, our history. I have come to give this back to us. There is a new world awaiting us and we must go to it."

"You cannot do this," Lucas cried, "Leave us alone. We will do you no harm if you just let us live in peace."

"I am beyond your ability to harm Lucas, do not even try. The time has come."

She raised her arms above her head and the day grew suddenly dark, and a fierce wind whipped all around, and the people in the crowd quailed in fear.

"You will follow me into the hills, all of you," she commanded and they nodded and murmured in frail agreement.

Then the sky brightened again and the wind calmed and she led the entire village out of town and towards the hills. Josh ran to the front of the crowd and came close to her.

"Lily," he pleaded, "tell me everything will be all right and I will believe you."

"Josh," she said. "I love you, and all of these people as well. What they did to me they did out of fear and ignorance and they are forgiven. No harm will come to any of them. We are going to a new life. The time has come. We have arrived."

She continued to lead the people forward and they followed, heads bowed, eyes downcast. She led them to the verge of her secret cave and with a sign the mountain opened up and a tunnel appeared within. The tunnel was lit with bright light and the sides were straight and cold and hard, but Lily felt the tunnel was warm and welcoming. The crowd stopped and would go no further.

Seeing the hesitation, Lily commanded them to look down at the village and the lands that they had left behind and when they did they saw that the fields were on fire and the light of the sun was going out and everything was vanishing.

She walked forward into the tunnel and the people had no choice but to follow her. As they walked down the long tunnel Lily spoke, and told to them the story that she had learned in her dreams.

"A very long time ago," she said, "our ancestors were many and they built huge cities and they blanketed the planet that they called Earth so that there was no spot left untouched. And the people grew restless and fought wars against each other and caused much destruction and death.

"But always they looked towards the sky and the stars and they vowed that someday they would conquer the heavens and spread out among the stars and so populate new worlds. After a long time they learned to build ships, huge and powerful, which could house people for the many long generations that were needed to travel to the distant worlds. One of those ships has been our home.

"We have been traveling the heavens, but we travel no more. That was the meaning of the prophecy. My birth has signaled the end of the journey. We have arrived. We are home."

As she spoke these last words a door opened before them, and light streamed through the entryway and outside they saw a new world, full of strange plants and rich life. They rushed out of the doorway and when they glanced back they saw a mountain. It was huge and ominous, with sharp, straight edges and tall towers. Lily watched them rush into the new world, Josh standing by her side, and knew that they would be all right. They would spread out and grow and mankind will have found a new home. Lily and Josh joined the others and Lily was once again a simple young woman.