Strange what the mind can ignore. We see tings everyday and dismiss them out of hand, take them for granted, good and bad. We miss the flowers and the trees
for lack of time to admire them properly; and we ignore the bad because it makes us uncomfortable. To acknowledge it would mean that it was real, and that it
would happen to us. We can't do that. We won't. We refuse. So, that part of life, of society as a whole is neglected and ignored.
Until something shakes it up and forces us to look.
Maybe it was the light that heralded the change. The alley way was dark, with corners no illumination could reach, not even from the brightest street lamp. And because of that, there were places to hide and conceal. If you didn't want to be found, or if you had something to hide, to dump off - this was the place to go and do it. But when the light started, everything was revealed. Every nook and cranny was exposed to an intensity even the light of day didn't provide. White hot, blistering in its revelation, the light bared everything to inspection, and what was laid bare wasn't pretty.
Or maybe it was the sound. Anyone who's heard a tornado approach recognizes the telltale roar of the freight train of Mother Nature, inexorable and unavoidable as it barrels closer with a hungry determination. Those who've withstood a lightning strike understand the sheer power of the force it carries, and immediately know the danger. The sound, when it came, was both these things, and more.
Like a Tesla coil, the light began, slow at first, centered as a ball in mid air, bifurcated by lines of blue sparks of electrify. It grew in sound and strength, like and approaching storm, as the orb began to grow. All around it, dumpsters and garbage cans began to shake, debris and papers were hurled into the air, and the people that sought out this forgotten place as a source of refuge cowered in fear.
Inside the sphere the air boiled and writhed, whirling inside with intense force as a shape began to form, tall and wide. It coalesced and sharpened until finally it was identifiable as vaguely human in shape as fire escapes groaned under the strain of the power coming from the orb and dumpsters bent and crumpled.
Some ran for safety, while others huddled in their spots, unable to move from a mixture of both fear and fascination. More than one crossed themselves, while another tossed away the bottle of cheap liquor they'd been drinking and scurry away. All the while the orb grew and intensified until finally it erupted in a shower of sparks that drenched the alleyway in blue and white lights, bursting apart with a screeching like a train wreck. Only to deposit the occupant inside, dropping them to the ground from almost twenty feet above it.
Those in the alley and indeed the structures themselves seemed to hold a collective breath as they waited for the individual to stir, to give any sign of life. Slowly, they rose from the crouch they had fallen to and looked around as if seeing the world for the first time.
There was a shuffling as papers and trash settled back down to the ground, and those in the alley craned their heads to look at the newcomer, who appeared to ignore them as they sampled the air around them, the scents and sounds. Finally, the new arrival began to laugh, heartily and deep, echoing throughout the alley.
And with a flash of pearl white teeth, they bounded off into the night.
Until something shakes it up and forces us to look.
Maybe it was the light that heralded the change. The alley way was dark, with corners no illumination could reach, not even from the brightest street lamp. And because of that, there were places to hide and conceal. If you didn't want to be found, or if you had something to hide, to dump off - this was the place to go and do it. But when the light started, everything was revealed. Every nook and cranny was exposed to an intensity even the light of day didn't provide. White hot, blistering in its revelation, the light bared everything to inspection, and what was laid bare wasn't pretty.
Or maybe it was the sound. Anyone who's heard a tornado approach recognizes the telltale roar of the freight train of Mother Nature, inexorable and unavoidable as it barrels closer with a hungry determination. Those who've withstood a lightning strike understand the sheer power of the force it carries, and immediately know the danger. The sound, when it came, was both these things, and more.
Like a Tesla coil, the light began, slow at first, centered as a ball in mid air, bifurcated by lines of blue sparks of electrify. It grew in sound and strength, like and approaching storm, as the orb began to grow. All around it, dumpsters and garbage cans began to shake, debris and papers were hurled into the air, and the people that sought out this forgotten place as a source of refuge cowered in fear.
Inside the sphere the air boiled and writhed, whirling inside with intense force as a shape began to form, tall and wide. It coalesced and sharpened until finally it was identifiable as vaguely human in shape as fire escapes groaned under the strain of the power coming from the orb and dumpsters bent and crumpled.
Some ran for safety, while others huddled in their spots, unable to move from a mixture of both fear and fascination. More than one crossed themselves, while another tossed away the bottle of cheap liquor they'd been drinking and scurry away. All the while the orb grew and intensified until finally it erupted in a shower of sparks that drenched the alleyway in blue and white lights, bursting apart with a screeching like a train wreck. Only to deposit the occupant inside, dropping them to the ground from almost twenty feet above it.
Those in the alley and indeed the structures themselves seemed to hold a collective breath as they waited for the individual to stir, to give any sign of life. Slowly, they rose from the crouch they had fallen to and looked around as if seeing the world for the first time.
There was a shuffling as papers and trash settled back down to the ground, and those in the alley craned their heads to look at the newcomer, who appeared to ignore them as they sampled the air around them, the scents and sounds. Finally, the new arrival began to laugh, heartily and deep, echoing throughout the alley.
And with a flash of pearl white teeth, they bounded off into the night.
