The One That Took Too Long
Parth's eyes flew open, and with a screaming leap, his feet left his bedroom - and a very confused wife - far behind. He continued screaming all the way through the hall, down the stairs, and into the kitchen, where he pulled an eight-inch carving knife from his butcher's block, and then screamed again for good measure. He spun about wildly, pointing the blade in all directions, before settling back into reality.
It was Natalia, his poor wife, who snapped him back. If the danger Parth had seen was real, she would be equally terrified. Instead, she looked about with idle caution, holding the gun he'd left behind in his nightstand.
Natalia: "What in the absolute fuck was all of that? Are we being robbed?"
She turned about as she spoke, checking the hallway that led to the front door, and then the back. With a nervous twitch, Parth put the knife back down on the counter.
Parth: "Terrible dream. I- I saw a man. An awful man. One in all black. He had on a mask that-"
Natalia: "What in Hell are you on about?"
At this point, all caution had flown to the wind, and she carefully placed her gun beside the discarded knife.
Natalia: "Are you telling me you woke me up like that because of a silly nightmare?"
Parth flushed, and a wave of embarrassment and frustration came over him. She didn't understand. He supposed she couldn't... Jesters weren't exactly a common career choice these days, and the only one he knew about was one of the most wanted women on Absalom Station.
Parth: "It wasn't just a nightmare, love."
He quickly poured himself a glass of water, and noticed his hands were shaking. Natalia noticed too. Her brow furrowed. Her husband often had his head in the clouds, but he was no fool.
Natalia: "What did you see?"
Parth stayed quiet for a minute, sipping at his glass, his eyes staring at his own reflection in the kitchen window. When he finally spoke, he sounded cool and collected. It made Natalia shiver.
Parth: "It was a war... But not on a planet, or in some fantasy world. It was like-- Remember that biddy we met on our honeymoon?"
Natalia: "The seer?"
Parth: "That one."
Natalia: "What about her?"
Path: "She told us her power..."
Parth sputtered for a moment, and took another breath.
Parth: "That her power came from the land of dreams. That she protected people from Lang-"
Natalia: "Leng."
Parth: "Yes, Leng. The Land of Nightmares. That painting on her wall... With all those horrifying geometries?"
Natalia: "That one with all the cubes and squares?"
Parth: "Just the one. I think I saw it, Nat. They were all fighting-"
Natalia: "They? I thought there was only one man."
Parth: "No... There were two. Two leading, anyways. One in all black, and well, the other one was in all black too, but they were different."
Natalia: "Different how?"
Parth could tell she was getting inpatient, which meant he was rambling.
Parth: "I think something bad is about to happen."
He had been thinking it ever since he'd jumped out of bed, but now he was sure.
Parth: "The masked man... He was pure evil. Like melt-your-bones evil. I think he could see me, and I did not like what I saw in those eyes, Nat. The other one... That rider. I felt hope under his banner."
Natalia: "Isn't that a good thing?"
Parth paused to think, and then stared out the window, looking past his own reflection. A police cruiser went flashing by, sirens wailing. The only other house this far down the street was that police captain, Faust. Parth nodded to himself. It was already starting.
Parth: "Pack your things."
He turned back towards the bedroom. He made sure to grab the gun on the way. They'd need it.
Parth: "We're going to stay with my mother for a while."
Natalia: "What are you on about now? Why?"
Parth: "Because, Nat..."
Parth stopped at the window on the second floor, the one that looked out at Faust's yard. There was more than one cruiser parked in the grass.
Natalia: "Because what?"
He sighed, and turned away from the window. Parth looked deep into his beloved's eyes, and shared in her fear. She could see the edges now, but not the whole shape. So he told her.
Parth: "Because that rider - the one with the banner full of hope? He lost, love... He's dead."
It was Natalia, his poor wife, who snapped him back. If the danger Parth had seen was real, she would be equally terrified. Instead, she looked about with idle caution, holding the gun he'd left behind in his nightstand.
Natalia: "What in the absolute fuck was all of that? Are we being robbed?"
She turned about as she spoke, checking the hallway that led to the front door, and then the back. With a nervous twitch, Parth put the knife back down on the counter.
Parth: "Terrible dream. I- I saw a man. An awful man. One in all black. He had on a mask that-"
Natalia: "What in Hell are you on about?"
At this point, all caution had flown to the wind, and she carefully placed her gun beside the discarded knife.
Natalia: "Are you telling me you woke me up like that because of a silly nightmare?"
Parth flushed, and a wave of embarrassment and frustration came over him. She didn't understand. He supposed she couldn't... Jesters weren't exactly a common career choice these days, and the only one he knew about was one of the most wanted women on Absalom Station.
Parth: "It wasn't just a nightmare, love."
He quickly poured himself a glass of water, and noticed his hands were shaking. Natalia noticed too. Her brow furrowed. Her husband often had his head in the clouds, but he was no fool.
Natalia: "What did you see?"
Parth stayed quiet for a minute, sipping at his glass, his eyes staring at his own reflection in the kitchen window. When he finally spoke, he sounded cool and collected. It made Natalia shiver.
Parth: "It was a war... But not on a planet, or in some fantasy world. It was like-- Remember that biddy we met on our honeymoon?"
Natalia: "The seer?"
Parth: "That one."
Natalia: "What about her?"
Path: "She told us her power..."
Parth sputtered for a moment, and took another breath.
Parth: "That her power came from the land of dreams. That she protected people from Lang-"
Natalia: "Leng."
Parth: "Yes, Leng. The Land of Nightmares. That painting on her wall... With all those horrifying geometries?"
Natalia: "That one with all the cubes and squares?"
Parth: "Just the one. I think I saw it, Nat. They were all fighting-"
Natalia: "They? I thought there was only one man."
Parth: "No... There were two. Two leading, anyways. One in all black, and well, the other one was in all black too, but they were different."
Natalia: "Different how?"
Parth could tell she was getting inpatient, which meant he was rambling.
Parth: "I think something bad is about to happen."
He had been thinking it ever since he'd jumped out of bed, but now he was sure.
Parth: "The masked man... He was pure evil. Like melt-your-bones evil. I think he could see me, and I did not like what I saw in those eyes, Nat. The other one... That rider. I felt hope under his banner."
Natalia: "Isn't that a good thing?"
Parth paused to think, and then stared out the window, looking past his own reflection. A police cruiser went flashing by, sirens wailing. The only other house this far down the street was that police captain, Faust. Parth nodded to himself. It was already starting.
Parth: "Pack your things."
He turned back towards the bedroom. He made sure to grab the gun on the way. They'd need it.
Parth: "We're going to stay with my mother for a while."
Natalia: "What are you on about now? Why?"
Parth: "Because, Nat..."
Parth stopped at the window on the second floor, the one that looked out at Faust's yard. There was more than one cruiser parked in the grass.
Natalia: "Because what?"
He sighed, and turned away from the window. Parth looked deep into his beloved's eyes, and shared in her fear. She could see the edges now, but not the whole shape. So he told her.
Parth: "Because that rider - the one with the banner full of hope? He lost, love... He's dead."
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