The Hollow
Two
I held on to his robe as he led me into the tunnels. He walked slowly, as he seemed to do everything, like his world was encrypted in another rhythm. In a particularly murky part of the walk there was a tiny flash, for an instant. It was the light from before, and it came from his ring finger. An ordinary diamond could never produce such a glow, this was something else, otherworldly, but then again everything felt that way in here. This wasn't my space, my world. Gravity was there, oxygen was to be found, but it was still different. Then I realized we were standing under an arc, a threshold. When we crossed, and I saw the horror of the chamber, I simply froze.
Within a circular space of great proportions, with exit tunnels all around, were the Hollow in their empty idling. I just didn’t know it yet.
All I saw were hundreds of men and women wandering aimlessly across the alcove. Their pupils were cold as the ocean floor, and not less deeply wounded. Swan’s eyes were disturbing in their tortured beauty, yet these were hundreds of them. All on me, piercing. In a single second all of their losses and battles became mine. They jumped on my back as I watched their grim, half-dead orbs. I’ll never know why I didn’t cry.
Their skin was too white, translucent. Not only did it look dead, it seemed just a whimsical paper layer over their rigid bones. Their footsteps bounced resoundingly across the stone room like echoes from forgotten dreams.
- What is this? – I asked at the nothingness, Swan answered.
- Who we are.
- Who are you?
- I don’t know
We kept on walking blankly beneath the burden of the souls. We were going toward the center of the chamber, which was composed by a lake of unfathomable deepness and darkness, and a lone pedestal standing empty between its black waters. When we reached the shore, we started surrounding the coastline; it was the only way to go, since there were no bridges. The light effects on the water fluttered in my mind for an instant. The lake was a dark canvas, with white birds that became green as they took flight, batting their wings in desperation before vanishing into time forever and being reborn again, all in the midst of a moment.
Among the density was a dying glimmer. The last shiny redoubts of an iron grin; the miniscule places rust hadn’t yet overtaken. It was a big grate, clearly not just a sewer. Someone could easily slide in. Once there, in front of it, we stopped. Swan raised his hand into the air, and it opened, as if a thread hung from his wrist. I stared at his hand, the ring was speckling lightly again. A chilling stairway led to another tunnel that lay within. Before descending, he turned towards me. He spoke with the shyness of someone who just remembered why he walked in the room.
- There’s something you ought to see.
And then the shadows ate us.
Within a circular space of great proportions, with exit tunnels all around, were the Hollow in their empty idling. I just didn’t know it yet.
All I saw were hundreds of men and women wandering aimlessly across the alcove. Their pupils were cold as the ocean floor, and not less deeply wounded. Swan’s eyes were disturbing in their tortured beauty, yet these were hundreds of them. All on me, piercing. In a single second all of their losses and battles became mine. They jumped on my back as I watched their grim, half-dead orbs. I’ll never know why I didn’t cry.
Their skin was too white, translucent. Not only did it look dead, it seemed just a whimsical paper layer over their rigid bones. Their footsteps bounced resoundingly across the stone room like echoes from forgotten dreams.
- What is this? – I asked at the nothingness, Swan answered.
- Who we are.
- Who are you?
- I don’t know
We kept on walking blankly beneath the burden of the souls. We were going toward the center of the chamber, which was composed by a lake of unfathomable deepness and darkness, and a lone pedestal standing empty between its black waters. When we reached the shore, we started surrounding the coastline; it was the only way to go, since there were no bridges. The light effects on the water fluttered in my mind for an instant. The lake was a dark canvas, with white birds that became green as they took flight, batting their wings in desperation before vanishing into time forever and being reborn again, all in the midst of a moment.
Among the density was a dying glimmer. The last shiny redoubts of an iron grin; the miniscule places rust hadn’t yet overtaken. It was a big grate, clearly not just a sewer. Someone could easily slide in. Once there, in front of it, we stopped. Swan raised his hand into the air, and it opened, as if a thread hung from his wrist. I stared at his hand, the ring was speckling lightly again. A chilling stairway led to another tunnel that lay within. Before descending, he turned towards me. He spoke with the shyness of someone who just remembered why he walked in the room.
- There’s something you ought to see.
And then the shadows ate us.