10: Chains to Reality

“That habit of yours to ditch me is getting annoying” proclaimed Heresy as grabbed her shoulder, finally catching up to her. “Oh wow.” he finished, seeing what she could see now.

Up ahead in the valley of ash was an ash man. A giant. She nor Heresy could think beyond what they were witnessing. This huge figure was dragging a boulder so large it shook the ground below him. Dressed in soot and a chain around his neck, who was he? Eons passed as they watched this primal creature drag his rock iota by iota over the vastness of inconceivability. She had to know. Who are you? Mustering up her thoughts she approached this beast. The closer she drew to him the more she could hear labored breaths and frustrated mutters sneaking out. Closer she came, passing his boulder and the long chain to which he was attached. Closer still, until she could reach out and touch him.

“this is mine to bear.” bellowed the stranger sensing her as she almost touched the back of his arm. “I knew you were coming, you have the wind on your side. Enjoy it.”. He finished, his tone resonating in her as sincere pain, but sincere none the less. Again foot steps behind her.

Staring up at the giant as he turned to face her and the approaching Heresy, there was no sound rather it was enveloped by the leviathan. He was large as there was to be, but still just taller than she. Large scars littered a body clothed in little more than a tattered pair of shorts. His skin seemed stained by the valley floor and mirrored it. The expression of his face was lost to some far off love. A helicopter flew just above head, the light almost blinding her. She couldn’t move now and it was so hard to breath. Something warm was seeping down her face and into her eye. Then a shadow. A man, was it him? no, a man in a blue uniform. Suddenly she was aware of how cold she was. He was talking but her ears were ringing. PAIN. He was dragging her, to where? Everywhere it hurt. She was scared and suddenly so very angry. The wind was picking up again. and the sky had grown much much darker. But this time stripes of dark red littered it. Being near this giant brought her pain. What had happened to him?

“Who are you?” asked Heresy straining to grasp the vastness of this being towering above him. His size seemed to shift as much as the skies above or the wind around.

“I have taken the name Eudimonia as mine.” proclaimed the giant turning to continue his journey, boulder and all. “In life, I had many things, many many things. I worked hard on my body and worked for my possessions always.” he continued dragging on, with the warry follows in close pursuit. Was this some sort of punishment for him? Heresy thirsted eternally, cursed to never taste what could quench his thirst and now this Eudimonia was forced to drag a boulder that was to heavy. Were they being punished? Was this really a hell of sorts? Is that where her mouth had gone? Questions continued to swirl in her head, eventually circling around the blue light that lay just past the valley. It was growing.