By Neev Aradhana Suresh
Travel the universe but you’ll never find the planet of Terra. It is beyond the borders of the Milky Way. Terra was exactly like Earth except it was not Earth! It was divided into continents, fifteen to be precise. The continent in which this incident took place was called Atlantis. Atlantis was a huge island separated from the rest of the fourteen continents by a large expanse of water. It was also a country in itself, much like Australia, in fact.
Atlantis had many cities wherein humans used to dwell. The town in which this tale took place was Denaville. It was a fine place and had many nice people. Most people worked as farmers in this land because the weather was very favorable.
No life forms inhabit this planet any longer. Something strange and mysterious wiped out all life from its surface. Some of the humans made it to Earth in small space capsules.
Chapter 1: The Darkness Falls
It was the twenty-first of August in the fifteenth year of peace and joy when The Darkness fell on the land. It was like no other. It engulfed the skies and blotted out the sun. It sank through the soil beneath Luxia’s feet. The Darkness fell and it fell fast.
It was Luxia who spotted it first. She saw it coming swiftly yet silently. She beheld it blanketing the planet. The air grew hot and stuffy. Wind ceased. The beautiful clean rain which always cheered Luxia’s mood was replaced by cold dark black drops that came from The Darkness, himself.
~~~ A day ago ~~~
The sun shone bright on the face of a sleeping girl. She slept in an extremely soft bed with fluffy pink covers and many cushions. The girl, herself, was about thirteen. She was tall and skinny. Her room, indeed, looked a lot like her in many ways. It was wallpapered with beautiful flowers and bright colors. It was evident from the room and the girl that war, fear, and pain were a fairytale from a land far far away.
“Luxia, it’s time to wake up!” Everyday this was her schedule. Mrs. Sheridan would awaken Luxia by gently shaking her and coaxing her to get ready for the day’s work and school.
Mr. and Mrs. Sheridan were very sweet parents and they had dearly wanted a big family, but Luxia was their only child. She was their treasure and they treated her as such. Mrs. Sheridan cooked fine meals for her daughter and Mr. Sheridan worked hard to raise enough money to satisfy Luxia’s many desires. In short, they pampered Luxia a lot. They were overprotective and never let her go out of their sight. Even in school, Mrs. Sheridan continually glanced through the tiny window in the wall to make sure Luxia was safe and well. She left her in her school bench in the morning and stayed outside the building till the bell rang and the students filed out. Then, she would rush inside the school and gently escort Luxia home again.
Nothing particularly exciting or unusual had ever happened to Luxia. For thirteen years, she got up, went to school, came home, relaxed, ate, and slept. That was it.
This was why when The Darkness fell, Luxia spotted it and cried out in terror. Luxia was on the front porch of her house relaxing and looking at the new bed of exotic flowers her mother had just bought for her. Her bare feet were on the soil. And really, they were the ones which told her something was wrong. The warm soil turned deadly cold and Luxia yelped, pulling her feet back onto the porch. She lifted her eyes and spotted it. She gave a tiny cry of terror and Mrs. Sheridan came hurriedly to her side.
“What's the matter, sweetie?” Mrs. Sheridan asked.
Luxia was speechless. She could only point towards it. Mrs. Sheridan looked and saw it. Together they screamed.
Chapter 2: Legends and Fairytales
Now you may be thinking that Mrs. Sheridan and Luxia are just overreacting. “What’s so terrifying about The Darkness?” you may ask. Well, if only you had been there, you would have known. You see, The Darkness is not a thing. It is a person, a being so powerful that no normal person can comprehend its power. Rumors had been flying around the town where Luxia lived. “The legends were not lying,” many whispered, “It’s coming true!” The legends of old had predicted the age where The Darkness would fall over happy lands and stay there till he could be defeated. And, yes, it was happening. The legends read thus:
Nobody can know where He strike
For the light will be quenched
And the lanterns extinguished
To happy golden lands hark
He will fall
Where peace doth rule all
Where The Darkness strikes
Be warned but you can never know
Oh, people, stay indoors lest it take you
To where the sun is forever
Black
One whose power lies deep within
One whose light shines in
They will defeat
They will conquer
The Darkness from the Black Rock!
Mr. Sheridan ran from his barn where he had been working to his wife’s side.
“What’s the matter?” he huffed.
This time both Luxia and Mrs. Sheridan pointed towards The Darkness. Mr. Sheridan gasped.
“We must get inside quickly before it shuts out the sun and all its light,” he yelled. But just then, The Darkness crossed over the sun and all was pitch darkness. It was too late. All was lost.
Chapter 3: The One whose Power Lies Deep Within
The Sheridan family gripped each other tightly. They were all panting from the lack of fresh oxygen. They could not see anything. It didn’t really matter if their eyes were open or shut. It was pitch black. A noise like thunder roared above them and thick drops of what should have been called rain started pouring fast. The drops were almost like diesel and they stung everything that they touched.
Luxia could feel her mom’s hand on her right shoulder and her dad’s hand on her left. She could hear them quietly whispering to each other and deciding what they should do next. She caught some fragments of what they were saying…
“We’re going to die… no we aren’t…journey away. How we gonna get anywhere in this darkness? What are we going to do? Luxia…”
Finally, Mr. Sheridan shushed his wife and said, “We must go inside. We can talk later.”
The Sheridans grouped their way to the door and shuffled inside. The living room which had offered so much comfort to them in the past, now seemed cold, dark, and dead. They shut the door behind them but it made no difference to the lighting. All was blackness and silence except for the horrid pitter patter of the rain.
Mrs. Sheridan lit a lamp and the family huddled around its warmth.
“Mom and Dad, what’s happening?” Luxia enquired worriedly.
Mrs. Sheridan hesitated but Mr. Sheridan nodded toward his wife and said, “Luxia, I know this must be very frightening for you but you must be brave. The Darkness has fallen over our home and our land. This needs to be vanquished but only One whose power lies deep within can send this power away from our land. Do you understand, darling?”
Luxia nodded and turned away so her parents couldn’t see her tears of fright and the doom that lay upon her little heart. “This is the end,” she thought, “I’m going to die and everybody is going to die. My parents, too.”
Little did Luxia know that The Darkness was taking hold of Luxia. The Darkness was slowly sucking out hope and love, the strongest weapons of mankind. “You will never make it out alive. You are going to die,” The Darkness was whispering in all of their hearts. It was instigating a sense of doom and despair. It was trying to drive the Sheridans mad. Most of all, it was sucking out the hope and love of Luxia. The Darkness saw something in Luxia. A light that shone bright and he was afraid. The Darkness wanted to overthrow Luxia first. Then, slowly, knock out everybody that lived on the land.
Chapter 4: Time for Action
That night while Mr. and Mrs. Sheridan slept, Luxia tossed and turned in bed. She could not sleep. Luxia knew something had to be done about The Darkness. She just didn’t know what. She felt a sense of responsibility and longing for duties she didn’t even fully understand. She listened to her parents’ soft breathing and knew that she loved them. She didn’t want them to die. She didn’t want to die either.
Luxia quietly sat up and pushed the covers from over her. She fumbled with her battery powered lamp and flipped the switch. The room flooded through with light. She gently eased her door shut so her parents would not get disturbed. She grabbed her backpack and threw in two pairs of clothes, her lamp, some extra batteries, a map, some water, and her Bible. She quickly changed into some travel clothes. She wrote a small note to her parents…
Dear Mom and Dad,
I have gone to find out the cause
of this darkness and stop it. Please
do not worry. And please do not
try to find me. I hope we will meet
again soon.
Love, Luxia
With that she was off. She hung her bag over her shoulders and slipped out of the front door.
“Time for Action,” she said and stepped off her porch. She held the lamp straight in front of her to light her path and journeyed southward.
The Darkness watched her leave and laughed maliciously to himself.
Chapter 5: Help in the Time of Need and a New Weapon
Luxia journeyed on and on. Nothing but what her lamp shone on was visible. Her greatest fear was that some evil thing lurking just beyond the reaches of her light would leap out at her and harm her. No such thing happened for many miles. Luxia walked steadily onward. She didn’t really know where she was going or why she was going South. Something just told her that was the right direction.
Nothing eventful or exciting happened for a long time. Luxia slowly became aware of her aching limbs. She had traveled far and she desperately needed rest. Her mind told her to go on and seek a safe shelter but her body gave up and she sank to the ground exhausted. That was a big mistake and she would have died that very day if it hadn’t been for Darian.
The minute she shut her eyes, The Darkness saw its chance and unleashed a hoard of Black Speeks at Luxia. Black Speeks were a type of insect only much bigger than normal insects, a whole palm size. They had wings that could take them noiselessly anywhere and sharp pincer-like blades that they held in their hands. One sting from their deadly mouths could kill a strong man in eight seconds, let alone a young girl of thirteen.
The Speeks flew down on Luxia and were just about to kill her in her sleep when a silhouette slipped into view and quickly shooed them away with its hands. The Speeks didn’t expect anybody but Luxia to be present so they got distracted but only for a second. With renewed gusto, they sprang on their attacker. The silhouette pulled out a flask from its backpack and sprayed the Speeks down. This would have killed average insects but not Speeks. They came over and over towards the silhouette and attacked and attacked.
With a start, Luxia awoke to behold somebody fighting with the Speeks. Luxia had never seen Speeks before, but she knew they weren’t on her side. She helped the attacker by frantically trying to distract the Speeks but it was no use.
Luxia gave up her efforts, and it was then that she noticed a small detail about Speeks. They desperately tried to avoid the light her lamp was shedding. Whenever one of them entered the light, it fell to the ground dead.
Luxia sprang up at once and picked up her lamp. Then, with one strong, swift move she swung it around and shined it on the Speeks. One by one they fell to the ground, never to rise.
It was only after all the Speeks were battled to the ground that Luxia turned around to thank her rescuer. What she saw, she did not expect. It was a tall, lean boy of about her age. Just like her, he had a backpack slung on his back and he was still holding the flask that he had used to vanquish the Speeks.
“Thank you for saving my life, sir,” she said timidly.
He smiled shyly and nodded. “It wasn’t really all me. You figured out the light part.”
Luxia laughed. “Well, I would never have woken up in time if not for you! What is your name?”
“Darian, and yours?” he asked.
“Luxia. What brings you out here in The Darkness?” she enquired curiously.
“Well, ma’am, I should ask you that. Traveling alone isn’t safe, you know. I set out from my family to stop this dreadful darkness,” he exclaimed.
“Well, no, it isn’t very safe but what’s left for me? My family, my town, everybody I’ve ever known are going to die in this Darkness. He must be stopped,” Luxia said enthusiastically.
“I agree. You were named Luxia for a reason after all! Let’s do this.” he said.
They smiled and then turned around together to face The Darkness. Friendship is a great power of humans. For with two, more is possible than with just one.
The Darkness, himself, looked at Darian and Luxia and trembled.
“They might be oblivious to it, but these two have uncovered a new powerful weapon which they will use against me,” he roared.
Then with confidence, he added, “They must be stopped. Now.”
Chapter 6: The Light that Shines
Luxia and Darian continued Southward. They continued through what should have been all of the next day and night. Day or night, however, didn’t matter. All was blacker than the blackest black. They meet nobody, whether human or animal. The world around the two teenagers seemed empty, cold, and lifeless. The original courage and spirit that had propelled them began to fade. This was The Darkness’ doing.
Another problem arose. Luxia’s lamp was gradually going out of battery. She had already finished all the battery packs she had brought with her, and Darian only had a tiny flashlight which had died a long time ago. In fact, by providence, he had found Luxia exactly when his torch blew out. If Luxia’s lamp went out, they would be all alone in the middle of a dark expanse of land. They would never find their homes or families again.
Darian tried to tell funny stories to pass the time but he soon ran out of good ones and fell silent. Luxia tried teaching Darian some of her favorite songs, but she gave that up quickly. Their singing echoed loudly in the silence. and it spooked the both of them.
They trudged on and on. Not knowing if they would ever reach what they were looking for. The worst part was they didn’t even know what they were looking for. The Darkness began to work in their hearts and cause despair, grief, and sadly enmity.
“My battery’s going to die out soon,” Luxia told Darian.
“What am I supposed to do about it, if I may ask?” replied Darian in an annoyed tone.
“I was just informing you,” Luxia snapped.
“You didn’t have to. I can see from your tiny lamp’s light that it’s going to die. Why didn’t you bring more batteries?” Darian answered.
“Why didn’t you bring them yourself?” Luxia frowned.
“You suppose someone helped me pack my bag? I was leaving home in a hurry.” Darian retorted.
“Well, my mother didn’t help me either, silly.” Luxia voiced frustration.
Darian didn’t answer.
“What’s the matter, Darian?” Luxia enquired, afraid she had hurt him.
“I don’t have a mother. Neither do I have a father. They died when I was young. You see, Luxia, it really wasn’t The Darkness that drove me from my home. I didn’t have a home. I lived with my Aunt Beatrice but her house wasn’t my home…” Darian's voice trailed off.
“I’m sorry about your parents. I didn’t mean to hurt you. I’m myself worried about my parents and I always complained about them. I’ve never really stopped to see how much they have done for me,” Luxia confessed.
Darian gave a small smile and nodded. “You know, Luxia, I’ve been thinking it’s not usually like me to snap and argue with my friends in the way I have been doing. I don’t think it’s a lot like your usual self too. Maybe, The Darkness has something to do with this. Maybe, he’s the one who’s stirring up weariness and rivalry between us. Maybe the legends called him The Darkness for a reason deeper than just his color. Maybe he’s actually dark from the heart to his soul.”
Luxia gave a small start, “Darian, you’re right. The Darkness is the one having us fight each other. Then the way to fight him is to shine The Light. Like with the Speeks. But not just any lamp light. The Light of friendship and love and forgiveness.”
Darian laughed. “That’s it! We don’t need to fight him with swords. We need to repel him with love!”
The Darkness looked upon them and frowned angrily. It was time to go and fix these little brats face to face. The Light must not shine. It must never shine.
Chapter 7: Hearts as Bright as the Sun
Darian and Luxia halted their travel. It was no use. They would get nowhere. There was not a place they could reach in order to fight The Darkness. They had to fight him in their hearts right where they were. Luxia reached into her backpack to find even a morsel of food. There was none. Still she smiled and sat down. Darian plopped down beside her. He also reached inside his bag to find something to eat. There was nothing. Darian felt a strong urge to grumble and complain, but he subdued it. Luxia grouped around in her bag and found the Bible she had thrown in.
“Darian, have you ever read the Bible?” she asked.
“No,” he promptly replied, “Have you?”
“Yes…well, not really. My parents bought me this copy but I’ve never actually read it before,” Luxia admitted truthfully.
“How about we read it right now? At least till your lamp lasts,” Darian suggested.
“Sure!” Luxia replied enthusiastically.
In the dim light of that lamp, they read the Bible. Luxia flipped open the book and it fell open on Psalms 19. She read aloud:
The heavens declare the glory of God,
and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.
Day to day pours out speech,
and night to night reveals knowledge.
There is no speech, nor are there words,
whose voice is not heard.
Their voice goes out through all the earth,
and their words to the end of the world.
In them he has set a tent for the sun,
Darian swiftly interrupted her. “You know,” he said, looking up at The Darkness, “I don’t think this sky proclaims God’s handiwork.”
Luxia shrugged, “Well, this isn’t really the sky. It’s The Darkness that’s hiding the sky. Have you ever seen the real night sky filled with millions of stars? That definitely proclaims God’s handiwork.”
Darian replied, “I guess so. I’ll read this next part.”
Which comes out like a bridegroom leaving his chamber,
and, like a strong man, runs its course with joy.
Its rising is from the end of the heavens,
and its circuit to the end of them,
and there is nothing hidden from its heat.
The law of the Lord is perfect,
reviving the soul;
the testimony of the Lord is sure,
making wise the simple;
As Darian read, Luxia felt an urge to know more. To follow this Lord whose law was perfect and reviving to the soul. “I need that,” she thought. She began to read aloud along with Darian.
The precepts of the Lord are right,
rejoicing the heart;
the commandment of the Lord is pure,
enlightening the eyes;
the fear of the Lord is clean,
enduring forever;
the rules of the Lord are true,
and righteous altogether.
More to be desired are they than gold,
even much fine gold;
sweeter also than honey
and drippings of the honeycomb.
Moreover, by them is your servant warned;
In keeping them there is great reward.
Before they could go on any further, the lamp went off. They were in pitch darkness, but if you were there, you’d have known that their hearts were really as bright as the sun. They fell asleep with the words ringing in their heads. They were already completely changed teenagers than the ones that had set off from their homes.
Chapter 8: A War of Peace
Darian nudged Luxia awake. Luxia awoke with a start and wondered why everything was so dark. Then she remembered.
“Darian, what’s the matter?” she asked.
“Nothing, I just feel like we shouldn’t sleep so long. The Darkness is now all around us. We still have to defeat it but now how do we shine the light?” he replied.
“Darian, I don’t know. Maybe, it really is all over. The legends spoke of a One with a Power deep within, that power must arise. We’re just kids. Let’s stop acting like heroes. We can’t save the world, you know,” she answered.
“No, no, no. Luxia, stop saying those things. Don’t you understand? This is what he wants us to be doing, The Darkness. He might be able to shut the lights off for this planet but should we let him do the same inside of us?” Darian asked.
“I know, you’re right. But really we can’t hold on to the light much longer. Even right now the light seems like a distant memory. Soon I’ll begin to doubt the very existence of it…” Luxia’s voice trailed off, “I don’t know what to do.”
“How about we try remembering the words to that Psalm we read yesterday? It did say it ‘revives the soul’” Darian replied.
“I did not memorize it, but I can try. Hmm… how did it begin?”
Together and helping each other along the way they recited that Psalm and it lifted their spirits. The Psalm encouraged them. They talked about its meaning and even in the darkness it enlightened their eyes and revived their souls.
Time seemed to fly as they continued meditating on the Psalm but soon they became aware of their hunger. They hadn’t eaten for at least two days and their water flasks had run so very low. They didn’t want to risk leaving each other to search for food or drink. In the darkness they might be an inch apart and never know where the other one was. They cheered each other up by pondering on the fact that the Word of God was “more to be desired than a honeycomb” and even “fine gold.”
The Darkness from above watched the children. He could see them there below him and he could feel their joy even amidst their current situation. Each time they recited a verse or said a kind word, he felt an electric jab all over him. It was like sharp spears piercing him from all around. This pain went on and on. He could feel his power dwindling away.
“This cannot be!” he roared, “I will be avenged! How can two humans fight me, the great power of The Darkness? I must go down and stop these brats from ever shining the light on me, again!”
Luxia and Darian didn’t know it. But The Darkness was planning his next move. He was coming for them. He was going to attack them. But they also didn’t know that as they sat there and cheered each other up, they were warring The Darkness with peace and love. And he just couldn’t stand that.
Chapter 9: Sacrifice
The Darkness quaked above Luxia and Darian. It thundered and it roared. The two friends huddled close to each other and looked upwards. Then they witnessed a terrifying sight. Parts of The Darkness began to melt and then come down in front of them in the shapes of human beings. The parts where they came down, however, left tiny patches of light, revealing the blue sky above The Darkness, himself.
Each human being shape was musty and not solid. They surrounded the kids on all sides. They all wore black cloaks which fluttered around where their ankles should have been. They were not precisely shaped like humans for it was the cloak that put a shape to them. Inside the cloak was darkness and more thick darkness.
The air around them suddenly turned even colder than it had been. Darian and Luxia shivered from the chilliness around them. In Luxia’s mind a million thoughts were whirling. “What is going to happen now? We can’t fight all of these, whatever they are.” she thought. Darian’s mind was also twirling with similar thoughts.
From his backpack on the ground, he pulled out a short dagger and handed it to Luxia. Then, he pulled another one out for himself.
A voice sounded from The Darkness above and in front of them. “Hahaha,” he roared, “You think you’re going to fight me with your daggers?”
Darian launched his dagger towards the nearest black figure. It passed right through it.
“Children never grow up, do they?” the voice said sympathetically, “I’m not delicate like you, humans. I’m not mortal. I’m not even material. Swords and daggers don’t pierce me.”
Darian looked taken aback for a second. Then he rushed forward towards the figure on his left. Something invisible stopped him just before he would have reached the figure and he fell backwards hard onto the ground.
“Are you alright?” Luxia asked anxiously as she helped him up again.
“No, I’m not,” he said. His voice broke as if in great pain.
“Darian, we don’t fight them. We shine the light, remember?”
“Yes, I know,” he answered softly, “How are we going to do that?”
“I don’t know,” replied Luxia truthfully.
The figures began to draw closer up on them. They were closing them in. They were cornering them and blocking every way of escape. Luxia began to panic. Darian was injured and she was very exhausted.
“Oh, God, help me!” she prayed.
She began again to recite the Psalm.
“The heavens declare the glory of God,
and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.”
The figures howled as if it hurt them to hear those words.
“There is no God! The sky declares the glory of The Great Darkness!” voices from above and below screamed.
Synchronized, all the figures unleashed from their cloaks a ball of darkness that hurled toward Luxia and Darian. Luxia dodged them and pulled Darian to the ground with her. She was aware of what those balls could actually do when she saw the tree behind them fade away in black. These were balls of darkness and evil. They were deadly.
Luxia struggled to her feet, helping Darian the best she could. Again and again the figures let loose balls and balls of deadly darkness. The wood behind the teenagers was crumbling away. Something had to be done. Every time they unleashed another ball, Luxia had to throw herself to the ground and pull Darian after her. With each pull, Darian groaned in pain. It was then that Luxia noticed Darian’s shirt. It was soaked in blood. The fall had been more serious than she had thought. Darian needed medical help now or else…he would die.
“No,” Luxia thought, “he won’t die. This is all a dream and I will awake in a moment.”
But it was no dream. It was reality. When she could bear it no longer, she threw herself to the ground and lay there. She was ready for death. She could stand them no longer.
The figures drew ever closer and closer. Then they unleashed the balls of darkness. Those were the worst moments of Luxia’s life. Everything slowed down. She could see the ball hurtling towards her. She was going to die. She heard a cry of pain as the ball collided with something. She felt a heavy weight on top of her but she knew no pain.
Everything went black.
Chapter 10: A Million Stars
Luxia woke up. The first thing she noticed was that there was a heavy weight on her chest. She sat up with some difficulty and gave a gasp of horror. On her lap was Darian. She stared at his face and saw something deeper than the scars that were etched on his cheeks. His eyes were closed shut and if not for his wounds, he almost looked as if he was sleeping.
“Darian, wake up,” Luxia shook him, “Darian, you have to wake up.”
Her voice broke. “No, God. This is not true.” Tears streamed down the girl’s face.
“Stop being silly,” she told herself, “Darian will wake up right now and he will be telling all those funny stories to me.”
But Darian did not wake up. The cold reality seeped through Luxia’s heart. Darian was dead. He was gone.
She gently placed Darian off her lap and stood up. Her mind was throbbing and her heart was beating slowly but loudly. Her face was drenched with tears and for a long time, she just stood there silently. Then the truth struck her.
Darian had died saving her life. He had thrown himself onto her to protect her from the balls of darkness. He had given up his life for her. Luxia threw herself onto the ground and wept and wept for a long time. She wept till no tears were left. She had known Darian for only a few days, but she felt like she had lost a brother and someone she had known for all of her life.
Then she noticed that all the figures were gone. They had vanished. Where were they? She looked upwards and she didn’t see The Darkness. She saw a million stars, shining in the sky and she understood. The act of love and friendship when Darian had laid down his life for her was the greatest light. It had sent The Darkness away. He had done it. Darian’s last act was an act of pure selflessness. He had shone the light. His act was The Light. His act was the power that was deep within him. His light came from within him. It came from his heart.
Luxia journeyed home and her reunion with her mom and dad was truly beautiful. Darian was laid to rest close to where his parents had been buried and Luxia herself carved his tombstone. This is what she wrote: “In loving memory of Darian, a friend unto death. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lays down his life for his friends. We shall meet again soon.”
That night, Luxia went out onto her porch. Everything around her wasn’t as alive as it had been before The Darkness came, but her flowers were beginning to grow again. The Darkness was vanquished. The Light had been shone and was still shining. And when she looked at the sky, there were a million stars. A Million Stars, indeed.
Epilogue
Luxia lived happily ever after. Yes, there were many times when she remembered Darian and The Darkness and was filled with grief again. But her trust was in the Lord. She told of her friend to her children and grand-children and even great grand-children. Whenever Luxia was exceptionally sorrowful, she took time to count the stars and ponder on the many blessings God had already bestowed on her. She gazed at the heavens and the million stars above.
⊷ THE END ⊶
By Neev Aradhana Suresh
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