Violent skies moved savagely above me and from what I could tell, a winter storm was blowing in over the Steppe. It cast ashen shadows across the open plains as slate-colored clouds concealed the sun’s rays in murky shadow. Daylight still surfaced toward the South and the eerie contrast felt strangely powerful… Darkness had begun at my back and had slowly travelled up and over me until I was merely gazing into the only region of the Steppe still lit by the sun. The storm left nothing untouched as it approached and it had muted the landscape in various tints of grey until all that was left to see was a wasteland made of dust. Despite the gusting winds that carried the inevitable promise of snow, the Steppe seemed unnaturally quiet. It was as if life had been devoid of the plains until I had thought to venture into the vastness of the barren land… In some ways, I felt connected to the emptiness that embodied my surroundings- grey and numb and unfeeling. We were colorless beings that, until now, had been two entirely separate entities yet, now united. We were the neutral stones buried beneath a fine layer of ice and slush. We were the drab saplings paying homage to the leaden sky above. Everything had been blotted out, forgotten, and left behind in some cruel version of purgatory.
A low rumbling sounded overhead and for a moment I was distraught to think that a summer storm had any business breeching the winter’s domain, but as the lands grew quiet again, I was even more afraid to imagine that I had made it all up. Pacing forward a few uneven steps, I turned my eyes back around hoping to catch sight of rain or proof that I wasn’t going absolutely insane. However, other than the bone-chilling breeze that forced wintry clouds even further across the Steppe, I saw nothing. With a hesitant resolve, I ventured deeper into the ivory painted landscape feeling uneasy with the disquiet that haunted not only the Steppe but my broken heart as well. The hardened ground was uneven and at times I slid into the shallow grooves with unexpected force. My gait was jagged and lacked any real coordination as my shoulders jarred and jerked into place with each new and unanticipated shift in the land.
Another distant roar threatened the skies overhead and once again I fought myself to determine how such an anomaly could be happening in Helovia. However, this time it was more distant in my mind and it was still harder to decipher if it were fact or fiction. Once again, I turned a curious eye to the heavens above, searching for signs of rain or lightning but found neither. Disgruntled, I carried on hoping to find shelter from the coming of the snow but I still felt at odds with whatever ominous force that was working against me. Was I just making this up or was this reality? I could have sworn that thunder had been erupting across the darkening sky and yet there was nothing; none of it made sense…
Until the rushing winds commenced.
At first it had started as a mild gale that tugged at my mane and tail, but soon after it felt as if the winds themselves would overtake me. I slid and rocked over the crevices in the frozen ground until my legs were sore and aching. Tendrils of thick hair bore down upon my eyes, temporarily blinding me, and as the winds picked up they robbed me of my voice and my breath. I was being overthrown and I tried to cry out but to no avail. I had been silenced and suffocated beneath the storm. Shortly after I began straining against the strength of the mysterious tempest, I noticed another threatening roll of thundercrack. It belted through me like a dissonant cry and shook me upon the icy floor, but no rain came. Passionate cries tried to force their way up from my throat, but the wind and the cold stifled them into oblivion. The pain of my lungs being crushed and swallowed from within caused my eyes to squeeze closed, ending my view of this horror, this nightmare. I didn’t want to see this anymore. I didn’t want to watch as this land stole my life away. I didn’t want to die...
But moments later, silence came and washed over everything inside the grey plains.
Slowly, I opened my eyes and took in the new calm emanating from my body. As I glanced around, I spied the southern half of the Steppe still lit by the sun. Slowly, I checked each limb to find that despite the fact that they had been protesting and threatening to give way only moments before, they now felt rejuvenated and strong. I was still gasping and out of breath, but I felt normal… In fact, nothing around me suggested that I had even been part of a brutal storm that risked taking my life. My body shook now, trembled and quaked, while inwardly I feared that the God’s had taken revenge on me for abandoning my faith in them. Frantically, my eyes darted from one corner of the plains to the next. I sought to find some explanation that would settle the unearthly feeling of disaster that was blooming wide in my stomach. I was terrified. What was that?
I felt dizzy and unbalanced as I once again surfaced within the realm of reality. I wasn’t sure what had happened, but as I move forward, once again seeking cover from the winter storm, I decided that I couldn’t think about it anymore. Whatever alien forces had struck my heart with such anxiety meant to harm me and I held no reservations when it came to hiding myself away from the world until I felt safe enough to re-emerge. My thoughts spun wildly around in my head; perhaps I was losing it. I was drunk with anticipation, still reeling from the surreal experience… and like with a fine wine, my mind would unwind at some point.
I just wasn’t sure when. |
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