Author Games: The River of Night

Task Five: Entries

Masika Aarahm

The sky wasn't how she remembered it.

It was darker than she had ever seen it. An abyss of charcoal that Masika swore she would fall into if she looked up at it long enough. For a moment, she wondered where she was. There was nothing, just blackness that surrounded her.

What happened to the sky? She wondered. Her footfalls slowly paced forward with a gentle tap on the invisible floor. She wasn't walking anywhere just into more shadows, Nut, are you there? Masika hugged her arms to her chest as she kept walking through. She thought that if she walked far enough then she would get somewhere. What if all the Gods have been taken?

Fear knotted and unknotted itself inside her stomach. She didn't know it was possible but if the Gods didn't exist then there was nothing – no sky, no sun, no animals and no light. The world would cease to exist, much like it did now.

If she stared long enough, Masika could see different shades of black but it was simply her mind playing cruel games. It was like visual tinnitus – her vision was buzzing and blurring from the plain colour. Bright colours would dance before her vision before fading away as soon as her eyes began to chase them.

Eventually, Masika could no longer hear her own rhythmic footfalls instead she heard a gentle sound that mimicked the soft vibration of a fly's wings. It was driving her insane. She was insane enough to try and scream with no sound emerging from her lips. She was insane enough to jump up and down in frustration until she was unaware of the fact that there was a ground – was she falling? It was hard to tell if she was. Her world became complete nonsense. But, in darkness, there must always be light.

Music.

Masika opened her eyes and sat bolt upright. She checked her hands and feet, touching each body part as though it were some sort of miracle. Her clothes were still on her body, her hands could still feel and if she rested her hand on her chest she could feel her soft heart beat beating in time with the harp.

Everything came flooding back to her – the spirit, the fire and the boat. Yet she was fearful to know how she got in the room.

"Hello?" her voice echoed in the lifeless room as she looked around. She stood on the marble floor of a completely white building. It was pristine and everything perfectly arranged. The golden harp in the corner tat played music with an invisible composer and the table decorated with fruits and precious wine. A plush bed with golden embroidery on each cushion centred on a platform under a skylight which was too bright to look at.

How is that thing playing? She stared at the harp for a moment before her eyes landed on the food. Without a second thought she ran forward and stuffed her mouth full of sweet, succulent grapes. She relished the taste with each bite. She grabbed another handful before running to the bed and jumping on it in a round of laughter. She had never been on a real bed before.

Masika, for one small moment, recalled that she was supposed to be doing something but the grapes sweet flavour was all she could think about. The music filled her ears and warmed her heart and, naturally Masika began to dance.

Her body turned elegantly in tune with the slow and gentle music. Yet, there was a sort of harshness to her movement, like she was older and in more control than she actually was. She fell in love with the music. The familiar coating of warmth and the butterflies in her stomach returned. Her heartbeat was growing steadily with the music. Her breathing was perfectly in sync with the movements of her body. She traced her pointed toe around her body in a delicate twirl before pushing off and spinning faster than the wind had ever blown. Her fingers resting carefully in front of her hips as she rotated on the tip of her toes. Gracefully, she extended her arms out and increasing the momentum she lifted her leg high up until she matched a statue. She began to slow and bounded across the marble, leaping up into the air and landing in a soft crouch. Masika's body extended up as she imagined the audience waiting for her to lead the way. She showed courage in where she was and what she was doing. Masika adapted quickly to the changes made by her own two feet as she trusted them to land without slipping on the polished floor – trusting her instincts and her movement until there was no ground beneath her but an extension of her body that she controlled. She savoured the moment of awe from the invisible audience, taking care and time to complete each move before moving onto the next as though her mother was watching and judging her. Slowly, she embellishes her steps, with a wave of her frail arm or a toss of her head, she demanded to be seen and heard more than the music itself.