Oblivion

• Lily Zhang, Grade 10
• Short Story
• 2006

I was spinning – and the world was spinning with me. Sudden yet violent tremours tore at the Earth, the convulsions rippling like a tidal wave through the ground. Where once the grass grew green and tall, only charred and blackened ashes remained – a bitter reminder of the past clawing at my heart. Wildly swirling dust and grit danced mockingly around me, stinging at my eyes and lashing my skin. The sky was steadily descending into darkness where the sun had shone brilliantly from its zenith moments before.

Jagged spears of lightning flashed across the roof of the world while gigantic monoliths of stone were rising like dead men from their graves. Rivers of molten fire flowed across the barren terrain, casting an eerie red light over the world. Writhing masses of cloud were driven across the dark sky by the winds of vengeance, their fury finally released upon mankind. The lush rainforests slowly sank into treacherous bogs and marshes, shrouded in a black veil of mist. I could feel it deep in my bones – the Earth was howling into the void of space her last requiem – the requiem of death.

Inchoate purpose drove me forwards, pulling me towards the west and the ring of fire surrounding the rim of this brutal world. I started forwards, my head filled with haunting incoherent whispers carried to me upon the wings of the wind. Sinister crunching followed me with every step and I glanced down. My blood froze in my veins and the icy hand of horror clutched at my breast. Stretching on towards the bruised horizon was a seemingly endless carpet of bones. Empty eye-sockets stared through me as I walked and frozen skulls leered menacingly. Fleshless hands beckoned – reaching for my legs, my body – my life.

Shivering uncontrollably, I walked on, my face ashen and limbs stiff with thunder roaring and bones crunching beneath my feet. And when I finally lifted my head, I knew why I was here. She was standing upon the crest of the next hill of bones. Her poisonous stream of ebony black hair slithered down her shoulders and her ivory-white skin glowing in the everlasting gloom. Her face shone with a fierce intimidating light; she was the vortex within the circle of storms. Power was emanating from her, overwhelming my presence. A glance was all it took – her cold grey eyes held me in place as I was brutally stripped bare before her searing gaze.

And then, she began to laugh. She stood upon the mound of bones and laughed with bone-chilling joy – blood-red lips open to herald the death of her world. Her arms were stretched lovingly towards the boiling sky and her booming laughter reverberated throughout the heavens, echoing for eternity and beyond. And I was spinning.