Lisa studied the Pillars, the Pillar of Plants looked far more normal than the rest and appealed to her but she found herself pointing to the Pillar of Bones instead. “That one,” Lisa said, she thought she saw the Pillar of Bodies moving out of the corner of her eye. But when she looked straight at it, the bodies were limp and motionless. Lisa looked away with a shudder, taking a few paces farther away and tried to ignore the Pillar
“Death? I wasn’t expecting that." Via commented as if oblivious to Lisa's discomfort. "I want Fire, What about you, Micheal?”
Michael frowned as he walked around the Pillars he stopped in front of the Pillar of animal bodies. He studied it for a second then looked away quickly. Lisa managed to put aside her discomfort as he said: “This one because I’m-”
“Not scared?” Lisa and Via asked in unison with knowing grins.
“Will you stop that?” Michael complained he didn’t look at the Pillar again instead facing away from it.
Via shrugged “Can’t help it if you’re so predictable. I think that one’s the Pillar of Life. But I can’t be sure, the tales that my mom used to tell me weren't all that clear. Tanik? Do you know which one you want or are you just as clueless as usual?”
“I don’t like this place, why don’t we just leave and go back home?” Tanik was pleading with Via.
“Ah, but sweet children you cannot leave.” It was not Via who answered but a new voice as smooth and as slippery as silk. They turned to see a Lady approaching them in a crimson dress that was startling to see in the gloom. Black eyes and white skin, long hair wafting in the air, Lisa thought that the Lady looked like some kind of beautiful ghost. The shadows leaned towards the Lady when she walked through them.
“Why can’t we leave?” Tanik asked, “And who are you?”
“I am the guardian of the Pillars of Creation. Once, I was a powerful Enchantress and I gave much of myself to the Pillars, in return I have become one with them. This form is but a memory of the person that I used to be. As guardian, I have no choice but to tell you that all who come here must either; touch one of the Pillars or become one of the Mist Spirits. Make your choice.”
The Lady disappeared into the shadows only to reappear by Michael's side. “I understand if you do not wish to touch the Pillar of Life, it is the most frightening Pillar. If you are scared… No one would blame you if you chose a different one.” She murmured to him, but in the stillness, Lisa could hear every word.
Michael stiffened “I’m not scared, I’m going to touch it.” He moved towards the Pillar, turning his face away to avoid looking at it, hand outstretched.
“Not yet.” The Lady cautioned “Wait for the other children who are not as brave as you.” He swelled with pride as the Lady vanished back into the shadows.
“And what do you want, my child?” The Lady appeared from the shadows beside Lisa.
“I saw a globe with a dancer inside on the pillar of bones, what did it mean?” Lisa whispered.
“The globe is special, sweet child, it is a stage reserved for only the greatest of dancers. One day a great dancer will come and when she touches the Pillar she will be shown the way to the globe.” The Lady said in honeyed tones.
Lisa bristled slightly, she was a great dancer! Her father had told her that she was the best dancer in the village! How could the Lady say that she was not good enough? “Why can't I try?” Lisa said belligerently.
“What if you are the wrong one? I would hate for you to be disappointed, little one.”
"I'm not.” Lisa snapped.
The Lady sighed with a regretful expression “Very well, to get inside you must touch the Pillar of Death. Good luck little one.” Lisa nodded, as the Lady vanished, then walked over to the Pillar but did not touch, yet. She bounced on her toes nervously. She didn't want to touch the Pillar, it disgusted her and the Garden scared her, but she was going to prove to this Lady that she was the best dancer she had ever seen.
The Lady re-appeared by Tanik. “Which Pillar will you touch, little child?” She asked softly, crouching beside him.
“Why do I have to touch? Can’t I just leave? I won’t tell anyone.” Tanik pleaded, edging away from the Lady.
“Child, if you try to leave without touching one of the Pillars, you will become like them.” The Lady pointed to one of the Mist Spirits waiting at the edge of the clearing.
Tanik looked from the Mist Spirit to the Lady and back again. He took a deep breath and looked like he was about to nod then blurted out .“Why do I have to do it?”
The Lady’s voice took on an edge of irritation. “Just choose your Pillar little one.”
“No!” Tanik shouted and fled the clearing in a panic.
“Tanik! Wait, stop!” Lisa shouted, but he did not listen. She moved away from the Pillar meaning to follow him but stopped when the Lady stiffened and gave her a piercing glare.
The Lady stood up straight, eyes hard. “Do not follow him.” she commanded, “He has chosen his fate.” Lisa slowly stepped back beside the skeletal pillar watching as Tanik disappeared into the mists.
The Lady re-appeared by Via’s side murmuring once more “You know much about my Garden and my Pillars, I see the potential for great power in you. Fire was a wise choice, but are you strong enough to do it?”
“Of course I’m strong enough. I saw the armor.” Via snapped, visibly unnerved by the Lady's vanishing tactics.
“I know.” The Lady purred. Via raised an eyebrow then reached out a hand and touched the Pillar. The Lady did not react so with an uncertain glance at Micheal who nodded at her before touching his Pillar. Lisa stepped forward and gingerly touched the intricate weave of bones.
And the cold, black, magic of the Death pillar stole her life away, stealing her breath and warmth. As it happened the Lady's voice whispered in her ear “Dance.” Cold filled her as the magic dispersed. Lisa blinked, looking around and gasped in horror. Her skin was white, she did not breathe, her heart did not beat. She was dead and yet somehow still alive, and she was encased in the globe that she had seen in the Pillar. The Lady was laughing at her.
The Lady relished her power as she captured the little Dancer and her friends. The little dancer was encased in a large globe. The base was made of bones that crept up onto the bottom of the glass, inside, one could see that the bones that made up the floor of the globe were smooth and polished. The dancer pounded on the cold hard glass in desperation, crying and pleading with her. The Lady chuckled. "Dance, little one." It was not long before the dancer gave in to her desires and began to dance.
Satisfied with the Dancer's fate, The Lady turned to the reckless little girl who had chosen fire. For her recklessness, she had been rewarded with protection, a suit of red and black decorated armor made of lava that wouldn’t ever cool. The girl was screaming in agony, curled up on the ground, she would be dead soon. The Lady used some of the pillars magic and threaded a little bit more into the armor so that when the reckless one died she would become the source for the armor's animation.
The boy who was ‘not scared’ had been turned into a grotesque and misshapen creature, she knew that he had seen it when he had looked at the Pillar but he had touched it anyway. It amused her to watch him lumber away with a gurgling roar of horror at himself. “Shh.” she whispered and the creature was silenced.
The clueless one she had allowed to flee, he would not have provided good sport and it was about time that heroes started coming back to her Garden. Then she would have some real fun.
“Death? I wasn’t expecting that." Via commented as if oblivious to Lisa's discomfort. "I want Fire, What about you, Micheal?”
Michael frowned as he walked around the Pillars he stopped in front of the Pillar of animal bodies. He studied it for a second then looked away quickly. Lisa managed to put aside her discomfort as he said: “This one because I’m-”
“Not scared?” Lisa and Via asked in unison with knowing grins.
“Will you stop that?” Michael complained he didn’t look at the Pillar again instead facing away from it.
Via shrugged “Can’t help it if you’re so predictable. I think that one’s the Pillar of Life. But I can’t be sure, the tales that my mom used to tell me weren't all that clear. Tanik? Do you know which one you want or are you just as clueless as usual?”
“I don’t like this place, why don’t we just leave and go back home?” Tanik was pleading with Via.
“Ah, but sweet children you cannot leave.” It was not Via who answered but a new voice as smooth and as slippery as silk. They turned to see a Lady approaching them in a crimson dress that was startling to see in the gloom. Black eyes and white skin, long hair wafting in the air, Lisa thought that the Lady looked like some kind of beautiful ghost. The shadows leaned towards the Lady when she walked through them.
“Why can’t we leave?” Tanik asked, “And who are you?”
“I am the guardian of the Pillars of Creation. Once, I was a powerful Enchantress and I gave much of myself to the Pillars, in return I have become one with them. This form is but a memory of the person that I used to be. As guardian, I have no choice but to tell you that all who come here must either; touch one of the Pillars or become one of the Mist Spirits. Make your choice.”
The Lady disappeared into the shadows only to reappear by Michael's side. “I understand if you do not wish to touch the Pillar of Life, it is the most frightening Pillar. If you are scared… No one would blame you if you chose a different one.” She murmured to him, but in the stillness, Lisa could hear every word.
Michael stiffened “I’m not scared, I’m going to touch it.” He moved towards the Pillar, turning his face away to avoid looking at it, hand outstretched.
“Not yet.” The Lady cautioned “Wait for the other children who are not as brave as you.” He swelled with pride as the Lady vanished back into the shadows.
“And what do you want, my child?” The Lady appeared from the shadows beside Lisa.
“I saw a globe with a dancer inside on the pillar of bones, what did it mean?” Lisa whispered.
“The globe is special, sweet child, it is a stage reserved for only the greatest of dancers. One day a great dancer will come and when she touches the Pillar she will be shown the way to the globe.” The Lady said in honeyed tones.
Lisa bristled slightly, she was a great dancer! Her father had told her that she was the best dancer in the village! How could the Lady say that she was not good enough? “Why can't I try?” Lisa said belligerently.
“What if you are the wrong one? I would hate for you to be disappointed, little one.”
"I'm not.” Lisa snapped.
The Lady sighed with a regretful expression “Very well, to get inside you must touch the Pillar of Death. Good luck little one.” Lisa nodded, as the Lady vanished, then walked over to the Pillar but did not touch, yet. She bounced on her toes nervously. She didn't want to touch the Pillar, it disgusted her and the Garden scared her, but she was going to prove to this Lady that she was the best dancer she had ever seen.
The Lady re-appeared by Tanik. “Which Pillar will you touch, little child?” She asked softly, crouching beside him.
“Why do I have to touch? Can’t I just leave? I won’t tell anyone.” Tanik pleaded, edging away from the Lady.
“Child, if you try to leave without touching one of the Pillars, you will become like them.” The Lady pointed to one of the Mist Spirits waiting at the edge of the clearing.
Tanik looked from the Mist Spirit to the Lady and back again. He took a deep breath and looked like he was about to nod then blurted out .“Why do I have to do it?”
The Lady’s voice took on an edge of irritation. “Just choose your Pillar little one.”
“No!” Tanik shouted and fled the clearing in a panic.
“Tanik! Wait, stop!” Lisa shouted, but he did not listen. She moved away from the Pillar meaning to follow him but stopped when the Lady stiffened and gave her a piercing glare.
The Lady stood up straight, eyes hard. “Do not follow him.” she commanded, “He has chosen his fate.” Lisa slowly stepped back beside the skeletal pillar watching as Tanik disappeared into the mists.
The Lady re-appeared by Via’s side murmuring once more “You know much about my Garden and my Pillars, I see the potential for great power in you. Fire was a wise choice, but are you strong enough to do it?”
“Of course I’m strong enough. I saw the armor.” Via snapped, visibly unnerved by the Lady's vanishing tactics.
“I know.” The Lady purred. Via raised an eyebrow then reached out a hand and touched the Pillar. The Lady did not react so with an uncertain glance at Micheal who nodded at her before touching his Pillar. Lisa stepped forward and gingerly touched the intricate weave of bones.
And the cold, black, magic of the Death pillar stole her life away, stealing her breath and warmth. As it happened the Lady's voice whispered in her ear “Dance.” Cold filled her as the magic dispersed. Lisa blinked, looking around and gasped in horror. Her skin was white, she did not breathe, her heart did not beat. She was dead and yet somehow still alive, and she was encased in the globe that she had seen in the Pillar. The Lady was laughing at her.
The Lady relished her power as she captured the little Dancer and her friends. The little dancer was encased in a large globe. The base was made of bones that crept up onto the bottom of the glass, inside, one could see that the bones that made up the floor of the globe were smooth and polished. The dancer pounded on the cold hard glass in desperation, crying and pleading with her. The Lady chuckled. "Dance, little one." It was not long before the dancer gave in to her desires and began to dance.
Satisfied with the Dancer's fate, The Lady turned to the reckless little girl who had chosen fire. For her recklessness, she had been rewarded with protection, a suit of red and black decorated armor made of lava that wouldn’t ever cool. The girl was screaming in agony, curled up on the ground, she would be dead soon. The Lady used some of the pillars magic and threaded a little bit more into the armor so that when the reckless one died she would become the source for the armor's animation.
The boy who was ‘not scared’ had been turned into a grotesque and misshapen creature, she knew that he had seen it when he had looked at the Pillar but he had touched it anyway. It amused her to watch him lumber away with a gurgling roar of horror at himself. “Shh.” she whispered and the creature was silenced.
The clueless one she had allowed to flee, he would not have provided good sport and it was about time that heroes started coming back to her Garden. Then she would have some real fun.
