The Prophecy - A Short Story (2008)

The Prophecy - A Short Story from 2008

     The prophecy had existed for generations: A hero would arise and sacrifice himself in order that the rest of the rest should live.

     That time had come.

     The Queen had approached him on a day like so many others. She told him that he was the chosen one and he must make the perilous journey across the vast kingdom, stand atop the highest hill and face the darkness. From the darkness a great light would come and that he would have to sacrifice himself. In doing this, the Queen and the rest of his friends and family would live on.

     He set out on his journey. A loyal troop of soldiers accompanied him for the first half of the journey, but turned back at the edge of the great desert. From there, he traveled on his own. He must face this part on his own.

     His feet ached and the sun was so intense that he had trouble breathing. Days came and went. He ambled along... past the great Monolith of the Giants, over the rocks of the foothills, to the great cliffs. Here, he looked upward. He knew he had reached the end of his journey. He was ready for it. He was ready to meet his end. The journey's length had taken its toll on him.

     It seemed as though forever had passed since he left. How long had it been? Half of his adult life had come and gone as he moved wearily across the vastness of his beloved kingdom.

     He climbed to the highest peak… and there, he awaited his fate.

     It came swiftly.

     The day turned to night in an instant. Loud, booming noises came from the Beast of Darkness. It deafened him and he tried to hold back his fear. He stood firm on the rocks, looking defiantly skyward. Gusts of hot wind scraped the earth away from beneath his feet. The Beast was growing closer.

     “I accept my fate so that my Queen and family shall live,” the hero said to the Beast. “Get it over with!”

     From the great darkness came a light. Faint at first, the blaring into the most intense beam of purest evil he could imagine. But he stood his ground… fighting every urge in his body to run. The air around him grew hotter and the darkness overhead turned into a light unlike he had never seen. It was brighter than a thousand noon-time suns.

     Through the heat, the hero could hear the thunderous laughter of the Beast, adding to his pain. But his pride allowed him to stand. His pride allowed him to face this monster.

     “For my Queen!” He yelled… “For th...!" The words barely escaped him as he fell lifeless onto the ground. A smoldering figure left to blow in the winds of eternity.

     The Beast of Darkness withdrew his evil light and, soon, the area was back to its normal state. The Beast’s anger was pacified.

     Billy Johnson’s mother exited the house. Scolding him for burning ants, she grounded him for a week, took his magnifying glass, and put it in her desk drawer. He would forget about it soon enough… and the Queen and her subjects would be safe.

     The prophecy had been fulfilled…