Fearful Tridecimal
in
"The Wind is Stupid"
A moment in Void God.
The wind is seeking. It seeks through the trees, and it bounds off the hills and slides through the valleys. It will run through the city, giving everyone it passes a hearty slap on the back for old time's sake, and then rush into... ...the heavens, I suppose. But I'm making my way against its current, pushing through the crowd. None of you get it! Think about it a bit more, will you!? Why so eager!? I close my eyes as I push against the wind. The trail is flat enough. And I'm sick of the shadow that the thing they're all seeking casts. I block it all out. It's just the steps, now. I walked the way here, I can walk it back. I didn't think I was going to, but this is for the better. God plays sick tricks. ... It roars on and on, chasing and chasing. I shove through the crowd still, I can almost hear the people's footsteps. Louder and louder, as you all dash through the trees and down this hill. Choir of the void, that's all it is. You're wasting, wasting everything! Don't-
"Ah!"
"Hey!"
The wind seems to have bashed into my sternum. I open my eyes as I fall to the dirt.
"Well, welcome back to the world of the waking! You been day-drinking?"
"No, I... just wasn't looking where I was going."
"Yeah, I'll say. Thought I would run right past 'til you wobbled in fronta me."
"Sorry, I've had a long day."
"Upsie, then."
I'm offered a hand up from my dumbfounded, fallen state. Offered by... a short individual. Short height, short hair, short sleeves, and I'd guess short temper, too. They aren't short on supplies though, must have been carrying almost as much as me.
"So, I might need some directions."
-As I rise to my feet.
"Oh, okay. Where are you headed?"
"Just toward the big ol' you-know-what." "I was following the wind, but it must have been wrong."
"You're not asking about... that, right?"
I point to it.
"Well! I thought I was!" "But here I see you." "With all that gear, we must be heading to the same place, but you're going up this hill, and that thing-"
They point to it.
"-is down it."
"Ha ha." "I'm going to lead a long life." "There's more... to explore, here." "That's where you'd rather go too, right?" "Where else could one want to go?"
"I had something particular in mind." "The monolith of the afterlife. The shadow of death. The second chance." "The black casino, where every winner gets the VIP room." "From where I'm from, they call it the early sunset. It's dead east from there, see." "The undiscovered country, from whose bourn no traveler returns!" "Yeah, I'm thinkin' I wanna go to the Shadow Trials."
"...You'll wisen up."
"Not likely. I died fast in the first life, too."
"I can tell."
"My 30th deathday party is booked there tomorrow. If you don't help me out, I'll miss the whole thing."
Teasing me like this! Come on! Sure, whatever. Get yourself obliterated, throw this second chance away. You want me to spell it out for you, fine!
"Hah. Alright."
I look at it. Can't see the top, from here. Can hardly see to one edge. Once again, I point to it, the Shadow Trials. All seventy-four billion black bricks of it. With both hands, I grandly introduce it to this idiot's world.
"This, little friend." "This is where you're going to die for real."
"We'll see about that."