Star Child - The Dawn

With every beat of my heart my life was getting shorter. And the dreaded moment was coming closer.

A black cloud of despair suddenly engulfed me.

I could have said yes to Angelo and I would not be going through this… Maybe even now it’s not too late…

This voice, this small cowardly voice, was whispering into my ear again. My heart burst into a wild gallop and I broke out in a cold sweat.

What am I doing this for?

What’s the point of standing my ground, refusing to recant, to bend, to lie?

I’m about to die a slow and very painful death—for what?

For a few moments there was a deafening silence inside me, black and menacing like a storm cloud, and then I heard a clear voice to give the answer: For the sake of all those who will come afterwards.

And the voice continued, ringing loudly in my ears, making my whole body tremble like a plucked string:

Burning

Shining

Keeping darkness at bay

Showing others the way

Giving them courage to be

who they are.

This voice was calm and strong, like a cliff in the middle of the storm. It came from the deepest part of my soul, from the roots that were connected to all the other souls, to all the people, beasts, plants and even stones. For we are like mushrooms: seemingly separate, but in fact growing from the same roots.

How can I die if I am in everything and everything is in me?

Nothing dies, everything is just changing shape, forever metamorphosing, transforming and transmuting.

This body will die anyway, if not today, then some other day. The time will come for me to move on, to become something or someone else. So, this death is nothing.

But if I bend my knee, if I betray my beliefs, this will be the real death of me.

Never ever betray your self. Always stand by what you believe in.

And I believe that this Universe is infinite, with lots of suns just like our Sun, with lots of earths just like our Earth. We’re not at the centre of the Universe for the Universe has no centre. Everything in the world is interconnected, everything is a part of everything else. And whatever we do unto others, we do unto ourselves. Whatever we wish for, we’re granted. Whatever we believe in, becomes the reality. Ignorant people call this Magic or Withcraft, but this is simply the way things work when everything is intertwined.

This is such a simple and beautiful truth—how come nobody wants to see it? How come our world is based on greed, drowned in blood and brimming with sorrow? Why a few have too much while most have to go without? Why do we kill each other instead of caring for each other? What is wrong with this world? And how can we put the wrong right?

They say I wish to turn the world upside down. But what’s wrong with turning the upturned world the right side up? What’s wrong with wanting to make people happy, free from fear and oppression?

I wish I could give people wings so that they could follow me into the infinite. For what others see from afar, I leave far behind me. My body is locked in this tiny cell, but my spirit wanders in the most remote realms. I can clearly see the myriads of stars and each one is a Sun giving its light to other earths. There are other beings living in those worlds. Maybe they look like us or maybe they are very different. But I am sure there are worlds where people are free to think, free to explore. Perhaps they’ve even learned to move between the stars. And perhaps one day we will learn that, too.

Maybe we could have learned that already, had we not been bound by greed and ignorance. We have wasted thousands of years! The wisdom of the Ancients was forgotten, their achievements were lost. People like Angelo talk about civilising savages and don’t realise that they have turned into savages themselves. They think that their blood makes them superior to ordinary people, gives them the right to rule all others. In its brutal struggle for power the Church became the instrument of oppression. Every Holy Father talks about virtue while indulging in most hideous sins. And the clerics follow suit. They are so afraid to lose their grip on the minds, souls and, most importantly, the purses of their flock, that they will stop at nothing. They lie, tortue and kill—all in the name of God. But what kind of God is He who demands that people be burnt at the stake just for speaking their mind? If the Church is so convinced that it knows the ultimate truth, why not let the sceptics talk out loud? Why gag them and kill them to terrify the others?

Because Truth is the most powerful weapon: it frees the minds and a free mind will never bow to the authority of tyrants.

I know in my heart that one day people will break the chains of religion, will leave behind their greed and fear. Proud and strong, they will stand up from their knees and reach for the stars.

If my death can do anything to make this time come even a little bit sooner, then I have no regrets…

There were heavy steps and a screeching of the opening door.

They have come for me…

I stood up, forcing my aching body to stand tall and proud.

Fra’ Ricardo walked in, followed by two guards.

‘Take him,’ he said to the guards. ‘And make sure he can’t wag his tongue.’

So, even now they are afraid of me. They always wanted to shut me up because truth is the most dangerous weapon indeed.

I wanted to smile, but the guards forced me down on my knees and one of them grabbed me by the jaw. I didn’t resist.

The harder they try to shut me up, the louder my voice will ring.

A searing pain shot through my whole body as my tongue was pierced by a red-hot metal stick. I looked up, blinking the involuntary tears away.

The rising sun was shining through the tiny barred window.

Dawn always comes whether we like it or not. Not even His Holiness himself can stop the Earth in its orbit. They may think that they have won this battle, but the day will come when the new era will dawn. The humankind will break the chains of fear and ignorance and reach for the stars.

And this is what I have given my life for.

###

This story is a part of The AD World series. Other stories from the series are:

Everyone’s Blood is Red.

If you enjoyed this story, you might also enjoy other stories from Star Child — more is to come soon. Check for new stories http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/sc

(Photo on the cover by Marie-Lan Nguyen/Wikimedia Commons)