A sharp dot of light – just in the periphery of your vision – spoils the perfection of the inky blackness. The blight broadens even as you turn to gaze in wonder, it becomes larger, greater: an immense chasm of ethereal light radiating in the gloom. Great shadows dance away, as if in fear of the beauty that invades their otherwise non-descript existence. Among these shades figures seem to shimmer, fading in and out of your view, as transient as the glow that causes them.
You frown, confused by the sudden change of scenery – you had been here, in this nothing, since your passing. Nothing had ever attempted to disturb the quiet tranquillity that filled this place – never in all the time you had waited – How long have you been here?
You tilt your head (or rather, your consciousness tilts it’s imaginary one), and squint up at the brightness ahead. Though it is hard to see, just beyond that brilliance you perceive something more wonderful than you thought possible. Within that chasm of luminosity is what you were searching for – what everyone is searching for – the end.
More striking than beautiful, more exquisite than picturesque, the end captivates you. Here it is. Everything you had wondered about during those dark evenings alone – everything you had tried to guess at all those eons ago (eons merely in perception), right here. You gasp involuntarily, though of course you cannot literally, and have no need for breath here, turning sharply to look at the figures that are slowly emerging from the murk again. This time they are more distinct, as though they too sense that this gulf, this tear, this abyss assaulting their motherland is of importance.
You strike forward in alarm; somehow you know that they should not go through. It is not their place to be. You feel a bolt of panic run through your non-existent body as you observe the horde gradually skulking closer to your salvation. Though their movement is slow, yours is more so.
In the seemingly infinite time it takes you to reach the rift, your panic increases almost beyond that which is bearable. They can't take your freedom, your destination, your liberation! It isn't theirs.., it is yours alone. Somehow you feel this knowledge come to you, gently nudging into your consciousness as you edge ever closer to your target.
Finally you arrive at the lip of the tear, drained - not physically, but spiritually - of energy. You feel a shudder run through your non-corporeal form, and only then do you realise that the shades have gone. All that is left within the confines of your vision is brightness. You rejoice. Through no effort of your own, you defeated the spectres.
An imaginary smile - you move through the chasm, passing from darkness into light. The blinding glare grows ever brighter as you fade 'through' it, sharpening impossibly. It is at the precise moment of entry into the new world, the end, that you realise your mistake. You instantly regret your decision; you try to turn back, only to find the tear stitching back up behind you.
Fleetingly you glimpse the sorrowful countenance of one of the shadows. Melding into one behind that distinct shade, the others roil and curl. Then they are gone. Drowning now in the unforgiving light, you struggle to find relief, more panicked now than mere 'minutes' ago.
For a length of time unknown, you wait, hoping the white-light surrounding you would dim just a little. You wish you hadn't left the darkness, wish you hadn't been tempted by the beauty of the chasm. Your spirit, mind, being bitterly waits. You hope unerringly for another rip, another chance to return to the paradise you left behind.
You should know better by now.
Stumble!