The Story of Shara.
Out of breath, Ned peered over the crater that the meteor had made. He had followed it from his dig site when he realized that it was going to crash near him.
Ned was a simple man. An archaeologist, after a rare find. He had recently graduated with honors and was on a contract alone in search of ancient texts buried somewhere in the area. He thought he might have found something, when suddenly, a green meteorite flashed across the sky and came whistling past his site.
So he did what any sane man would do in that situation. He sprinted towards it.
The scorched ground still sizzled where the meteor had touched down. Ned could swear his heart was going to beat out of his chest. The first one at a meteor site! And the green streak suggested a comet burning Boron. Meteors from Mars often contain Boron!
He was day dreaming about the awards he would receive. Half practicing his gracious smile and acceptance speech as he made his way toward the still steaming meteorite. And then, it moved.
Still walking towards it, half in a daydream, it took Ned a moment to register before he FROZE.
”Wait… It moved. I’m not imagining things right?” His pace slowed. He forgot about all of the awards in a moment and, with his shoulders near his ears, he paced cautiously, toward the meteorite. He began to make out it’s shape.
It looked like… a shoulder? But the skin, is so… different. It’s gray. Opaque in a way, and the rest of it is buried.
A primal fear overcomes Ned. He’s frozen. He doesn’t know whether to press on or to run and hide. His mind is blank. Breathless, he stands for what to him feels like is an eternity. The buried figure continues to lurch slowly.
Slowly the ground moves, the sound of rocks sliding over one another fills the air. The smell of burning sulfur permeates around him. A metallic taste fills Ned’s mouth.
— He runs. Like his life depends on it.
”I just need to get behind the top of this crater.” He bargains with his body for another gear. Begging his legs to propel him faster away from this unknown entity.
Peering back over his shoulder, Ned can see the figure on it’s hands and knees. Dirt falling from the form that was buried moments ago. His stomach tightens. Every fiber of his being propelling him away from this figure.
He stumbles as he reaches the lip of the crater, and everything goes black.
(To Be Continued.)
Howdy y’all. I hope you’ve had a good week. I’ve been studying the hero’s journey a bit more. And while it’s always fascinated me, I’ve started to notice it everywhere. Different iterations and permutations of it. And the interplay of multiple character’s journeys intersecting at different times and dancing with each other before each respective party continuing on their way.
The holidays are here. The time where many industries make the most money of the year. Where some people’s gratitude and giving is the highest. People get more time off. The world is a bit colder, and a bit slower. I love the holidays. One day, I won’t have to spend them alone!! I know it.
I hope that you have so much fun with the holidays this year. Make it a special time for the young ones. Do something new! The world can stagnate, and the online world can overwhelm you. So, always be on the lookout to stretch your bounds in the real world. Give people the gift of an experience they will remember.
As always,
Stay warm.
DC
