A Tale of Golden Fire

Dear readers,

The following is a story regarding serenity. It's essentially about, how the desire to understand reality, can bring a certain aura of peace on one's mind.

Please enjoy.

****************

In a lovely park in Victorian England, there was a young, handsome lady who frequented the place in her free time.

She enjoyed the scenery, the blooming flowers, the scent of nature, and the refreshing clean air of the trees.

Gold was a truly compassionate woman who had no desire to cause harm to anything or to any being. Whenever she heard the cries of young children, she was sad as well, even though she had no clue what was going on each time. The thought of causing harm or being harmed herself caused her a great deal of concern. She did, however, have a rare and deep faith in humanity. Every thief, every scoundrel, and even every murderer, could be redeemed and forgiven. That was her philosophy on humans. She had a great fear of fire as well. In her eyes, fire resembled pain. It resembled a ravenous demon whose thirst could never be quenched. It sounded like a million screams and the agony of a million souls who eventually gave up hope of surviving the ordeal. The park was her holy ground. It was the place for her to forget life's worries and miseries. In a way, it was her continuous attempt to escape the horror that is agony. Regardless of her bliss, Gold was a lonely woman. Despite being tall and pretty, she had few friends, and she was a true believer in love between husband and wife. It was a faith so intense that it made her burst into tears one day. After all, solitude is a pain of its own. A pain like a great flame, able to consume one's mind and soul. Lady Gold, desperate for company, has noticed a certain person in her cries who appeared to be as aloof as she was.

Unlike her, he was far more stoic. He sat on a bench with no visible emotion. He simply observed his surroundings in an apparent infinite attempt to process whatever he was seeing. It was very unclear and very strange to Gold, who just looked at him with awe. "What is he doing, all alone? What is on his mind? How come he is not in any pain, so it seems?" She inquired in her mind. Gold began feeling strange emotions. Emotions she had not felt before. It was not love, for her heart was broken many times by heartless men. She saw the arrogance and the hatred in their eyes. Truly a pain of their own. A pain of hers, as well? She was not sure. She decided to turn to the lone man as the English sun set, wrapped in her own insecurities. "Hello there, good sir." The man looked upon her, slowly and carefully, so he appeared. "How was your day?" asked the woman politely. There was a short period of silence. It was awkward for her, but knowledge, she thought, could calm her anxious nerves. The cloaked man replied: "I am not a sir, and I am not a lady." As Gold was confused even further at the eccentricity, the entity resumed with a mechanical voice: "I am a being who has traveled through a million worlds and even more lands. I observe my surroundings. I try to study them well. Do you know why?" "Um... why?" "Because everything and everyone is capable of wreaking havoc. Every opportunity, every good intention. Even you." Insulted, the lady invited herself to the bench and wept. She cried and suffered, but the being just stood there and watched, as usual. Suddenly, the being replied, which caused Gold great distress. "Do you see? I did not do anything that other beings may consider to be wrong. All I did was tell you about my findings. Nonetheless, you experienced a great deal of anxiety. Just like countless others." The park grew darker as the sun went down. The grounds didn't really feel divine and blessed anymore. The strange being has expressed its first emotion, which Gold witnessed. A quiet, short sigh of frustration. He replied afterwards, "I have no idea... Why do I even cause dysfunction in my wake. Even my very existence disturbs others, even though I deem myself to be fine, usually." The human (?) smiled from the cloak and asked, "Do you think I will ever find a star where no destruction, no misery, and no agony appear?" Amused, Gold answered, "Of course, you will, mister! Of course! There is always hope for everyone! And you are fine as well! Look at your wisdom and your insight! You know so much, and I wager you can teach many others as well!" "I apologize, human. You seem to be greatly incorrect." The being left the bench as he stood up. For some reason, it now appears much smaller now that it stands compared to its appearance when it sat. It looked at her and said, "From my experience, at least... where there is life, there is insufferable fire. The way I see it, there is only pure peace in death. Those who want greater peace, withdraw from society. I care less for peace... hence why I might not be as smart as it may seem." Gold looked down at it with a repressed sense of terror. It concluded: "Caution thee, young lady. Beware not to let your shiny golden hair and heart blind you from seeing the bigger reality at play." The cloaked being began walking away, leaving the park as it was getting dark. Gold ran after it. Despite her efforts, she was unable to reach the being, who was walking slowly. "Wait! Wait! Please don't go! Please! I don't want to be alone! I don't want to be in the shadow of solitude! I beg you!" The being stood still for her response. For some reason, the cold British weather began heating up. The skies went from black to orange. Strange airborne objects began patrolling the skies like ravenous eagles, as if they were looking for prey. Some screaming was heard, and some explosions as well. However, none of the harm came from the skies but from the ground. People were too afraid of the sight, and cannons and gunfire attempted to bring these things down. Nevertheless, all the cannonballs and bullets of the military missed, causing terrible friendly fire throughout the land. Hence the screams, too. In the midst of the confusion, the being turned to face her and removed its cloak, which concealed its face. What was that? It was utterly incomprehensible. "You've seen your part of reality. Allow me to welcome you to the rest of it. However, I feel obliged to ask for your permission."

"I understand. I do." "Then, let us travel to the heavens. Maybe the truth will be found as well. We can only hope. I hope it will set us free." A strange purple hole appeared from nowhere in front of them. Terrified, the golden-haired lady looked at it as if it were a monster. She had no idea it was a portal to... somewhere else? The being pointed at it with its indefinable arm and finger. "Come, if you desire. However, I only ask that you accept the inevitable possibility of disruption. Of some fire in your way"