According to the Ancient Scrolls, our world is suspended within a Great Orb. Since we are inside the Orb, no one knows what it looks like. But the Scrolls say it rests in the hands of the One True God.
Through the ages, artists have striven to depict both the Orb and the God. Some imagine the Orb as a crystal ball, while others claim it is a sphere of glowing plasma. The God has been shown as everything from an old man with a white beard to a being of pure light. Of course, we have not seen his face. Still, some say that if you look closely on a clear night, you can see the eye of the God peering inside.
Of course, none of this means a thing if you don't believe in the Scrolls. These days, most people don't.
* * * * *Dejected, Davey kicked at a Coke can as he walked, scowling as it clattered across the sidewalk. It wasn't fair the way Mom always blamed him for everything. Somehow, his younger brother Andy
never got in trouble. Davey's forehead was still sore from the toy car Andy had chucked at him. He rubbed at it absently as he trudged along.
Of course
he cried when I pushed him, Davey thought.
And just like always, Mom took his side."But
Mom, he
started it!" Davey had protested.
"That's not the point, David, and you know it," his mother had said. "You're old enough to know better."
How come I'm old enough to know better, but always too young to do the things I want? he wondered now.
The strap of Davey's backpack slid off his shoulder and he hiked it back up. He wondered how long it would take his mom to notice that he'd run away, or if she'd even bother to look for him. It didn't matter, really. He had enough peanut butter and marshmallow fluff sandwiches to last him a while.
All of a sudden, Davey saw something gleaming from beneath a pile of leaves. Hoping for a lucky nickel or quarter, he squatted down and cleared away the leaves. Davey looked at the object for a moment before picking it up, perplexed. It wasn't a coin at all, but a shining sphere about the size of a tennis ball.
"Wow," he breathed, turning it over and over in his hand.
The ball was made of a metal Davey had never seen before. Its oily sheen reminded him of the smooth piece of hematite Dad had sent him once, before the cards and packages stopped coming. It wasn't
exactly like the hematite, though, because it seemed to glow with an inner light. Staring into its depths, Davey thought he saw something swirling inside - fog or mist, or maybe clouds.
As he crouched on the sidewalk with his rapt gaze focused on the orb, he watched the mists coalesce into something more. Was it just his imagination, or had they formed a sphere of blue and white? It reminded him of the images he'd seen on TV of Earth viewed from space. In his mind's eye, he watched life begin on the world his dreams had created.
What if there really is
a whole world inside there? he thought.
Davey knew his mom would call that "silly talk", but he didn't care. The ball was obviously magical, and now it was his. Unshouldering his backpack, he opened it and nestled his treasure within a small inner pocket. All thoughts of his family forgotten, Davey zipped up his bag and continued walking.
* * * * *In the beginning (or so the Ancient Scrolls say), the Great Mothers and Hallowed Fathers lived in the sky, in crystal towers that sparkled like diamonds. Children played on clouds and slid down rainbows. No one was ever hurt or ill, fathers never left their children, and dreams always came true. Life was filled with love and light and everyone worshipped the One True God.
Time passed and the people grew complacent. They were too busy with their comings and goings to offer prayers to the God who had created them. No longer content with their lives in the sky, they longed to explore the land below. God, hearing their rumblings, cast them out upon land. Though the people mourned the loss of their home in the heavens, they multiplied and prospered. While they never rebuilt the beautiful glass palaces of old, they erected a City of steel and glass.
The City grew and grew, until it was so large it split in two. At first, the two Cities were different in name only. The one to the North was called Norton and the one to the South was called Sutton. Over time, the two became more and more distinct. The people of the North were excellent hunters and had a passion for inventing. In the South, the residents loved to read and write and work with their hands. The best tools were made in the North, and a university was built in the South.
* * * * *The door to Dave's room inched open, and he jumped off his bed with a start. Hiding the object in his hands behind his back, he watched as his younger brother Andy peeked inside.
"What are you doing in my
room, you jerk?" Dave yelled.
"I... I just wanted to look at your CDs," Andy stammered.
"Well, you can't!" Dave said. "I'm busy right now."
"Busy doing
what?" Andy demanded, suddenly noticing that his older brother was hiding something. "What's that behind your back, naked pictures?"
"Shut up, asshole!"
Enraged, Dave charged at Andy, his left hand still concealing the object behind him. With his right hand, he grabbed his younger brother's shoulder and shoved him out of the room. Slamming and locking the door, he leaned against it and breathed a sigh of relief.
"And stay out!" he yelled, hearing Andy's footsteps retreat down the hall.
Flopping back onto his bed, Dave opened his left hand to look at the item he'd been hiding. Even in the dim light of his bedroom, the silvery orb shone. He hadn't held it in quite some time, but it still fit perfectly in his palm. Was it his imagination, or did it seem darker than before?
At 12, almost 13, Dave knew he was too old for such childish fantasies. If the other kids at school knew he still played with silly toys like this, he'd never hear the end of it. Still, as always when he looked at the ball, he imagined he could see beyond its metal surface. Inside, there were people, a world unlike his own, a place where the hurts of this life did not exist.
Those fantasies had gotten him through many lonely years. It was hard to let them go.
* * * * *For many generations, the cities of Norton and Sutton lived in harmony. The lands to the North lent themselves well to livestock, and the fields in the South bore fruits of all sorts. Trade between the two peoples thrived and life was bountiful. Northern girls and boys were welcome in the schools of the South; the awe-inspiring devices built in the North brought convenience to all.
It was during the Age of Machines that things began to fall apart. Unbeknownst to the majority of its population, Norton was experimenting with genetic engineering. Even the subjects of the experiments, known as Project Xcellence, were unaware of their participation. Embryos were modified in secret during routine prenatal laser scans. Babies began to be born with strange blue eyes and pale hair, an unintended consequence; the scientists dismissed it as a natural mutation. No one questioned them.
The "Blondies" were superior to the rest of the population in both athleticism and intelligence. As they grew to adulthood, they rose within the ranks of every profession. They became the leaders in every field - the best teachers, doctors, and scientists. Even the police force was mostly made up of individuals with pale hair and ice-blue eyes.
Though the scientists didn't realize it at first, the Blondies' talents came with a price - a predisposition to paranoia. Before anyone knew what was happening, Norton had become a police state. Laboratories were commandeered and diverted from inventing to weapons development. What had once been little more than a security detail became a military, almost overnight.
After a few years, Project Xcellence was abandoned. Still, the damage had been done. Life in the North changed forever. And while trade between the two cities continued apace, the seeds of distrust were sown.
* * * * *Dave surveyed the piles of belongings on his bedroom floor and sighed as he looked at the list again.
"Extra-long sheets... check."
"Can opener... check."
"Hangers... check."
"Laundry bag... check."
"Notebooks... " Dave looked around. "Shit, where did I put those notebooks?"
After a frantic search, Dave located the plastic bag of notebooks and threw it next to the other items he planned to pack.
"Hmmm, what's next?" he mused. "Clothes, I guess."
Pulling each drawer out of his dresser one by one, Dave dumped the contents onto the floor next to his suitcase. When he emptied his sock drawer, he was surprised to hear a muffled clunk.
That's weird, Dave thought.
Socks don't clunk.Dave dug in the pile of clothing until he found the source of the noise. It was the metal ball he'd played with so many times as a child. Even now, its weight felt comfortable in his hand, as if it had been designed for him to hold it. He hadn't seen it in years; hadn't even remembered it was hidden under his socks.
He stared at the orb, transfixed. As a child, he'd pretended it was magical. Looking at it now, Dave could still almost see the clouds he'd once imagined swirling at its center. Then he shook his head and forced his eyes away from the ball.
No time for this silliness now. Dad's taking me to college in the morning and I need to finish packing.For a moment, Dave wondered what to do with the orb. Andy might enjoy it - he was an avid reader of fantasy novels, after all. His hand was reaching for the doorknob when he stopped.
Nah, Andy's almost 15. Way too old to be messing around with nonsense like this.Tossing the ball into a half-filled box with the word "Attic" on its side, Dave shook his head again. Packing for college was stressful and he'd be glad when it was over. His thoughts turned to the things he'd do when he finally left this place behind.
I can be anyone I want to be now, Dave told himself. He didn't give the metal ball another thought.
* * * * *The fighting began over a trivial concern, a business agreement gone sour. That's what it says in the Archives, anyway, but I've come to believe it's not the whole story. The people of Sutton, you see, had grown suspicious of their neighbors to the North. They didn't know about Project Xcellence, but they'd have been fools if they didn't notice the Northerners' changed appearance and aggressive demeanor.
After the trade agreement crumbled, the Southerners began some experiments of their own. While their scientists weren't as skilled with technology as the ones in Norton, they managed to invent some formidable surveillance equipment. Soon they were spying not only on the Other Side but also on their own people. Books were burned, lives were destroyed, and no one trusted anyone.
The records are sparse from that point onward. Though some books were preserved in the Archive, there was no one left to write new ones. In the fabled schools of Sutton, reading and writing were no longer taught. Instead, children learned to fear the Enemy, never knowing the worst Enemy of all was their own fear. By the time my story began, no one even remembered what caused the War. My brother and I were betrothed to it before we were old enough to question why.
I hear the armies pounding at the gates of the Archive where I hide. Their fear is a fire that will rage until it's consumed everything we know. There's no hope for me to escape, but perhaps my robot friend can. After years of friendship and fighting side by side, I bid her goodbye. My writings will go with her - let my legacy be this record of what came before.
If they've found me here, you see, our plan has failed. The last chance to end this War is gone, and the lives of my friends and brother with it. My only hope is for CallaBot to make it out alive. If she succeeds, our story will live on through her, a warning for future generations.
I only hope there will be someone left to heed it.
This story was originally written for Champions Week in LJ Idol. That means we had to find a Champion to write an Idol entry for us. ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
thehobbit was awesome enough to accept this challenge on my behalf. Not only is her entry really cool, she was also the one who came up with the concept that unites our two posts. Please check out her story over here.![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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