Silver Surfer: Tainting Eden Chapter 2 Written by WarlorTVor, Edited by James
Pedrick |
Continues from Silver Surfer: Playing God, a story by Rick Lundeen set in the future, where the Silver Surfer must sacrifice his freedom and become Galactus' herald once more to save a planet named Elysia. Click here to read it.
Elysia.
The very name conjures up images of a paradise; I can remember every thing to
the minuet detail, when I called that world my home. Every smell, every sound to
the last. Now as I streak through the sea of stars upon my board, I find my
thoughts going a stray. I find myself drawn to memories of a long time ago, when
I first arrived upon Elysia.
It had been a bright morning day, the twin suns were just rising from their long
slumber over the rolling peaks. I remember slowly skimming over the surface of a
jungle like region of the world, the scenery passing by and unfolding before by
eyes in a dazzling and captivating speeds. I remember taking a deep chest full
of air into my lungs, I could feel my body being rejuvenated. Overhead the
normal sea-green skies of this foreign world were a blazed with fire clouds, as
the twin suns slowly started to rise above the rolling lush hills, for its rest
was over and it had a job to do. The luster that was given off, while the first
few moments of the sun's reign glistened off my form brilliantly, was truly
breath taken.
Interesting, I had mused, standing slightly arched forward, my chest protruding,
my arms motionless and slightly extended away from the rest of my body. The
planet has a life force to it that I've never experienced before on all other
worlds that I have come across in my travels. I, for a mere moment or two,
closed my golden eyes and lost myself in the moment, the world's life force
seeping into me, and I remember letting it pulsate within the very core of my
being with not a moment of resistance.
"This was Heaven."
I allowed the world's life force to rejuvenate, and for the first time since my
Shalla-Bal's death, all those years prior, I felt alive! I soared straight
upward, with new life beating in my chest. I continued to soar to the point that
I was entering the out most reaches of the atmosphere, only to lose myself in
the moment and pummel earthward, without the use of my board. I tumbled
endlessly, my eyes closed, arms extended outward, my legs spread apart, and I
allowed the ground to rise up upon me. The air rushed up caressing my body, much
as a mother would her newborn child.
I remember laughing!
I had never done that since my beloved's death. Yet for the first time I felt
alive!
It was execrating!
I opened my eyes to see that the wilds of the jungle was only a few feet below
me and as if on cue my board soared under me and I continued to blaze forward,
only a few inches above the tree-line. I soared onward and watched as the
thicket of the jungle gave way to flatlands, filled with lush golden wheat that
had been cultivated by human hands. This caught my attention! With my curiosity
piqued, I moved in closer in order to explore what else this world had to offer.
I moved over mounds after mounds of farmland and soon I encountered a small
cottage made out of a fine aged wood. I moved in for a closer inspection but
then I noticed that the owner of the small slightly run down home was still
within the confines of their humble abode. But not all of them.
A young girl, whose name was Shaugnessy, as I would later learn over dinner that
night, the name roughly translated into English as The First.
She was outside, sitting in the dirt, only a few feet before the fields
of grain. She was tossing a doll up into the air and rolling around the dirt
with it. At the time I would say that she was around six earth years of age,
perhaps even seven, no more.
I watched her for several moments and found a smile had started to emerge on my
face.
But soon that smile would fade, when the small child took note of my presence.
Shaugnessy smiled and waved, then in a fashion that I had seen many earth
children do, bolted into the house, calling for her mother and father in a
playful tone, she had left the doll behind in a patch of soft and lush green
grass.
My eyes widened. I knew I could not allow the child's parents to see me in this
form, levitating in mid-air in much the same way as some holy angel. By the time
the parents did emerge from the house I was no where to be seen, the parents,
who I could tell were extremely loving people, asked her what she had seen, and
she had told them. They stared up into the sky for a moment or two then when
nothing happened, when no one appeared from the heavens they retreated toward
the home, not before they dusted their child off and sent her on her way to
commence her activities in the simplicity of play.
I had headed myself to the far end of the house, where I dropped into the stocks
of grain and waited for the parents to return to their activities within the
home. I could tell that the female was on the verge of giving birth to another
child. A child who would have a great many implications to my life - but that is
another story entirely.
I return, this time with much more caution, and continued to watch the child
play, for some reason, still unknown to me, I felt that I needed to watch out
for her!
Something was going to happen! Something that would hold dire complications for
the family.
I waited and then, I saw it! It was a beast creature of sorts, I would later
learn that its name would be a Ralna bull. It towered over the child and was
heading toward her, the child for her part in it all was tossing the doll of
her's up into the air and catching it before it would hit upon the ground, her
back was toward the snarling beast!
I needed to do something!
I would later learn that the beast had followed me from the jungle, but that was
of no consequence at the moment. I knew I had to do something! Anything! The
beast was merely standing there about twenty-five yards away, it stomped its
hoof once or twice and kicked back a gust of dirt into the air.
It would charge soon!
I soared earthward and quickly manipulated my physical form to mimic the one of
the natives of this world, in order not to startle the child nor the parents.
The last thing I needed at the time was frantic natives, during this crisis.
Once I felt that my appearance was appropriate I charged forward, clearing the
house in no time.
The beast was charging and was only a few feet away from its query.
I charged forward!
I remember leaping through the air and clearing the distance from where I was
and where the child was in a matter of moments.
The beast lunged itself taking note of my presence.
I clutched onto the frightened child and lunged forward into the towering stocks
of grain. The child screamed and released the doll from her hands, she reached
out toward the fallen doll in the hope that she could once again cradle onto it
once more. But that hope was in vain when the hoofs of the beast stomped onto
the doll, tearing it apart in its claws. The child screamed, tears welling up in
her wide emerald eyes.
The beast stopped and swirled around in speed in spite of its massive size.
It was going to make another pass. Blood lust burned in its crimson red eyes. I
hadn't much time to act. My first priority was to see to the child's safety, my
own was secondary. "Quickly, child!" I called out. "Run!" I
sent her on her way toward the door of her home, and she ran toward it with all
her might without a word of protest.
I watched and waited until the child was in the house, the door slamming shut
behind her. Then I sprang into action. I lurched myself forward, taking up a
defensive stance. Upon reflection, I realize that I had made a grave error. I
had underestimated the strength and sheer ferocity of the beast. It lunged
forward, claws to bare, and collided into me.
I slammed against the ground and let out a grunt of pain, the beast was on top
of me, its six-inch long teeth were exposed and were reaching toward my neck.
Entangled in the beast’s death grip, we rolled over one another, until finally
it was on top of me! It started to apply vast amounts of pressure upon my wrist,
pinning me down onto the ground where I was stretched out upon. I tried to
wrestle with sheer brute strength against the beast in order to propel myself
heavenward.
I noticed that the family was gathered in the window staring in sheer horror at
the drama unfolding before them. This turn of events robbed me of one recourse
that could have brought both the beast and the confrontation between life and
death to a sudden end. For if I was to use my Power Cosmic that my master,
Galactus, had endowed me with, they would know that I was more than what I
seemed and in a way I would have stolen them of their innocence. So I was
running out of time! I needed to act once more! For if I was to fail, and this
beast was to tear into me, then the family would surely be this beast’s next
meal, and I'd be damned if I'd allowed that to happened! Not if there was still
breath in my chest there was still a hope, a chance!
And then it caught my eye!
It was a small gardening tool of some sort, made out of a jagged marble forged
into what appeared to be something used to carve into the earth. I reached out
toward it, only to find that I was only a centimeters away from the handle.
I roared in defiance. The beast was bearing down, its fangs closer and closer
toward my neck.
Finally I grasped onto the handle of the gardening tool, and I quickly wielded
it like a weapon. With a quick lash across the neck, blood fountained forth from
the gaping wound that tore away from its neck, the thick hair smelt of blood as
it rushed out of the beast's form. It roared and slashed its giant claws back
and fourth in its death throws. I needed to act once again, or the beast would
have for surely decapitated me and given
me a lobotomy before it breathed its last breath. I quickly thrashed my hand
upward, the marble blade tore away at the side of its face.
The beast toppled over, onto the ground and then perished. Its chest heaved
upward and cascaded downward violently. A faint tear rolled from its slowly
closing eye. Then I looked into its eye and saw my own reflection, or rather the
reflection that I now possessed as a "native" to this world.
Now that I look back, I wish that there was a way that I could have saved both
the child and the beast without one having to die. After all, the beast was not
evil, it was merely acting out of its nature. On hindsight I could have more
than likely found another way! After all there had to be a third option! There
was always a third option given time, time that I did not have.
Then the beast's chest stopped moving and its eyelids lazily closed, caving in
on themselves.
I remember the parents stormed out of the house and thanked me forever for what
I had done for them and that I saved their child. They said that they were
forever in my dept. They promptly invite me into their home, where we exchanged
formal introductions.
"My name is. . ." I paused, realizing that if I did give a name that I
was committing myself to remaining on this world for the last of my days. Was
I ready to give up the stars? I asked myself. And the answer was disturbing
even to me, What have the stars brought me but death and sorrow? "My
name is Norrin Radd," I finished.
"Norrin Radd," the mother repeated.
The father and mother turned to face one another, their eyes speaking volumes in
silence. Then finally the father spoke to me. His tone was harsh and rasped
slightly, but carried a friendly and loving edge to it. He rested his hand on
the protruding mid-section of his wife, and said, "We shall call this child
Norrin, in honor of the man who has saved my first child. As is the ways of my
people."
I thought of this for a moment or two. Then said, "No. Call her Shalla-Bal."
I could tell that they were taken aback by the name, and that was the only time
that I ever spoke of her or her name ever again. But they agreed without
protest. "As you wish," the father said. We talked for several hours,
I informed them that I was a stranger coming from the northern mountains on
a long and tiring journey to find a home. They said that I was welcomed to life
in their village and I accepted.
Later that night I was invited to a feast held by the village elders. This is
where I was officially accepted and where I was introduced to Bahrnul.
An instant bond was forged between us. And the father of Shaugnessy told
of his daughter's rescue at the hands of a stranger, as he would do until the
day of his death, each time he told the story a new aspect was added into it,
until the point where I even faced off with a whole horde of the beast and
killing everyone of them with my bare hands.
But he did not die until he watched his son, Shalla-Bal, give birth to little
Dant, a boy who would be the cause of my. . .
My thoughts are destroyed, utterly shattered when I approach Elysia.
For Elysia was on flames!
Continued in Tainting Eden Chapter Three
Thank you for reading the second chapter of Silver Surfer: Tainting Eden. Be sure to go read Silver Surfer: Playing God, the story which precedes this one. And please leave your feedback below or e-mail it to cpufeedback@yahoo.com