Syzygy

‘‘Gertha—?’’

The High priestess shook her head. She recognized that laugh from anywhere. Grabbing her staff that was placed at an angle by the table, she stood from her stool and went to open her door.

She smiled at the radiant face of her young apprentice. Gertha burst right into the High priestess’ cabin and looked around. She spotted a range of different shaped bottles, flasks, and other strange looking stuff lying on the floor, some placed haphazardly on the table as well as shelves.

The High priestess raised her staff & used it to create a burst of light in her cabin. Gertha was in awe at the sight of stars like the night sky that was in the humble cabin.

Gertha slowly looked down as she felt her body rising into the air. The High priestess opened her door & whisked the spirited child out of the cabin. Gertha landed onto a giant sunflower that was perched near the front door.

She frowned knowing that her time of exploring what was in the cabin was over. She’d have to find someone else to bother, or maybe she could end up coming back later once the High priestess was not quite so busy.

The sunflower coiled itself from its current height and moved closer to the ground. Gertha laughed because the sunflower kept trying to tickle her bare feet with its leaves.

She slipped from the sunflower head, and left the High priestess’ cabin. The moment she was further away from the cabin that was by the edge of the Black Forest, she heard a kerfuffle coming from the market.

A few lads were contemplating how to set and prepare the village for the Summer festival. Gertha was looking forward to it— there was so much for her to see, taste, & do, too: there was the cabbage hide~n’seek (the cabbages would crawl from the fields and hide across the village plain); the banana boomerang ting (bananas had to be tossed into the air and every participant had to try to hit the bell that was in the center of the village); and her most favorite activity of all The Massive Candy Floss Twirl Spin (Gertha always managed to twist a giant Candy Floss that she would get to later consume whole).

As the folks in the village prepared for the festival, the High priestess was busy working in her cabin. She had gathered a pile of dead leaves, patches of chocolate covered tree bark, rock candy, and a mix of licorice sticks.

The High priestess waited for the sun to set. Later past dusk, she gathered a bunch of materials from her cabin & made her way to the heart of the Black Forest.

As soon as she was there she placed a skull in the center of a pile of rocks. She waved her staff & chanted:

Here lies the non-human

One who sees all

Even beyond the grave

Here lies the imprisoned

Who shall rise again

To seek vengeance

Here lies the being

That will devour

Every other soul

The ground began to quake at the end of the High priestess’ chant. A silver hand burst forth from the earth & clasped itself around the High priestess’ neck. She writhed in pain. Knees buckling onto the dark copper ground.

Soon the being had fully dragged itself out from its prison. The last thing she saw was eyes that shined like the starry night staring right into her soul.

It stretched its arms wide. Glad to have been brought back, and just in time for the start of the Summer Festival!

#Syzygy (c) 16th July, 2022.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=dGawgRPqr5Q