From where we left!

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Mishiida Alexander

Stalking Shadows

 

“Dark is as much the truth, as much is the light.”

 

From where we left!

 

Much of our perception has been prejudiced by our fears. We have doubted more than what we have ever believed in; and all that we ever did believe in, was full of superstition. Fear of the dark was born not out of an inherent evil it possessed, but rather out of our own limitation in adapting to the night, much before man had struck two stones together. Beasts of prey fed at night, the ones’ who found man a tasty treat. Thus originated the demons of our grandmothers stories, the one’s that fed on human flesh and blood. Lies exaggerated from truth they might have been, but they kept the naughty ones’ entertained, as well as in check. Then there would have been the delinquent few, who probably were the first to realize how puppets made of dug up dead scarred away those who were still alive. What must have started as a joke became an easy way of relieving another of their possessions, and then possibly a ploy to escape the society’s grip after misdeeds. Blood sucking vampires, werewolves, ghosts and other ghastly characters, they all emerged out of this melee. And since all evil in stories lurked at night, an eternal truth became deep rooted in superstition as the symbol of evil. Dark was forever maligned!

 

In truth however, dark is as much a part of the existence as much is the light. The entire cosmos in fact exists in dark. All existence is made up only of two parts; matter and space. Of the two, space has no colour, while matter appears in various shades, depending upon the colour of light it reflects; light, something borne out of the matter itself, as it interacts amongst itself. Where this light is absent, even white appears black! So where did the black come from? Or was it always there, hidden from our view by the brightness of the light? Does this mean light is a lie, something that blinds us and hides the truth from us? But light is the one that reveals what is hidden while dark conceals it. Perhaps the difference is not in the character of the two, but rather their abilities. Dark can conceal, and light can reveal! Evil is not in their abilities, but how matter utilizes it. What’s evil is thus only in the way matter interacts amongst itself. Light and dark are just two aspects of the same truth; the existence.

 

We all know how matter explodes to release energy, then cools down and collapses into a lightless mass. This mass starts accumulating more mass, and collapses into a denser ball. Perhaps one day it would have collapsed within itself so much, the pressure will reignite the dead matter, and the mass will explode into a luminous dispersion in the dark space once again. The cycle will continue!

 

Now look at this vast barren hot and waterless sand that stretches just ahead of our feet. We say it is heartless, for it kills the unprepared. What about life in the ruins that we just whizzed past? Does no one die in cities? Why malign the name of the world’s biggest subtropical desert that houses some of the finest creations of nature in the most hostile of environments? But what are we doing in Sahara? Perhaps running away from the destruction left behind by Alexander’s in-laws, are we?

 

But why blame Alexander’s wrong side of family when humans are themselves capable of much more mayhem on their own? Barely had the last of Mishiida’s kin left for their homes, any hopes of lasting peace were blown to bits in front of the US Embassy in Kabul. Human beings will never be like us, the Fourth Witnesses; neutral, tolerant, peaceful and lovable! Ok, maybe not so lovable, but hey, who’s complaining?

 

Anyway, its’ been way too much running away for us now. It’s time we visit our sweat-hearts again and see what they’ve been up to behind our backs. Any latter and we might be greeted by junior Alexander or Mishiida junior! But damn it’s hot here, and this throat is now like a parched membrane. Let us just sneak into one of the small kiosks in this Egyptian town that we see in front, and spoil ourselves with that delicious ‘Sobia’ they make from coconut and milk. Best part is; we never have to pay for a thing!

 

It’s really surprising how tragedy connects hearts better than gaiety. Now just look at all these people gathered in front of the small television set in this kiosk, listening to the news in, hold your breath, English. Who says language is a barrier? We only see it as a connector all the time. But why is everybody so interested in this piece of news? I think we should also check it out.

 

“Here’s what Colonel Rick Roxon, the international hero, has to say about his friend,” and the TV anchor for BBC introduces the next person to be interviewed.

 

“I am heartbroken at the loss of a great friend and an even greater human being,” Rick exclaims, “This is the second good man we’ve lost in less than a week, coming two days after the loss of my brave Lieutenant Ken. Coming out of testing times as we are, I am sure the murders are not linked, but it is hard not to believe so.”

 

“Colonel, are you saying that someone has eliminated these two for their role in the action against the aliens?” the reporter asks.

 

“I cannot say anything as a matter of fact pending a proper investigation and analysis of all relevant evidence,” Rick replied, “But the way these two have died, although there deaths appear to be an accident; Ken by a collapsing wall, and Roger by rampaging cattle, it is hard to believe such strong men could be dead in such unnatural circumstances.”

 

“Colonel, are you implying there may still be some aliens left on earth who are avenging their defeat?” the reporter asks the most important question.

 

“We never had an absolute count of how many of them arrived, or how many left,” Colonel puts the things in perspective, “The army will be closely monitoring the situation and assisting the police in every possible way.”

 

This is intriguing! Roger, the host of Mr and Mrs Rai during the ordeal, he’s dead, and so is Ken. We’ve really missed out on a lot! Let’s get back into the thick of the action before it is too late. Australia, here we come!

 

 

 

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