Story: Wordspace, XII

(Part I , XI , XIII)

Club, Mystery and Cloud surveyed the Wordspace from on high, looking for clues of what had gone on and looking for the perpetrator of such destruction. Below them was a wasteland of shattered landscape and dismembered alphabet terrain. Much of the decorations and wonders were strewn about the remaining foundations and even mighty Earth himself was nowhere to be seen. Where was Earth anyway? Even if had been unthinkably destroyed evidence would remain, but there was nothing. Where was Air too? Where had they all gone?

"I think I can sense something to the east." Muttered Cloud and slowly they moved over toward that direction. The devatation below eased as they moved onward, the foundations becoming more and more pristine away from the fixed population centre of the settlement. Suddenly Earth appeared on the horizon, with air hovering above him. Earth had drawn up a crater at his center, as if to provide a protection. Surely enough, as they crested the edge of the crater a number of survivors could be seen in the crater. They seemed rather worn and beaten down. Cloud deposited Mystery and Club within the crater and then ascended to speak with with Air, his father. Zephyr was there already, looking ragged about the edges, and Wind lurked disconsolately around the edges of Air. Of Sky and Cloud's cousins there was no sign.

The survivors of the Council of Lesser Abstracts gathered about Mystery: Deliberation, Revolution, Regulation, Wimsey and Medicine. Some more from outside the current rotation joined them, the rotation no longer seeming relevant. And then Time and Life joined them, apparently the only Greater Truths to see him arrive. Life looked so pathetic, and Time as stern as always, and both had dismissed the formalities that kept the Truths mostly aloof from all the other words. Decision and Doubt arrived, arms intertwined as they always were for the twins.

"Where on Earth have you been, Mystery? Do you know what's been going on? Do you?!" Deliberation was so far out of character as to be in the middle of a breakdown.

"I can guess. We have much to tell you. First, tell us what happened to you all, and then what happened to the cause." Mystery's calm voice of command only seemed to aggravate Deliberation who seemed to be about to lift him off his syllables until Club intervened and stood between them. Then Medicine unfolded the story in clinical abstraction:

"He came from beyond the landing site of the one we called Sorpresa. He wrought havoc, exerting massive blows against Earth himself and destroying whole precincts of the settlement. Even Earth had to retreat before his power and we thought that perhaps we were all doomed. We separated in several direction. Our group came with Earth, another group went with Sky, a third with Water and Ocean, and a final group went to guard the Zone of Gibberish. There were few casualties as far as we could tell but such fatalities would be unavoidable in a confrontation, just as they would be with the Destructives themselves."

"Our aggressor is one of the Destructives, but not one of our own." Explained Mystery mysteriously.

"This is no time for cryptic comments." Snapped Decision.

"I know. I'm just worried about the lengths we might have to go to to save ourselves. No-one living knows how we imprisoned our own Destructives after all. Except perhaps the Destructives themselves."

Now that was a sobering thought.


There shall be more...