by James Huff
A loud whirring noise could be heard from the main altar as a beam of bright golden light shot up into the sky farther than the eyes could see. And, once again, a new world opened up from above and descended all around us. This time the Alphae rose high up into the clouds, looming hundreds of feet in the air in the middle of a lush river valley. There were beautiful trees with rich, exotic fruits of every color of the spectrum. Some even seemed to exude a color that was not of this Earth. There were flower beds on the river banks; daises and lilacs and jasmine and white and pink roses. An intoxicating aroma wafted into my nostrils as I could hear the birds chirping in the trees. But the area surrounding this fertile river valley was the all familiar Wastelands. The land outside of this oasis was scorched with the heat of the sun and lay dry and barren. The Alphae stood with one foot in each river and struck his scepter down upon the Earth, releasing a fountain of fire and water mixed together that created a blinding white light that shot up into the sun, exploding downward and showering the crowd of people in a silvery-white light more dazzling than a thousand suns. The Alphae then lifted his scepter high into the air and emitted a booming call, “IA, IA IA!! IA TZEBAO!!”
At that a stream of orange flame shot out of the tip of his scepter and hit the center of two stone pillars that had surfaced from beneath the earth in front of the Alphae. One was white and the other was black and they had strange writings on them like some ancient language of old. In the center of the fire a swirling vortex of white and golden light formed and out of this vortex the head of a mighty dragon began to emerge. It had large yellow, serpentine eyes and red and black scaly skin with a tinge of violet. The head was massive, rivaling even that of the Alphae and his nemyss. Then the shoulders emerged, thick and as broad as the Alphae himself. Then the wings could be seen as they slowly stretched out to a width of at least 100 feet. There were three sharp claws that emerged from each of the wing’s joints. Finally the hind legs emerged and the dragon stood mighty and opulent before the Alphae and let out a powerful roar that shook the entire ground of the Center City Temple. It was so thunderous that the people instantly fell to their knees and cried out and begged the Alphae to deliver them from the fell clutches of this great beast.
Even I was frightened at such a powerful roar coming from such a terrifying creature and I was also struck to my knees and began to cry and writhe in fear. The Alphae struck the ground once more with his scepter and the dragon rose up and flew to the sun, eclipsing it with its massive body and covering the Earth in a temporary darkness. But the darkness soon subsided as the dragon descended back to the Earth, this time circling the borders of the oasis and scorching the Earth with fire from its mouth. After it had flew around the entire paradise, it landed once more at the Alphae’s feet, leaving a border of fire and light around the river valley. It was then that the Alphae spoke. “Citizens of Metropolis! My children and children to come! Hear me now!” Silence struck the entire mass of people, tens of thousands in number. It was enough to enrapture the senses of the entire populace into a state of fearful worship. Mother and Father were not even wailing or convulsing as usual. All lie down in prostration, including myself. There was no way I could fight off such a hypnotic hush.
“You have seen my great Beast, the Draconic Serpent of the Cosmic Abyss. I have known her by many names but I choose to call her Sayriss. She shall be the guardian of the souls of thy children whom shall soon join the ranks of the comrades of the Alphae in a solemn Rite of Initiation. The three years behind the Walls of Institution represent the three years of wandering that your forgotten brethren did, when they failed to heed my will. And thus, your children shall wander the perilous Rites until they pass through the Great Ordeal and are born anew from out of the Cosmic Abyss. For all whom cross shall unite with my will and I will remain in them and they shall remain in me.”
Thunder clapped hard above and the clouds suddenly darkened. Lightening flashed across the sky in a mesmeric spectacle of wondrous awe. Then the rains came, and with that the drumming. The flames surrounding the oasis began to flicker, but would not go out. The dragon lie still as the people in the courtyard began to sway and to dance with the beat…slowly at first, and then faster and faster, maniacally like madmen. People began to chant gibberish and foam at the mouth. This time I did remain still. In fact I found myself laughing at all of them. At first it was a slight chuckle but before long I was hysterical. The Alphae did nothing upon seeing my defiance. I supposed he must have seen my laughter as my own way of worshipping. But then I was swept away with the hysteria as Mother grabbed me and began to twirl me back and forth. Then others began to grab at me and toss me this way and that. The entire crowd erupted into a chaotic delirium of convulsive dance. But it was all soon to end as the Alphae raised up his scepter and struck the ground once more, this time causing the entire scene to dissipate with the Alphae alone standing in the abysmal darkness.
“I will bring you all into a glorious feast on the day I invite you into my kingdoms, to live forever in the eternal paradise of your choice. For I am a generous god. Some ask for payment; others, for work. I ask only that you kneel before me and be obedient to my holy and mighty will. For now, I invite all of you to drink from the Cup of Atonement. That it may remind you that you are but dust, mere chaff in the wind without my omnipotent hand to guide you.” The Alphae then lifted up a massive golden chalice, bedecked with rubies, emeralds, diamonds, and jewels of every sort both on the Earth and in the Cosmos. The people then hypnotically lifted up a phantom cup and began to “drink” from nothing. I alone remained still, too proud to even laugh…in my own silent mockery.
The scene then dissipated and the crowd was hushed once more, seeming to breathe for the first time since the whole ordeal began. Mother was the first to confront me. “John! What is with you Son? Why must you be so defiant? Your father and I will be marching you straight to the nearest calling monitor to have a little talk with Mr. Thomas…you know, your BMF counselor…” I cut her off. “Yes mother, of course I know who he is,” I retorted. “Do as you will. I am going nowhere.” I thought I could fend her off with my obstinacy but it made her just that much more persistent. She grabbed one of my arms and Father grabbed the other and they literally dragged me to the calling monitor next to the individual altar station number 3. Father dialed the number, as Mother was still preoccupied with her fit of rage.
In no time at all Mr. Thomas appeared on the screen, as if he was awaiting another “episode.” “Excuse me, Mr. Thomas, but our son has had another outburst today during the Worship Service in preparation for his Induction Ceremony this afternoon. We felt that we should bring it to your attention.” I could see Mr. Thomas on the screen wearing his glasses and white lab coat, with one of those pointers in his hand. “And what kind of behavior was your son exhibiting?” Father turned, first to Mother, and then to me. Mother was in tears with rage. “When we began our worshipful dance, John began to laugh hysterically at the entire crowd. He was the only one who found it humorous and he deeply embarrassed my wife and I.” Mr. Thomas appeared to be taking notes, as his hands could be seen scurrying across the bottom of the screen. “Anything else?” “Yes,” Father replied. “He refused to drink from the Cup of Atonement, a great honor that the Alphae bestowed upon us this evening.” Mr. Thomas chucked. “I apologize, sir, I know this is no laughing matter. I just remember that I felt somewhat silly myself when I was a child and drank from the Cup. Of course, I knew it was a great honor and saw no place in questioning a god.”
Father nodded in agreement. “We were hoping maybe you could progress your BMF protocol with our son, you know, to prevent him from suffering too much during his stay behind the walls of Institution…?” Mr. Thomas grimaced for a moment before he answered. “No, sir, I am afraid that that cannot be done at this time. We have a six week minimum trial period for each protocol. We cannot progress his treatment plan any further until every avenue of his current level of treatment has been pursued.” Mother had calme
d down a bit and decided to chime in. “He treated me so well today Mr. Thomas…I just don’t understand. What can I possibly do for my son? Is there nothing else that can be done?” Mr. Thomas looked at her with empathy. “One moment please. I must confer with my colleague.” Mr. Thomas returned a few moments later, a smile gleaming on his face. “I have just been cleared to increase the dosage of your son’s booster shots by 35%. This should help for now. At this point it is all in the hands of the BMF branch within Institution. But I assure you that he is in good hands. They work around the clock and have a system that virtually never fails.” With that he ended the call and Mother and Father both looked somewhat reassured. They apologized to me for reacting so emotionally and we all decided to start walking toward the Center City Stadium, where the Final Induction Ceremony for the new class of Institution would be held.
I had never been to the Center City Stadium before. I was filled with a certain sense of curiosity, but also encumbered by a raw fear. It was the realization that I would soon be entering the walls of Institution and probably facing many torments. I remembered Grandfather’s consistent warnings and the look of dread that accompanied his face when he reflected back on his time there as a child. I had a false sense of hope that perhaps things were worse in his time, but I was not naïve. I knew that the protocols of the BMF were probably much stricter in these times. After all no one wanted the riots to return to Metropolis that left West Quarter in virtual ruins.
Mother and Father were silent as I lazily followed behind them. It was a good ten block hike to the Stadium and I was already tired from the sensory overload I had just experienced at the Worship Service. I was also concerned about the higher dosage of my booster shots. I already felt numb enough. But I was grateful for my experience of defiance. It reminded me that I still remained myself…regardless of the measures taken against my mind. I had lost the desire to wander off in my imagination as I normally would. I just wanted to get the Induction Ceremony over with. The sooner I got into Institution, the sooner I would get out. At least that was my initial thought. But I knew that each hour spent behind those walls would be grueling. And despite how annoying my parents could be…I knew that there was a part of me that would miss them. It actually felt good to be able to feel love for them again. Even if it was fleeting.
I was so lost in thought that it took Father turning around and nudging me for me to realize that we had nearly arrived. “Isn’t it marvelous, Son?” I looked up and could see a massive coliseum in the distance. It was so huge and opulent that it was literally impossible for me to describe its scale. It had the same standard gray exterior as much of the architecture in Metropolis. We approached the gate and the attendant there took down my name and asked me to say my goodbyes to my parents and to enter the sector 9 tunnel to join my other classmates in preparation for the procession into the field. Mother gave me a big hug and smiled. “Remember John that we will continue to pray to the Alphae to bring you peace in your time here. He knows you are afraid and remember he will always be there to console you.” Mother released me from her tender embrace and Father put his hand on my shoulder, a tear subtly falling down his cheek. “Your grandfather would be proud of you right now Son. Good luck and may the Alphae be with you always.” I was not in the mood to react to that, so I simply faked a quick smile and headed off in the direction of sector 9.
As I approached the entrance to the tunnel I was met by Mr. Thomas. “Good afternoon Mr. Crawling and congratulations on your imminent Induction into the walls of Institution. I was instructed to meet you here and remind you that you will be given a new BMF counselor at your stay in Institution. His name is Mr. Ivaness and he is a colleague and personal friend of mine. I am sure that you two will get along just fine. Do you have any questions for me?” I gave him a quizzical look and decided to test the waters. “What is the final protocol?” At first he looked puzzled and then he gave a subtle wink. “I am sure, Mr. Crawling, that you will not have to wait and find out. Now then. I will be joining your parents in the stands. Good luck and remember…that all things done be unto the glory of the Alphae.”
I walked up to the back of the line and waited, trying not to be noticed. A girl next to me looked up at me. She had blonde hair and blue eyes with fair skin. She was very small and frail looking, but very pretty. She smiled at me and, for the first time since I felt that love for my parents, I smiled back at her with a genuine grin. But that beautiful moment was cut short when I could hear a tremendous trumpet blast and the all too familiar rhythmic drumming. An announcement rang out, coming from somewhere within the Stadium. “Inductees please proceed through the tunnel and follow the conductors to your seats.” I began to walk through the tunnel, a nervous fear gripping my soul. I tried to shrug it aside, but the more I struggled the more the anxiety grew in my heart. I started trembling. I entered through the opening of the tunnel and began to walk onto the green field. A cacophony of cheering issued from the crowd as we all began to walk to our seats. I was ushered by the conductor to take a seat near the front left side. I was pleased to notice that the girl I shared that smile with took a seat right next to me. I assumed that our last names must have been close, as the seats seemed to be placed in alphabetical order.
I could see the Alphae looming high above the stage, standing in front of it, his scepter resting on the ground and being held in his right hand. He must have stood 300 feet high. On the stage I could see 7 robed men who appeared to be of the priestly caste. Behind them were seated other men in white lab coats who appeared to be some kind of officials. The Alphae began to speak to the crowd. “Citizens of Metropolis! It is in great honor that I come before you now to welcome our children into the walls of Institution. It is now customary for my priests to bless each of the children before we begin our procession through the streets and each child enters the mighty doors of Institution for the first time.”
The priests then stood up and made a row. Six of them appeared to be of lower rank and stood behind what appeared to be the high priest. The high priest carried a silver scepter, but I noticed that unlike the rod of the Alphae, his only contained one serpent coiled around it. The other 6 priests behind him held bronze rods that were plain, without any kind of serpentine designs. The high priest wore a white robe with a white and gold striped nemyss and the lesser priests wore black robes with a white and black striped nemyss. The Alphae spoke again. “As is customary, I will call the children to the stage to be blessed six at a time.”
And so the Alphae called the names of my classmates six at a time in alphabetical order. As I watched them I grew ever more nervous. I did not fear the Alphae nearly as much as I feared the men who worked under him. I knew what they were capable of. And yet…I had but witnessed a taste of their power. I was caught in a semi-lucid state, still fighting the anxiety that grew in my heart, exacerbated by the massive crowd and my own sensory overload. When my name was called, I stood up and dismally approached the altar. The blonde girl was walking in front of me and this brought a small amount of peace to my heart. I walked up the steps of the altar and was positioned in a row behind the 6 lesser priests. We were directed to kneel in front of them as they placed their staffs on the back of our heads to give us a blessing. As the cold metal touched the back of my head, I felt a subtle sting and the 7 priests called out in unison: “United in will ye stand in the Alphae’s glory.”
I was then ushered back to my seat and slouched back in my chair as I waited for the ceremony to end. I knew there were thousands of children to be blessed after me and so I faded into my own silent melancholy. Out of impulse I felt the back of my head where the rod was placed and my scalp felt rougher than the other parts of my head. Suddenly I was gripped with a fear of what was actually done to me when the blessing occurred. But none of the other children seemed to take notice. Exhausted with confusion and overstimulation, I fell into an eerie slumber.
I was awoke with thunderous applause and drumming as the Alphae announced the ending of the
ceremony and the beginning of the Great Procession. A great gate was opened on the South side of the Stadium and we were released from our seats as the Alphae led a great procession through that massive gate. I could hear the rhythmic moving of thousands of feet as the parents of the children left their seats and followed behind the priests and directors. In no time at all I found myself outside of the gate and back on the road as a swarming mass followed. The Alphae led the march, standing 300 feet in height and raising his scepter on high. As we walked through the streets, onlookers stopped and prostrated before the Alphae to pay him tribute. The girl I was with before had left my sight, consumed by the mass of people. I was lost in a sea of utter confusion and fear.
I marched on like an automaton, numb to all sensations except the gripping fear that plagued my soul. It was not long before we reached the walls of Institution. The great oak doors were opened and the Alphae stood in front of them, his legs spread apart so that we had to enter through the doors by passing under him. As I approached the Alphae with my 5 other classmates beside me, I could sense him looking down upon me with disgust. But that feeling soon subsided as I passed beneath his feet and entered the darkness that lie beyond…
Chapter 4:
I stumbled around blindly, oblivious to where we were being led. Suddenly I could see flashing lights off in the distance. I could still hear the cries of the crowds outside the door. An announcement rang out from some unknown direction ahead. “Inductees please follow in the direction of the flashing lights for processing.” This seemed ridiculous to me, but what could I do? I reluctantly headed for that direction, nervous about just what was involved in the whole processing procedure.
