The Rolling Crystal Ball
Blindly would life follow her command,
when destiny calls;
What would a mere child know of fate,
magic and crystal balls?
Greatly did the maven’s gift affect the heiress. Bewitched by its queer radiance, the princess became utterly engrossed with the enigmatic crystal ball, as though the stone had taken a life of its own. An awed amusement filled her wonderstruck eyes as she caressed the smooth surface and watched a storm brewing inside the luminous orb. Many a time would she awaken in the midst of her slumber and stare at the fascinating article as though it would begin to speak. She would set it rolling on the ground and follow its trail as if in the quest of a deep secret, in anticipation of an unknown adventure.
The crystal ball rolled…
… I followed the stone orb over the mountains, valleys and rivers. Stoked by a mysterious energy, it appeared to be on a tireless commission; at the will of an intense unseen influence. Tiding over endless rigors of treacherous terrains of the underworld; past a long while of time, I stood at the narrow peak of a craggy barren mountain. The crystal ball sat unmoving at my feet, its glow throbbing within its smooth roundness like the heaving bosom of a maiden in love, provoked by the rousing touch of her passionate beau. Around me stood more peaks of yellow rock in an enormous circle, pallid and sullen, under the bleak light of the moon. The rocky circle of the uncanny narrow-peaked mountains stood enclosing a great valley that stretched deep within the dark shadows of the looming giants. An uneasy stillness pervaded the air as though frozen in terror of an ominous occurrence.
Within the depths of the vast valley, lay a murky patch, undulating in a queer movement. Abruptly, the ball began rolling downhill, towards the valley and I hurried in pursuit of the crazed orb. It ceased, quite close to the murky patch. The patch was indeed a fetid swamp of slimy green water that burped ripples of noxious fumes into the face of the distant sky. As I stood there for a while, trying to rid the unpleasant images that this unsightly scene brought upon my thoughts; the swamp undulated again.
As if it were a curtain that went up at the beginning of a melodrama, the clouds presently released the moon from their gloomy drape. In the pale moonlight, I stood rooted in my place, staring at the reeking mire with disgusted horror. Underneath the slimy slush was a grotesque haven of loathsome serpents, slithering over other abominable creatures of the despicable unclean waters.
A strange abhorrence stirred within me as the ghastly sight of the mire left a foul emotion of betrayal sprouting in my heart. I felt beguiled by my exalted object of intimacy. The bizarre scene of the swamp curdled my guts for my young heart had perhaps desired a dreamy little caper with the magic ball. But the overpowering temptation of adventure overtook my sense of betrayal and soon did the crystal ball roll once more….
Defying all considerations of peril and time, the pursuit of the crystal ball engrossed my whole being as though it were the sole purpose of my existence. Freed from its serpent braces, the orb would be possessed of a fiendish energy each time and dragged me into an entranced and precarious journey. Ceaselessly did my toil slide with the sands of the hourglass, as I followed the enchanted orb; least attentive to the scenes it lured me past. I followed it with a feverish zeal; the mystery of a quaint venture encompassing my imagination and blinding me to all the perils that lay strewn on the treacherous unknown path.
At the end of another such venture did I stand in an enchanted grove; in the midst of numerous blooms of the night, breathing in their intoxicating poisonous fragrances. Reeling with the fatigue of the arduous journey and weakened by the noxious sweet redolence, I slid into a deep sopor. For long did I suffer in my subconscious state, troubled by disjointed visions of horrendous creatures lurking within my own guts; the dreadful hood of the copper serpent lunging towards me, hissing an unintelligible curse… the shadow of a nymph appearing from nowhere and walking into the turbulent sea while pallid yellow spikes wriggled out of murky green marshes… a chilling vision of the devilish gleam in the blue aventurine eyes of the silver serpent shook me even in my sleep while its slit mouth curved into an evil grin.
My eyes opened under the mellow light of the sixth moon; lain in an ungainly posture, I found myself lain on a bed of dew drenched grass surrounded by clusters of nightly blooming flora. The silence of the eerie night was broken by the distant roars of the ocean waves. A strange indolence still clouded my spirit as I traced my steps back, tangled in the conundrum of a tantalizing riddle.
The queerness of the crystal ball’s agenda weighed more heavily upon me with each passing moment. The glow of the orb throbbed with an ever more gleeful menace as though utterly rejoicing my flustered discomposure; throwing an audacious challenge to my nerves for further inquest. Though somewhat repulsed by its apathetic disposition towards me, I was still to overcome the power it had over my will and my conduct. Soon the compulsive urge for seeking the unknown surpassed all calls of sound consideration and the fiend took possession of me again. The serpent braces undone; the crystal ball rolled yet again…
A singular impudence overwhelmed me while I pursued the charmed orb. Having tasted the sordid morsels of its uncanny servings of adventure, I seemed to have grown a taste for the bizarre myself. Now my pursuits were more resolute than innocent wanderings of an inquisitive child. My will was gathering a stubborn insistence to discover the hidden intent of the crystal ball’s eccentricities. Once more did the enchanted article lead me through such a long passage of time and space that it hazed my comprehension of both.
The spell broke abruptly as an unfamiliar patch of light jerked me out of my dazed pursuit. At the far end of the nocturnal realm, caught in twilight between the dark netherworld and the luminous domain of the sun, I stood at the narrow mouth of a cave. Unruly creepers and wild shrubs screened the bright exterior from the shadowy recesses of the den. Lost in the dense foliage of the untamed wilderness, the crystal ball had disappeared in the dark.
Suddenly a ball of fire flew into the cave. Against the soft light trickling in from the narrow opening, appeared a silhouette, in pursuit of the fiery article. A chilling apprehension suffused my bearing like the cold rigor that grips a body stricken by the spite of a deadly venom. My breath began to sink as the steps of the stranger drew closer. Slowly a sight so stunning unfolded before my eyes that time seemed to have ceased in that delirious moment as did the uneasy breath cease in my throbbing breast. Spell bound, I remained awkwardly gaping at that handsome unknown.
A gentle glow radiated from his ravishing visage as his soft brown eyes beheld me across the delicate shadow of his long lashes. His moist warm breath was the most ecstatic fragrance that had ever touched my senses. But a silent melancholy descended over the mirthful cheer of his boyish gaze as the harsh glory of the diamond throne lashed out from the kohl-smeared rims of my raven eyes. For the first time ever did the diamonds in my eyes hurt as the mute anguish in his gentle eyes broke my heart. An ocean of unspoken tenderness surged in those eloquent eyes. His lips remained parted as they froze in the midst of spreading into the handsome curve of a smile. He stood in his place, mesmerized. A flushed abashment washed over me, for never before had I felt so flustered and helpless. I tried to hand him his fiery plaything but its insufferable heat left circles of singed scars on my palms, and the fireball dropped to the ground. The strain of the fortuitous oddity was much too overwhelming for my bewildered soul and I fled away from him; back to the frigid familiarity of my own world of impenetrable darkness.
Trending Now
