Curtain of Darkness

By
Christopher J. Thomasson

I

On ethereal winds he travels
Silently, swiftly, on another,
Unseen plane of existence.
He is the bringer of rest,
Rest eternal.
He is light,
He is energy,
He is darkness,
He is everything,
He is nothing,
He is The Soul Taker.
He watched from a distance,
For that final word,
The command from above,
To take that next soul.

II

She sleeps alone.
Her mate long since gone,
Yet she dreams of him repeatedly,
And longs to join him in the afterlife.
But tonight, her sleep
Is undisturbed by dreams
Of her lover.

III

The Soul Taker watches her sleep
Hidden within the folds of the
Curtains of darkness.
He’s seen her dreams,
And knows her deep longing.
He’s not just the taker of souls,
But also the granter of wishes,
And he’s seen the wishes
Of this wise old soul.
Her silver hair washes over the pillow,
Like a burst of sunshine on the horizon.
Her lined face, calm and content,
Expresses the knowledge she’s gained
Over her long life.
She smiles in her sleep,
And he knows that she senses his presence.
Suddenly, her brow furrows
As another being is felt
Within the dark confines of the room.
The Other has arrived
To claim the soul that should be his.
The Soul Taker draws his sword
A shining ray of light
That pierces through the darkness
An illuminates the nature of the soul.
The Other recoils in fright
But he does not flee.
Hissing, he tries to intimidate The Soul Taker,
But The Soul Taker is not frightened.
The Taker has power over The Other,
Evil will not win this battle.

IV

The message is received
And The Soul Taker moves to the bed.
He watches her breathe
As The Other curses
And shouts from the shadows.
Sword flaming, The Soul Taker
Pierces her soul,
Releasing it from the confines
Of her body.
A body made
Of dust and water.
She gasps at the release
And enters that other plain
Where spirit and reality
Cannot coexist.
The Other leaps forward
With it’s horrific, satanic scream,
And grabs at the spirit woman
With clinging, gleaming claws.
But The Soul Taker’s sword is there,
And The Other jumps away
With fierce gnashing of teeth
And ancient curses.
The Soul Taker delivered her up
Into the arms of a Winged One,
Then turned on The Other.
Furry filled The Soul Taker
And it showed in his glowing, amber eyes.
The Other retreated with fear
And attempted to flee into the earth,
But The Soul Taker was there to block the path.
With a single swipe
of the flaming sword,
The Other was no more.

V

In a blinding flash
The woman was amongst the stars.
Her lover was there,
To greet her with a kiss,
And with open arms
They ascended…
…she never once looked back.

VI

The Soul Taker, happy with his work,
Set off for the next one,
The next soul to deliver,
To deliver to the Master,
To the Master’s right hand.

The End

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