Under the Green Rain
Hot. There was no other way of putting it. The air was hotter than a burning stove. The sands of the desert stretched over the horizon as far as the eye could see. Have there been a rock somewhere, one could easily cook one egg there and not worry about it getting stuck.
That’s all that Red could think as he traversed the land before him. How he started to miss with melancholy all the times he was surrounded by the trees and the smell of the sea. Even with all the dangers that the forests and the oceans held for him, and others, he still preferred them to the scorching heat that came down from above and the hot sand that got in his shoes. The ground beneath him was hard to move in, every step had to be calculated to surpass the softness of the sand and the heat that threatened to envelop him completely.
He took a sip of his canteen. It was already halfway empty and the desert didn’t seem to want to end any time soon. He turned back to see the path he’d carved on the sand. His steps seemed to stretch away from him like a trail of ants that just didn’t seem to know about the larger world around them. It made him think of all those kids that played with magnifying glasses, the sun and the many roasted ants that had ticked their curiosity. That brought an idea of great power over other beings that just wanted to live their lives as best as they could.
Red’s mind spiraled into an inner philosophical tandem as he continued walking through the hot sands. It wasn’t just the heat that made these travels uncomfortable for him. No, what made him think more was the silence. The silence he’d only ever heard in a graveyard or before a battle with a threat that had been stalking him for miles. But no matter how much he wished it so, there was no predator, monster or raider in that desert for him to fight. At least not one that he could see or sense. There was only silence and the idea that he was alone with his thoughts and at the mercy of the elements.
His mind went back to the idea of kids and ants. How many insects did kids like that slayed without a second thought? The number was a scary thing to think of. Sure, maybe some of those insects were dangerous and poisonous but there were also those that didn’t mean any harm to anyone and a bunch of children squashed them anyway. Was that how they developed psychopathic tendencies or how they often learned to believe themselves above the natural world?
Red didn’t know the answer or pondered much about it. The more he overthought things under this much heat, the faster his brain would cook from the inside. He focused solely on walking through the desert.
Step after step that he took was a humble reminder that he was a small piece in a larger whole. The winds blew in his face, picking up sand, forcing him to hold his hand over his face. The sand felt like little knives hitting his skin but it didn’t stop him from going on his way. Using his staff as a cane, he scanned the area as he walked. But the wind didn’t let off. Red couldn’t help but feel like the elements themselves were against him. Without the commodities of the old world, of the technology that had allowed humans to change the environment, he was at the whims of the elements like any other creature in this land.
A sobering thought if Red was being honest.
A large shadow caught Red’s attention. He looked up to see what blocked the sun from his face. It was tall, made of black stone, emerged out of the sand after being dug out of the sand by the wind. It was a statue. A statue of some important figure that once believed would live forever. The ruler’s face had been worn away by the sand after many years, leaving only a half deportable visage of who the man once was. The large face of an ancient ruler caught Red’s attention. He looked past the statue and saw more structures sticking out of the sand like sunken treasures that had reached the bottom of the seafloor and were just there waiting to be found. They were relics of the past, a gift from the kingdom that the ancient ruler once ruled over. But now they were ruins like most things in the world. A sight that Red was more than used to. Like any other man, he understood the meaning behind leaving a legacy, but against the fury of nature and the passage of time, everyone was equal. Time would eventually take away all that he did and would move on.
That thought made him wonder in his thoughts long enough to not notice that he was no longer alone.
A soft growl was the only thing he heard before he turned himself around.
Teeth lunged at him.
Red held up his staff, blocking the bite of the incoming attacker. The weight of the enemy and the softness of the sand were not the best combination for Red. They pushed him down to the sand, biting down on the staff with their large, sharp teeth. Red nearly had a good moment to get a good look at his attacker. They were a large wild dog covered in a motley tanned fur coat and a snarling face that could hunt the nightmares of any desert traveler. And they weren’t alone. Three more of those wild dogs rushed towards them, barking at the sight of a fresh meal.
Red didn’t plan on becoming kibble for these beasts. He head butted the wild dog’s snout, breaking one of its teeth. He unhooked the sharp end of his staff and stabbed the wild dog in the brain. The beast let out a cry of pain before Red pushed it off of him. He sprung to his feet, running for a better spot to face off against the beasts.
The wild dogs took chase after him without a second to spare.
Red looked back as he ran through the ruins. How long had the wild dogs been stalking him? Was this the way nature had chosen to put him out of his misery? If it was, he would not give in so easily. He continued running until he came across a half buried courtyard.
It wasn’t pretty but it was better than fighting on top of sand.
He turned around to face the wild dogs. The three beasts stopped right in front of him, barking with slobber dripping out of their snouts. Their sharp teeth caught the light of the sun as they bared their fangs at him. The first one slowly approached him as the other two moved to the sides, trying to cover any and all escape routes. Red’s eyes shifted between the three wild dogs as they growled and barked at him. None of them were going down without a fight and neither would he.
The first one to make a move was the wild dog from the front, lunging at Red, kicking up the sand under its feet.
Red stood ready to swing either of his staff parts. But before he could make a move, the wild dog to his right rushed to his leg. He jumped back, avoiding the bite to his leg. But the wild dog to his left took this chance, biting at the sharpened end of his staff, pulling him along. Red lost his balance and almost fell down. He caught the sight of the first wild dog out of the corner of his eye. He quickly swung his metal club at its face, knocking it back. It only stunned the beast, but it was enough for Red to focus on the other two.
He turned to the wild dog that tried to bite down on his leg. It tried once more. Red swung a kick at the beast, catching it before they could bite him. He pried the sharpened end out of the third wild dog’s mouth before striking it across the face with the metal end.
The wild dogs charged at him once more all together, and Red was ready for them this time. He reattached the two halves of his staff. Spinning it quickly, Red used the extra reach of his weapon to keep the wild dogs from biting him. He spun in a circle, striking two of the wild dogs away before holding up his staff, blocking the teeth from the third dog. Red swatted it away before smacking the second one in the snout. He pulled himself up with his staff, avoiding the bite of the third wild dog. Landing at a good distance from the beasts, Red was ready to end them.
The three wild dogs barked in unison. However one of them stopped barking. The other two stopped as they started sniffing the air.
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Red raised an eyebrow at their reaction.
The dogs turned around and fled the ruins.
Red didn’t know what had happened.
The sound of thunder caught his attention. He looked up to see a large stormy cloud hovering over the desert. He stared at it, wondering what made the wild dogs so scared about a simple cloud. At the very least, he could get some much needed water for his canteen.
A drop of rain fell down from the cloud. Red took notice of it and how it glowed green. He reached to touch it only for a small lizard to pop out from the ground. It looked at him with indifference before more drops of water fell down around them. Some of the drops fell on the small lizard. As soon as the green water made contact with the lizard, it screeched in pain, like someone had dropped acid on top of them.
Red didn’t have much time to assess the situation. A drop fell on his shoulder. It stung like a hot poker. Red grunted as more drops fell from the cloud. Red looked to the ruins, it still had a partial roof. It was his only hope. He ran for it as the green rain fell upon him and the rest of the desert.
The sensations that came with the rain was not a pleasant one. If one drop felt like someone had poked you with a hot poker, then the full might of the rain felt like someone was pouring boiling oil on top of everything. Each drop incited a groan of pain from Red. He screamed as he felt himself being boiled alive under the rain. The sensation of his skin being cooked as he ran was not a pleasant one, but he pushed through it. Each step was hurried by the pain as the sand and the ruins soaked up the rain. He jumped over some of the broken ruins, before he reached the ruins and the safety of the ceiling that had yet to fall to age and the desert.
But it was only a consolation prize. Red’s body was burning up, steam came off of him like he’d just been dipped in a fryer without any warning. His every muscle felt like it was melting and soon he would be turned into a puddle on the floor. He managed to drag himself away from the entrance and straight to the dry corner of the ruins. He panted, drained of his strength. All he could do was hope that the burning would stop and the sand around him would help him dry off before being nothing more than a skeleton.
Th waiting game had begun. And all Red had were his thoughts accompanied by the sound of the falling rain.
Contemplating the end was a given every single day for Red. The world was filled with monsters, bandits, villains, magic, killer robots, and otherworldly entities that could end him. Every day was a fight for a traveler. It was a law that had been engraved in his very soul since day one. The way the world worked and he couldn’t change it. Like a leaf being dragged by the current, the best he could do was survive and see through all the horrors that awaited him day by day. It was how he’d survived and lived all this time, and he didn’t see how he could change at this point of his life.
Many wondered why he went through all this trouble instead of settling down and starting a peaceful life of his own. The thought had crossed his mind many times over. Sometimes he felt a tug of jealousy when he saw communities that were all together and relied on one another. Those bonds that he never managed to grow himself were often reminders of a life he had skipped out on because of something or another. Many times it was his training, other times it was the call, but most of the times it was because he didn’t know how to approach the people around him. It scared him. The dread of humiliation or to appear apathetic to whatever their woes were made him freeze, often deciding to spend better time on his own than to share with others. Sometimes it got lonely, but he could not break free from the feeling of comfort and safety that his own world gave off. Similar to the old lords that had built large castles and fortified buildings to surround themselves with did, he made those walls that limited the entrance to anyone that he didn’t fully trust. Because at the center of that very palace, in dark dungeon deep underground, covered in thorns and sharp traps laid the deep thoughts and fears: The one he was under his many scars and wounds that he’d gained over the course of his life.
His mind hadn’t dwelled on what would happen if someone did meet who he really was under all those layers. All the adventures and traveling had allowed him to dwell on other things that were not himself. Why did he slay monsters? Was it to keep himself occupied? To go and search for some unimaginable goal instead of facing the issues he’d had? Part of him wanted to say that that was the truth; that he was a coward. That it was better to run off and never be attached to anything than run the risk of getting hurt. And perhaps this rain was nature’s way of telling him that those thoughts were indeed the truth.
Nature and Red had been constant companions throughout his journeys. He’d seen it change through the seasons and through the different parts of the world he’d traveled to. He’d felt the scorching heats, the cold nights, the unforgiving rains, the deadly currents of the seas and faced every beast, bandit, and monster that called those places home. If he was honest, nature was the closest to a friend he’d had in a long time. And yet, it was unforgiving and held nothing back against him or anyone for that matter. The world often forgot that nature wasn’t something to be tamed. They were part of the same system and humans often forgot that. If this was his fate, at least he would go out knowing that he became part of the world that showed him so many wonders and helped him search for his purpose.
Red crossed his legs, placing his staff on top of them and closed his eyes.
— —
The sound of birds chirping woke him up. Red’s eyes opened up as he no longer felt the pain coursing through his body. He looked at his staff, noticing the green that had sprung out of it. It was covered in patches of green and flowers like it had been left in the wilderness for years and it had been claimed by it as well. His eyes trailed then to his arms and body. The burns were gone, his scars had been healed and his worn clothes now sported a green hue that smelled of fresh spring.
Had he died and now found himself in paradise?
He got up, feeling as light as a feather before walking out of the ruins and back into the desert. But what he saw was nothing like what he’d seen before the rain.
Green.
Lush green extended beyond the horizon.
The desert now laid covered in a bright green carpet that looked straight out of an emerald. Grass sprouted out of the sand like it had been there all along. Flowers bloomed on top of the ruins. And the smell of spring covered the air with each step it spread.
Red stared in wonder at the sight before him. The desert had transformed into a grassy plain overnight and the once dead forgotten sands were covered in the fresh new coat of life. He couldn’t help but smile at the sight.
Nature had a way to be merciless but it was also bountiful and ever present against the worst that humanity had to offer. One only needed to be humble enough to see it and understand that nothing was eternal.
Red walked through the new grassy eden, still holding some of his doubts but now they felt lighter and with new purpose. He was free and he would continue traversing the world and seeing its many wonders and facing all its evils even if he had no place to call his own. For he knew time would forget him as well as it would forget many others. But the least he could do was make sure to carve a path for others when they needed it. That was his path, the one he chose and the one he would see through to the end.
He smiled, it was a beautiful day today.
