A Desert of Broken Glass
On the horizon a small shadow is spotted. It's owner too far away too small on the field of vision to be seen.
The owner of the shadow draws nearer. It's merely a young boy of about 10 or so possibly younger. Far too young to be here but yet he's undeniably here. His clothes are a deep shade of black. His hair is long, messy, matted with dirt and also a deep black.
On closer inspection some of his skin seems to be raw yet not rotting, his feet are bleeding leaving bloody footprints on the sand. The bloody footprints and his raw skin, don't seem so out of place compared to those others in the land.
His face is a permanant grimace of pain. His features an odd mix of characteristic looking slightly asian yet eastern european at the same time. Some would call it more asian but others would call it more european.
Those bloody footprints and raw skin. They should be out of place anywhere else but not here. Not in the Realms of Pain.
A casual examination of the surroundings reveal a vast desert with no end stretching in all directions but in reality The Desert of Broken Glass isn't infinite there is a border to it. The Desert of Broken Glass is merely part of the Realms of Pain. What sets this desert apart is it's way of making it's sufferers feel lonely and in constant pain from the glass and the burning sun.
The sand of the Desert isn't really sand either. It's all shards of broken glass, giving the desert it's name. Glak'h Tur in the Death Babble of the dead.
The boy begins to run. Howls fly across the desert. A pack of beasts about the size of small dogs with unnatural speed appear on the horizon appear to be in pursuit of the boy. Their furs made out of needles with malice in their howls and faces. Their teeth all as blunt as rocks. Yet the problem is they'll still bite till they get their fill. The Hounds of Pain. They exist all over the realm.
It's obvious the boy won't outrun them. He comes to a stop the glass crunching under his feet. It hurts but he knows those beasts will hurt more. He just wants to try and dodge them.
Foolish.
They reach him, they don't bother to stop running they just pounce like true predators. The boy ducks sideways but the others are still coming even as the first hound picks itself up obviously uncut by the glass.
They Hounds attack in unision from all angles. The boy is thrown to the floor as the hounds begin to bite at him. It's obvious from the way the hounds bite. They're not trying to kill. They're trying to hurt as much as possible.
Those blunt teeth crunch around arms, chest, ears, fingers, legs, toes, flanks, ribs you name it they bite it. All except the face. So the Keepers or the Reapers can recognise the body.
The hounds begin to bite they don't bother to maim the boy. They bite into his guts aiming for his heart. The boy's screams of pain should be filling the air but his face is merely in shock horror. Contorted in a silent scream of pain.
Night falls. The hounds have left the body. The sands shifts bringing the body to the Land of The Dead.
A groan comes from the body. The boy gets up. With the wounds still gaping open. Signifying that he has passed through the pain but he hasn't recovered.
His clothes are whole again. He takes off the shirt and bundles it under his head as a pillow.
He knows he can't die.
He sleeps silently a silent sleep full of nightmares in a fetal position. The sands shifts due to the winds during the night cutting all of those who choose to sleep in these dunes.
Daylight comes his wounds have closed mostly giving him a better appearance. He puts the shirt back on to cover the gaping wounds.
He spots a black object on the horizon. He realises it's a Border. Walls which the victims of this place have to climb over to escape. He should know. Many have climbed over his back onto the other side of the Borders without bothering to fullfill their end of the promise to help him over too.
This wall looks different though. He senses it. Smart boy.
He looks to the sky. Cloudy yet none provide him shade. So he begins his walk towards the Border
----------------------------------
I got the inspiration for this story from a picture I drew during the A-levels Easter break.
There's still more to come.
The owner of the shadow draws nearer. It's merely a young boy of about 10 or so possibly younger. Far too young to be here but yet he's undeniably here. His clothes are a deep shade of black. His hair is long, messy, matted with dirt and also a deep black.
On closer inspection some of his skin seems to be raw yet not rotting, his feet are bleeding leaving bloody footprints on the sand. The bloody footprints and his raw skin, don't seem so out of place compared to those others in the land.
His face is a permanant grimace of pain. His features an odd mix of characteristic looking slightly asian yet eastern european at the same time. Some would call it more asian but others would call it more european.
Those bloody footprints and raw skin. They should be out of place anywhere else but not here. Not in the Realms of Pain.
A casual examination of the surroundings reveal a vast desert with no end stretching in all directions but in reality The Desert of Broken Glass isn't infinite there is a border to it. The Desert of Broken Glass is merely part of the Realms of Pain. What sets this desert apart is it's way of making it's sufferers feel lonely and in constant pain from the glass and the burning sun.
The sand of the Desert isn't really sand either. It's all shards of broken glass, giving the desert it's name. Glak'h Tur in the Death Babble of the dead.
The boy begins to run. Howls fly across the desert. A pack of beasts about the size of small dogs with unnatural speed appear on the horizon appear to be in pursuit of the boy. Their furs made out of needles with malice in their howls and faces. Their teeth all as blunt as rocks. Yet the problem is they'll still bite till they get their fill. The Hounds of Pain. They exist all over the realm.
It's obvious the boy won't outrun them. He comes to a stop the glass crunching under his feet. It hurts but he knows those beasts will hurt more. He just wants to try and dodge them.
Foolish.
They reach him, they don't bother to stop running they just pounce like true predators. The boy ducks sideways but the others are still coming even as the first hound picks itself up obviously uncut by the glass.
They Hounds attack in unision from all angles. The boy is thrown to the floor as the hounds begin to bite at him. It's obvious from the way the hounds bite. They're not trying to kill. They're trying to hurt as much as possible.
Those blunt teeth crunch around arms, chest, ears, fingers, legs, toes, flanks, ribs you name it they bite it. All except the face. So the Keepers or the Reapers can recognise the body.
The hounds begin to bite they don't bother to maim the boy. They bite into his guts aiming for his heart. The boy's screams of pain should be filling the air but his face is merely in shock horror. Contorted in a silent scream of pain.
Night falls. The hounds have left the body. The sands shifts bringing the body to the Land of The Dead.
A groan comes from the body. The boy gets up. With the wounds still gaping open. Signifying that he has passed through the pain but he hasn't recovered.
His clothes are whole again. He takes off the shirt and bundles it under his head as a pillow.
He knows he can't die.
He sleeps silently a silent sleep full of nightmares in a fetal position. The sands shifts due to the winds during the night cutting all of those who choose to sleep in these dunes.
Daylight comes his wounds have closed mostly giving him a better appearance. He puts the shirt back on to cover the gaping wounds.
He spots a black object on the horizon. He realises it's a Border. Walls which the victims of this place have to climb over to escape. He should know. Many have climbed over his back onto the other side of the Borders without bothering to fullfill their end of the promise to help him over too.
This wall looks different though. He senses it. Smart boy.
He looks to the sky. Cloudy yet none provide him shade. So he begins his walk towards the Border
----------------------------------
I got the inspiration for this story from a picture I drew during the A-levels Easter break.
There's still more to come.
