Title: Timeless
Summary: That blue-green-white ball was his most prized possession….
Prompt: "Playing on Eternity's Staircase"
Warnings: Not much- if anything. Um… there's some parts that can be interpreted different ways, depending on how much like my dear 'twin' you are (in other words, how much you fangirl over certain couplings).
Disclaimers: I don't own the idea that inspired this short (originally it was "fishing on Eternity's Staircase", but I found that fishing placed too many restrictions on this piece, unless I wanted to do something more metaphorical, but that would mean that I would have to think of some metaphorical thing, and my brain just didn't like that). You can find it here: yuukihikari. deviantart. com/ art/ Fishing-For-Heartless-36539359 (just remove the spaces). I also don't own... well, that doesn't count, because these guys as they are here don't technically show up anywhere. They're not OCs though, just my take on a bit of historical-religious thing, plus warping it. Yay making things confusing.
"What's that?" asked one.
"A ball," replied the other.
"Oh… can we play with it?"
The other thought about it, before nodding. "We can play with it as long as we take very good care of it."
The first grinned, a smile as stunning as the sun. "I'll be the best owner that ball has ever had!"
A little while later, the first grew bored with its ball, and went to the other. "It's still a nice ball, but I want it to be better."
The other looked startled. Then it looked down, considering the ball. "Better how, my other?"
The first shrugged, placing the ball in the other's hands and grabbing onto its arms. "I don't know. It just seems so… plain, and blue."
The other smiled, hiding the ball behind its back with its other hand. The first frowned, letting go of the arm it help captive and dancing around the other's back. When it couldn't find the ball, it pranced back to the other's front- only to be confronted by a blue and green and white ball.
"Now do you like it, my other?" The other questioned.
The first squealed, snatching the ball from the other's hands. "It's beautiful! Thank you!"
The other nodded, calling after the first as it ran off to play, "Remember to take care of it."
"I will!"
It was many years later, and the ball had been sitting there for many of those years. It was only by chance that the first stumbled across the blue-green-white sphere. Holding it reverently, it stared at the orb, eyes filled with wonder.
"What do you have there, my other?"
The first whirled around to find the other standing behind. It tried to hide the ball from the other's prying eyes.
"It's nothing!" The first answered. "Well, it is, but nothing for you to worry about."
The other reached behind the first to grab the hall, and held it gently in its hands. "I see you haven't been taking care of this, my other."
The first stepped back, but could not move any further. Slowly, wonderingly, the other placed the ball gently back in the hands of the first. "It is your responsibility, my other."
The other walked away, leaving the first to stare at the ball. It turned the ball over in its hands. It looked at the ball from all angles. It bounced the ball off the ground.
Once. Twice. Three times.
So immersed in the rediscovered pleasure of the ball's bounce, it didn't notice the proximity of the stairs. Too close it came- and the ball left its hands, bouncing down the stairs.
Once. Twice. Three times.
It chased after the ball, tripping down the stairs. So close it came to the ball—close enough to touch, but not enough to grab.
They- the first and the ball- were nearing the bottom of the stairs. The first did not notice. It was almost close enough to grab the ball; the ball began to grow. Slowly, but then faster and faster, until it was a huge sphere that was more rolling than bouncing and turning with its shapes and colors and patterns and making the first so very, very dizzy.
When the first stumbled, its left foot fouling the right and the right fouling the left, it lost sight of its ball. When it looked up, the ball was gone. Instead it found itself staring at a large, green space before it. The stairs disappeared into the green, but the first took no notice. The green was so green, and above- above its head, where the stairs disappeared, the blue was so blue, and those soft-looking spots looked so white.
The first found itself grinning, enjoying this new place. It reminded the first of its ball. It wondered if the ball wasn't hiding somewhere?
When the first could not find its ball, it decided that it must return to the other, and tell the other what had happened, and maybe get a new ball. A ball that wasn't blue or green or white, but maybe red and yellow and brown, to stand out against what was already there. Maybe many balls, of different colors, to not confuse and dizzy the first.
The first began searching instead for the stairs. Yet the stairs could not be found. The first began to weep, lowering its body to the ground while reaching up to the blue and white with its hands.
"Please! My other! Where are you?"
It was a very long time before the first was given any sign from the other. It was in the form of a yellow ball, sitting high in the blue. As much as the first tried, it could not reach the yellow ball. Slowly, the yellow ball began to sink towards the first, but the first still could not reach it. Another ball, this one a paler yellow, began to rise as the brighter yellow disappeared. The first could not reach this one, either, and began to sob again.
"Please! My other! Where are you?"
It was another long time before another sign was given. This was as a brown ball. The first had much fun tossing the brown ball up and down but, when by chance the first missed catching it, the brown ball struck the green with such force that it splattered, pieces of it heaping up in the distance and touching the white in the blue, much of it laying flat, atop the green. Some of the brown had knocked some of the blue from the rest of the blue, causing it to also fall and cover part of the green. The first touched the brown and the green that was poking out of it and the blue that was on top of much of the other green and was filled with wonder.
However, the first soon became depressed again, and, throwing up bits of brown and green, called to the blue.
"Please! My other! Where are you?"
It was only when the green and brown had grown tall and created different shades of green and brown upon that which was lower that another ball appeared. This was a red ball, and it sat atop some of the green and brown that had grown so tall it had fallen over. The first reached out to play with it, but as its hand touched it the red ball consumed the brown and green, flickering and flashing and burning the first.
Whimpering, the first was scared of the red, but slowly grew used to it. The first became so used to the red that the first would pull down some of the tall green and brown and give it to the red, so that the red would not disappear. And the first began to experience and love all these things that it had been given, yet it was still missing something.
At one time, when the pale yellow orb was just rising and the bright yellow orb setting, the first laid down once again and reached out towards the blue, not crying but smiling.
"Please! My other! Thank you for all you have given me! It is wonderful, and I wish for you to see it! Please, come to me!"
When the other did not come immediately, the first began to plead again, smiling all the while. When the bright yellow orb began its ascent, the first decided that the other was not coming because that place was not beautiful enough. So the first began to tend to everything, making everything greener and bluer and browner and reder, and other colors began to cover the green and the brown and the blue, but never the red. The first took this as a good sign and continued to care for what was around it, as it hadn't cared for its blue and green and white ball.
Finally, when everywhere the first could find was ripe with life and color, the first waited for the bright yellow orb to descend and the pale yellow to ascend, before laying down in a place where it was only blue and green and white. It closed its eyes and smiled and opened its arms to the blue, letting itself relax. The first then whispered:
"Please, my other. I am here and waiting. I have made this place as beautiful as I can and have taken care of this place as well as I can. I hope this has pleased you, and that you can forgive me for not taking care of that ball."
It waited there until the pale orb descended, yet this time did not move. The first continued to lay there, as the pale and bright orbs switched in the blue.
Time passed this way, as the blue and the green and the white and the brown and the red and the many other colors were let do as they please. They flourished, covering everywhere they could, much of the red becoming attached to the green and brown instead of consuming it. The colors continued to spread right up to the first, and surrounded and nuzzled it, yet they never covered it.
The first wanted to call out to the other, but knew that the other had yet to reply to the other call. It was at this time when the first heard a strange sound near, but dared not open its eyes.
"My other," came the wonderfully familiar voice of the other, "I have missed you. You have made this place a wondrous land, greater than any I could do. Yet I cannot stay with you, nor can you come back with me. It is your responsibility to take care of this land. I cannot help you in your task.
"But I offer you a gift to help you, so that you know that I will still watch and protect you. Will you have it?"
The first pressed down all the strange things it was feeling, lowering its hands from the blue. "I will," it whispered.
The other laid down aside the first, and began whispering many things into the first's ear. Thus they lay for much time, until the other stood and brought the first with it. "And I have one more thing to gift you with," the other said, gathering the first into its arms. "Will you have it?"
"I will."
When the other had finished giving the first the gift, the other bowed its head to the first. "I will help you if you call."
The first nodded, slowly opening its eyes to look at the face of the other. They smiled the same, stunning smile they had smiled when first receiving the blue ball. "You are busy. I won't call that often- but I will remember."
The other looked startled but smiled as well, leaning over to kiss the first's forehead. "Then you alone shall be timeless, to remind the rest of this place that all they need do is ask."
The first nodded, eyes wide but gentle. "You shall not be forgotten, and shall stay in my heart."
The other began to ascend the stairs that the first could no longer see, still smiling at the first. "Be safe and love well, my wonderful, timeless other."
It was many years after this that the first brought many other beings to the green place with the small parts of colors that caressed but did not smother. These beings were similar, yet different, to the first and the other. The first called up to the blue:
"Please, my other. I am here with many others who wish to know of your power and might and rage and love."
Thus they waited for much time, until the others grew impatient. Then the other appeared before them, yet the many others could not look for very long at the other. The other saw this and was saddened, but taught the many others different things and then sent them away. When the other and the first were alone, the other gathered the first to itself.
"Many things have changed, and I offer you this knowledge, and all that is life and death. Will you have it?"
"I will."
When next the first brought the many to the green place with many colors to meet the other, more of them were unable to continuously stare at the other, while the most were unable to catch even a glimpse. This saddened both the other and the first, yet, like before the other taught them many things and sent them away.
"I cannot offer you much more than what I give you now, my other," the other told the first, "but I will give you whatever is mine to give. Will you have it?"
This time, the first pulled away and shook their head. "I have taken from you and taken from you, and now it is time for me to give back. I do not have much either, but what I do have I offer to you, to do with as you please."
"Then, if you would give me that, I would give you something as well."
Once they had exchanged their gifts, the other did not depart immediately. "The knowledge I have given to you must stay with you, and the knowledge I have given to the others is bits and pieces of what I have given to you, and must stay between you and them. Any more that should come must learn from them, and those that live now must learn from you."
"Will you still watch us?" The first asked, feeling the sadness and loneliness for the first time since receiving the other's gifts.
The other paused, but said, "I will watch and protect you, and come to be beside you when I can. Yet it must be your duty to watch the others, and the other's duties to watch those that will come next. That is all I can promise you."
The first nodded, somewhat sadly. "As long as you can be beside sometimes, it is enough."
"You and everything you have done will always be more than enough for me, my timeless other."
It was many years before the first and the other next saw each other, and by this time many things had changed and there were many people. Most of the people, however, could not look upon those who had seen the other without hurting themselves, yet none could look upon the first. So the first hid themself from view and knowledge while the others led from a distance, until the others were little more than legends and rumors.
The first moved among them, but came to the green place with the colors often. They watched as the others who had seen the other went their separate ways and taught their different knowings to those who were willing to withstand the pain to learn, and then teach that knowledge to everyone else, thereby forming different nations of peoples who looked to a certain other.
The first found themself reporting all this to the other when they next met to exchange knowledge and gifts, and the other grew worried. "What would you have me do, my other?"
The first thought about it, before finally deciding. "It has been too long and the people have become too separate. Grant me a chance to move among both the others and the people, to teach them unity."
The other conceded, giving the first a second body in the form of the people, and the first became lost in the mass of peoples that now existed. The other mourned for the loss of the first, but never attempted to seek the first out, trusting in the first's abilities and powers
Note
Well, that went on a slightly different path than I originally intended. It was supposed to be light and happy and probably somewhat stupid (modeled after the picture, of course), yet it warped into… this.
It's not surprising how this turned out, actually, because of what I've been reading and writing and studying recently. It's like a treasure hunt of references and images (I'm sure that someone else will pick up on some things I stuck in there that even I haven't noticed). Have fun, and if you understood or were able to pick up on… oh, at least three major themes of this, I shall give you one of the freshly baked chocolate chip cookies that my rez floor just made.
EDIT: This is actually the first of a series of prompts- lines, statements, or pretty much anything else that is used to inspire a piece. I already have another two prompts done, but the first needs a second part to it (in other words, a second prompt), and the second is just really... short. Drabble-length (100 words exactly). I need to work on elongating it a bit into a novella or a short... So, if anyone has any ideas, feel free to pass them onto me, alright? Thank you!