I’ve wandered this land for over a hundred and twenty days.
Just me and my dog, trekking through high tides and low desert sands. We fight monsters at both three in the morning and three in the afternoon. They come in droves. Swirling in uneven intervals like crows taking turns snipping at hawk tails during the birthing season. We chase those critters out of our encampment with guttural screams, the pride of our ancestors.
But they return. They always return. Peering through tree tops. Hiding behind brush. Waiting for another perfect opportunity to strike.
We wade in shadows, gathering our resources. Sharpened knives and night vision goggles. Courage is a long-lost childhood friend laughing at our perilous fate. Swords are drawn and hearts close. No empathy for our enemies. No empathy for ourselves.
No! This isn’t’ how it ends.
A pact is made. We must stay together in our vulnerable state. Opening our hearts and opening our invisible eye, now we see without looking.
Thoughts are short and quiet. A calmness washes over us in mesmerizing colorful swirls of prisms reflecting a sun set long ago. The battles we pick and the battles we choose. This is only one of many. The war continues but must end today.
Our enemies are unseen, as I can only infer, that they dwell in other realms, live in between frequencies, and watch from half-dimensions. They are felt, residual energy creeps up and down our spines, our haunches rise, and our teeth glare in the darkness. They frighten us into hesitation.
We will not fail.
There is a break in the cloud coverage. The full moon blankets us with its blue hues. Our shadows mock us from the ground as we realize our enemies’ thermal patterns aren’t undetectable. These creatures are something else, something more primitive. Something more sacred. Something much older. Something…we forgot?
I sheath my sword, lift my goggles, and my loyal dog lazy-sits as we stare into the balance of half-darkness, half-light. A balance of scales. A balance of consciousness. So mote it be.
It’s been over a hundred and twenty days of isolation, just me and my dog. Our battles were plenty, but a war was never intended. It was the result of pure madness.