Eternal Tomorrow

Clara cupped her shriveled hands and lifted them to the sky. They soon overflowed with sparkling silver reflections. High cliffs encircled her, carved by surging floods and a long-forgotten waterfall. Sharp cedar crackled, shooting golden sparks into the twinkling night. Her hands lowered to her wrinkled lips and she drank. Moonlight dribbled down her chin.

Her fingers spread and she dropped her quivering arms. With what little strength she had left, she pumped her chest at the red cliffs and spun in rhythm to her own steady pulse. The booming of drums and bellowing of horns ebbed and flowed in her mind. Her vision swirled and the fire erupted.

Rust-colored smoke slithered and shifted into ethereal shapes. As the rhythm quickened and Clara picked up speed, several forms of the Eternal began to stomp and dance beside her. Then all around her.

The song ceased and the spirits stilled their feet. A towering figure, bearing a horse’s skull with the horns of a bull, parted the crowd. He stepped forward. Tendrils of rust-colored smoke curled in his path.

“Are you prepared?” asked the Eternal.

Clara bowed and stretched her arms forward, presenting her bare wrists to him.

“You must accept till the end.”

She nodded. Even though this would be her fourth ritual, she had struggled to make the journey to the cliffs. Each time, her feet would always carry her back home.

Her first was simple. It celebrated her birth and connected her to those that stood before her. Not by choice, but custom.

“Close your eyes.”

She breathed in and smiled as she shut her eyelids. They’ve been waiting for long enough. She’s been alone for long enough. All of it, everything, has been long enough.

A female spirit, face covered by a starry shroud, handed the Eternal a bowl. He dipped a bony finger into it. Then he painted a silver line, horizontally across each wrist.

The second, honored the age of independence. That one, again, was easy. Who wouldn’t want to be accepted as an adult?

“Turn your wrists,” he said.

Trembling, she rotated her arms so that her palms were now facing down.

The third, her most cherished ritual, rejoiced in the pairing of souls. Never was there a moment of hesitation.

“Be still,” he said as he connected the lines on each wrist to form a silver bracelet.

Clara fell to the ground. Her body rose and writhed.

“You must accept or your spirit will be devoured by the world.”

Her insides bubbled and twisted as panic filled her.

“Calm yourself.”

Pain slammed into her and she gasped for air. Raging water swallowed her, and she struggled to keep her head above the surging rapids. Her withered muscles screamed as she splashed and thrashed, desperate for breath. She then stiffened, unable to fight anymore and sank beneath the surface.

The water became still and her body floated with the current. Clara’s mind emptied as she left the red cliffs behind and poured into the ocean.

A horn and horse’s skull filled her vision and a hand was offered. She accepted it and stood on the serene silver surface. Ripples rolled away from her, towards endless dawns and sunsets. She lifted her hands. They were smooth. She felt her face. The crevices of time were gone.

In the distance, a man waved. Clara looked at the Eternal. He gestured for her to go. Tears fell, reflecting sparkling silver as she smiled and ran. Ripples encircled each step merging with those of the man she hurried towards.

The fourth reunited her with the one that said goodbye.