Gyrations (Anonymous #7)

Posted by: mushimusic on: March 12, 2009

• In: anonymous | dark | experimental | fantasy | science-fiction | short stories
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Ophelia sat at the northernmost shore of Figment Isle, staring out at the setting sun. She liked to be near the roaring ocean waves; their static froth canceled out the constant drone in her head. The horizon was a blank slate, infinite oblivion. She lost herself in the tiny waves eagerly lapping at her toes.
The wavelets formed endlessly intricate patterns, dropping off and siphoning away grains of sand as they came and went. One wave came in gently, filling up a hole she had dug between her feet. As the ebb pulled back to the sea, the puddle formed a miniature whirlpool. Instead of returning to the ocean as one entity, the water scattered; it formed many tiny rivulets that got lost before they could reach the ocean, absorbed by the greedy sand beneath them. Ophelia couldn’t help but be reminded of her siblings.
It felt good to get away from Castle Figment; the shining white fortress held too many opportunities for her to bump into her family. There was so much tension bringing them close and too much ego driving them apart. This was supposed to be a time of celebration; the coming of Midas foreshadowed their escape from the island to rule the earth, sea, and stars. No galaxy would be unscathed, safe from the touch of the Figment of Creation.
Yet still, her siblings fought amongst themselves and talked about her behind her back. They called her unworthy, an unfitting conduit for their Master’s words. That wasn’t her decision.
“It’s been years since I’ve come to just sit and watch the ocean. In only an instant, I remember why I loved it.”
The booming voice startled Ophelia, bringing her back to her self. “Oh, hello Coelacanth. Yes, I like this spot. I come here often.”
The strong, old man stood with his hands on his hips, gazing out at the setting sun. “After the gate was sealed, trapping us here, I spent the most time here. I liked to imagine myself as a sailor, free to travel the world and visit strange lands.
I miss the days when we could come and go as we pleased. Now our only connection to the outside world is the internet. Fat lot of fun that is. I suppose it’s better that way. We shouldn’t force our ways onto the residents of this planet.”
Nobody had come to or left from Figment Island, at least not during Ophelia’s lifetime. As the youngest Figment, she had grown up only knowing her siblings. A razor sharp reef surrounded the island, preventing them from leaving. She had never seen a foreign ship, even on the horizon.
“You know, when you came to us, we found you washed up on the shore. It was right over there.” He lifted his hefty, hairy arm and pointed at a spot less than twenty feet from where she sat. “All the others washed up on the south shore, but you’re different.”

Ophelia hugged her knees closer to her chest. “You don’t have to remind me.”

“I’m sorry. What I meant to say is that you’re special. You’ve got a gift, I can tell. When our Master arrives, and my heart tells me it will be soon, you will be the closest to him. Every one of us has, at one time, shared the connection to him that you currently posses. Every one of us has since lost it. There are those among your siblings who would kill to have it back.”
“I just don’t get it.” Ophelia shrugged. “I don’t understand any of this. Why am I the one who has to be special? Let Valkyrie be Master’s radio, I didn’t want this. I wish I could just skip this waiting period and get the Master out of my head! I want to know who I really am, not whoever this voice inside me makes me think I am.”
Coelacanth sighed, his heated breath condensing in the salty, night air. “Terra was partially right, you know. There are natural cycles of chaos and order. This reality began as pure order, all matter and reality condensed into a single point. The unavoidable flow of entropy has caused the universe to expand ever since that moment. With the arrival of our master and His great power, we will accelerate the growth of the universe to the point where everything is infinite. We will achieve a state of pure chaos.

But the universe cannot remain like that forever. As soon as we reach that state, the flow of entropy will reverse. Everything will begin to condense, shrinking and regaining order until unity is achieved once more. Then the cycle will repeat itself. This reality we perceive is nothing more than a wave function of chaotic value.
This is the way things have always been and probably the way things always will be.”

“That all sounds well and good, but what does it mean for us? What happens after the waiting is over? Why must we suffer until the day of reckoning?”
Coelacanth sighed again, whispering through his bushy, white beard.

“I have lived for a very long time and I still can’t answer that question. Time will tell us what we are meant to know.
“For now, just hold onto the faith that our Master will bring salvation to us all by purging the order from this place. Everything will end up as it is meant to be.”

Ophelia wasn’t satisfied, but talking with the old man always made her feel a little bit calmer. “Thank you, brother. Will you watch the tide come in with me?”
————————————————————————-
“I’m tired of the old man’s philosophy lessons.” Valkyrie was leaning on a paw-paw tree in Castle Figment’s orchard, eating a handful of paw-paw berries. There numbered at least one hundred trees that bore different fruit every season. “Everything will work itself out.” She snorted and spat a paw-paw seed on the ground. “I’m worried that little girl won’t be ready to do her duty when the time comes. What do you have to say about that, fortune teller?”
Lazarus stood at the parapet, where he could see almost all of Figment Island. He had been the one to spot the old man and the girl. “Mmm, well, you know my visions haven’t been all that clear these days. There’s too much volatility in the balance of things. The good news is that probably means our Master will be here soon.”
“That’s not good enough.” Valkyrie spat again, this time just because she could. “I’m getting tired of waiting on the world to change. My destiny has got to involve more than just sitting around this castle. I’ve got plenty of damage to do, and no where to do it.” She ground some freshly spit seeds into the loamy dirt.

Lazarus turned from the parapet. “You know, we could go over there. To the human realm. You have been to the human realm, right?”

Valkyrie stomped the ground and pivoted to face her elder sibling. “What do you mean? Should I have been? The old man said we were trapped here!”
“Well, in a sense we are trapped here. But, of course, there is a way to get out there. How do you think Coelacanth got the game started, or set up our information ansible? Where do you think Jeckyll gets the supplies for his endless stream of inventions? I go there myself once in a while, when I need to sow a little unrest or rattle some chains. Spread my seed, as it were.”

The light in the Violence Figment’s eyes turned a hellish tint. “Why wasn’t I informed of this? How do you get across the ocean?”

Lazarus gestured fervently that she should lower her voice. “Shhhh. Come on now, it’s a secret. If the old fart knew I was telling you this, well, he’d be pretty ferocious. Only Jeckyll, Coelacanth, and I know about the passage. The old man doesn’t want us messing about where we don’t need to. Even so, I’m getting tired of just sitting around.”
“Wait a second. I believe that old bastard knows how to get out of here. He might even be willing to buy things for science guy, but why would he tell you.”
“I’m not exactly sure how the transport works, but Jeckyll tried to sell me something about time manipulation. So, of course, my abilities are key. They needed to use me, so they were forced to tell me. Thankfully, they didn’t realize that I could do it on my own once I learned how.”
Valkyrie pounded Lazarus hard on the back. “I don’t like it, but I shouldn’t complain. I need to test my limits. All right! Let’s go, my fists are itching to get some action!”
“Come on, I’ll take you.”

A violent cough disrupted their exit. “You know, I can’t really approve of that.”
Terra stood between the pair and the entrance to the castle. He was, as usual, completely bare though today he was accessorized by a hefty pair of clippers.
“I was just coming up to do some yard work and what do you know, I find myself some dirty hoes.”
“Not a word of what we just said leaves this garden,” Valkyrie’s temper was quick to flare. “Do you hear me?”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa. Will you just wait and listen for a minute? Why do you feel some need to rush into the future? We’ll get there, don’t you worry. Just give it some time.
Now, seriously, when was the last time you stopped to smell the flowers out here? I’ve been doing some interesting crossbreeding and created one that smells like candy! Come here; check this out!”
“You know, your gardening habit has always bothered me.” Valkyrie growled, ever militant. “You’re growing advanced, highly organized organisms right here in our backyard. I call you a traitor! Doesn’t it occur to you that you’re fighting the pull of chaos when you tend to your plants?”
“No, man. You’ve got it all backwards. If I were doing this for any reason other than my own enjoyment, it would be for our cause. I mean, I’m running my own little chaos factory up here.
“Every living thing, you and these trees not excluded, is an entropy machine. When we eat and drink, we break down food to its simpler constituents. That alone is an unfathomable source of entropy. Sure, some things are recycled, but nothing is one hundred percent efficient. During each cycle, some energy is lost to chaos and can never be recovered. In due course, nature will take us to a more entropic state.
The humans of Earth have got it all down to a science. They consume and consume this planet’s resources, turning it from a well-organized planet to a burnt out husk.
Frankly, they’re quite lucky our Master is coming to liberate them. Otherwise they’d probably kill each other off.

So, with that said, I can’t really support you going to change the natural order of things.”

Lazarus stepped forward to stare his brother down. “Terra, I’ve got a good idea as to who among the humans is reversing the flow of chaos.”

Terra smiled a mischievous grin. “Well, now. That changes everything. Why didn’t you say so in the first place?” He gave his brother a hearty slap on the back and leaned his hoe against a tree. “I might not like it when you guys mess with nature, but I can’t stand it when humans try to go against their nature. When do we leave?”
Lazarus glowered. His back was really smarting. “Let us depart.”

Tags: anonymous, figments, gyration, ocean, time, travel