The sky is blank

 

"RUN RUN RUN AND DON'T YOU DARE TURN YOUR BACK", The last words I remember catching before everything faded away.

10 years. 10 freaking years!
That's how long they've had held me captive. I knew it when I had joined the army. I knew this was going to be a one-way ticket. "No one comes back from the war my son. Well, not in their entirety," my uncle had said. But I wasn't about to fiddle. My country needed me. Pride over prime, the motto we used to live by. To be honest, I was surprised that I could even run. A decade of solitary confinement is ought to rot your muscles. Though they failed to crumble my will. I ran like a loose hound—my prey being freedom. The land under my feet was far from being firm. It felt like hopping on a water bed. After hours of sprinting, which later turned into me dragging my feet to just somehow maintain my upright positioning, I couldn't keep it up anymore. 

I was sure I had left the guards baffled. But I also knew once they had checked my cell, I would be running on minutes. I needed a place. Even a temporary one would have done the work that night. But I was in no position to move. Even if I had crawled, I would have only made a few metres. It was the end. This is where they'll find me. Half broken, passed out with bruised feet. The breathing became longer and slower. My eyelids started dropping like they were being pulled down by two giant boulders. Though I had a smile on my face. This was my freedom. It's better to die a free man than live like a slave.

I had only made a faint image. It was of a man with the aura of a mammoth. He was completely dark. And by that, I mean his attire. The big black hat was standing out on its own too. The image approached me. For a moment, I thought it could be one of the guards. That they have finally caught me. But deep down, I knew it can't be the guards. The person who held me in his arms was no guard. Those barbaric guards can't even touch a flower without destroying it. These arms were entirely different. They were strong yet they showed care. They were extremely cold though. My shivering-dying body in the clutches of this stranger. Who knew what he was about to do with me! But I noticed the absence of communication. There wasn't even an attempt to acknowledge a sinking person. Though I felt comfort. I gave myself completely up to this stranger. I let my last hand loose, which was a sign for him indicating, 'you can do whatever you want with me. I'm yours now.'

I woke up with a start. Ready to face some of the coldest chills of my life. But all I felt was warmth from a rusty lantern whose flick danced artistically. It was still night. I must have slept straight 20 hours or something. But my bruises were gone. Geez! For long was I knocked out? I tried to get out of this creaking bed like structure. It was old but impressive. All the wood here, pure mahogany. Beautiful lustrous red signifying taste and royalty. By the way, who was that guy? Why did he bring me here? Were the guards still chasing me? or had they given up since I'm still not captured? I thought I should go out and look for him. Thank him for rescuing me. Saving me from the guards and hypothermia and more importantly, for not letting me die out there, alone. In this world, empathy is rarer than a dancing white peacock. 

I grabbed the lantern, failingly searched for some footwear, creaked open the door and stepped out. It was hard correlating the warmth in the air with the climate I had encountered the last time I was in my senses. I saw some people, their skin so pale like I was watching a bloodless body decay. Eyes were evading me, bodies turning away before I had even made a step towards them. I can sense hostility, and there was an abundance of it in the air that night. Suddenly I was pulled by a firm hand. Its power, almost twirling me on my heel. "Let's walk back to the cabin, shall we?" the man said. It was the same man who had saved me that night from the guards. Only this time, I could see him clearly. He was guiding me towards the cabin like I was a toddler. I don't blame him. He was mesmerizing. I was only looking at him this whole time, soaking him in, trying to decipher him while simultaneously trodding towards the cabin. 

He served me a glass of hot water and asked me whether I would want something to eat. Oh, I was starving but my curiosity was even hungrier. "Thank you," I said. I was nervous. I didn't mean to say thank you. A mere Thank you doesn't quite justify what he had done for me. I meant to say, 'I'm eternally grateful.' But maybe it's too late to take back my words. If I say it now, it might not sound so sincere. Geez! I'm so stupid. Chuck it! "I'm eternally grateful," there, I said it. He chuckled. "Ah, eternally grateful, are you! haha," he said, "If I were you, I would choose my words with utmost caution." This should have felt a bit threatening but it was said with a wink. His personality was astonishing. It was evident that when he speaks, people listen. His demeanour was authoritative but not frightening. By his looks, he must be a sexagenarian but by his strength (which I was certain I had only experienced an iota of), he was no less than a beast in his prime. He sat down in front of me in his beautiful mahogany chair and told me, "You have to make a life-altering decision, so I want you to listen to me with your utmost attention."

Before he could continue, I asked him his name. "I'm addressed by others as The Gatekeeper, though my Christian name has been long lost in the fading years," he said. "What decision are you talking about?" I asked gazingly. This time he had my full attention, "First, I want to say that you are a very strong man. You have recovered twice as fast as anyone I've seen in the past few... in recent times. Since you have been outside already, I guess your curiosity must be bursting. Let me start by explaining that we are not regular people, and this is not a regular place. Now what I'm about to tell you may sound absurd, and I can only agree with that but hear me out till the end," he said. I was starting to sense some omen, and it wasn't a good one. "Anyone who stays here for more than 2 days becomes a part of our community. You have recovered within one, so it gives you a chance to decide rather than a force deciding it for you," he said without blinking. "And being part of your community would be a bad thing?!" I asked tentatively. "That will be for you to decide. Because once you become a part of our society, there's no leaving this place. You will be committing your life to this town and making yourself useful in any way we seem fit," said the Gatekeeper. I didn't like this one bit. This wasn't something I was looking for. It felt like I left one prison to end up in a different one. But at least this one gave me an option. I'll just refuse him politely and be on my way. But then he said something which was beyond my comprehension.

"Any celestial object is extraneous to us. We lie in the realm of day and night. Here, there is no Sun or Moon. Look at the sky. You won't see any stars either. Because of this reason, we are invisible and invincible to the people living outside. The air is different here. With time you'll see a change in your body. You'll no longer depend on food for your energy. You would never get ill. Slowly your blood will turn grey. The water is different too. We will get to that later. All I'm trying to tell you is, we are different. Very very different. Some might say we are unnatural. But we exist. Right under the same sky where the deemed naturals exist. Mother nature is also responsible for us," said the Gatekeeper. I decided to leave at once. I didn't run for my life and almost died to end up here. I didn't even want to know whether his words had merit or not. I was too scared to affirm the truth. "You are strong. Just as strong as I was when I stumbled into this town. And you're a patriot. This gives me confidence that if you stay here, you'll protect the people of this town with all your might. You will protect this town with all your heart. And it has been years since I wanted someone to take my place. Someone to embrace the responsibility of this town. Someone who can be the next Gatekeeper," he said, leaning back on his chair. Like he had just unloaded a giant wooden shaft from his shoulder.

Well, I had had enough. I slapped both my hands on that bed like structure and got up with a jerk. I was rattled by this 'GateKeeper'. And from the things I had comprehended so far, I certainly didn't want to be a part of it. I would make my way through the woods, survive on my own, and if the guards catch me eventually, then let it be. I would rather kill myself than go back to that prison. "Thank you for helping me. Genuinely. You saved my life. But what you're asking of me is like a trade for my life. That, I can't do," I said with all my honesty. Storming off the cabin, I started walking towards the outskirts without even knowing where the outskirts of this god-forsaken town exist. "You don't have to kill yourself," the Gatekeeper said from behind my shoulder. "It's not a question of when. Let me tell you, the guards will catch you, there's no doubt about that. You won't even survive a day once you are out. I'm giving you an opportunity, a power, life beyond death. And just like me, when you find someone worthy of this post, you shall pass on the torch. You end your watch. You would be free, truly liberated. Think about it."

The only thought which was whirlpooling in my mind at that moment was, 'He can read my mind?!'. Well, it has been 172 years since then. There are many questions, some are still unanswered. I wanted to leave this place. Sometimes I still do. There's a thing holding me back. The wind always caresses the back of my neck when I make a move. I discerned that I'm bound to this place. Honesty can be a hindrance. Maybe that's why the ex-gatekeeper chose me. He might have observed a glimpse of righteousness. People respect me here, or it's just my post. From what I can recall, that has never been the case. I certainly can't abandon this town. I'm still waiting. Waiting for the next torchbearer. It has been a long wait. I don't know how long the last Gatekeeper had to abide. Some say time is a fickle mistress. I wish I could assent to that.