What if the bad guy won?

What if the bad guy won?

The sky crackled red fire as the thunderclouds boiled across the horizon. Lightening crashed down churning up huge chunks of earth and throwing rocks everywhere. Torrential rain fell down in its wake filling the holes with water deep enough to drown in within minutes. In the distance, lava poured through holes in the earth and mixing with the water causing even greater chaos. The explosions from the sudden release of steam forced the holes to grow even bigger.

It was like the birth of the planet was happening. Skies raining fire and boiling oceans were the perfect recipe for creating life. Temperatures exceeded any known to support life along with wind designed to pick up anything not planted deep in the ground. Except just to the side of the ocean there looked like the remains of a great civilization. If you looked you could see walls that were straighter than any natural phenomenon could account for. In ruins now they could only attest to the greatness that once stood there.

Heading inside the broken walls there were other signs of civilization. Broken vessels, once used for carrying grain in a sheltered corner, still holding some small seeds. A shattered sword, broken in so many places it appears to have been frozen and rammed against the ground. In a small house near the wall, a small cloth leg, possibly part of a child`s doll ripped and left in a seeming haste to escape whatever destruction happened on the city. Further in the city stood thousands of houses, once proud and strong, now left in pieces, their wooden beams still burning despite the rain pouring from the sky.

There was no sign of life whatsoever in any part of the city. It was silent. No insect, animal, nothing moved. Several stains in the central square gave evidence of a slaughter that had taken place but there was no body remaining. Even the evidence was being washed away by the continuing rain. The lava and ash from the erupting volcanos in the mountain were closing in on the city and would soon cover everything destroying even the scant remaining evidence.

Some tracks were leading away from the city into the middle of the landmass. They lead around the mountains, into the fields. However, a huge lava flow cut them off in the middle. It spread across the horizon and when one got to the other side all signs of the tracks had vanished. It was as if there was no trail to follow.

However near the other side if you looked up the hill you could see a small fire in a cave. Sputtering and threatening to go out at any moment. The weak light was just enough to see the figure sitting next to it on a rock. A man, he made no move to feed the fire despite the firewood clearly sitting next to him and sat, staring into the slowly dying flame.

Stone-faced, shadows reflecting off the fire made his sharp features even more defined. Deep-set eyes followed the last ember as it disappeared but still, he didn`t move. The wind blew through the cave moving the dust over everything including the man. Rain washed into the cave throwing rocks everywhere but still, he refused to budge. It was as if he was a statue.

Until he wasn`t.

Looking up at the entrance he could just see the bloody clouds through the opening. Standing, he stomped to the entrance ignoring the wind and water pounding inside the cave. Stepping just outside he turned his face to the sky and stared at it with an anger that would rock the stoutest heart. Fists clenched at his side.

"You cheater! You lied to me! You promised me that this would be mine! I sold you my soul for this! This is not the deal! I will see you pay for this if it`s the last thing I ever do!" he shouted at the sky over the sound of the crashing thunder and churning lightning. Still looking at the sky he turned and went back into the cave, back to his rock and sat down. This time to think. Behind him, the cave entrance sealed itself as it was covered with lava from the eruption above shutting off the man from the rest of the chaos that continued.

However, the echo of his promise carried itself across the sky, following the rolling clouds and pushed on by the wind. Some say it can still be heard today. A cautionary tale told of the danger of getting exactly what you want.