A Machine Called Earth

Climbing down the steep, perilous cliff, which seemed to be higher than originally thought, was quite grueling. Many a time Hector had almost lost a foothold, as the loose, flaky terrain fell apart as he placed his weight upon it. Taking longer than he originally hoped for, Hector made it to the ground. Hector was exhausted from the climb, and his palms and fingertips were badly scratched from all the rocks. So he went to the river and washed the blood and dirt into the water.

By this time, it was still nightfall. He turned towards the town, which seemed to be glowing. There were many lights, lights of various colors. As he walked closer to this mysterious town, Hector came to a road, and on that road, he came across a sign saying, “Welcome to Violet Town. The new capital of Arccon.”

“Violet Town? They must have named this place on account of all the lights.” Hector said to himself. “But I don’t like the sound of ‘the new capital of Arccon’, I hope they don’t mean to wage war on Syre.” But Hector had a strong feeling thatthat was indeed the case.

Hector then entered the town. To Hector’s astonishment, although it was nighttime, the town was very much alive and active. There was much happening, and the streets were full of strange music. As Hector looked around the busy streets, at the many stories of buildings, and at the various signs and billboards, he noticed that many, if not all the people, were beasts. However they didn’t show any of the timid, ashamed signs that the beastly man James exhibited.

Hector’s eyes were drawn to a sign written in huge illuminated letters, saying. ‘Just Be Who You Are.’ Another sign below it said. ‘Life’s Too Short To Suppress Your Heart.’ People were leaping across the streets up onto rooftops. There was also violence and acts of brutality taking place within the streets. Hector began to feel very uneasy in this place. Hector then noted, from his observations: ‘The curse, didn’t seem to just affect the physical body, it seemed to also affect their minds as well. For these ‘people’ were committing acts that any person with a conscience would never do. But these signs and billboards seemed to advocate such acts. And is this truly what being yourself or following your heart is?’

He decided to find some sort of authority. To ask whether they knew anything about the origins of this beastly curse. ‘I hope that there is actually some law within these walls,’ although there didn’t seem to be any. Things seemed quite lawless.

So Hector followed the road he was on, and headed to the center of town. As he walked down the main road into town, he felt a familiar sense of uneasiness, much like what he felt within the forest. As he walked through the busy streets, he duck-and-weaved through the ten-foot giants, and noticed that they were all looking at him. Lustfully.

Then suddenly, Hector was approached by a man. This man was strangely normal. There was no abnormalities about him. He motioned to Hector as if he wanted him to follow him. ‘He could probably tell that I was not of this place, as I would have been standing out like a sheep amongst wolves.’ Hector thought. Hector was also unsure whether to follow him, but as he wanted to get off the streets, and away from those beasts, he decided to follow him.

This man, who was wearing quite an upper-class red coat, opened a gate, then led Hector down a narrow staircase, that made its way under the frenzied streets above. As they entered through a door into a cold, damp, poorly lit space, the overpowering sounds from above became quite muffled, and almost silent as the door creaked shut.

“What brings you to this town?” Said the strange man, as he motioned for Hector to take a seat.

“Sorry, who are you?” Asked Hector.

“Oh yes, how rude of me. I am Patric Wetherbetter. Connoisseur of sorts. I make sure new residents are taken care of. Here take a biscuit.” He said, motioning to a plate of assorted biscuits.

“Thank you, but I’m not here to stay.”

“OH, just passing through? Such a pity.”

“Well, I’m actually here to find whoever is in charge.” Hector said with a mouthful.

“Charming. Hmm, we don’t actually have any one person in charge, we work within a committee you see. We are known as the lawful. I am a member, and it is just your luck, we are having a meeting later this very night.”

This all seemed far too convenient and very strange, as it was far into the night, and only hours away from sun-up. Obviously Hector didn’t trust him, but he felt that he had no choice. ‘I have to find out what is happening, with any luck, all will go well, and I will finally get some answers.’ Hector thought.

Not long after, they moved into another adjoining room, and they were joined with the other members of the committee. Patric got up and said, “Welcome to the weekly meeting of the Lawful. First on our agenda is this fellow, he wishes to speak with us.”

Hector stood up and said, “Hello, I am Hector of Tammerville, I am here in regards to the beastly curse that you all know well of. I wish to know where it came from, and how to reverse it.”

“Tammerville you say, well there are people, as we speak, that are there, selling the antidote. Mind you, it is quite expensive.” One of the members explained.

It was plain to see that there was darkness within these people, but they were shining lights, they were hiding something. Hector decided to continue his enquire.

“What about the plants?” Hector asked.

“Whatever do you mean?”

“The plants that have taken the people of River-ton captive. The plants that almost killed me in the woods. Have you heard not of them?”

“Almost killed you, how did you escape?” One of the members asked. With another shushing him, saying,

“Watch your mouth.”

Hector then heard them muttering, “He knows too much.”

Patric raised from his chair again saying. “Look Hector, have you heard the expression, ‘a few must suffer for the many.’ You see, we know all too well, what is causing all this. But I want you to look at things our way, we are living in a grand city, were all is permitted, and all is welcome. Come and join us, live like royalty. Enjoy the pleasures of Violet Town.”

Hector was slightly swayed by Patric’s words, but after a moment of thought, said angrily, “Never. I aim to destroy this curse, and whoever is causing this, too many lives have been destroyed by it.”

“Hector, I am disappointed in your decision, I had high hopes for you.” As Patric said this, he raised his hands, and Hector could see as his sleeve lifted, that he had some sort of contraption strapped to his arm. Patric saw him looking with astonishment, and rolled up his sleeve, saying.

“Ah you’re wondering what this is? This is the antidote I was talking about. You see, we are no different to what you have already seen within this city. We live in a utopia, were we are not constrained by mere morality. We can’t have you messing things up. I think you are being quite intolerant. Why must you be so against the ‘beastly’ people? I think if you ask the so called ‘cursed’ people, I think that they’ll say that they quite like their new forms.”

At that, they all stood up and began to close in on Hector. Hector knew what he had to do, and that was, run. He burst through them, one of them grabbing his arm, Hector quickly punched him in the face as he dashed out the door. He turned around as he was running, and he saw them turning off their antidote vials.

Quickly they transformed into ferocious beasts, much more terrifying that any beast that was in Tammerville. Not to mention, a lot faster than any human.

Hector sprinted through the streets and alleyways as fast as he could, ducking and weaving through the fowl residents of the streets. He could sense that they were still close as he fled. And closing in on him quickly.

He could hear them saying to the people of the streets, “Get him, he must be stopped!” So all the people of the town started to chase Hector.

He ran through several buildings, bounding through windows and climbing onto roof tops. The group that was pursuing him seemed to grow and grow every time he turned around to see them.

Then Hector made a bad turn, and ended up at a boarded off street, which led to the docks by the water. There was about story-high wooden boards on either side of the road, as there was building construction taking place. They, that is, Hector’s pursuers, were close behind him, and there were now, too many for Hector to take on, so he had nowhere to go but down the path and up to the lighthouse, which was on a small island, connected by a waft. The lighthouse was about ten stories high, a lot larger than any lighthouse Hector had ever seen, and it would have towered over all other buildings within the city. Which was quite a statement, for the city was build up with many tall, slender buildings.

As Hector ran down the waft, which was being severely battered by the waves of an incoming storm, and rocking from side to side, almost causing him to loose balance, he looked around, but there was nowhere to go. He climbed the stairs of the lighthouse and finally made it to the top.

After climbing the spiraling staircase and bursting through the upper door, completely out of breath and out of options, he stood with nowhere to go. Hector looked out across the land as the sun was rising.

A peaceful sensation overcame him, and for a second, Hector began to see how beautiful this world was. ‘I was finally on a great journey, I have travelled far beyond I have ever imagined. But is it too late for me?’ Hector thought.

Hector’s pursuers finally reached him. “So you’re going to kill me?” Hector said to the gang of murderous abominations, his heart-beat throbbing in his ears. As a strong southern sea-breeze blew furiously.

They said. “We’re only human.” Through fangs in their mouths.

With one last look across the tear covered landscape, covered in despair, Hector jumped. Jumped into the ocean, swallowed by the waves. The waters were rough, and he was pulled out to sea. Due to exhaustion and there being a furious storm, whipping up the waves, he could no longer keep his head above the water.

He drowned.

Hector began to sink down, down, down. ‘Was this the end? Is this how my story concludes?’ He thought. This was not the first time Hector had thesethoughts ravaging through his mind, and he thought that perhaps this will not bethe last. ‘How will I escape this seemingly impending doom?’ He know not. Buthow he survived last time, Hector never would have seen that coming.