I’ve seen worlds drifting near and far through the dark, joined by narrow bridges of rope and plank. Some bright with lights, and laughter, and the hum of happy people. Others alone, broken and unlit, trailing severed strands of rope and plank that reach nowhere.
Tonight, I stand with my friends upon our own narrow bridge, searching for the source of great cries that echo from the void. Two worlds burst from a bank of clouds, swinging slowly around each other, tethered by their bridge. One draws near for a moment as it spins about its twin. We see billowing smoke and great fires before the turning worlds briefly spare us the sight.
And they turn. Arrows bearing flames arc from each tower to its twin, and the rising clamor of voices and horns calls the people to war.
We who witness stand in horror.
From mountains and valleys of each land they come. Waves of warriors, bearing blazing torches and sharp spears, racing for the bridge that joins them. The worlds continue to turn, and our sorrow gives way to dread of what the next rotation will show us.
We see the bridge and the lands lit with flames, and cannot unsee the burning people falling like fireflies into the abyss.
We cry. We call out, but there is no one to save them from themselves.
The bridge sags as flames race along it, parting cords one by one. It sways, then unravels, letting go of everything it carried. The worlds, untethered, shudder and spin away from each other. We watch as the clouds close around them like shrouds, briefly lit by flames. Then they are gone.
Long hours pass on our bridge. Like visitors at a wake, mourning one gone too young, we do not move. We see ourselves in their passing: every bitter word, every small hurt left to fester.
I look down at the ropes my hands grip and think of all the silent worlds we have passed. I contemplate how many rejoiced when the last knot was cut, believing themselves at last free of a burden, only to discover that the pull of their twin, the very thing they thought a burden, was the bond that allowed them both to fly.