Sacrifice
Kiva hit the water hard.
Although the fall from the bow of the massive ship was only around 15 feet, it felt as though he had slipped into a void in the very atmosphere — in which, no man or woman would be capable of rational thought; and time did not exist. Before any resemblance of a “plan” could even be considered, his back drove into the icy waters. He felt the pain spark through his body, as the surface of the ocean cracked, like concrete crumbling under the weight of a tank.
The sea swallowed him in an instant, rushing in and smothering his body like a hungry orca. The ocean was a predator — and Kiva was its prey. Water filled his lungs as he looked into the dark abyss. His limbs felt heavier than the Earth itself; but they somehow had the strength to pull him back up to the surface, as if they were being controlled by some outside force.
Kiva broke through the ceiling and gasped for air. The warm winds poured into his lungs and rejuvenated all of his senses. He turned his body away from the shoreline to see that the giant beast had already changed its course, and was beginning to turn towards him. The ship blasted through the water with rich fluency, catalyzing its own efficient pathways through the rough sea.
Kiva turned back towards the shore; furiously thrusting his arms and legs into the ocean. With calculated strokes, he pushed the thick water behind him, as he propelled his body towards the small island. He was certain that the ship had completed its sharp turn, and was now headed towards him. He thought to turn his body around once more to get a glimpse of the distance separating him and a certain death, but decided against it — focusing instead on the rocky beach in front of him.
As he neared the island, he felt his tired feet touch the ocean floor. He trudged out of the cold waters, and dashed onto the beach. The sharp stones felt like glass beneath his feet, cutting deep into his delicate skin with each massive stride he took. Still running; he jolted his head around. His eyes burned like fire as the salty water fell from his cold brown hair, and into his face. Fighting through the intense blur in his vision, he saw that the ship had stopped moving — and soldiers were plunging themselves into the shallow water along the shoreline.
“There must be 50 of them — at least,” he mumbled to himself as he ran towards the dense forest in the center of the island. “I need to find somewhere to hide.” Kiva quickly surveyed the area. On his right, thick trees were smashed together, consuming themselves into a crowded barrier of bark. His left looked more promising — small sets of hills hugged the Earth; each jagged protrusion embracing the one beside it.
Kiva bolted eastward with the army of angry soldiers in tow. His battered feet burned below him, as if the flesh had freed itself from the invariable torture, and he was running on pure bone. Despite the pain, he navigated through the maze of Earth with extreme precision. With each step, he further distanced himself from the soldiers, until their cries became unintelligible. Gasping for air, he slowed his pace until eventually he stopped, and dropped to his knees. The Earth felt cool beneath his lifeless limbs, and he welcomed the island breeze into his lungs.
Reaching above his head, Kiva grasped a tree limb, and pulled himself to his feet. Now that he had time to collect his thoughts, he could feel the pain shooting throughout his entire body. He wanted so badly to stop — to fall back to the island floor and surrender to the oncoming army. He knew, however, that surrendering now was not an option. “If they find me, I’m dead” he said to himself.
Taking a few short steps, Kiva brushed the sand and sweat away from his eyes and noticed he had come to a small field. Surrounded by trees in all directions, he wondered how he had managed to navigate through the maze in the first place. “Where am I?” he asked himself, “and where are the soldiers? I cant hear them at a — ”. He stopped himself short as he looked into the distance at a strange light, which seemed to be coming from beneath the earth; and was surrounded by at least a dozen oddly shaped boulders.
Kiva moved slowly toward the glowing sand. With each step, the island breeze seemed to push harder against his body; until it felt as though he might be swept off his feet, and sent tumbling to the ground below him. “Is this wind trying to push me away?” he asked himself. “What is that glow?” As Kiva neared the strange light, he noticed that the boulders were actually statues — each one representing a different person.
The strong winds — which had pummeled Kiva only moments before — had now ceased, and the air was completely still. As he examined the statues, he noticed that they were arranged in neat rows. The ones nearest to him seemed to be fairly new; while the rows in the back seemed to be centuries old. “There must be over a hundred of these,” he said aloud — his voice echoing through the field of stones.
Kiva limped through the rows of statues — still writhing in pain. Although each statue portrayed a different person, he noticed that they all had the same look on their faces. It was hard for him to place the exact emotion displayed with each statue. It surely wasn’t happiness, or pain, or anguish. It was almost a look of astonishment and acceptance. “What is the point of all this?” Kiva asked himself. “Why would the sculptor only choose this one expression?”
Kiva moved back towards the glowing light, which had grown even brighter. As he moved closer, he began to ‘feel’ the light — the presence of something growing within him. He wanted to turn away, but couldn’t. His body reached for the glowing earth, as if it were in a trance. As his hand brushed the dirt, a burst of light and warmth rushed into his body, healing his pain and calming his nerves.
And then nothing. No more light. No more statues. Just trees and an empty field.
