To Dream A Little Dream... [halloween]
Kilik was sprawled over the loose sheets of his bed, earbuds plugged firmly to block out the choppy noises of the old an venerable fan that kept his room nice and cool.
It was San Francisco all right, The young man thought as he stepped onto the empty streets, but it was too quiet, and too still. The teenager walked down the hill gingerly, his bare feet felt the rough pavement that slowly gave way to gnarled wood.
Wood...? Kilik blinked in confusion as he glanced down, and saw the streets warping into a twisted branch, and the world gave way to rolling water and rising mists. This isn't right, he thought as he gave a quick glance to the street signs and saw a gibberish of symbols - and relaxed at the familiar tell-tale signs.
"I'm dreaming," The youth smiled with some relief, though the dream felt strange... even off. He had always been lucid with his dreams since he was wrong, and had grown familiar with the strange symbolism as most others had gotten comfortable with reading stock quotes. "What are you trying to say?" He asked out loud as he followed the knotted path, as houses, automobiles, and sidewalks crumbled and fell to the churning ocean below him. As he continued to travel, he saw many people were already ahead of him, men and women of Chinese stock much like himself, carrying baskets, purses, and even wheelbarrows of Joss paper, while a few were empty-handed like himself.
"...We're going to Di-Yu?" The young man asked one of the passerbys with trepidation in his voice as he unconsciously reached for the mirror shard he always wore around his neck.
The stranger nodded as the branch... no, the root curved down to the cold, unforgiving underground ocean in which large lilypads awaited the travellers.
"But I have nothing for the Judges." The young man protested as his eyes went wide. To dream of this place....
The stranger simply smiled with pointed teeth under the hood. There was something uncanningly familiar about him. This kept bothering Kilik as they stepped on the pad and it floated gently even deeper into the gaping earth. This wasn't part of any teachings of Diyu or Narakas - probably an influence from his English class, he thought to himself - the omens were not favorable.
"Who are you?" He finally asked the stranger. "I feel that I should know you. Are you a me that's suppressed? A teacher from my past?" Or another life, but the last question was not asked - for unlike the followers of Hinduism the past life was not as important as the present self to the Buddhists, whether they were emperor or a common dog.
The stranger pulled down his hood, revealing a face much like his own, though it had seen more years, but otherwise identical right down to the scar. He held tightly onto Kilik's arm as they disembarked. "This way," The stranger instructed in a dialect of Chinese that he had never heard before, but it was still crystal-clear.
Fear gripped Kilik's heart as he stepped into the realm of the dead as the screams of the tortured filled his ears. Though he knew it was no place of eternal damnation, the thought of the punishment of the pounding, the ripping of tongues had him too terrified to even think about breaking the mysterious man's grip, even as the guardians Ox-Head and Horse-Face flanked them as escorts.
I belong here, a tiny voice in his head whispered, I had caused pain and death - I belong here. His eyes started to brim with tears as he was lead by the older doppelganger, whose grip was much gentler now as the scenery became a morbid parade of horror and brutuality that was impossible in the mortal world, the sounds were beastial - like the slobbering gluttony of starving wolves.
"Come before me, Qilike." The voice of Yama boomed out as the monstrous Lord of Di-Yu towered over the tiny human, using the young man's proper name as the minor judges gathered close to examine him, and passed heavy scrolls about - whispering amongst themselves.
No matter what I do, I will be exposed as the horrid person I really am, he thought as Kilik went onto his knees to bow deeply, his forehead touching the ground. But... I should do what I must. He glanced to the stranger, who threw down the musty cloak that concealed him, revealing a muscular physique draped with a saffron hanfu robe, and the Kali-Yuga. But it felt warped, and twisted - like an artifact of evil.
"Arise. You are a student of the Great Buddha, and had spent your life in the temple, devoted to his teachings. Is this not true?"
"Yes, it is true." Kilik stood up, as he tried to avoid the gaze of his older copy. Who is he suppose to be? He wondered as he watched the Judges whisper. Part of him wanted to crawl away with his tail between his legs, but the might of those flaming eyes kept him rooted to the spot.
"Can you recite the most sacred of the sutras - can you tell us the Diamond Sutra?" Yama questioned sternly.
"I..." a cold sweat broke out as the words slipped away like a sieve. "I... I..." The young man stammered as he found no memory of it.
"I can." The copy spoke up, his voice had a gentle, but quiet determination that seemed opposite of the twisted corruption that seemed to ooze from him. "He's just a boy, O Great Lord of the Underworld."
No, no...! Don't help me! Kilik thought with horror as the whispers grew louder and more dismissive. I can't rely on you, or anyone else! I have to be strong!
"If he were one of the faithful, he would know it in his heart of hearts. And you have no place here." Yama made a mark on the long scroll. "Your crimes are his - you cannot vouch for him."
This is still a dream, right...? The young man wondered as the nervous sweat made his reddish hair cling to his skin.
"You, Qilike - you have caused descretration to the temple, you had violated your oath as a Monk to live the life of study, you abandoned the home of your ancestors, you flee from your own responsibilites in sin." The whisperings grew silent. "And you had caused the death of all your fellow Buddhists, even your..." The Lord of Dead paused as Kilik started to cry despite himself. "Sworn sister. Do you deny any of this?"
"No, no..." He whimpered as he covered his face with his hands. "It's true, every bit of it. I'm just a beast...."
"No!" The doppelganger shouted. "Don't say it!" His expression twisted into a vistage of ghoulish horror. "Do not say -!"
"Silence!" The giant turned on the one who dared to speak up. "You cannot stop our Judgement. You allowed this cycle to continue and though I had stayed my hand - this boy will get all that comes from his crimes. He is right, he is a beast."
Kilik could barely registered the strange conversation as creatures swarmed from under the robes of the Judges and bound him hand and foot.
"For cowardiance and for letting rage overcome reason - and the spilling of innocent blood, you will be given a form suitable for your crime. Flay his human skin, and replace it!" The voice echoed in his head as his counterpart screamed in denial.
"No! There has to be another chance! Things will never right itself if you allowed this!" The doppelganger shouted in rage - but was quickly drowned out by Kilik's agnozied screams as whips and hooks fell upon his bare flesh, peeling soft skin from muscule and bone in obscene displays of skill.
Then his bared body burned as something large and fuzzy was drapped over his body, and needles tore through it, stitching what was left of him to this new pelt.
This is a dream, this is a dream, this is a dream... He chanted to himself over and over as the pelt tightened itself around him. Wake up, Kilik, WAKE UP!
Kilik cried out as he fell to the floor with a thud as the lyrics of a song whispered in his ear.
Clang! Clang! Maxwell's silver hammer
Made sure that he was dead.
Whoa, oh, oh Silver hammer,
hahahaha...
The young man groaned as he reached for the stop button. "Oh hell... what was that about?"
It was San Francisco all right, The young man thought as he stepped onto the empty streets, but it was too quiet, and too still. The teenager walked down the hill gingerly, his bare feet felt the rough pavement that slowly gave way to gnarled wood.
Wood...? Kilik blinked in confusion as he glanced down, and saw the streets warping into a twisted branch, and the world gave way to rolling water and rising mists. This isn't right, he thought as he gave a quick glance to the street signs and saw a gibberish of symbols - and relaxed at the familiar tell-tale signs.
"I'm dreaming," The youth smiled with some relief, though the dream felt strange... even off. He had always been lucid with his dreams since he was wrong, and had grown familiar with the strange symbolism as most others had gotten comfortable with reading stock quotes. "What are you trying to say?" He asked out loud as he followed the knotted path, as houses, automobiles, and sidewalks crumbled and fell to the churning ocean below him. As he continued to travel, he saw many people were already ahead of him, men and women of Chinese stock much like himself, carrying baskets, purses, and even wheelbarrows of Joss paper, while a few were empty-handed like himself.
"...We're going to Di-Yu?" The young man asked one of the passerbys with trepidation in his voice as he unconsciously reached for the mirror shard he always wore around his neck.
The stranger nodded as the branch... no, the root curved down to the cold, unforgiving underground ocean in which large lilypads awaited the travellers.
"But I have nothing for the Judges." The young man protested as his eyes went wide. To dream of this place....
The stranger simply smiled with pointed teeth under the hood. There was something uncanningly familiar about him. This kept bothering Kilik as they stepped on the pad and it floated gently even deeper into the gaping earth. This wasn't part of any teachings of Diyu or Narakas - probably an influence from his English class, he thought to himself - the omens were not favorable.
"Who are you?" He finally asked the stranger. "I feel that I should know you. Are you a me that's suppressed? A teacher from my past?" Or another life, but the last question was not asked - for unlike the followers of Hinduism the past life was not as important as the present self to the Buddhists, whether they were emperor or a common dog.
The stranger pulled down his hood, revealing a face much like his own, though it had seen more years, but otherwise identical right down to the scar. He held tightly onto Kilik's arm as they disembarked. "This way," The stranger instructed in a dialect of Chinese that he had never heard before, but it was still crystal-clear.
Fear gripped Kilik's heart as he stepped into the realm of the dead as the screams of the tortured filled his ears. Though he knew it was no place of eternal damnation, the thought of the punishment of the pounding, the ripping of tongues had him too terrified to even think about breaking the mysterious man's grip, even as the guardians Ox-Head and Horse-Face flanked them as escorts.
I belong here, a tiny voice in his head whispered, I had caused pain and death - I belong here. His eyes started to brim with tears as he was lead by the older doppelganger, whose grip was much gentler now as the scenery became a morbid parade of horror and brutuality that was impossible in the mortal world, the sounds were beastial - like the slobbering gluttony of starving wolves.
"Come before me, Qilike." The voice of Yama boomed out as the monstrous Lord of Di-Yu towered over the tiny human, using the young man's proper name as the minor judges gathered close to examine him, and passed heavy scrolls about - whispering amongst themselves.
No matter what I do, I will be exposed as the horrid person I really am, he thought as Kilik went onto his knees to bow deeply, his forehead touching the ground. But... I should do what I must. He glanced to the stranger, who threw down the musty cloak that concealed him, revealing a muscular physique draped with a saffron hanfu robe, and the Kali-Yuga. But it felt warped, and twisted - like an artifact of evil.
"Arise. You are a student of the Great Buddha, and had spent your life in the temple, devoted to his teachings. Is this not true?"
"Yes, it is true." Kilik stood up, as he tried to avoid the gaze of his older copy. Who is he suppose to be? He wondered as he watched the Judges whisper. Part of him wanted to crawl away with his tail between his legs, but the might of those flaming eyes kept him rooted to the spot.
"Can you recite the most sacred of the sutras - can you tell us the Diamond Sutra?" Yama questioned sternly.
"I..." a cold sweat broke out as the words slipped away like a sieve. "I... I..." The young man stammered as he found no memory of it.
"I can." The copy spoke up, his voice had a gentle, but quiet determination that seemed opposite of the twisted corruption that seemed to ooze from him. "He's just a boy, O Great Lord of the Underworld."
No, no...! Don't help me! Kilik thought with horror as the whispers grew louder and more dismissive. I can't rely on you, or anyone else! I have to be strong!
"If he were one of the faithful, he would know it in his heart of hearts. And you have no place here." Yama made a mark on the long scroll. "Your crimes are his - you cannot vouch for him."
This is still a dream, right...? The young man wondered as the nervous sweat made his reddish hair cling to his skin.
"You, Qilike - you have caused descretration to the temple, you had violated your oath as a Monk to live the life of study, you abandoned the home of your ancestors, you flee from your own responsibilites in sin." The whisperings grew silent. "And you had caused the death of all your fellow Buddhists, even your..." The Lord of Dead paused as Kilik started to cry despite himself. "Sworn sister. Do you deny any of this?"
"No, no..." He whimpered as he covered his face with his hands. "It's true, every bit of it. I'm just a beast...."
"No!" The doppelganger shouted. "Don't say it!" His expression twisted into a vistage of ghoulish horror. "Do not say -!"
"Silence!" The giant turned on the one who dared to speak up. "You cannot stop our Judgement. You allowed this cycle to continue and though I had stayed my hand - this boy will get all that comes from his crimes. He is right, he is a beast."
Kilik could barely registered the strange conversation as creatures swarmed from under the robes of the Judges and bound him hand and foot.
"For cowardiance and for letting rage overcome reason - and the spilling of innocent blood, you will be given a form suitable for your crime. Flay his human skin, and replace it!" The voice echoed in his head as his counterpart screamed in denial.
"No! There has to be another chance! Things will never right itself if you allowed this!" The doppelganger shouted in rage - but was quickly drowned out by Kilik's agnozied screams as whips and hooks fell upon his bare flesh, peeling soft skin from muscule and bone in obscene displays of skill.
Then his bared body burned as something large and fuzzy was drapped over his body, and needles tore through it, stitching what was left of him to this new pelt.
This is a dream, this is a dream, this is a dream... He chanted to himself over and over as the pelt tightened itself around him. Wake up, Kilik, WAKE UP!
Kilik cried out as he fell to the floor with a thud as the lyrics of a song whispered in his ear.
Clang! Clang! Maxwell's silver hammer
Made sure that he was dead.
Whoa, oh, oh Silver hammer,
hahahaha...
The young man groaned as he reached for the stop button. "Oh hell... what was that about?"