Short Story: Curiosity killed the cat

It’s been a day since the attacks started. From our city, we felt the thunder through the ground, like a far off sigh of a mighty rock as it descends a mountainside.  If we had realised what was to come, well, I don’t know what we would have done, but perhaps we wouldn’t be hiding in fear now. Perhaps we would have at least investigated, but oh no, the gods are angry, we better hide until they are happy again.

The second wave of attacks were much closer, much scarier. Four cities were annihilated, in a matter of seconds, buried under the weight of a god’s hot breath. And then there was the ground, shaking as if enraged by some unknown force, before an unworldly calm fell upon us all.

I will sleep now. I am only keeping this journal because it seems like the thing to do. If we are to be extinguished, I have no idea who will ever read it but you never know. I can’t bear the thought of leaving nothing behind.

—

I can’t believe what I have just seen! We are all in shock! The leaders are running in all directions at once but there is just no other explanation – the gods have visited us! I never believed, not really, but this! It is as if the Universe has compressed itself and now sits astride our civilisation.

We are going out to get closer to it – the windships will let us see more! I am so excited!

—

Three days now and still  there are no windships flying – there is no wind. The gods are blocking the way. They clearly don’t want us to see their true intentions. I sneak out from the city edge to stare at the beast but I am none the wiser.

—

I saw it move! Gracefully and with some speed, the gods slid, first one way and then back again! It was so exciting!

Apparently three more cities were destroyed by the gods’ device. Our capital has been flattened by this unstoppable force.

I cannot stop myself from shaking with rage and wishing for the horror to end. At the same time, I have a feeling that it is not over yet.

Who will save our race, when the gods themselves are determined to obliterate us?

—

It has been three days since my last note and there has been no destruction. Have the gods given up? I doubt it. Pessimistic I know, but any optimism in me has been blasted out.

—

Nothing had happened for some days and then – blam! One of the mountains on our far range destroyed in an instant! We don’t know why it survived one the four heat attacks from the first day this nightmare begun but its days were clearly in short supply from that moment on. The gods weren’t pleased with either it, or the colonies on it. I knew something had happened when there was another violent shake that had everyone running underground. And the noise! The sudden rush of  boulders, scattering houses as if they were grains of sand. None of us can take much more of this.

—

I am writing fast – the animal of the gods is approaching, slowly for maximum cruelty, no doubt. They know we can’t run THAT fast, we are lost. I can see the black edge of the turning wheel – it has reached the city perimeter. It has been barely slowed by our towers and bridges. It is coming, our time is over. Whoever finds this – we were slaughtered! Revenge will be futile. I will draw the markings from death’s side so that the future might now what happened in the past. But let history record that we, the sole inhabitants of this rock, the proud Cat race, will never die.

The gods are upon me…

-oOo-

Author’s ramblings:

This is an excuse to use the 3-d picture of Mars from Curiosity (http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/msl/multimedia/pia16140.html if you want the full sized picture) and dust off the red/blue 3-d glasses. Oh, and to use some wordplay for the title, as if an excuse was ever needed.