00:02.33 – First Draft

Sunlight glimmers from above but not directly, as the sun has just piqued it’s upper position in the sky; shone on the infants face. Colors abound, and spread in all directions. Blues, red, indigos and the pure white light. All stream across the innocence. Across the pure, pale skin check of this tiny life held in embrace before them. Intricate and delicate fabric, fashioned for this very occasion draped from the delicate body.

Rays of light pierce the overall gray that is the sky. The crisp wind cuts the very tiniest of cracks within the walls. These chill those inside to the slightest degree. Those sitting on the the long, wooden seats; those cold themselves, yet the perceived embrace of the occasion brings warmth to all.

As this, most important right of passage proceeds. Those attending the event focus completely on that which is before them. Outside, the passage of gold, tan, red and blue cars fade. All memories and regrets forgotten.

Trickles of water drip, ceremoniously across the brow of the young child.

—

Proud, tall and thin, he presides over the ship. Such respect his crew has for him, as he has overseen them through times of ordinary existence, awaiting the inevitable or that which will never come. They unquestionably follow him, as his experience and undeniable loyalty to them an the mission never falter.

As those they fight embark upon him and his crew, it becomes clear that that there is no escape from this, the inevitable fate of what lies ahead.

—

Just one of a multitude of scenarios that pass through her mind, for her tiny prince. A respected Naval officer presiding over a crew of substantial adoration. A hero of men, responsible for that which will change the lives of many, for better or worse, but to his best judgement. A man, a husband, a father. That pillar of the family to uphold generations to come.

—

All could have been, she imagines. So much that he could be.

As the sun passes over the, the light moves beyond the windows above. Those individuals presiding over this moment move aside. Without the noonday illumination blanketing the miniscule soul, the lifeless gray returns to his tiny cheeks. The baptismal droplets of water slowly trickle down his tiny head.

She drops to her knees as his small body is placed in the equally small casket. Her mind overcome for the boy, only three days old, and the man she never met, and that he could have been.

Something wasn’t quite right. There he sat with those all around. Those very familiar, and in this case, very close. Yet somehow, they all felt so far away. An eternity away, in fact. The room included himself as well as several dozen of them, but that made no difference now. The world seemed to fade around him. With every long exhale, the darkness swelled around his field of vision; suffocating it, slowly and almost unnoticeably until all that was visible was the small point of light in front of him.

His heart beat with such intensity within him that he found it odd that he managed to somehow hold on to consciousness at all. He clutched the wood within his hand before him, fighting back the dread of what was to come. This experience was difficult enough to cope with, even though he wasn’t quite sure why. Something important was lost, but he felt that it may have been years before. Again, a moment of clarity, minus the racing thoughts, and the feeling of immediate dread once again overcomes. Only he knows the agonizing sorry about to be forced upon those around him. Like a full glass tipped to it’s side, he feels his soul has been poured into this. More appropriately, at this point anyway, like a full glass tipped over into a vast sea. Slight disruption, but instantly, the larger body absorbs the flow. As if it never occurred. Such is the way of the world, and indeed the way of life.

Again, the apprehension. Utter joy and remembrance, coupled with the reality before them. He fears the reaction of them, but more importantly, he is concerned of his own. How will that affect them? Why has he done this? It seemed so appropriate just days before, but now? He wonders. And worries. He worries of this creation and the result. The reality is that it was the only way for him to cope, yet he has yet to understand this.

His heart is nearly leaping out of his chest by now. And it begins.

This creation of his.

This will become what it will. In due time.  It is already here, if you know the secret.
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