The Pale Horseman

[mydoom.exe 5,154]

And I looked, and behold, a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the Earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the Earth.

 

~Revelations 6:8

 

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The 21st year of Our Lord, His Highness King Edward III

 

It is a crisp June morning in London, England. The Feast of Saint John the Baptist is in sixteen days, and the town is preparing it's festivities already. Walking along the crowded streets, the blacksmiths are hard at work, toiling for those who continuously cry out, 'Iron, iron for the Feast!'. The monks, too, are busy, attempting to teach Christianity to the desperate poor, who clamor at the church doors only for the free food the friars and Franciscans give. Many are converted, although mayhap because of hallucinations onset by hunger. Then again, I cannot blame them - everyone is hungry, even the nobles. It has been another poor harvest this year, and the peasants are hard-hit by famine. However, any chance of even a rebellious thought is crushed by the many soldiers and horsemen swarming the streets. Those who do not, or cannot, get out of their way is accused of high treason against an imperial officer and sent immediately to the gallows. None help, for fear of being persecuted themselves.

 

I digress, however, because even through all his setbacks, King Edward III is a good king. He has transformed our small island nation into a military power to be reckoned with, for the battles of both Crecy and Calais against King Philip VI still sting sharp in the minds of the French. However, we were helped by an unknown factor at the time - the pestilence the French fear, and know as "Le noige noir de l'Italie" - The Black Cloud of Italy. A fearful wrath of a disease that strikes down the strong, the weak, the nobles, and the monks. Nobody is safe, and although the good English people still celebrate our victories, I fear for the worst - that the Black Cloud, or Death, shall turn its vile head towards us, and strike when we are feasting in the name of Saint John. It has ravaged Italy, ravaged France, started a trail of death in Germany, and it can only be a matter of time before we are affected. I conclude this report of the day, and I pray to the good Lord that we are spared. ~Giles the Elder

 

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October has come, and with it, the great pestilence. Giles the Elder has died. But then again, that isn't very surprising - it seems that half of London is either dead or dying. The forsaken thought Giles had forseen, has come about, and through the hand of God. Giles had beckoned me to come closer on his deathbed, and he told me a terrifying account:

 

Nearing the end of August, Giles had met a stranger on the road to a monastery. The stranger was inhumanely pale, and he rode on a horse the same shade of pale. And he spoke to Giles this:

 

"Hail, Giles the Elder, servant of God, and soon to meet Him."

 

Giles faced the stranger and asked him why he spoke about death at a cheery time of year.

 

"I speak of death on any time of year, for I am He. I have been called here by He who you call your master, for a great many lives are to be taken by me."

 

Giles turned to face the stranger, but there was no-one to be found, save for the wild hares, who all were fleeing from the site.

 

On that day, London was hit by the pestilence, and Giles with it.

 

I write this three days after the account, and perhaps by the time this document is found, I will have passed as well.

 

Thus ends my own report. ~Darius

 

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One week later

 

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London is unrecognizable. Dead bodies litter the ground like fallen leaves, and the water wells are clogged by the sheer amount of those who have died. The pestilence ravages even the countryside to which the great lords and nobles have fled. The buildings are in disrepair, and the great church which had been crowded with happy people just a mere month ago is worn down by the hands of time. Those who have survived are being picked off, bit by bit, and yet, even through this dark mire of death, London is beautiful. Birds which were chased away by children are flocking back, and the sky, now clear of smoke, is clearer than the reality of the future of Europe. Europe is dying, and humanity with it, but where we are gone, nature bounds in and fills the hole. The silence, once eerie to the city folk, is now almost calming, peaceful, with the occasional chirps and hoots of the wildlife inhabiting this once-proud city of men. The pale horseman of which Darius and Giles spoke of has never once appeared to human sight, and so has been dismissed as a hoax. However, there was one incident in which I truly believe the horseman was involved. A short while ago, the usual grunts and snorts of the animals were silenced for an hour or so. When I was sent to investigate, I saw a pale man, smiling and feeding the feral pigs from his hand. There was a ring of animals, both hunters and hunted, watching him silently and peacefully. I approached, and he turned to me and said this:

 

"Do you see? Humanity has robbed much from nature, but I have given much back. You can learn from this lesson, and live alongside your eternal Mother, rather than against it."

 

He smiled once more, stood up, then left for the forest edge. I tried to follow, but the animals blocked the way, not out of anger, but as a peaceful blockade. When the man had gone out of sight, they cleared the way, and I tried to trace his footsteps to see who he was and where he lived. My efforts were in vain, however, since the footsteps got fainter and fainter, and eventually disappeared altogether. I returned to the village and recanted what I had seen, but none believed.  I led them to the place I went, but behold, there was nothing except for a small patch of grass, and a small stream of what was undoubtedly pure water.

 

I had met Death himself, but rather than being a furious force of destruction, Death was a peaceful force of change. I pray that whoever reads this will learn from the lesson we have learned, and will shape humanity for the better, lest a calamity like the Pestilence happen again.

 

Thus ends my report, as only a nameless monk.

 

 

This is my very best work yet by far. I decided to write this for you guys because:

 

1. The Earth is in danger. Wake up.

2. You asked, you got it. <3

 

Thus ends my report, as Abbadoom. #SAVETHEEARTH

[Quarks 2,255]

Nice not so subtle undertones, a fantastic read.

[BlueDragon_tamki 3,204]

Oops bad reading I read "Death... and... Hell... are behind me"

So I looked behind me

[BlueDragon_tamki 3,204]

That... Is... So.. Touching...

 

Nice work! :) really enjoyed it

[smarty147 171]

love it. revelations is my fav book.

[mydoom.exe 5,154]

love it. revelations is my fav book.

Bible quotes always help give a feeling of foreboding to a story. ;D

[BlueDragon_tamki 3,204]

Bible quotes always help give a feeling of foreboding to a story. ;D

that is true