Myth of the Month: Lightnight (2010)

I ran into this guy once who lived behind this near-abandoned, but ruined temple; behind a broken statue of Zaytenera. Crazy, filthy old guy, ate every bit of my food like Kaell! He promised to talk for a smoke, so I lit one and passed it over. He took, pulled out a knife and held the point to his parchment-like chest and said, “say the wrong thing and I’ll kill myself,” and puffed away. “Quick!” He blew a huge cloud of smoke over me. My only thought was for today.

“Lightnight,” I said.

“Frell lightnight and you!” he barked. Hothouse yes, his hand trembled and he pierced himself. No blood ran. He coughed and stabbed himself again and hacked up a wad. I grabbed into my medicine pouch and threw him the whole branch. Damn, but crazy man’ eyes lit up and he grabbed it.

“Lightnight,” I said. That was today. This crazy guy hated today. But he loved pooka! He was no amateur. He spat on it right, did the finger, puffed deep and chanted–I saw it, his lips moved–and drew in old zeezu, yes, and held on to that corrosive intoxicant so he could not speak. And the he had to, or at least, did.

Only an idiot would be out on a night when the whole night sky was flashing bright and dark. I was taking every possible sleazy alley. I tried to just look down. Only a damned idiot would look on the gods’ work! I watched the ground at my red moon shadow that ran and leapt over the familiar garbage debris. When the sky flashed it was like daylight for one, two and almost three running steps. Black shadow, no red shadow! I didn’t slow down. I knew this place. In that crazy time when the stars are falling it’s as good to be fast as to be cautious. So I bashed my toe on some new junk, something wood with splinters. And face planted in the square, and right into… oh, into.. ahh

It, you know, the guard. Knocked him on his ass. I thought it was Maggy when I saw her, you know, but I saw her later. But it was Maggy because I saw that…. well, I can’t say, but it was her all right except she got up and put ….

Well, there as a whole bunch of them there, all silent though and marching past. They were glowing, I know. I looked. They had no shadow. They were all like Maggy, though, wearing that…skin…

I never did it. I heard about it. I saw a guy was smushed by the bison guard so his guts and… well, I saw the Holy Flensers take off his skin before the rest was taken away so I know what a man’s skin looks like. And all those glowing saints marching along there wore them and I swear on her treasure they were dressed like the demons on Khordavu day. I saw the sky. When it went light, the stars were there and they were dark, except the moon. It was white, pure white, and whiter than light for the time of three and a half steps. I don’t remember what went after, but that was the night they call Brightnight now. Everyone loves how the cleansing spirit washed through the empire and took away the foul dynasties with music and nymphs dancing in the street, ooh oooh ooooh, wonderful talking Eggy.

Go away. I’ll never leave here. I don’t remember anything else. No, nothing. I’m putting this into my heart if you ask one more word.

Greg Stafford 27/04/2010 

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