I wrote this about 7 months ago fro creative writing class.....enjoy!

“The Maelstrom” As he approached the plateau, he could feel it. There was a sense of moisture in the air; he could taste it…the Maelstrom was approaching, far from the west.... With a disappointed grunt, he ambled back to the village hut. As he walked, thoughts flashed through his head. What would he tell the people? This storm had been predicted for years, and legends told of this…Maelstrom… as an angry, evil spirit, threatening to destroy everything in its path! It had uprooted his people’s homeland, had made Nomads out of them, over a millennia ago. The past 100 years were peaceful, however, as the threat became folklore, and as his people gradually settled near the edge of the plateau again. As the years went by, the population had exploded, and what was once a weary group of a few hundred became a village of thousands.

He remembered the tales his grandmother would tell to him, as a child, to scare him away from the plateau! of course, being the adventurous type, he wasn’t stopped from going out and seeking that dreaded menace…oh, how he longed for his warm bed…if only he had known then, that the Maelstrom was, in fact, very real! Sarda was tall, dark, and slightly moist from the mist that seemed to now envelope the valley. His face was full of youthful exuberance, as he was not more then 20, but a vital part of his village nevertheless, as was everyone within…All the people worked together in this village, and a sense of community was felt very strongly, and emphasized greatly through the lives of his people. He made it to the edge of the gate, still stressed over the incoming threat. Dark clouds closed in ominously, and a brisk wind began to blow, as he hurried to the Hut. “Sarda? Is that you?” Came a voice from inside. He peered inside the hut. “Yes, I have returned.” Spoke Sarda in a deep voice not marred by the strains of adolescence... “Well…?” the voice inquired. Sarda sighed. “It looks like it’s actually going to happen…”

“Confound it!” replied the elder. He was not a man to quickly rise to anger, but in such extreme instance, he could not control his emotions. “This…Maelstrom…it will destroy us ALL! Just like the legend said…you remember, the legend, sarda~” and the Elder was cut off with an approving grunt from Sarda. “Yes, I have heard the story many times.” The elder paced the floor while Sarda recited the legend of the Mikanicos people, passed down generation to generation, by way of mouth. His voice became foreboding, as was the mood of the story, which had been nothing more than a faerie tale, distorted by time. But now, seemed all too real. He had heard it many times before… “Long ago, humans populated the earth technology was abundant…mankind had the world in the palm of his hand…. And then, the sky fell…white fire and came crashing down…the gods thundered and hurled chunks of cold stone, and wind, and all civilization was destroyed…” voice suddenly took a more mature tone, as he assessed the validity of the situation. “Everything was destroyed, everyone killed….the earth became a shattered realm, and there was almost no life…save for a few survivors, who were our ancestors.” The old man sighed. “If such propechcy is true, than we have no choice. We must try to escape...there MUST be a way……”

Sarda stood up, alert at a sudden sound outside the door of the hut. A figure entered, crouched over from the pressure outside. The figure could not be made out at a distance, but stumbled toward Sarda, and then fell down, whimpering. It appeared to be in the shape of an wild dog…it’s deep black hair covered with white patches, it’s eyes watering…”Phobos? PHOBOS!” Sarda jumped up, and ran over to the stricken canine. “phobos, m’boy, answer me!” the only reply was a low whine from the creature as it recognized Sarda and begged to be put out of his misery…Sarda picked up the dog, and put it on the magic chair that was created a thousand years ago, before the Maelstrom. There were scant few artifacts that had withstood the Great Destruction, but they were hardy and useful. This magic chair, for instance, looked like an ordinary, comfortable chair. But, when a certain button was pressed, it vibrated, much to the delight of the survivors of the Maelstrom. It was the Elder’s chair, who received it from his father, the elder Elder. Sarda pressed the button on the magic chair, and it began to work its magic. The Dog respond responded with a low “yip”, and fell asleep.

“This must mean it is upon us…I cant believe all this time the prophecies were true..” said the old man in a raspy voice…Sarda stroked the sleeping dog, and then went over to the door of the hut, and peered outside. A fierce wind blew, and all was covered in white. He could not see anything past his nose, and the stinging sensation he felt against his face surprised him. A pain unlike any other he faced before shot up his spine, turning his blood cold. “GYAHH!” he shut the door in agony. “My FACE!” the old man picked up a magic bag, another remnant of the Destruction, and approached the terrified Sarda. “Drink this, and you will feel better.” Sarda gulped down the liquid eagerly. It was marked, in bold letters of the Ancient alphabet: C-O-F-F-E-E. He began to feel better instantly. “By the way, old man….” “Yes?” came the response. “Just what is that edifice that killed off our people and is slowly destroying all life? What IS the Maelstrom?”

The elder got up and looked out the window. He could see the other huts being torn apart and the whiteness piling up outside...”Umm...Sir?” interjected Sarda. “The death of humanity…. The ancient ones had a name for it…Snow….” The elder remarked, in a low, calm voice that chilled the spine. And both were silent. Outside, the only sounds were the horrible force of the wind, mixed in with an occasional scream that dissipated shortly thereafter, never to be heard again…and it snowed….and the remnant of the city that was once called “New York”, but now just a memory…in the year 3203….but, time ceases to exist…as whiteness covers all….all is gone, all forgotten….and, it continued to snow….

-- Davey Rootbeer (yankeefans2@juno.com), July 20, 2002

Answers

Good material for a novel.

-- Kant (kant@kant.com), July 20, 2002.

It reads like a computer game on the snes, no prizes for guessing what your ambition is,.. so Davey did I do it, did I complete the game yet, did I?

-- Mark (fay_mark@hotmail.com), July 22, 2002.

Excellent, Davey...highly dramatic. The poor dog! :) There were a few grammatical and punctuation errors, but nothing that can't easily be ironed out.

-- Freya Lorelei (freya2000@aol.com), July 22, 2002.