As some lights of warped grandeur polluted the air he breathed, his mind, body and screams were liquefied by the bend of reality that tore his being and restitched it whole. His fingers elongated and stretched longer than his body, his beard hairs turned to cat fur, his glorious robes were transmogrified into snake skin. It was as if he took a mushroom of magical properties.
[Oldman: AAHHH! WHat iS haPPEning tooo Me!!?]
He could feel himself moving faster and faster, utter panic betook him. A sploshing sound was made as his form hit a solid structure.
[Oldman: Brrr... Hagh... *sniffle*...]
He was in utter darkness, the only light was the heat he emitted, alas, he could not see that either. His head turned to and fro, from left to right. Feeling as if his observations were going nowhere, he rubbed his head and clicked his tongue [*Tt*].
[Oldman: Hmm... What a predicament. Where am I? Before I ask that question, I should first evaluate if I will get an answer. I can deduce that I am in a place that other humans inhabit, by virtue that I can breath the air. Since I talk out loud, that means that my voice is audible, so one might be able to hear me. I feel no wind, so I must be inside, and hearing as there is no sound, I can assume that I am in seclusion. So to ask where I am is a moot thing to do. Nevertheless, I shall ask. Where am I?]
Consumed in pitch ebony, he ran his fingers through his silky white beard as he sat cross legged in contemplation. Until, in front of him, a door creaked open, and some white light pervaded its cracks. [How curious...] He thought, but he did not get up.
[Oldman: Do you think me mad, whoever you are? What if there is no ground past where I stand? But instead empty space or spikes with poison. I know not how I got here, but I will not fall for your trap.]
Through the crack in space, the intensity of the light grew more and opened the door ever so more. Now it was a rectangle of pure white light, illuminating the floor.
[Oldman: Hmm... I suppose it would not hurt to venture past this plane of boredom.]
And so he got up, and walked towards this shape of light. Stepped through a second later and a massive round of applause met him.
[Oldman: Wherefore is there applause? And why am I on a stage? What manner of place is this?]
[???: Welcommmmme! Tooooooo! The Talent Extravaganza!!! I'm your host, 'Big H'!!!]
The applause grew louder and screams of the audience deafened the elder slightly. He just stood there blank faced in the dark room. Only a spotlight was on his being, the rest of the place was dark to the eyes.
[Big H: Welcome our first contender! eehhh... What is his name again?]
[???: We don't know, he's never said it...]
The voices from unknown sources whispered in contrast to the grandiose entrance Big H set up.
[Big H: What do you mean he's never said his name?]
[???: Don't look at me, his author's never brought it up, they just call him elder or Oldman.]
[Big H: The hell... you know what, never mind.]
To his normal voice he spake again.
[Big H: Welcome our first contender! The Oldman!!!]
Rains of roses fell to his feet, but the elder exhaled unimpressed.
[Oldman: Why am I here? (Is an answer so hard to get in these parts?)]
[Big H: Oldman! This is a Talent Show Extravaganza!!! And we transported you from your story, in case you wanted to know why you're here, it's hard to explain.]
[Oldman: What realm is this?]
[Big H: This is the realm of Penana!]
The elder scoffed.
[Oldman: Look, I am in a hurry, I have a country to save. I'll just read you a poem and get out of here, is that it?]
[Big H: Uhhh, yeah... Way to take the fun out of it... But the stage is all yours!!!]
[Oldman: *sigh* So be it. Now, I warn you that I am incredible at the art of poetry! I am known to be the best in the realm... according to myself... But not the point! I have journeyed far from my-]
He continued to ramble on for five more minutes, the audience was long silent.
[Oldman: To save the world from the clutches of the Deity of Depression, the Li-]
[Big H: You can start anytime Oldman...]
[Oldman: Start what?]
[Big H: . . . Your... Poetry.]
[Oldman: ... Ah... Yes. This one is entitled, 'When the sun screams'. You will enjoy it. T'is aTezra Rima.]
-When the Sun Screams-
.
Wo, when I scream, who is there to hear?
Who to witness this burden,
And cry at my despair?
.
Alone, secluded, in a cage I am trapped in.
A void of no hope nor light.
Not brave at all, am I a product of sin?
.
No, I am a product of fright.
Scalding heat along my frame,
I cry throughout the night.
.
Who out there knows my name,
And prays for my reprieve.
Who out there wants my fame?
.
Take it along with its grief.
I burn and starve and nearly die,
I only wish my life were less than brief.
.
Please take my curse, I’ll watch you cry.
To see you burn in my place gives glee,
But alas, my fate is all too wry.
[Big H: Uhhh... well, that was... Happy?]
[Oldman: What do you mean? This was not a happ-... Where is my applause? Wherefore is there no applause? Was it not good enough?]
[Big H: The way things work is that the contestants display their talent and then the audience takes it all in to give a response after the performance.]
[Oldman: ...]
[Big H: ...]
[Oldman: ... I just wasted my time. Take me back to my realm. Besides, how will I know if I won?]
[Big H: There will be a sign if your God decides to tell you. By the way, if you would be so kind as to step into the portal to your left.]
The elder mumbled some words that were not suitable for the children in the audience and stood right at the portal that could swallow his body. He could feel it sucking him in, but before he stepped in he remembered.
[Oldman: What did you mean by I was taken from mY stOryyYYyYy!!!]
He was forcefully sucked through the vacuum and plopped out of existence.
[Big H: With poetry like that, no wonder his world has a deity of depression...]
[???: We're still on air.]
[Big H: Oh yes! What a poem, eh folks!? That was the Oldman from 'A Journey to Adafus!' To see where his story goes, you can just go to his book! We now welcome the next challenger! On! The Talent Show Extravaganza!!!]
*From Author*
1241Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEJF0JqTIgj
This was a lot of fun, including that shameless plug. You can check out the full story of the Oldman in my book 'A Journey to Adafus'. I think it'd be cool if every plopped their characters into this mysterious dimension to showcase their talents, like making it a real thing, but that's just my selfish thinking! Thanks for reading!
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