The room was bare, save for a few necessities. An uncomfortable bed to sleep on and a basic table to place his belongings were all that decorated the small, spartan room. The only other points of interest were the uncomfortably low ceiling, and some windows to look out at the rest of the village. He had made the cabin when he was young, and it has not changed since then. His wife slept with him on the bed when she was still alive. The only thing missing from this room was her.
With some effort, the door opened. The owner of this house entered, and struggled to shut the door. He was tired. Always tired. When he was young, he had energy. He was looked up to as a hunter, as a builder, and as a man. Those days have long since passed. He didn’t have the energy to chase food, or the strength to carve bone or wood. All that he has now is his wisdom and experience, which all the young men ignore just like he ignored his elders when he was young. Now this generation is doomed to make the same mistakes he did.
He groaned as he inched toward his bed; his bones creaking, and his muscles aching. Another pointless day. He just sat in the middle of the village, telling his stories to anyone who would listen. Which wasn’t very many people. In a tribe this small, everyone has heard every story at least once. And nobody seemed to like his. Men complained as he lived off their work, just like he complained when he had to work extra for his elders when he was young.
He reached the bed, sat down, and groaned down to a sleeping position. Sleep didn’t come easy for him. It never did. So he just laid there, and slowly drifted off…
“What do you want?”
The old man darted up and looked around in fear. Nobody was in his cabin. Nobody would want to be. “A voice from outside”, he reasoned, and laid back down. “It sounded like it came from right next to me”, a voice nagged at the back of his head. It took him a while to get comfortable again.
“What do you want?”
He darted up again. The voice came from right behind him. He wanted to check every corner of his cabin for the voice, but he hurt too much to move. “Who’s there?”, he demanded. Nothing answered him. Paranoid, he laid back down. He spent a few minutes darting his eyes around the room to make sure nothing would attack him, before his weariness overtook him.
“What do you want?”
He started, but didn’t get up this time.
“I don’t have anything of any value. Go away!”
“Nobody wants your stuff, old man. Go to sleep!”
That voice came from outside. His fear was replaced with indignant anger at the youth’s attitude, but he did what she wanted. He turned to his side and closed his eyes. The room around him darkened, and his senses dulled, as he fell asleep.
“What do you want?”
He opened his eyes calmly, and sat up. He was still in his room, everything where it should be. But his walls were gone, and his floor disappeared into darkness. He didn’t notice, though. Nor did he notice the complete lack of pain which normally comes with his movement. Instead, he was calmly looking at a figure in front of him. Far enough that he couldn’t make anything out, but close enough that the figure was unmistakable. It looked like a man. Not tall, or short, or big, or thin. Just, a man. Or maybe a woman. He couldn’t tell from this distance, and it was hard to tell from the voice. The voice wasn’t loud, or soft, or deep, or high. It was just a voice. But he was probably a man.
“You live life in misery, thinking back to your youth. Nobody remembers what you have done for them, and they don’t try to see how useful you still are. Your days are fruitless, and you always hope that something will happen to you. So tell me, what do you hope will happen? What do you want?”
‘Strange man. Asking such a strange question. Is he another indignant youngster making fun of me again?’, the old man thought.
“I want some recognition! I’ve done more than these young fools who think they own the tribe. I’ve fed the tribe for years. The stuff they take for granted and use every day? I built that! They’re still using tools and tricks I developed when I hunted, and they don’t even know who made them! What do I want? Some damn respect!”
The figure smiled gently. Maybe. It felt like he was smiling.
“I can give you the respect you deserve. It’s much simpler to get it than you realize. If you do me a favor, you will have it.”
“Ha. You don’t know what you’re getting in to. How do you expect to get these punks to care about anything but themselves?”
“Again, it is simpler than you realize. I can’t tell you my method, but do me this favor, and you will have your respect.”
The old man scoffed before he spoke. “Ha, fine. Suppose I believe you. What do you want, some kind of treasure or something?”
“Your body.”
Surprise and fear welled up in the old man. He looked around. He realized it was wrong. He realized he was in his bed, but that he could see out into the night’s darkness through the walls. He focused on the man he was talking to, and saw nothing but a shrouded shadow. He finally realized he was dreaming, and started to wake up. The walls of his house formed, until he could only see out into the darkness of the dream through his open door.
“Hold.”
The door didn’t form. He could barely see the man, and barely hear his words.
“If you leave now, you will never get what you want.”
Days filled with disrespect, every waking moment spent in pain, and everything just getting worse until the day he dies. The front wall disappeared again, and he once again had full view of the shadowed man. At his feet slithered snakes and spiders. All around him were prowling beasts. Behind him, great monsters stomped the ground. All had black bodies and red, glowing eyes.
“Do not fear. I haven’t come to hurt you in any way.”
“Don’t lie to me! You want to steal my body! That sounds like you want to hurt me!”
“Not steal. Borrow. I’ve come here for a reason, and I need your body to get what I want. Once I have it, I will leave you in peace. You won’t notice I’m in there, and you will be able to do everything you want, just like you can now. The only difference is, I’ll be able to do what I want, too. And if you don’t like what I’m doing, you can kick me out at any time. So, what do you say? Are you willing to give me a shot?”
The old man’s fear started to subside. The snakes and spiders dug into the ground. The beasts slunk away into their hiding places. The great monsters laid down. And all the old man could see was a harmless cloaked man.
“I won’t notice you’re here?”
“Correct.”
“And I can kick you out at any time?”
“Correct.”
“And these kids will finally acknowledge me?”
“If I’m able to find what I want, you will be beloved by all until the day you die.”
The old man was still doubtful. This seemed like an evil spirit, trying to trick him. But, what would a spirit want from a desperate old man? He would likely die soon. He can’t do anything. If he wanted to steal a body, why not a young man’s? And why would he need to ask permission before taking it?
“A… alright. What do I have to lose?”
“You won’t regret your choice.”
The shadowed man walked towards him. As he passed the threshold of the house, the front wall formed, and the door closed. He walked closer, unobstructed by the bed. He touched the old man’s breast, and his hand went into his heart. The rest of the body followed, until all of the shadow was inside the old man.
He opened his eyes. Light was pouring through the windows. He heard children playing outside, and couples arguing. In no hurry, he took his time getting out of bed. The dream he just had was still fresh in his mind. He checked himself. “I’m all here. No body stolen.” He laughed at his childishness, put on his clothing, and head out to start his day.
He didn’t realize his aches were gone. He didn’t notice the bounce in his step. He didn’t notice the desire to make a good day for himself. And he didn’t notice the burning curiosity eating at him.
Daydreams of an Angel and a Fish
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I liked the dialogue, having an all powerful being speaking as a regular guy just wouldn't work lol.
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