MorningSun

The Temple seemed like it was at one point a pentacle of Worship, Community, and Grandeur. It's arching windows telling of the once stained glass art that would have resided there, mosaic tiles cracked and losing their once vibrant stories. Now this place was nothing but hollow, its insides as dark as the outside. A crescent moon in the shape of a chesire cat's grin the only light illuminating it's outline. But a flicker is seen from the inside, weak, but there.

Upon entering the Temple its even more sad as you see it's walls cracked, vines climbing and breaking the walls apart even more. A few startled birds take off in fright upon the new presence, their wing beats echoing in the Temple's silence. The light from before, a little stronger is further back. Stepping over rotten wood and discarded books so old and unloved their pages lay almost blank, smudges of their once great stories lost to the elements. Rounding the corer the light is brighter, almost comforting if not for it's source.

Candles, dozens of them, flicker lowly in the dark room. Their wax dripping down and covering an array of items from books, treasure, and even some skulls. Their colors dulled by the low light is a single coatl with their back to you. A soft hum is heard reverberating off the smaller rooms walls. This humming dies down as you come in further, unsure if you should feel afraid or guilty for interrupting whatever this was.

"You come seeking council?" Her voice is hollow but also sounds annoyed. You have traveled a long way and feel slight agitation with her tone of voice. "I do not provide council....not anymore." A question lingers on your tongue but you are unsure if it is worth it, she does not seem to think you worthy enough for it.

She seems to be ignoring you now, flipping through a book. How was she seeing in this terrible lighting? You move closer, determined to have her look at you. But as you come closer you notice a shawl covering her eyes. Her head tilts, moving slightly to look at you. There are no eyes, just cloth, but still you feel her stare. It's unsettling.

"Don't always trust what your eyes tell you." She chuckles, going back to her book. You also look down and look in confusion, there is nothing on this book. No words, no pictures, not even any bumps. But the coatl still turns the page. Was she crazy? Was she lying? You stumble back as the coatl's feathers suddenly fluff up, anger vibrating off of her.

"Do not think such things of something you do not know!" You startle, backing up, but not before you look abck down at the book and fear catches in your chest. Suddenly there are pictures on those pages. And not just any pictures, they are pictures of you and your life, shards of your memories seem splattered across those pages. The coatl snarls again and angrily flips a few more pages, more and more of your past flying by.

"I know you, I know what you have done and what you will do. All the evil in you, all that madness." The book is slammed closed, the wind from the harsh closing snuffing out some of the candles. Now the light is even lower, shadows longer. You scramble back as she stalks towards you, hissing in anger. You stumble back out into the main part of the temple, trying to escape. Now with more room she lunges at you, shrieking. Closing your eyes, you prepare for her attack.......only to never feel a thing. Slowly opening you eyes you do not see her anymore, instead a small stream of natural sunlight is coming in through the cracks in the temple wall. Scared but frantic you run back to the room, only to stop and stare. There was nothing in that room, no candles, no treasure, no skulls, or books. Everything was gone, even the coatl.

A chill runs up your spine as the ghost of a whisper passes your ears, gently reminding you 'Don't always trust what your eyes tell you.'

Maybe you were going mad?