No one in the village had seen the stars for a hundred years- until the night Charlie disappeared.
That night turned out to be a long cold night but the brilliant radiance of the stars on their galaxy above, occupied the hearts of the villagers.
No one would forget that day in a hurry. Charlie, son of the village head, was gone without a trace.
He was last seen with a knapsack and a broad smile on his face. He waved at everyone and boldly declared that he was going for an adventure. A place no one knew about.
He spoke about how dissatisfied he was being cupped up inside the cave. He chose to leave, even against the wishes of his mother, the village chief.
Charlie didn't know. He didn't understand what the village of Iduu hid in caves for many years even before he was born.
How could he understand?
The stories passed down had long since lost its dangerous undertone. Now, it has become more of a bedtime tale rather than a legend.
The village of Iduu barely survived the plague that ravaged the Earth. Only by a miracle was a cave found that was hospitable to accommodate the villagers.
A law was set in stone that no one was to ever leave the cave and the ancestors all agree, signing the oath with blood.
Now over a hundred years and Charlie seemed like a saviour. One who would usher in the light into the dark world of his villagers
“Are they ready for this change yet?”
“Or will this cause more harm to befall the people of Iduu?”
“No one knows”...but Charlie was persistent.
That night he left. His bamboo bed was left cold and bare, bereft of the warmth from a human body.
Warriors were sent in search of him but no one dared to pass through the threshold of the cave. Only with the claim of more lives did they brave the door of the cave and into the outside world.
Other villagers followed behind wanting to see if the old legend was true. But seeing the soldiers still alive, many of them also braved the door into the clear bright sky.
The gasps of awe and wonder could be heard for miles. The villagers of Iduu had just found a breakthrough. They saw many lights up in the sky and these tiny lights sparkled before their eyes.
They craved it yet it was unreachable. The lights could not be touched and they stood in awe of it.
It's been days now and Charlie was yet to return home. The villagers had now made a new unspoken rule….
They would all go out at night to see the light and pray for Charlie's safe return home.
Thank you all for reading.
Images were imagined with Meta Ai.
