When Life met Death

Every living creature on the planet wants to survive. Every living creature is programmed to push further its species.  But why? Why is everything the way it is? Why does evolution take place? What purpose does all this serve? What is life anyway? So many questions and so less answers. So here's another story out of fiction.

                                                        When Life met Death

A long time ago there was a craftsman, envied throughout the like and hated by the inconspicuous. Some considered his powers to be a gift but many related it to the curse set upon his father – The Caliph – when he had set out to do things that aren’t to be named. But just like the clown that grows up in an unhappy setup, he knew the power of darkness. He locked himself up in a room and after eons still he created something that should not have existed – an ether – trapped in glass.

The strange smell at first enticed the entire race into a trance, but the wise knew it meant trouble, and against the power of the Caliph, he was sentenced to be dispersed forever into the darkness, never to reincarnate. But the Caliph could not stand this, he turned against the wise, ordering his son to run away and never look back as he dashed into the far-far lands. The craftsman found refuge on a sphere floating amidst the darkness. He knew he couldn’t stay there for long, so he smashed the glass and dispersed the ether all over.

May you be the light that darkness fears,

May you prosper and never shed tears,

May you unite all with rebellion in their hearts,

And may you bear witness of the wise as they depart.

The ether was engrossed into the sphere, and no trace of it or the craftsman could be found by the experts. The search was declared null and they were assumed to be lost in the wild darkness. Dark was the entity that did not interfere with the wise, because the wise did not interfere with it. It had been there a long time before news of existence of powerful spirits broke out. There were no shadows in the spirit world, no darkness. But Dark had always owned everything that was ever heard of. It craved for the spirit world more than anything else, but it was weak, for there were no shadows!

Years of silence followed a cry deep in space. It was the birth of a new entity – something unheard of yet; it was the gift of the craftsman; it was Life! Life was weak, but it smelt of ether. It was a beautiful creation, but what is beauty without any to admire it? A weak, helpless child of ambition and aspiration, crawling on the island of nothingness; It could never have made it but for the nourishment of the Dark. Darkness was taking a risk, for it knew not what this new power was! But the ether was strong, not even evil could stand against its temptation. When he first looked into Life, he realised how powerful it was. All the wonders it was to do in the future flashed before him in a go. He knew what Life could do and more importantly, he knew what Life could do for him! Though out of greed, he picked up Life and took great care of it. Sometimes right done for the wrong reason can make all the difference in the world.

Years passed and Dark taught Life all that it was meant to learn, all which was necessary to survive, but none that could prove to be a threat in the distant future. It wiped parts of itself to create light and with light came all the other constituents. Life could sustain on its own now. All Dark had to do was wait now. It decided to make a pact with life before disappearing away.

All that you are, all that you will be

Is not a miracle, but evidence of my pity.

You are in debt, you shall repay me

Only when I ask of you, and not when you see.

I give you the world to rule, all that’s in it,

See for yourself, this is where you fit.

But not you soar high in ambition,

Here, I give you Death, my sole creation.

It shall bind you, it shall bury you

But from stone and sand you shall start anew.

Only to be buried again,

Because you are bound to an unending end.

Advance! Go on! Do not look back!

Hush! Walk alone now, this is your track.

                Dark vanished away into eternity only to return when the time is right. Life began its journey ahead not to look back in time. Since then, Life has been waiting for its master, one that promised to return, the other that Life is oblivious of. Life stumbles and falls, but it rises back stronger. It is born every day, it struggles every day, and it dies every day, because it has been ordered to do so. A long life can give way to ambiguities that weren’t meant for it by Dark, hence it follows the humdrum. But every cycle teaches something new; every new learning is stacked one over the previous; and Dark awaits for the day the cistern is full with learnings.

Till that day life has to crawl, life has to fly, life has to see and life has to learn. Every form of it is involved in the process; from reptiles to amphibians, from vertebrates to insects. All breathe and live and pass life onto the next generation, so that they can do the same. But when did all this start? Perhaps the deepest and most intriguing secrets open only to a dull reality. Perhaps the monotony of life is meant to be. Perhaps the purpose of life is to wait. Or perhaps, life is only a dream that death awakens!