- On the Outskirts of Town – Atop the Hill
- The town still sleeps beneath a blanket of mist, the first rays of sunlight struggling to break through the morning blur. No footsteps echo across the empty roads, but for one. A young man stands alone at the top of the hill, looking down at the world below with distant eyes. Just one man reminiscing.
Unknown:
This is my place. I've spent most of my life alone. Though it would be nice to have people around, I never bother keeping them close. Everyone drifts away in the end. Besides, a truly content man should be fine with solitude, even if it's for an eternity.
- The man lets out a quiet breath, watching it disappear into the cold air.
Unknown:
Even if I don't care about having people to talk to, I don't care about the other things people chase either – riches, fame, love, skill. Even if I had all of them, what then? Billions have lived that story. Billions more have lived its opposite.
So, is repetition the point of life? Or is that the punchline of a comedy unheard of?
- Tired of his thoughts, the man falls silent. The sun now rises over the distant mountains. The man stretches while enjoying the view and, under deep breaths, he continues to speak, his heart beat now steadily rising.
Unknown:
If this is all life has to offer, then I see no meaning in it.
- The man looks towards the rising sun. He sighed.
Unknown:
Why would life be this shallow?
I just wish I could go beyond this all. To ascend beyond the limits of being human. The first person to do that – truly, not through imitation or illusion – they'd be the only one to succeed at life.
- The man looks at his hands. He clenches them into a fist.
Unknown:
But that can't be done. No one has achieved it – not the strongest, the wisest, the richest, or the most righteous. At best, there have only been imitations or illusions of ascension.
- The man takes a step back from the edge. Then another. His breaths grow sharper as he breaks into a sprint, his feet stomping the earth beneath him. The edge of the cliff rushes closer. And then he leaps.
- The man feels as if he's touched the sky, feeling free in that moment. As he now descends, he continues...
Unknown (in thought):
I wish I didn't have to resort to this. I wanted life to be more. So much more.
- The man has nothing more to say. The world seemingly silent. But this silence is disrupted by an unknown voice rapidly heading towards the man's ears.
Unknown Voice:
Greetings, human. We have found us!
The man has no time to turn around and react. He meets the ground.