It appeared as an insignificant speck
on the horizon, nothing more than a minor curiosity for the workers
and sailors on the dock. Soon the speck began to resolve itself as
something more than a minor distraction as whatever it was ate of the
distance between 'here' and 'there'. What resolved into clarity first
was a tune floating on the breeze, instantly enchanting yet
completely forgettable. Listeners could tell you they enjoyed it, yet
were unable to describe a single aspect of what they heard.
After an hour it became apparent that
the speck was an island, wreathed in a mist that gave off a
'pleasant' scent that was immediately recognizable as artificial.
Soon the entire town was bathed in the island's perfume, everything
from garbage to other perfumes taking on it's unique scent. The
island appeared to be a black sphere with intermittent holograms
sputtering in it's orbit. Strange names and logos rotated around it's
equator, advertising: Tellus Enterprises, Enron Energies, Omni
Entertainment, Pentex, and many other strange names. Atop the sphere were numerous black towers, resembling the great cities of before the
fall; the size of the small city atop the ball being roughly the size
and Aunois.
The sphere placidly floated
closer and closer to the city, until it was directly over its center.
The sphere keeping an altitude of a couple thousand feet then came to
a complete stop before dropping from its southern pole a glimmering
object. The object fell to earth quickly, reaching its terminal
velocity before creating a depression right before the gates of the
palace.
The glimmering object was a silver
angel, dressed in a business suit with a television replacing its
head. Attached to the back of the angel statue was a black chain made
of perfectly square links leading back to the island high above. The
screen of the television flickered, showing a picture of a man
wearing feathers atop his head, then a color picture of a man dress
much like the angel aside from the silver.
“Hello folks, I'm Peter Culliford,
but you can call me Uncle Pete. I'm here today to present you with a
new way of life, an EASY way of life. All of the companies in our
little family are here to give you a way to get EVERYTHING you want,
without the hassle you are used to. Pretty soon representatives from
our family will be descending to show you how to stop working and
start living. Just stay tuned friends, there are great changes ahead
for your future.” The man on the television said, his tone
practiced, his smile soulless. With his statement complete, the man
just stood on the screen smiling, one might think that it was just a
still picture save for the occasional shift of the figure.
Soon a rain of fliers came floating
from the sky, advertising all the knickknacks and trinkets to make
the citizens happy. Soon a stainless steel elevator, without supports
of any kind, floated down as well letting loose four businessmen with
televisions for heads. The masses of the city cheered while the wise
fretted along the periphery at the sight of the newcomers.
And lo! They shall come forth with
smiles and circuses, offering ease and pleasure. With every kindness,
a theft. With every luxury, a new silence in the forest. - The
Book of Seth
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