Dreams That Forsake Their Host Extract
Half an hour disappeared, with us scrambling forward, our excitement building with each step. The rainbow now loomed almost above us, and – unlike most of its kind – hadn’t diminished in hue. In fact, it fairly dominated the sky, blazing like a gemstone necklace adorning a God.
“Captain,” said Irvin, breathing hard. “You still haven’t taken any pictures.”
I stopped climbing momentarily and looked at my camera. “So I haven’t. Hmm…it seems almost too pure a thing to try and capture on film.”
My poetry surprised me, but Irvin instantly nodded in understanding, lunging past me into a narrow ravine. He quickly disappeared from view, and I heard a sharp exclamation. “Ah! Captain, I don’t believe it! We’ve found the base. My God, what a sight!”
His excitement was infectious, so I ran after him through the rocky passage and out into a strange, silent place. Irvin stood to my left, staring at the rainbow with tears in his eyes, and beyond him was a dip in the plain, like a giant step. Below that was a small stream, that passed us from west to east, intersecting our passage like a medieval moat. Beyond…well beyond was the rainbow, or at least the part of it that sank into a patch of ground more fertile than any I’d ever seen.
“What the hell is this?” I ghosted up to Irvin, who still stared, struck dumb by the spectacle. “Irvin? We’ve found one…I didn’t expect it to be quite as glorious as this!”
“We shouldn’t be here.” His voice was peculiarly afraid. “We really shouldn’t be witnessing this, captain.”
I laughed, incredulous. “What are you talking about? This is great − a once in a lifetime opportunity.” I took a step forward. “Come on, let’s take a closer look.”
The rainbow called me – this sweeping anomaly of Nature was so pure that it was irresistible to us ‘tainted’ humans. I wanted to sit and bask in its glory forever, to drink in the colour until my soul was full. But again Irvin’s voice cut into my wonder, and it sounded full of dread.
“Don’t. You’ll regret it.”
I barely heard him. The rainbow was almost above me as I skipped over the stream, and with the bridging of the moat, there came a noticeable change in temperature. “Irvin, come! It’s as balmy as a Caribbean beach over here!”
Heat emanated from the rainbow, creating distorted air similar to a desert’s, and I also heard a faint humming sound. The base smelt of wet earth and was surrounded by alert bluebells, leaning away from the rainbow’s aura as if in deference.
“Come back, fool! This isn’t something to be trifled with!”
Irvin’s voice was bordering on madness, and I knew I should take heed, but something held me in thrall to those vibrant colours – so alive! “Just a little closer…”
I put out a hand, so close was I to the every streaming kaleidoscope, wondering what I would feel, if anything.
“Look at the colours, captain! They’re not right. They’re inverted!” I looked up and saw the truth at last. Violet was top, red at the bottom, and something about that order seemed so wrong. But it was too late. My hand caressed the rainbow, I felt a tingling sensation, and then something flew into my mind. I turned around and saw Irvin backing away, naked terror twisting his features into something almost monstrous. “I’m sorry,” he mumbled. “Captain…goodbye.”
His gaze was riveted on my outstretched hand as he backed further away, whimpering like a scolded child.
“What’s the matter?”
He didn’t reply, just turned tail and ran. I stared after him for a moment, bemused, and then looked down at my hand. For just a moment I saw something inexplicable, but whether a trick of imagination, a vision borrowed from the rainbow, or my own unease manifesting itself, I had no idea. But what I saw was this – a semi-circular ring attached to my hand, running from my index finger to the top of my wrist. It glowed brilliantly, and contained the inverted colours of the rainbow, shrunk into a majestic microcosm.
Then it vanished.
I turned, feeling nauseous, and my last thought before passing out was one of confusion…that the rainbow behind me was gone.
“Captain,” said Irvin, breathing hard. “You still haven’t taken any pictures.”
I stopped climbing momentarily and looked at my camera. “So I haven’t. Hmm…it seems almost too pure a thing to try and capture on film.”
My poetry surprised me, but Irvin instantly nodded in understanding, lunging past me into a narrow ravine. He quickly disappeared from view, and I heard a sharp exclamation. “Ah! Captain, I don’t believe it! We’ve found the base. My God, what a sight!”
His excitement was infectious, so I ran after him through the rocky passage and out into a strange, silent place. Irvin stood to my left, staring at the rainbow with tears in his eyes, and beyond him was a dip in the plain, like a giant step. Below that was a small stream, that passed us from west to east, intersecting our passage like a medieval moat. Beyond…well beyond was the rainbow, or at least the part of it that sank into a patch of ground more fertile than any I’d ever seen.
“What the hell is this?” I ghosted up to Irvin, who still stared, struck dumb by the spectacle. “Irvin? We’ve found one…I didn’t expect it to be quite as glorious as this!”
“We shouldn’t be here.” His voice was peculiarly afraid. “We really shouldn’t be witnessing this, captain.”
I laughed, incredulous. “What are you talking about? This is great − a once in a lifetime opportunity.” I took a step forward. “Come on, let’s take a closer look.”
The rainbow called me – this sweeping anomaly of Nature was so pure that it was irresistible to us ‘tainted’ humans. I wanted to sit and bask in its glory forever, to drink in the colour until my soul was full. But again Irvin’s voice cut into my wonder, and it sounded full of dread.
“Don’t. You’ll regret it.”
I barely heard him. The rainbow was almost above me as I skipped over the stream, and with the bridging of the moat, there came a noticeable change in temperature. “Irvin, come! It’s as balmy as a Caribbean beach over here!”
Heat emanated from the rainbow, creating distorted air similar to a desert’s, and I also heard a faint humming sound. The base smelt of wet earth and was surrounded by alert bluebells, leaning away from the rainbow’s aura as if in deference.
“Come back, fool! This isn’t something to be trifled with!”
Irvin’s voice was bordering on madness, and I knew I should take heed, but something held me in thrall to those vibrant colours – so alive! “Just a little closer…”
I put out a hand, so close was I to the every streaming kaleidoscope, wondering what I would feel, if anything.
“Look at the colours, captain! They’re not right. They’re inverted!” I looked up and saw the truth at last. Violet was top, red at the bottom, and something about that order seemed so wrong. But it was too late. My hand caressed the rainbow, I felt a tingling sensation, and then something flew into my mind. I turned around and saw Irvin backing away, naked terror twisting his features into something almost monstrous. “I’m sorry,” he mumbled. “Captain…goodbye.”
His gaze was riveted on my outstretched hand as he backed further away, whimpering like a scolded child.
“What’s the matter?”
He didn’t reply, just turned tail and ran. I stared after him for a moment, bemused, and then looked down at my hand. For just a moment I saw something inexplicable, but whether a trick of imagination, a vision borrowed from the rainbow, or my own unease manifesting itself, I had no idea. But what I saw was this – a semi-circular ring attached to my hand, running from my index finger to the top of my wrist. It glowed brilliantly, and contained the inverted colours of the rainbow, shrunk into a majestic microcosm.
Then it vanished.
I turned, feeling nauseous, and my last thought before passing out was one of confusion…that the rainbow behind me was gone.
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