A World Just For You - Chapter 2

As the man and woman continued to walk, the void gradually transformed. The darkness was replaced with bright sunlight, and tall palm trees sprung out of the emptiness. Before long, the void had been entirely replaced with a lush tropical forest.

The pair came to a stop in the new land. The woman, again, turned to face the man, "This is a world I created just for you." She raised her arm alongside her face and pressed her fingers together.

SNAP

The tropical forest was instantly replaced with a snowy mountain landscape, causing the man to cross his arms and attempt to soothe the cold from his skin.

SNAP

Again the woman snapped, and again the world changed. Mountains were replaced with an open ocean, and the man could no longer breathe.

SNAP

The man coughed, having inhaled some water. The woman had returned them to the forest, "I may change it as I wish." She motioned high with her arm, raising a bonfire out of the ground, fully lit. "In time, you will learn to control every part of your very being, but for now, use the fire to dry yourself," said the woman.

The man took his place in front of the large bonfire, while the woman conjured a seat cushion and sat upon it. They waited in silence for a long while.

Soon enough, the man patted himself down, feeling for any dampness in his skin. The woman, seeing this, stood up from her cushion and waved her arms up into the air. With this motion, a sizable hill appeared in front of the pair. The forest itself seemed to welcome this change, as the trees parted to provide a path up the gradual slope.

The man looked at the hill, then back to the woman, staring at her. She smiled at him and began her trek up the path. Like before, the man found himself trailing close behind, the bonfire still blazing behind them.

The path was mild and smooth, yet long and enduring. Sweat dripped from the man's face, seemingly endless despite his attempts to wipe his brow. Together they climbed for some time, the world appearing completely still. There were no birds nor insects. The air itself was silent except for the man's labored breathing.

Finally, they reached the top, whereby the woman summoned a pair of seat cushions upon the cliff's edge. She quickly sat upon one of the cushions, waiting for the man to do the same. He took a moment, stared briefly at her, then turned to admire the endless expanse of forest stretching to the horizon and beyond. Step-by-step, he came closer to the cushion, eventually reaching the cliff's edge, which he glanced over. With one last look at the woman, he took his seat upon the cushion.

The woman chuckled at his hesitance, "You should relax my child, even if you were to fall, you would not die." She paused, seizing her laughter, "The only thing that can kill you in this world is me." The man simply stared at her. "But you will get over your fears soon enough. For now, you must learn how to fulfil your role as a Keeper," stated the woman.

"What is a Keeper?" asked the man, slovenly.

"That is a more complex question than you realize child," answered the woman. "But to put it simply, we are creators of the universe. Each of us makes our own, in our own image. In turn, our universe becomes us, and so we must ensure its existence, lest its destruction ends us as well."

The man took a moment, pausing in thought, then questioned, "Why am I a Keeper?"

"Chance, I suppose. I am uncertain, for my knowledge only extends as far as my experience and what my predecessor told me, just as I am telling you." She stared out over the horizon, "You were chosen like any of us, well, like me and our predecessors. You were born from the light – a soul taken from my universe." She turned back to the man, staring into his eyes, "You appeared when I deemed it was time for my universe to end."

The man turned his head, confused by the woman's words, "Your universe is ending?"

She smiled, but to the man, her eyes seemed sad, "It is the natural end. To prolong its existence is unsightly, for all things have an end, and this is mine."

"Then you will die?" asked the man.

"I do not know. I will cease to exist, whatever that may entail. Perhaps there are Keepers that rule over the Keepers, or perhaps there is nothing. We cannot know, for it is knowledge that transcends our very beings." The woman stood up from her cushion, "You, however, do not need to worry about a natural end just yet." She reached her hand out to the man, who grasped it, "But you must learn about a premature end." She pulled him up and brought him into a tight embrace, "The total destruction of your universe."