Ōmas on The Ancient Wall by Chipka
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Description
The day's heat lingers.
First Sun has settled below the horizon, but her eye-searing companion, Speck, lingers a hand's span above the cutoff of low, rolling hills to the east. Only the brightest stars—of which the skies of Kheph hold many—brave the washout glare and shine, brazenly, like jewels spilled from some careless giant's treasure chest.
The ancient bog-lands are sultry with mists and quicksand, and the acrid tang of strange and ancient ichors leeched into the soil. Nothing grows in the bogs. Few animals go there. Those that do are scrawny and half-mad things. Some say that these feral things are all that remain of the people who built the crumbling, rusting cities that lie, half buried in their own degrading contaminants.
Mālin has been bitten by one of these: a hairless, eyeless thing. No one knows how long he lingered in the muds and the stink, but they've buried him now, in Saint Oleg's graveyard. His reasons for that fatal, fool-hearty journey have been buried with him.
Ōmas is a year older than Mālin.
He will continue to age, as Mālin simply rots into dust and gristle, and food for things that Ōmas dares not contemplate.
“You were a fool to go there,” Ōmas whispers, seated now on the skirted lip of The Ancient's Wall.
Such ruins dot the face of Keph: vast rambles of fitted stone in the shapes of blunt, stepped pyramids and odd, fat silos. Wall enclose empty spaces, though now many of the enclosures are home to humans: interlopers from a far, obscure star. Humans have walked the face of Kheph for nearly three centuries. They—like Ōmas—have grown tall in the world's reduced gravity, and they trade with colony outposts on Keph's single moon.
Now—seated on The Ancient's Wall, in little more than field-shoes and shorts—Ōmas stares out over the bogs and the mists that rise from those muddy, flat lands. Midges call to one another in the distance and feral cats—escaped from their human keepers—prowl the scrub and the crumbles of stone at the base of the wall.
Ōmas sits motionless in the approaching night, listening to voices of the past.
Perhaps they are human voices, though he thinks that they are more native than that. He is unsure of what they say, but he feels them like a caress of wind just behind him.
Mālin once said that he'd sensed such voices.
And once, Ōmas dismissed him.
Now, in silence and on the still-warm stones of The Ancient's Wall, Ōmas stares at the mist-shrouded place where Mālin died.
What drew you there? he asks, wordlessly.
What voices called to you?
He receives only the sigh of a breeze in response, but soon, an answer will come.
He feels its approach.
****
Just me playing around with photoshop. I'd taken a picture of Prague's Metrinome--a monument hastily built to replace a Communist icon that found itself destroyed just after the Velvet Revolution. The base of that monument (The world's largest statue of Lenin) is all that remains, and it exists in a state of crumbling disrepair. The enormous, stone base now supports a rather spindly metrinome. Sometimes it works, and that stone-hewn base is what prompted the creation of this work.
As always, thank you for viewing, reading, and commenting.
Comments (27)
RobyHermida
Beautiful WORK and well done !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Roby ;O)
SSoffia
BEAUTIFUL PERSPECTIVE & WORK :)
beachzz
Yikes, don't turn around!! Great stuff, Chip, but WHO is that guy????
Faery_Light
Fantastic story. The image is excellent.
Rainbowgirl
As always a great story and a wonderfully made image! Your guy definitely looks better than Lenin on this stone tomb thing.
ledwolorz
Fantastic story and super work.
waldodessa
Very nice picture you made here!
lyron
Fantastic work!
photostar
Excellent render and integration of the photo with PhotoShop, Chip. Your narrative details the image perfectly.
DAVER2112
Very nice render!!!
NekhbetSun
A bit Lovecraftian (the writing)imo and I love it !!! ....superb image Chip !!! And a side note...thanks for the comment on my last and I noticed you didn't capitalize e.e.'s name....wasn't sure whether to do it or not since I thought he used lower case, but the book I got the verse from had both E's capitalized...weird huh :o) Hugzzz ~
ladyraven23452
love the story10+
romanceworks
I love the contrast of the tiny Omas against that massive wall, symbolic of the vastness and power of the ancient forces thriving (and waiting) in the bog-lands. Compelling and chilling mix of writing and visual. CC
MrsRatbag
Intriguing glimpse into another of the worlds inhabiting your fertile mind; so many fascinating details in the image, and lingering mental images from the narrative. Stunning as always!
auntietk
Whoa. If that were chapter one, I sure wouldn't put the book down now!
MagikUnicorn
AWESOME DEPTH WOW THE POV IS GORGEOUS
ToniDunlap
Oh Chipka, Magnificent!!!! WOW WOW WOW!!!!!
Lunastar
Fabulous story! Beautiful image.
Atom
Excellent work Chip, photoshop did a magic!!!
sema_fox
Wonderfully!
Mad-Mike
Fantastic ideea, love the ufo [2 red lights] up there! and the pigeon sh&t aint to bad too! cool
bogart137
Love this! It´s great having you into these themes.
KatesFriend
Fabulous story, full of personal grief and sweeping history all in the same thoughts. The scene is breathtaking, one can only wonder of the purpose of these ancient ruins.
Zamanuirileski
Fantastic!!!
elisheba
An inspired story... you take the reader into your own world in only a few words, and that is a rare gift, especially when it comes to Sci fi writing, that is one of the hardest kind...Keep taht stuff coming, it is always a pleasure to read you!!!
netlauv
Bravo. Love your art and the diversity of your expression my friend.
myrrhluz
It is very interesting to see the original and then come back here and see this version. I love all the artistic tweaks. Did you use "Fix Keystone Distortion" to change the angle and dimensions? I love the way Ōmas is dwarfed by the walls and seems to be looking over and down them. You've made the wall so rich in colors, textures and lighting. It is of one with the fascinating, alien sky. This strange alien image is further brought to life by your words. As I read about Ōmas and Mālin, I also learn about Kheph and the Ancients. Mysterious stories that intertwine to bring life and depth into the narrative. Like Tara, this leaves me wanting to know more, and curious if Ōmas will also be drawn into the ancient bog-lands and whether he will manage to avoid Mālin's fate. Excellent image and narrative!