Tower and Town, December 2015 (view the full edition)How The World BeganClouds. Everywhere. Thunderclouds, lightning and thunder. That was all there was in the beginning. Apart from one great volcano, vaster than could be imagined. From that volcano there came a deafening roar. Yet it wasn't a real roar. Just the great dragon, lord of all, dreaming. Lightning crackling around him, thunder rumbling like a caged beast, though what beast could make such a noise was beyond imagining; the serpent wove his way through chaos, seeking anything that might happen to be in front of him. He believed his search was hopeless; never mind a needle in a haystack, a needle in a barn was about right, yet he had a suspicion even that would be easier than this search. Defeat though, was not a word well known to the serpent, so he relentlessly searched, often stopping to try and create something, although it was forbidden. This was just another day for the serpent. After all, he was only a mere slave, created for the comfort and humour of the great dragon. Suddenly, he felt woozy. So, so woozy... Coming back round, the serpent shook off the after effects of the shock. Still he did not know what caused these black-outs. They often left a ringing in his ears. This was no exception. Yet never before had he seen something on awaking; so why now? Intrigued, he slid forward. A grand sight greeted him. A great fountain, made entirely from diamonds stood before him. The bottom was of mother of pearl, a perfect contrast to the black pearls inlaid along the rim. All of this fascinated the serpent, but equally so did the crystal clear water gushing from the spout on top. Naturally, he drank some. And what amazing water it was. With the water trickling down his throat, a door opened in the mind of the serpent, what had once been dark was now light. So, concentrating very hard, the serpent brought light into existence. Waking, the dragon fluttered his eyelids. It was so strange to see the light after so long sleeping. The light! Suddenly, the dragon leapt up, flexing his mighty wings, rolling round on his broad shoulders and whipping his tail round in a maddened frenzy. That impudent serpent would pay. How dare he do such a thing. Only he, the great dragon could create anything. Only he, should have the knowledge to do so. A roaring inferno escaped his mouth as he soared over the lip of his volcano. Finding the serpent would be easy. After all, he was just a mere slave. Upon his finding the serpent, the full fury of the dragon was unleashed. Lightning crackled, striking the serpent over and over again. The serpent continually begged for mercy; his pleas finally reached the ears of the dragon. He decided to temporarily alleviate the pain. Cringing in fear of the dragon's wrath, the serpent racked his brains for something to say. One word kept on coming back tohim, 'Blazdragt'. What could it mean? What could it mean? Well, what harm could it do to say it? There was no way this predicament could get any worse. So, he intoned that one word; that single, powerful word, 'Blazdragt'. The dragon stiffened. His eyes took on a strange sheen. Whilst in this trance, the serpent ordered him to let the waiting world out of his volcano. He knew that he had discovered the true name of his master and now he would be free. The barren rock erupted out of the volcano. The fire the dragon breathed then was a myriad of interwoven colours, bringing the earth into full bloom, with the greatest display of colours ever seen. The building blocks of life were created. Water bubbled up from underground. Tiny shoots sprouted and the world was truly, finally, born in all its glory. Ever since then the serpent has ruled wisely over all, never letting anything go wrong. In time he would create animals, and us. But that's another story. So that's how the world began; all thanks to one creature and one word. One amazing word. Douglas |