The Hourglass Sings 2/3
[This is the second part of my The Hourglass Sings playthrough.
You can find aprt one here: https://daydreamingmoose.bearblog.dev/the-hourglass-sings-13/
And you can get The Hourglass Sings yourself here: https://a-smouldering-lighthouse.itch.io/hourglass
All art taken from The Hourglass Sings with grateful permission by Kurt Refling/A Smoudlering Lighthouse]
[CYCLE 2]
[Ace of Hearts]
Two children, on the cusp of puberty, sit on the warm sand of the beach, toy shovels by their side and a large pit dug into the beach, far above the waterline of the tide. They intertwine their pinky fingers, swearing to each other to keep their treasure hidden from the world. They smile. A tender moment of friendship. Carefully, they put a shoddy looking, wooden lockbox into the hole they had dug and get to work shoving the sand into the hole, closing it. They take their time, making sure that the spot they had chosen looked as undisturbed as possible afterwards, only marking it in their memories by the position of the large stone, merely a few paces down the beach, and the vicinity of an old, rotten pier.
Giggling and smiling, they run back up the beach, to join their younger siblings waiting for them.
[Three of Diamonds]
A stall in the market, selling fruits. But every piece of fruit that is round in its shape has been stabbed through with a long, rusty needle by the hooded figure in front of it. It was unbelievably fast, the merchant behind the stall watching in awe, frustration and dread as his livelihood was destroyed in front of his eyes. After the last fruit was punctured, the hooded figure drops a piece of paper on the table, chuckles near silently and turns around to walk away. Before any of the stunned people around the stall can react properly, they disappeared into the gloomy shadows of the tight spaces of the island.
The merchant picks up the piece of paper, a single symbol painted on it. A stylized eye, crossed out crudely, again and again and again...
[Ten of Hearts]
Waking up in Arnaud's old cottage, instinctively THE HERO feels for the amulet given to him by the woman he had saved the cycle before. When his fingers close around it, a sigh of relief escapes his lips. Once again, he thanks the fisherman for saving him (though is it really saving, now that it is just a repeat of the cycle before?) and heals some of his bodily pain by touching the fisherman's shoulder.
But this time, THE HERO sits down with the fisherman and talks with him, about his past and the current worries of him and the other people in THE TOWN. A healing of the soul. But THE HERO himself not only learns some valuable information, he also feels like a soothing blanket lays itself over the strain and images of the last cycle.
[Two of Diamonds]
Somewhere in an alley in the lowest parts of THE TOWN stands an old, dilapidated fountain. It is not much to look at, the stones weathered and broken, some missing entirely. The small amount of water in it is greenish and not nearly sufficient to actually fill the basin. But atop the dais in the fountain's centre stands a statue made of bronze. While as old as the rest of the fountain, it looks like it was cast and put there yesterday. Not a single scratch is on it and it is still shining bright, not a single speck of oxidization on it, as if it was just polished. The statue depicts a young woman standing on her toes, holding up a blanket over her head, in the action of covering a large orb that is hovering above her. Just out of reach.
[Two of Clubs]
Hands clasping together, shaking. A solemn nod, a flick of the free wrist. An older woman marks a young man's arm with a sharp needle by slashing it once across the forearm. When it heals, the mark will look like a friction burn, as if a rope or tendril has squeezed too hard around the flesh. The young man grimaces once, but then tends to his wounds while the woman lays down a dark robe and a needle much like hers on the table in front of him.
The young man's life has now changed forever. He is now marked by THE DARK, meant to carry out the will of darkness and carry its word forward, just like its herald.
[King of Hearts]
Life debt. Indentured Servitude. Terms used in THE TOWN to describe the lifelong service sometimes ordered by law to lawbreakers. Meant to better the life of everyone by having criminals work for the betterment of society instead of wasting tax money to have them rot in jail, it has turned into little more than slavery of the poor by the rich.
THE HERO shakes his head in disgust. Arnaud has told him about it, because his son was forced to work for one of the rich people in town after stealing several loaves of bread. So, the hero walks up to the upper levels of the city, knocks on the correct mansion and nearly forces his entry. A stern talk and heated discussion later, he walks out with a bewildered young man at his side, and the servitude contract with a signature to free him.
Arnauds son thanks him profusely again, and again, handing him another of the strange amulets, this time depicting the head of a hawk.
[Nine of Hearts]
With heads hung low, a small funeral procession walks the streets of THE TOWN. Six people carrying the casket, one more walking in the front, playing a mournful melody from a music box, and a dozen more walking behind the casket. Slowly, they make their way down to the beach, people stepping to the side to make space, parents pulling their children to the side, telling them to go silent. Hats are taken off, heads are lowered.
But once on the beach, the sound of the mournful music is drowned out by the cheerful laughter of playing families not far away. The carriers step into the water until they're in breast high, the casket still above their heads. Slowly they lower it into the water, give it a push, and the ebb starts taking the casket with it, out to the sea.
Just a bit further up the slope, a gaggle of darkly robed figures is watching the proceedings, uncaring.
[Six of Clubs]
Far above THE TOWN, a huge storm is rolling in. One minute, the sun was still shining, illuminating and warming everything in its eternal gaze. But the next, the storm clouds form as if by magic and it looks as if they engulf the sun itself, instead of just blocking it.
Suddenly, everything is thrown into a deep, dark black in the middle of the day, and it takes people a while to light up lamps and fires to spend light again. Meanwhile, the storm clouds roll loud with thunder, but without any lightning in sight. They pour down rain mercilessly, small rivulets starting to form in the streets and alleys. It is as if life itself has come to a grinding halt with the disappearance of the sun.
But then, the first small lights come on. And barely two hours later, the first clouds start to split, making way for the sun again.
[King of Diamonds]
Once again, clasping hands. This time, it is THE HERO and the young sheriff from the cycle before. A solemn nod.
The next minute, the pair is at the same house where the woman was held hostage, the sheriff and his deputies storming the entrance while THE HERO clasps the amulet of the hawk in his hands. The aethereal form of a hawk’s head and wings forms over his head and back. He slowly lifts off from the ground and flies through a window on his translucent wings. The alley is filled with the sound of gunfire and the acrid smell of gunpowder wafts through the air.
Strangely, there's no screams of pain, no surprise. Just the coordinating shouts of the troops raiding the cult's base.
[Six of Diamonds]
The old and grizzled Oracle is sitting on a chair in the centre of a half circle of other chairs. People are sitting around her, all of them interested or intertwined in the art of magic in one way or another, but all of them hanging on the lips and words from the Oracle, who is talking about the inner workings of magic and how, lately, somebody or something has been subverting these rules. How these strange happenings in town might be connected. Some of the assembled people then scoff at the outrageous idea that a single person might have so much mystical might as to change the rules of magic itself. Some others look worried. Later, the old Oracle leaves, deeply dissatisfied. She was hoping for a stronger response, an outcome that might help change the future. But apparently, only the powers of prophecy will be able to change what is to come.
[Six of Hearts]
The place is enshrouded in darkness, moisture saturating the air and cobwebs enveloping the tight spaces. Winding alleys carved into the stone of the island THE TOWN sits upon. It is not as much a place of worship anymore as it was in the past, the murals on the walls mostly faded and its stories forgotten. It is a tomb now, a tomb of those that came before and their worship of the sun. The cloaked figure is walking amongst the bones of people that broke into this place long ago.
But now, the crumpling altar and the ritual trappings still found within are the power THE DARK has taken into its fold. Corrupted and turned against its very purpose, it will be the end of live as it now exists.
[Ten of Spades]
A mountain looms in the distance. From the eyes of a little boy standing on the prairie it looks unfathomably far away, but for the parents accompanying him it is just several hours of a brisk walk away. It is the mountain that would become the island THE TOWN sits upon, in the future when most of the lands will be flooded.
But for now, the boy who will one day emerge from the flooded lands as THE HERO is running among green fields of growing wheat and maize, laughing with his friends, while the adults tend to the livestock, work the fields and, most importantly, pray to the sun. The life giver.
[Seven of Spades]
Among the hubbub of the central marketplace in THE TOWN, the traveling troupe of acrobats is drawing the attention towards themselves, by performing their near impossible feats of agility around the many fountains that dot the square. One of the local merchants grits his teeth in frustration. He's selling this and that, mostly small magical contraptions to make people's everyday lives easier, but nothing people would require to survive. Nothing people would still buy if their attention was drawn away. He shouts out loud towards the masses. 'Buy Moro's wares! Magical helpers for small and big!' Again, he gnashes his teeth, because his actions had no effect whatsoever.
[Five of Spades]
Suddenly, the merchant's face turns hot red, his eyes bulging out from his face, his form becomes swollen and increases in size. People finally turn around to look at him, they're pointing and shouting in fear. Terrified. But Moro's voice is louder than all of theirs.
' I Told You To Buy My Wares!' and with an uncontrolled flick of his engorged arms, he catapults a number of his things into the crowd, some getting more hurt than others, but luckily nothing too serious except for one person getting hit right in the eye by a letter opener that would normally open a letter by saying a voice command.
Quickly, the large marketplace starts to empty out, with everybody fleeing here and there, the acrobats using their magical feats of athleticism to get out the fastest.
[Nine of Diamonds]
The marketplace empties itself, except for Moro and a lone person, sitting on a crate at the edge of the commotion. Right time, right place.
THE HERO jumps down from his vantage point and pushes up his hat to look the now fully transformed merchant right into the bulbous, bulging eyes. Quickly, his hands close around the amulet of the bull moose around his neck, translucent antlers appearing above his head and a shimmering barrier closes around him, barely visible. Just in time to have a second volley of Moro's projectiles glance harmlessly off of it.
He draws both of his guns, and while moving sideways empties the drums into the corrupted flesh of the merchant, each bullet hitting. Each hit creating a sickening smacking sound when it bores into the form of what once was another human.
Moro jumps impossibly far across the marketplace, his arm sweeping THE HERO off his feet. He flies several meters, but once again saved by the magical protection of the moose, cushioning the hit as well as his landing. Quickly, THE HERO pushes his revolvers down into their holsters and draws a short-barrelled lever action shotgun from his back, and when Moro lands at his feet after a second jump, he empties it point blank into the merchant's face.
The corrupted form falls down. Dead. Stopped before anything worse could happen. THE HERO breathes a sigh of relief, while the tortured flesh and human at his feet starts to dissolve into a puddle, and seeps into the cobblestones and disappears.
[Ace of Diamonds]
A number of people have gathered in a large hall down in the harbour district, looking forward to the raised dais at one end of the hall, where a person is standing by a makeshift altar. It is Pierre, the old fisherman's son, and he is telling the story of the lone gunman, THE HERO, that has saved him from indentured servitude by the power of his words alone. Other people step forward, telling their stories about THE HERO and how he has saved them. One of the sheriff's deputies, saved during the raid on the cult's house by a quick action of THE HERO. Somebody who watched the duel between Moro and THE HERO at the marketplace. At the end, the Oracle steps forward, telling an ancient story about the worship of the sun, and how a new avatar of that goddess has stepped forward in their time of need to save them from those that would see the sun destroyed, and all of their lives in turn.
[Eight of Clubs]
Dark, rolling clouds are gathering above THE TOWN for another attack. Thunder clashes and lightning strikes inside of them, they open up and heavy rain falls down onto the buildings, streets and people going about their daily lives. The clouds draw ever closer together, forming a curtain above THE TOWN and blocking out the sun. Suspiciously, the clouds only form a solid block above the island and surrounding waters, casting all of it into shadow and darkness, but the rest of the sky stays clear and only shows the occasional cloud here and there. Water is rushing down the streets, the thunder grows louder and louder and suddenly a gigantic strike of lightning bursts forth into the Bell Tower, the largest tower in THE TOWN, followed by ever more strikes into the tower and adjacent buildings. Masonry flying everywhere, crushing other houses, getting carried away by the water and blocking streets. Crushing people and animal alike.
[Four of Clubs]
Meanwhile, THE HERO was delivering a small parcel of personal belongings to a shopowner by the Arcades. It was something he had simply picked up while investigating THE DARK and its powers, but he never manages to deliver it. First the rains stopped him, seeking shelter inside a cafe. But then the destruction of the tower pulls him back outside, guns at the ready and the parcel forgotten on the table.
After witnessing the destruction wreaked by the unnatural storm, he hangs his head, puts away his guns and slowly pulls out the harmonica again.
Once again, the slow and sorrowful melody gets picked up and spread by the wind. People stop in their tracks and time gets rewound. Back and back and back and back and back and back and …
Then it stops again and an old fisherman drags THE HERO, unconscious, to his cottage by the beach.
[CYCLE RESETS]
[Part three follows sometime next week!]