A Place in Heaven

This story is based on the picture and the phrase "He woke up in the village without his memory."

The scene begins with the Hero landing the finishing blow on the Rival Chief. As life slips away from the RC, there was a firm look on his face. He gazed right at the Hero and with his dying breath, “I will carve us into your history!” He began chanting in some language the Hero doesn’t understand. Fearing a self-destruct spell, the Hero distanced himself from the RC. Slowly the voice from RC became weaker and weaker until RC collapsed on the ground. The Hero wondered if RC did finish the spell or did RC died halfway. But the Hero has achieved victory. His village has finally defeated the rival village which has been attacking them for years.

            A few days later, after the rituals for the dead have been completed, the village began their celebration for crushing the rival village. Hero was back at his usual spot away from the crowd. He seems uneasy about the last spell by RC. There is a nagging feeling that something bad is coming. Girl visits the Hero and to spend time with her lover. Hero spent the day with the Girl away from the celebrations.

            Girl can’t help but notice that Hero kept staring at the stars.

Girl: “What’s wrong?”

Hero: “Nothing. I like the stars.”

Girl: “Something is bothering you. I can tell.”

Hero: “It’s the last battle with RC. He did something that made me feel uneasy.”

Girl: “But didn’t you kill him? It’s over already. There is nothing more he can do.”

Hero: “Maybe. Hopefully it’s like you say. It’s over.”

Hero continues walking with Girl.

           

At night, the astrologer visits the chief with a worried look

Astrologer: “There is a meteor headed towards us.”

Chief: “What?! I can’t believe this. We just had one problem solved and now another worse problem arises.”

Astrologer: “According to my calculations, it will hit us in about 7 days. Judging by the size of the meteor, it will not only wipe out our village but also destroy the farmlands and nearby fields. If we evacuate now, we may be able to escape with most of the people and settle at a new place.”

Chief: “Give me some time to think about it.”

            Girl arrived home as they were discussing the topic. She wondered whether that is what was bothering Hero. She decided that she will ask him tomorrow since it was late already. Next morning, she went to the Hero’s usual spot to ask Hero about the meteor. Hero was not there which was an unusual thing since he is always there. She waited and waited but he never came. As she was about to head home, Hero appears.

Girl: “Where were you? I waited for you the whole day.”

Hero: “Sorry. I just had to confirm something.”

Girl: “What was it? Is it about the meteor? I heard the astrologer telling the chief that there was a huge meteor heading towards the village.”

Hero: “That was what I wanted to confirm. Yes, it is heading towards the village. And no, at the same time it is not heading towards the village.”

Girl: “What do you mean? How can it be both heading towards the village and not heading towards the village?”

Hero: “The meteor is heading for a specific target and the target is not the village.”

Girl: “Then what is the target?”

Hero: “(sigh) It’s me.”

Girl: “(gasp) It can’t be.”

Hero: “It is true. The meteor is heading towards me. That was the last spell the RC did.”

Girl: “I’m going tell the chief about this. I’m not going to let you die.”

Girl stands up and leaves. Hero grabs her hand.

Hero: “Will you just stay here with me?”

Girl hesitated a moment and then sat beside the Hero. Hero hugged her close.

Hero: “This is a problem that only I can solve. I do not want the whole village to panic.”

Girl: “What are you going to do? Do you have a spell that can counter it?”

Hero: “I don’t know of any spell that would work. The best thing I can do is to get as much distance as I can from the village and to minimize the damage the meteor would do.”

Girl: “(worried) But, but you’ll die if that thing hits you. (grabs onto Hero’s clothing)I can’t stand losing you.”

Hero: “If I survive, I’ll come back to you.”

Hero stands up and leaves. Girl tried to hold on to him but he struggles free and ran away.

Girl: “NOOOOOOOOO. Don’t GOOOOOOO.”

Girl cries and faints.

            When Girl wakes up, Hero was nowhere to be seen. Slowly, Girl walks back to village. She hears the Chief loud voice coming from the meeting hall. As she enters the hall, she saw the Chief and other Elders arguing over how to handle the situation. She slumps to the ground at a corner and sobbed silently. Nobody noticed her over the heated argument. Some felt that they should evacuate immediately for survival which some felt that they should stay by their homeland. The argument continued until they notice the Girl’s sobbing.

Chief: “Why are you crying? Where’s the Hero?”

Girl: “He left.”

Chief: “(shocked) HE LEFT? HE LEFT US AT THE TIME WHEN WE NEEDED HIM MOST? HOW CAN HE?”

Girl: “He left because he needed to.”

Chief: “What about the meteor? What are we going to do about it?”

Girl: “All of you don’t have to worry about the meteor. It will not reach the village.”

Chief: “What do you mean? How can you be sure of that?”

Girl: “Because the meteor wasn’t headed to the village to begin with. It was headed towards the Hero and not the village. Now, the Hero has left the village to ensure that the meteor will not affect the village.”

Chief: “Where did he go? Will he be alright?”

Girl: “(cries) I don’t know…sob…I don’t know….”

            The next few days passed slowly. Everyone was keeping an eye on the meteor. When the astrologer finally announces that the meteor will not hit the village, everyone cheered except the Girl. She was sad that the Hero had to give up his life for the village. She wondered why he would go so far as to save everybody. If it was up to her, she would bring as many people with her as possible.

            The Hero runs through a vast plain with a smile on his face. Images of the villagers filled his mind. Especially the girl. He wasn’t born in the village nor did he grow up there. He was an outsider who somehow reached that village someway. His time with them wasn’t long but he grew to love the villagers. Seeing their smile every day, protecting them from raids, hanging out with her, those were the things that he wanted in his life. Nobody knew his past, nobody needed to know his past. He is the Hero. A Hero who has earned A Place in Heaven.

            The Hero stood in the middle of vast grassland. The meteor right above him. A smile on his face. The meteor smashes into the ground. Even though the point of impact is very far from the village, everyone could felt the ground tremble and heard the terrible sound.

Hero: “Thank you all for accepting me into your village. Even though the time we spent together was short, it was more than I can hope for. I am glad that I can do so much for all of you. Even though I may not be there with you physically, my hopes and dreams will stay with you until the ends of time.”