Wall of Glass

Once, long ago, in a world quite different from our own, lived a boy.

At least, he resembled a human boy, with his handsome face, warm brown hair, and strong limbs. But beyond the expected, the boy had other, more extraordinary features. 

His eyes were a fiery red, the color of heat and ferociousness. He had a long, wolf-like tail with fur that exactly matched the color of the hair on his head. And from his back sprouted a pair of massive, elegant red wings. 

His name was Quartz, and he was an Elkin. 

All the people on his planet had magnificent wings and elegant tails. In their world, these were normal, and expected. In fact, if an Elkin were ever to meet you, they would be quite alarmed at your lack of those extraordinary features. 

They used their wings to travel, for who needs roads or cars when you can fly? And Quartz loved flying. The freedom, the rush of speed, the exhilaration of soaring above the trees - it was his favorite thing. 

His father had warned him, however, never to fly too far. If he did, he might run into the edge of the world, where a great glass wall could be found - part of an immense dome that covered the whole of the planet.

That glass, his father said, kept their people safe from the outside. When Quartz asked what, exactly, lived beyond the wall, his father told him that no one knew for sure. No Elkin had ever peered beyond the glass. 

“It is better,” his father noted, “to be safe. If the glass wall were destroyed, we could find ourselves vulnerable to any wide number of unknown dangers.” 

Quartz nodded in agreement, but quietly found himself intrigued by the idea of the wall, and the unknown beyond. 

Over time, his curiosity grew, until he found he could stand it no longer. He packed a sack of food, and told his parents he was going out. Then, with a great swoop of his wings, he took off as fast as he could, heading directly for the edge of the world.

He flew for many hours, longer than he had ever flown before. His wings grew achy, and the sack of food grew heavy. He paused briefly once or twice for a snack and a bit of rest, but was eager to reach his destination, and quickly pressed on.

Near the end of the day, as the light in the sky grew dim, he found what he was looking for - the edge of the world. 

He landed, and pressed his face to the glass, trying to see what lay beyond. The wall, however, was thick, and the glass was frosted with pale, shimmering pastels. Quartz could not see through the glass. 

Disappointed, he began to turn back. As he did, however, a twinkle of light high above him caught his eye. 

He flew swiftly up to examine the source of the glimmer, and found a thin crack in the glass, high above the ground. Curiously, he pressed on the crack. He was alarmed to see it spread quickly, creating a vast spiderweb of lines. He tried to hold the pieces in place, but the thick glass shattered around him, leaving behind a hole as large as Quartz himself. 

Nervously, and feeling more than a little guilty, the young Elkin boy peered through the hole. He’d already broken the glass - why not see for himself what lay beyond the confines of the world? 

Quartz gasped at the sight before him. Spread out in front of his eyes was an infinite darkness, filled with swirls of color and light that danced and sparkled all around. As he gaped at the wonder of it, however, something moved into his line of sight, blocking out the majestic scene. 

It was an enormous eye, staring right at him. Quartz shook with fear, wondering if this was the unknown something his father had warned him about. 

As the great eye peered at the young Elkin, a voice entered Quartz’s mind. It was gentle, and curious, and not at all harsh (much to the boy’s relief). 

What is this? The voice asked. Are you responsible for the break in my shell? 

“Your shell?” Quartz asked, confused. “Do you mean this wall, here at the edge of the world?”

The eye blinked at him. I suppose I do, the voice responded. Your world is carried on my back, within the safety of my shell. So it seems that your wall and my shell are one and the same. I am fairly certain, however, that this hole was not here before. 

Quartz blushed. “No, sir, it was not. There was a crack, but no hole - until I touched the crack, that is. I’m afraid it spread rather quickly, and I was unable to prevent it.”

The young Elkin hung his head, ashamed. “I am so very sorry, sir. I was curious to see what was beyond the wall, but I did not mean to damage it.” 

I can sense that your heart is good, and your intentions pure, the voice comforted. I know you did not mean to break the shell. However, it has happened, and now it must be repaired. 

Quartz felt a twinge of disappointment. “Must it, sir?” he asked. “The view of the beyond is so magnificent. I would be sad to never see it again.” 

The eye blinked understandingly. It is indeed a wonderful view. However, the hole in the glass creates a weakness, and one hole will lead to others. Before long, the entire shell would fall apart, leaving your world exposed to many dangers and unforgiving elements. And without my shell, I myself would die, and your world would surely follow. 

Shocked, the Elkin boy quickly nodded his head in agreement. “Then it must be so. The hole must be repaired, for the good of all. But how can it be done?”

The eye looked sad. It will require a sacrifice on your part. You must collect all the pieces, and use your soul fire to fuse them back together. 

“My soul fire?” Quartz asked, confused. “What is that?”

It is the fierce light that shines from your eyes, and powers your wings. 

Quartz gulped. “Oh,” he said, somberly. “So I will no longer be able to fly?”

No, I’m afraid not. 

“But the hole is so high in the air! If, by fixing it, I lose my ability to fly, won’t I fall?”

Yes, the voice said simply. I do not wish to see you come to harm, little one. But your sacrifice will allow your world to carry on, and furthermore, will provide a great gift to your people. It is, as it must be, your decision.  

The Elkin boy thought for a long, long time. But in the end, the choice was clear. He quickly gathered up the thick chunks of glass, and puzzled them gently back into place. Following the voice’s gentle guidance, Quartz placed a soft hand on the fragile surface of the wall, and concentrated. 

A fierce red light, one that matched his eyes and wings, began to glow from beneath his hand. He focused harder, pouring all his energy into the task. The light grew more brilliant, and heat pulsed in waves across the glass. Then, with a final blinding flash of crimson light, the cracks fused together, and Quartz found himself falling, falling, falling from the sky, with blackness closing in around him...

When he woke, Quartz found himself gently cradled in his father’s arms. 

“Father?” he asked, bewildered. “Where did you come from?”

“When you didn’t come home, your mother and I grew worried. I went out searching for you. Then I saw the red light, and followed it. I caught you as you fell from the sky. What happened, my son?”

Quartz told his father the whole story, explaining the accidental breaking of the glass, the great eye, the voice in his mind, and the magnificence of the beyond. Last of all, he explained the sacrifice he had made. 

“I’m afraid my wings will no longer work, father. I shall never soar through the sky again. But we are safe, and the shell is whole once more, and that’s what matters most.”

His father smiled. “I am proud of you, my son. And if you cannot fly, those you love will just have to carry you.”

As they prepared for the trip home, Quartz found his mind dwelling on the beauty of the beyond. “I wish you could have seen it, father,” he sighed. “It was incredible.”

His father picked him up, and they flew up into the air. His father stopped suddenly, hovering high above the ground. In a strange, awed voice, Quartz’s father said, “Did it look like a myriad of color and light, dancing across a black velvet background?”

The young Elkin boy was surprised. “Yes, father, exactly! How did you know?”

His father pointed to the wall, to the place where Quartz had healed the shell. Where once the glass has been thick and opaque, covered in pastel swirls, a vast area around the former break was, instead, crystal-clear. Quartz and his father could see perfectly into the beyond, through the rivers of twirling light and sweeping color.

An enormous eye peered in through the clear glass, winking at Quartz. As I said, came the voice, your sacrifice provided a great gift for your people. Now all Elkins are able to gaze into the majesty of the beyond, without any need for holes in my protective shell. You have given your people the universe. And, as I carry you and your people through the stars, we can explore more of the unknown together. 

Quartz smiled, knowing for certain that his sacrifice had been worth it. He may never fly again, but he and his people would see the wonders of the beyond, and travel together through the stars. 

And who knows? Maybe one day, dear reader, their path might lead them here. 

The end