Justice From The Sky

Sometimes justice comes from unexpected places.

Our story begins in the foothills of a long forgotten region of the Appalachian mountains. This place was thought to be uncivilized and mostly uninhabited by man. I guess you could partly say that was true. The story I’m going to tell takes us back to a time when there was ’modern man’ and a branch of humanity, not dissimilar, that had long since been forgotten. Their kind was obliterated in a flash long, long ago by a devastating calamity.

You see, around 12,000 years ago, in the valley of a great river, there was a land of beauty and prosperity. Here a great city was built surrounding a small mountain that stood all alone in the valley, dwarfed by the great mountains on either side. On top of this small mountain was a glorious palace. Its beauty was unmatched. This is where the ruler, King Aldo, resided with his advisers, stewards and the leaders of his army. He had recently inherited the throne from his father who had inherited it from his forefathers before him. His family had ruled the land for centuries..

One day, one of the king's astronomers had witnessed something strange in the heavens. A star that had never been there before. He watched, night after night, as the star continued to appear. It seemed to even be getting brighter. He consulted his fellow astronomers and they agreed they should call a council of the king’s advisers to discuss the meaning of this. They hurriedly sent a messenger to the king’s Seer asking him to meet in the council chamber immediately.

They gathered in the council chamber. Each of them taking their place around a large stone table. Once assembled. The astronomer began. “We have seen the appearance of a bright new star in the heavens. As each day passes it grows brighter in the sky. What does this mean for our king? We ask your advice and counsel before bringing it to the king’s attention.” The king’s seer stood. “This could be good or bad. I must consult the spirits of our forefathers to determine which.” the seer said as he excused himself to do just that.

The seer, having first purified himself, drank a strange concoction that would allow him to speak with the spirits. He entered into a dark chamber deep under the palace and waited. The chamber was completely dark but soon the seer began to see a shimmering light. He began to speak asking what the meaning of the newly discovered star meant. The answer was terrifying.

The seer ran from the chamber, through the palace, straight to the astronomer’s chambers. He banged on the chamber door, not waiting for it to open but pushing it open and entering himself. “I’m sorry but we are all doomed! There is nothing to be done! Nowhere to hide!” he exclaimed. The astronomers were caught off guard by the sudden intrusion. “What? What are you saying, seer?” The astronomers asked. The seer continued, “The star you see growing brighter every day will bring destruction. The gods are angry and they have decided to unleash their vengeance upon or land!”

The king had murder his father to obtain the throne. An arrogant man, few people liked the king and even fewer respected him. Now it seemed his treachery had angered the gods and they would take out their vengeance on the whole land because of it. The astronomers and the seer made their way to the king's hall, requesting an audience to inform him of the situation. As they stood there in front of the king, before anyone could utter a word, A blinding bright flash appeared above the palace. Before anyone could know what was happening the entire city was wiped from existence. Not a soul left alive.

Unknown to them, it was not the gods' anger they had encountered but an asteroid that had been hurtling through space for millions of years. It seems justice was handed out to the deserving by complete chance. Or, I guess you could believe that God himself had dealt with evil his way.

The End