Pompeii: A True Telling

This is just a first edit. Everythings subject to change and improvement :)

An Account of Pompeii

The long and towering buildings, shops, homes and markets dwarfed the people who once created them, one would believe that Gods had created such structures when perceiving the wondrous shimmers of light that twinkled down between the gaps of said buildings where the sky could just about be witnessed. The 20ft high pillars that were visible all around just demonstrated how insignificant the people around were when in their presence. The tall cream walls cracked over the ages that they had stood, truly a monument to Roman architecture. Unbeknownst to the inhabitants of this world, they would soon have to pay for the cruelty that they bestowed on nature to enhance their power.

Jupiter had been praised, adored and worshiped for countless generations. Parents passed the tales down by word of mouth. Whenever there was an eagle, high above spotted as it majestically glided along the often ill and diseased population felt as if they were being watched over.

Monuments were common place amongst the interiors of people’s homes. Shrines held a special place, dedicated towards the never ending love and devotion that every single person held towards their omniscient, omnipotent carer. It was a love that cannot, would not decay and each moment; as the sun rose over the mists of Mount Vesuvius, prayers were projected, long and clear across the fields of Pompeii.

One particular bright and clear day, the mists dissipated from the skies, the sun hanging low across the horizon. As the local people looked out across the golden fields of wheat, there was a gasp of awe as a majestic eagle glided overhead, seemingly effortlessly, the small winds from the tips of its wings, brushing across the tops of the wheat. Just like the buildings with sheets of light, flowing through the gaps, now it flittered through the neatly groomed feathers of the bird’; a spectacle that left residents feeling blessed at the sight that they marvelled upon. Yet as the sun continued along its trajectory, easing its way across the pale blue sky that possessed nothing more than a wisp of cloud. It began to be displaced with the threatening grey shadow that could only be the onset of a threatening set of thunder.

The ominous grey cloud that advanced on the city, drifting further across, encompassed it in darkness and shadow. A crack of thunder that not just shook the buildings but the people residing in them too had their cores shaken; the shock, resonated across the dense environment, as people held their breaths and tension ever grew. It swept through the streets, even down into the cellars. It was a sound of pain and anger, produced from the almighty God that stood above them.

Light sprung through the clouds, intense and pure, piercing the world with an insurmountable force. It wasn’t mere sunlight but the concentrated power of a God striking the ground, as if it was his plaything. Sparks, the size of rocks flew out from the ground alongside an ear shattering bang that had the local residents sent cowering. It was as if Jupiter himself was punishing the people of Pompeii. Incredible yet terrifying, flames jettisoned out, engulfing the city with an unrelenting heat. The continuous bursts of lightning walked their way through the city as if controlled by the hands of a master puppeteer; attempting to open a chasm directly into the darkest corners of hell. Certainly not a disaster but a purposeful condemnation, resulting in dissention to the vast fiery pits of hell.

As the ferocity of the attack began to subdue, worried heads began to turn towards the threatening slopes of Mount Vesurius that were suddenly the source of a tremor that shook its way through the souls of any shoe worn by man. It was at this point they turned on their heels and ran, escaping the footprint of an invisible being left behind. Such an experience would undoubtedly haunt them for the rest of their lives.

Those who stayed?... Remain to this day; frozen in time. As word of mouth spread across the lands, fear of the Gods grew, terrifying all adjacent to the ancient city. They knew they were being watched and all remained silent for the next two thousand years. An unconditional love for Jupiter would remain, as statues were built and worshipped until the fall of the Roman Empire, he would receive the adoration that fed his power.