The Book of Knight
A Prologue
1 And it came to pass that Cillian, who is called Knight, was drunken with strong drink and spake foolishly unto his friend John, saying: Lo, she departeth from me, for I have forgotten the sweetness of her day; therefore must I go and bring her the choicest chocolate, that her heart may turn again unto me.
2 But John answered him, saying: Surely thou art full of wine, and the road is long unto Cali. Let us sleep and rise up early, and when sobriety returneth, we shall go and find the gift.
3 Yet Knight would not hearken, but cried aloud: We have no time! For she leaveth within the week; therefore I must go now!
4 Then John stretched forth his hand to take the keys, saying: Give them unto me, lest thou perish upon the highway.
5 But Knight hardened his heart and smote his friend upon the nose, and blood issued forth.
6 And John was wroth, saying: So is this the thanks I receive, after all I have done for thee? Go then, thou selfish man; take thy chariot and seek thy destruction. And he turned and went into the house in anger.
7 Then Knight was alone, and silence fell about him; and he spake within himself, saying: None regardeth my counsel. None understandeth my heart.
8 Wherefore he entered his chariot and said, First, let there be music. And he found the record called Heavy Mood, and lo, a song of Tool arose mightily, crying, I am praying for rain; I am praying for tidal waves.
9 And Knight sang with a loud voice, saying, Behold, the sign is clear! The song speaketh of the ocean, and thus am I bound westward!
10 And he set his face toward the freeway, which leadeth unto the sea.
11 The air was cool, and came unto Knight as a pillow of feathers.
12 He closed his eyes, imagining the waves and the shore, and said, "This is the place".
13 But behold, there came a sound, even a mighty THUNK, and his eyes were opened.
14 He beheld a barrier of rock before him, and in fear he turned the wheel and smote the brakes, and his chariot spun about as a whirlwind.
15 When it ceased, he saw that all things yet moved, though they stood still, and his heart pounded within him as a drum of war.
16 And his car faced backward upon the road, and he looked upon the marks of his wheels; and at the beginning thereof he saw a figure lying still in the street.
17 Then remembrance struck him as lightning, and he said within himself: The sound!
18 He silenced the music and was seized with trembling; for the rum within him made war against his breath, and he vomited upon the ground, crying, This cannot be happening.
19 After a time he rose upon unsteady legs and went toward the man, whispering: Please be not dead, please be not dead.
20 And lo, it was an old man, clothed in rags; one shoe was lost, and his toe was bare.
21 Knight bent to feel the pulse and said, Yea, thou livest, though thy limbs are broken. And he smelled the odors of the street and said, Surely thou art homeless.
22 Then came upon him a thought dreadful and quick: I am drunk; and because of this, trouble has found me; John hath spoken truly.
23 He spat upon the dust, but his mouth was dry, and the spittle failed him.
24 He looked about and saw no witness, no recording devices, and no eye in the sky to behold his deed.
25 And he said to the man, Thou art a burden upon the working. Why should I suffer ruin for thy sake? If the universe desireth thee to live, it shall provide a way; if not, one less trouble for the world.
26 And the words echoed in his breast, and he felt the weight of their shame.
27 Then he softened his voice, saying, perhaps thy sorrows are many, and grief laid thee low. Thou art still a man.
28 But the man answered not, for he lay senseless.
29 Knight lifted his device of precious metals to call for help, but his thumb wavered above the button. If I call, I am undone, he said. I shall lose all things: my name, my record, my life. He is old and I am young; it is not fair.
30 And he stood breathing hard upon the road, the future unfolding before him—guilt and shame and the weight of the night.
31 After many moments he finally pressed the button, and thus sealed his fate.
32 And so ended the first chapter in the fall of Cillian, who was called Knight.
End of Chapter 0.0
Belief to be the leaf, even when the tree is odd.