The Quake that brought Darkness

Around 1100BC. When the darkness ascended on Pylos and spread to the ancient world.

502 Words

Civilisation. Writing. Reading. Politics. All were destroyed when the Earth gave it's first rumble.

The audience clapped for the final show at the theatre. The theatre, which used to stage as a Temple to Dionysus, fizzed as the red wine exploded causing a fountain of alcohol. Only adding to the chaos, the exploding crates caused the extra damage. The actors took their final bow as the ceilings curtsied in resignation. In his throne opposite the stage, the King sighed a royal sigh as the tragedy culminated with a crash when the building fell foul to the destructive forces ransacking the island. The hum drum of crashing, breaking and smattering was the only signal that the remaining buildings had followed their lead as they collapsed in a fit of despair. Of course, one would expect more signals but the crowd were dropping to the darkness, as an eerie silence tumbled onto the area.

Outside the theatre, it was as if darkness had slashed through the summer light. The once bustling and hustling scene was no more. A complete blackout took its place. It could have been seen as a climax to the story, and maybe it was, but the perpetrators never thought enough of the extras, only using it as a background to their divine war.


The horseman, waiting at the cliff side for the reapers, rolled his eyes in unison with the waves rolling onto the ancient town of Pylos. Thanatos, his winged counterpart, was already swooping into houses to clean up the scene. Poseidon was pummeling more floods and Zeus was pouring down the rain in an attempt to cleanse the land of the sin that had taken place and to prepare it for the living once again, although perhaps it instead served as a feeble way to help rectify their weaknesses in stopping the call of action. Ares was mourning in a cold cave that he had warmed with his fury, as his refusal for war had been ignored. In fact, the antagonist had skipped over his line entirely!

By the time the Earth's final rumble rung true, the condemnation had been finalised and Hell was closed once more, but the ancient Greek gods remained disgusted at the attack on their people and their territory. Lay in place of what was once a peaceful, religious and respectful town, was a wasteland of fertile soil that would soon be lived in again. Eventually, in hundreds of years, it would become strong again. Though, it would look different.


A snake slithered away from the carnage to the corymbia aparrerinja, an evergreen tree. On the edge of the cliff with the best view to the horseman, the serpent steals its way to the tree. On the surface, the sly reptile is noticeable only for its destination as the ghost tree, or as it is better known nowadays, the Tree Of Knowledge, has never been native to Greece.