25
sun had just started to come over the horizon and was directly behind the statue of the pilgrim. The Statue had been built so that the sun formed a perfect halo behind it once every year on this day.
Unfortunately, long ago the weather had sanded off it’s beauty. You couldn’t tell if it was originally a man or a woman because only it’s basic shape remained. Originally one hand had been covering it’s eyes while the other held it’s heart, but a few years ago the latter had fallen off.
I wasn’t surprised to see so many people waiting around the statue. It was an odd sight in the dead city to see them all in one place. The majority of them were on their knees facing away from the statue with a hand over their eyes and the other on the heart, as was custom. The younger citizens were less interested in the customs of the church. They had their eyes open and watched me as I walked up to the statue. I was used to seeing the dirty beaten faces, but the hopeful look in their eyes disarmed me. Gabriel had told me about the young men in the city and how they disowned the church. He told me they were filled with angst, blaming their troubles on anything they could. There was no trace of disbelief in their desperate eyes now.
Once I had passed the statue of the pilgrim I was not permitted to look back at the city or the crowd of people behind me. I waited a moment before taking my first step past the last row of buildings into the desert before me. When I finally took that world changing step they released the birds. Thousands of them, released from cages on the edge of the city, flew from their cages above and before me. The vibrantly colored flock, panicked by their sudden release from captivity, circled for a few seconds before heading away from the city. In that few seconds the silent city was filled with sound, and the harsh sun was not shining on it. Then the moment was gone, and everyone’s attention was on me as I walked out into the wasteland.
Since the city disappeared over the horizon, I had seen nothing but sand. Despite being very careful to ration my supplies, I was still out of food and at the dredges of my canteen. Of course I had silently expected this from the beginning, to die out here alone without a destination in sight. Nobody ever returned from a pilgrimage. Even knowing this I could not regret my decision.
I sat for a moment in the hot sand and looked up at the sun. It would be setting before long, and the desert would be cold again. The horizon was empty in every direction. Closing my eyes I let out a content sigh. This place would be as good as any other. I took my canteen from my bag and poured it out. Placing the empty container back in my bag and setting it aside, I laid on my side and started waiting. When I opened my eyes for a moment, I saw a spot of color in the dull landscape. Curious, I decided to pick myself up and see what it was.
It was one of the birds released from their cages on the day I left the city. The poor things, born in cages and hand fed, thrown out to die in this wasteland. I was wondering how the other birds were fairing when, about an arms length away,