1:1 – Forsworn were the old stars, that calamity of heavens which should birth unto the soils its very son, progeny revered above men yet stood before them upon knee.
As I recall, this all began on the 19th of December. As for the year, I cannot remember; it felt a lifetime ago. It started with, what we thought was, a star; though looking back upon it, I do not believe that word could be used to describe such a thing. It shone bright across the night sky, like a torch in the darkness; burning bright, and lighting the way. Most who saw it, looked upon it with hopeful eyes, believing it to be a sign from the heavens. I, however, felt uneasy, and saw it as an omen; though, for what reason, I could not imagine. My two companions, though wise in their ways, belonged to the former group.
Through sheer coincidence, some months ago, a woman had made headlines, stating that she was pregnant with the child of God. An odd sorting of events, to be sure, but the other two pieced together that this was no coincidence, but indeed the second coming of Jesus of Nazareth. We gathered together and came to the unanimous conclusion that we were to bring gifts to this child, though the reason for this conclusion remained unclear. The eldest of the three, would give the gift of a tungsten ring; the next oldest would give him the gift of the finest oils and perfumes; I, being the youngest, would give the child an amethyst, a gift of the Earth.
1:2 – Burning brightly, the child given unto the Earth by the heavens; sought peace among men yet knew strife.
I awoke early the next morning; images of a brightly burning point in the sky, strange star-headed creatures, and a child that didn’t belong briefly swam in my mind; perhaps my fixation on current events has invaded my subconscious. My two elders had mentioned that, while we slept, it was revealed that the woman whose claims of being the mother of the new Christ, were not totally unfounded. It was brought to light that she was, and is, a virgin. This news had brought followers of this new savior in droves. Thousands of people visited this woman, to receive blessings, or to worship their reincarnated Lord. Her new popularity had, unfortunately, made it difficult to meet with her, to share with her our gifts. No matter, we had decided to start this journey, and we were set to finish it. We started our trek on the 20th of December, setting out to join this would-be babe in swaddling cloth. I began to question why we had such a drive to visit the child. I asked the other two, who could still not give concrete answers; it was as if we were driven to this place.
During the first day of our long journey, we heard strange stories of missing animals, and strange creatures descending from the sky; things dancing within the shadows. I summed it up to the excitement of the savior of man coming to us once more. Through the celebrations, through the joy filled faces that passed us by, the unease at the back of my mind persisted. We stopped late in the evening, to settle in and rest for the night in the middle of a large field of flowers. As my eyes shut, I could see pure white wings soaring through the sky, like a flaming arrow through a dark sea.
1:3 – Buried within human womb, he did come forth to a woman yet untouched, and blessed was her labor to be held within the safety of a home of beasts.
I once again looked up upon the bright star that signaled the beginning of a new era, though I was not alone. I sat among what could be best described as amorphous blobs of matter, none seeming to mind my presence, as they were all fixated on, what I surmised was a baby. Though, it did not appear as the others; it was another child that didn’t belong. I awoke in a fright; seeing such a frightful visage tore me from sleep. I saw my two elders speaking with a Shepherd, the one who owned the land we slept on, and his son. They told us that, during the night, they were visited by an angel. It spoke in their minds; “Be not afraid” it began, “I bring good news of joy, which will be to all the people. For there is born to you, this day, a savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. This is the sign to you: you will find a baby wrapped in strips of cloth, lying in a feeding trough.”
The man said that it presented an image of a barn within his mind; upon seeing this, he felt a force compelling him in the direction we were to go. I found it strange that the man kept referring to this holy messenger as “It”. We thought it best that they join us, as we sought the same destination. I cannot say I did not enjoy the company, as my companions had been acting out of sorts as of late. I have tried dismissing it as mania, like the others, but I see a different look within their eyes. The unsettling thoughts in my mind grew as the day came to an end. I found it strange that he referred to the angel as “It”.
1:4 – Let him be seen: so too did the heavens shine that one and two and three men of wisdom and wealth alike did encroach.
The sky burned bright with a myriad of colors that I, nor any of my species had witnessed in our years on this rock. The star, it shines brighter, closer, than I’ve ever seen. No… Not a star. It gently moves through space, like a firefly in the night sky. Tendrils, unseen, invade my thoughts, showing images of incomprehensible creatures that lie within the nightmares of man. I look around me to see beasts surrounding me; beasts of the unbelonging child from my dream, all gazing at me. I peer down to see another child. I cannot explain it’s visage; there are no words in any language that could fully describe such a thing. I looked into its eyes and saw past infinity.
I woke up, screaming as I had never before done. After the air in my lungs had left me, I looked around my immediate area; I saw no one. Not the Shepherd, not my elders, no one. I thought myself abandoned for a brief moment, until I heard unholy screams from the trees at my back. I do not remember getting up, nor do I remember running to the aid of this poor soul; but I do remember seeing my closest elder kneeling before an idol of unknown make; it took the visage of a star. He shivered uncontrollably; though, whether he shook due to the cold, or the fear, I do not know. The eldest, as well as the Shepherd and his son, had arrived shortly after; though they didn’t seem as disturbed as I was; they were more concerned with the proximity of the climax of our journey. We heard yet more stories of strange beasts stalking our fellow man, and angels descending from our star-lit sky. It seemed that the closer we got to our destination, the more dense the population became. We saw tents, cars of all makes, and places filled to burst with humans. It also seemed that the closer we got, the more fervorous we became; as if we were being pulled by an unknown, and unseen force. We had traveled further than we had the previous nights, and our bodies had paid the price.
1:5 – Friend and not foe, unto the child from above did they deliver a modicum of wealth and an offering of food.
The light stung my eyes. The cosmic horror burned within the atmosphere of the spinning rock on which I stood. I once again looked upon the creatures that were laid before me, and once again, they took the form of the originless child. Once again, they gazed upon a child. My mind screamed, begging me not to witness the infant; my own body seemed to be repelled by it, trying to prevent me from seeing the child. It was all for not, as the crowd parted, as if working against me, showing me the newborn. I looked into its azure eyes; its pale face leering at me. God in heaven, it was human.
My eyes tore open to see a crazed man standing above me; it was the Shepherd. He mumbled something about angels, and horrors from the void beyond our universe. I heard others, talking about our savior, saving us from the creatures that seemed to be at our doorstep, unseen, unheard. Our new savior will save us from the evil that found refuge in our home. Some dark part in my mind questioned whether or not this was our savior; I hushed it. Our journey was nearing it’s end; the Shepherd, through his mad ramblings, seemed to recognize the barn we were nearing. I could see shimmering white wings floating above the building. As we approached, I could see these angels more clearly. With a horrifying realization, I began to comprehend why the poor Shepherd referred to them as inhuman things. Rings upon rings, eyes within eyes, all looking upon our persons. Inside the barn, we saw a pregnant woman and her man. I expected deformed, horrific abominations, but I was comforted by the sight of two of my own species. The man offered us shelter; the woman offered to mend our wounds and feed us. It was the most normal night we had since the night of the star.
1:6 – And for this he would not be grateful, as the hardships of life would reveal to him his origins.
I stood in a black void, lighted only by a dying sun. I looked upon an infinite crowd, all of my own genus; all crowding around a child. I dared not look upon it; for I knew what lay in the manger. I knew my mind would break upon the revelation of this new race of being. I closed my eyes, depriving the thing of my sanity. I curled as low as my physical body would allow me; had I the choice, I would bury myself deep within the earth, never to see the light of that unholy star for as long as I remained.
I awoke to screaming; a woman screaming. My party sprinted towards the barn, in which the saintly couple had retired the night before; she was going into labor. Her screams became ghastly, inhuman. The angels floated closer to us. “Be not afraid” echoed through my mind like the insane ramblings of the mad Shepherd. Visions of beasts from beyond the stars flashed behind my eyes; of shapeless monsters, of star-headed people, and of nameless things, all gone and forgotten by time. Voices speaking languages never heard by human ears, but lingering within their souls, shouted within me; “Be not afraid”. The poor girl’s screams became hoarse; her tears mixing with her sweat, slid down her pain-filled face. I had seen eternity before her screams were replaced with the cries of a babe. We fell to our knees; our savior was among us. The Shepherd and his boy looked upon the child, and they wept. The eldest looked upon the child, placed the ring of tungsten upon it, and left. The next, presented his gift of oils, and of perfumes, and departed from this mortal coil. I feared for my life; I could not look upon this creature, this thing that would replace us. My body worked against my will, inching closer and closer to this preternatural child. The instant my eyes met its, I felt a myriad of emotions; fear, hate, sorrow, joy. I now knew the significance of my gift, the amethyst; a gift of the earth. I placed the jewel upon this thing;
The Star Child.