Jack (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
finch) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
rainbowfic2023-07-20 06:13 pm
finch) wrote in rainbowfic2023-07-20 06:13 pm
Entry tags:
Her eyes look sharp and steady / Into the empty parts of me
Name: Jack
Story: Seeking the Temple
Colors: Bog Body 5: Her eyes look sharp and steady / Into the empty parts of me
Word Count: ~450
Rating: PG
Notes: Wow, it's been a hot minute, huh?
The first time I stumbled into the temple, I hardly knew where I was. I was newly arrived in the city and walking aimlessly through the city center to get a feel for it. I'd stumbled into a park between two busy roads, not even a city block wide. There was an open gate and a smudge of fence, and a path that lead up a hill at what looked like a gentle curve.
This was a lie. The path was relentless, going up the hill at just enough of an incline to make my muscles start complaining after a few minutes. By the time I crested the worst of it, I felt vaguely sick and I was looking for an exit, a way back to a bus stop or even just a bench, but while I was focused on the narrow footpath, the park itself widened considerably. In three directions, grassy hill spilled away from me to the city below, and the view was dramatic.
Straight ahead, there was a shock of trees and more height, but also some buildings. Not office buildings or a strip mall, not even modern construction, but pale stone walls that resolved into a complex of walls. It looks, at first glance, abandoned and overgrown, but when I got closer I realized this must be intentional. Inside the first gate was the shell of a building. The tall walls had dramatic window frames where a green growing riot stood in place of stained glass, the sunlight casting pale greens and yellows onto the ground through them. The floor had paths of light stone winding between beds of herbs and flowers that seem crowded but not overgrown. Everything felt cared for.
Walking in here, even I felt cared for.
At the far end I could see more traditional buildings with doors and ceilings, and just as I was resolving to head in that direction, I saw motion to my left and paused. A woman stood up from the plants she was tending and wiped her hands on a towel buttoned to her waist.
"Well met!" she called to me, and her eyes felt like they were cutting right through me.
I stepped as close to her as the path allowed, waving a greeting. "Where am I?"
"This is the temple you've been looking for," she smiled.
"I don't think I was looking for anything in particular," I laughed, thinking it must be a joke.
"People don't usually find us by accident." She laughed too, a gentle sound, and stepped out from the flowers and onto the path before me, holding out her hand. I reached out to take it, thinking she meant to shake hands, but she clasped both of hers around mine.
"It's good that you're here," she said brightly. "I'm Sister Kim."
Story: Seeking the Temple
Colors: Bog Body 5: Her eyes look sharp and steady / Into the empty parts of me
Word Count: ~450
Rating: PG
Notes: Wow, it's been a hot minute, huh?
The first time I stumbled into the temple, I hardly knew where I was. I was newly arrived in the city and walking aimlessly through the city center to get a feel for it. I'd stumbled into a park between two busy roads, not even a city block wide. There was an open gate and a smudge of fence, and a path that lead up a hill at what looked like a gentle curve.
This was a lie. The path was relentless, going up the hill at just enough of an incline to make my muscles start complaining after a few minutes. By the time I crested the worst of it, I felt vaguely sick and I was looking for an exit, a way back to a bus stop or even just a bench, but while I was focused on the narrow footpath, the park itself widened considerably. In three directions, grassy hill spilled away from me to the city below, and the view was dramatic.
Straight ahead, there was a shock of trees and more height, but also some buildings. Not office buildings or a strip mall, not even modern construction, but pale stone walls that resolved into a complex of walls. It looks, at first glance, abandoned and overgrown, but when I got closer I realized this must be intentional. Inside the first gate was the shell of a building. The tall walls had dramatic window frames where a green growing riot stood in place of stained glass, the sunlight casting pale greens and yellows onto the ground through them. The floor had paths of light stone winding between beds of herbs and flowers that seem crowded but not overgrown. Everything felt cared for.
Walking in here, even I felt cared for.
At the far end I could see more traditional buildings with doors and ceilings, and just as I was resolving to head in that direction, I saw motion to my left and paused. A woman stood up from the plants she was tending and wiped her hands on a towel buttoned to her waist.
"Well met!" she called to me, and her eyes felt like they were cutting right through me.
I stepped as close to her as the path allowed, waving a greeting. "Where am I?"
"This is the temple you've been looking for," she smiled.
"I don't think I was looking for anything in particular," I laughed, thinking it must be a joke.
"People don't usually find us by accident." She laughed too, a gentle sound, and stepped out from the flowers and onto the path before me, holding out her hand. I reached out to take it, thinking she meant to shake hands, but she clasped both of hers around mine.
"It's good that you're here," she said brightly. "I'm Sister Kim."
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Also no kidding that temple is hard to find. I'd love to find out more about it.