Mantichorus
"I've seen enough."
- AKA
- Kris; Mantichorus; Sam Vimes; Neku Sakuraba; Koki Kariya; Hazama; CuChulainn; Yu Narukami; Mewtwo; Rival Silver; Suicune; Kanata; Professor Oak; The Brigadier; VIII; The Engineer
This is a redo of a series of vigenettes I wrote at college for my A-Level English Language coruse. I posted some of the original on ACF.
Recently, I found the old file, and spotted some changes I had to make. I feel the story's better for it.
It's based on the Book of Revelations from the Bible. Each vigenette focuses on one of the Four Horsemen.
#Hey-ho, silver lining…# the radio rasped, buzzing with static like a swarm of angry flies. The driver behind the wheel grinned, and tapped his hand on the steering wheel in time to the music. The battered old pick-up truck heaved through the English Countryside, exhaust pluming in a thick, almost black plume of smog. The driver hadn’t heard the song before, but he liked it – the main reason for this was that he was mishearing ‘silver lining’ as ‘silver rider’. If there had been any human observers in the area, they may have noticed the lack of any kind of wildlife – rabbits, birds, cattle, and even carrion eaters – within a constant one-mile radius of the truck. However, there were no people around to see this. At least a quarter of the world was currently in bed, fighting off a new strain of the flu, which had apparently sprung up from nowhere to pandemic proportions.
Suddenly, in what seemed to be a fit of rage, the radio spat furiously at the driver, emitting a shower of sparks and crackling static, before ceasing to work. The driver looked at the radio, his face a mixture of surprise and annoyance, before continuing along his journey.
There it was – the white horse. At least, one of the renowned chalk horses. The driver put his foot on the brake, and the pick-up juddered and spluttered asthmatically, before sighing to a stop. As the driver got out, the sudden shift in weight caused the truck to rock. Watching the resulting action caused the driver to laugh gutturally as he walked around to the back of the pick-up. He hauled out an old hunting rifle and looked at it. Like the truck, it was it a poor state of repair. With a grunt, he placed it on his shoulder and once again reached into the back of the truck. This time, he pulled out a spade and grinned, revealing a score of missing teeth. Swinging the shovel in one hand, he began to climb the hill.
Several hours later, after much puffing and panting, the driver rested for a while and surveyed the scene. There were now several holes in the white horse. A flicker of doubt passed over his mind – could this be the wrong damned chalk horse? No – he was certain this was the one – it had to be…
As he shifted his bulk, something glinted in the sudden sunlight. The driver laboriously reached down and picked the object up. A cold, almost reptilian grin crossed his face.
“At last…” his voice croaked. He held the object at eye level and inspected it. “Fit for a king,” he chuckled, his voice rattling in his throat: for that was what he was – the King of Contagion. Pestilence placed the crown upon his head. “Time to ‘ride forth, conquering and to conquer’,” he quoted and began to retrace his steps back down the hill towards his soiled white pick-up truck.
Recently, I found the old file, and spotted some changes I had to make. I feel the story's better for it.
It's based on the Book of Revelations from the Bible. Each vigenette focuses on one of the Four Horsemen.
"...I heard... a voice like thunder..."
(c) Kristian Noble, 2010
I
(c) Kristian Noble, 2010
I
#Hey-ho, silver lining…# the radio rasped, buzzing with static like a swarm of angry flies. The driver behind the wheel grinned, and tapped his hand on the steering wheel in time to the music. The battered old pick-up truck heaved through the English Countryside, exhaust pluming in a thick, almost black plume of smog. The driver hadn’t heard the song before, but he liked it – the main reason for this was that he was mishearing ‘silver lining’ as ‘silver rider’. If there had been any human observers in the area, they may have noticed the lack of any kind of wildlife – rabbits, birds, cattle, and even carrion eaters – within a constant one-mile radius of the truck. However, there were no people around to see this. At least a quarter of the world was currently in bed, fighting off a new strain of the flu, which had apparently sprung up from nowhere to pandemic proportions.
Suddenly, in what seemed to be a fit of rage, the radio spat furiously at the driver, emitting a shower of sparks and crackling static, before ceasing to work. The driver looked at the radio, his face a mixture of surprise and annoyance, before continuing along his journey.
There it was – the white horse. At least, one of the renowned chalk horses. The driver put his foot on the brake, and the pick-up juddered and spluttered asthmatically, before sighing to a stop. As the driver got out, the sudden shift in weight caused the truck to rock. Watching the resulting action caused the driver to laugh gutturally as he walked around to the back of the pick-up. He hauled out an old hunting rifle and looked at it. Like the truck, it was it a poor state of repair. With a grunt, he placed it on his shoulder and once again reached into the back of the truck. This time, he pulled out a spade and grinned, revealing a score of missing teeth. Swinging the shovel in one hand, he began to climb the hill.
~*~
Several hours later, after much puffing and panting, the driver rested for a while and surveyed the scene. There were now several holes in the white horse. A flicker of doubt passed over his mind – could this be the wrong damned chalk horse? No – he was certain this was the one – it had to be…
As he shifted his bulk, something glinted in the sudden sunlight. The driver laboriously reached down and picked the object up. A cold, almost reptilian grin crossed his face.
“At last…” his voice croaked. He held the object at eye level and inspected it. “Fit for a king,” he chuckled, his voice rattling in his throat: for that was what he was – the King of Contagion. Pestilence placed the crown upon his head. “Time to ‘ride forth, conquering and to conquer’,” he quoted and began to retrace his steps back down the hill towards his soiled white pick-up truck.
“And there before my eyes was a white horse, and its rider held a bow. He was given a crown, and he rode forth, conquering and to conquer.” –Revelations 6:2.