“Really?” Sara asked enthusiastically. “Which ones?”
“There was the one with the teardrop above the entrance, that one felt the least uncomfortable. Then there is the one with the weird symbols and the eye. It was a little creepier, but it was kind of intriguing. Then after that one I think the temple with the big dragon statues at the entrance.” Seth told her honestly, letting his discomfort with the temples be known.
“I know the gods and worshipping isn’t anything you hold in high regard Seth, but would you stop to take another look at those three for me?” Sara asked, still clinging to the hope that he might choose one and in doing so allow them to make plans to be joined.
“For you my angel I would do anything.” Seth answered earnestly.
Sara led Seth back the way they had come, a slight bounce in her step. Seth couldn’t help but notice the happiness mingled with hope in her eyes as they walked. He did not want to disappoint her so as they walked he again gazed upon every temple they passed. They stopped again at the temple guarded by the immense stone dragons. Nothing on this temple made Seth feel uncomfortable. The dragons did not stare at him with empty eyes. They did not menace him with bared teeth. The thing about this temple that Seth did not like was the fact that dragons were just fairytale monsters used to frighten children into obeying their parent’s rules. Seth imagined if the temple was inhabited by people worshiping a god that was depicted by a dragon, then he must assume that their religion had a lot of strict rules the followers were frightened into following. As Seth decided upon the temple he could not help but notice Sara watching his reaction. She seemed to recognize his decision before he could speak it, seeing something in his face he had not intended to show. Knowing Seth did not like the temple, Sara again led him down the road to their next stop. She still had a bounce in her step, though it had diminished greatly. Seth hated that he was making her unhappy, and could not stand to look upon her in his guilt. He instead chose to look to the temples they were passing. It was then that he noticed something he had missed previously. The temples were exactly the same as before, but as they walked away from the dragon temple and approached the next one Seth noticed a structure between them.
It was nothing magnificent, it was not even large. No grand statues or carved scenes marked its entrance. Nothing wrapped its walls at all. The structure between the two grand temples was as plain and bare as the road beneath his feet. Looking down to actually make the comparison, Seth realized he had stopped. Looking up from his feet he found Sara staring at him with a questioning look in her eyes. Smiling to reassure her he hadn’t forgotten how to walk, he gestured towards the small stone building between the temples.
Sara scrutinized the small stone building hiding in the shadows of its neighbors. It was made of bare stone with a wooden door. The door had a word carved into its surface, but from this distance she could not make it out. Besides the door no other detail marked the front of the building. Sara marveled at a sudden realization. She knew instantly that Seth would want to inspect the building further. The building, Sara felt, was a lot like her. It was small and plain, it appeared all but forgotten by the people who once took care of it, and nothing about it was remarkable. Like her, the building was a lost cause. Seth seemed to like lost causes, after all he loved her. This in mind Sara returned her gaze to the man she loved and smiled at him already guessing his decision.
“You want to go take a look?” Sara stated more than asked.
“How did you guess?” Seth answered with a look of surprise.
“I think I know you well enough.” Sara stated honestly.
“Well then, let’s go have a look.” Seth said.
Seth led Sara to the door, their hands clinging tightly to one another. As they reached the door Seth paused to read the inscription upon it, but found he was unable. The characters of the word were alien to him. Written in a different time, perhaps in a different language, the words meaning was lost upon the two attempting to decipher it. Seth turned and looked deeply into Sara’s eyes, and seeing her hope once again blazing in their depths, he grasped the handle upon the door. With a loud sigh Seth pulled the door open and warm air rushed past them from within. The scent of jasmine and other various spicy scents tickled their nostrils as they stepped into the small room through the door. Letting the door close behind them, they examined the room before them. It was empty except for two torches that were held in iron bands fastened into the walls to either side of them. Ahead of them, the only structure within the room was a staircase. Stone stairs led down into the earth and ended at a lighted room below. Besides the fact that the room below was lit, no other detail could be ascertained from the top of the stairs. Without speaking Seth led Sara down the stone staircase. They descended slowly towards the light, attempting to see what lay beyond. Reaching the foot of the stairs they peered into the room before them blinking frequently as their eyes adjusted to the bright light. The air here was thick with incents, and Sara coughed lightly trying to clear it from her throat. Even her cough reminded Seth of an angel. The room was larger than either had expected. It was not an elaborate room, having no furniture or decorations. The walls hung bare except for more torches running its length on either side. The room too was bare except for stone pillars that stood at regular distances supporting the ceiling above them. Looking across the long room Seth noticed one single statue standing at its far end looking back at them. Seth noted a familiar feeling about the statue, and wanting a closer look he began to cross the room towards it leading Sara by the hand. The back of the room was not as well lit as the entrance had been and being as such the statue was cast in shadow. Seth noticed that even as he was growing nearer he could not see the statue clearly enough to discern its details. As Seth made the halfway point across the room he thought he heard a foot scuff on the stone somewhere and slowed his pace to look around for its source. Spying nothing but the stone pillars Seth decided he must have been mistaken and turned his head once again toward the statue. Seth stopped abruptly before colliding with his intended target. Regaining himself Seth looked to the stone figure before him and gasped in realization. The stature before him was of a person he recognized. Not only did he recognize the stone features, but he remembered the voice that belonged to the stone woman before him. He remembered it, because it had only been a handful of days since he had spoken to her in a dream.
Before Seth stood a stone statue of a woman bearing a stark resemblance to his mother. Where before the woman’s hair had been braided in tight rows to her head, now it hung loosely across her shoulders. The statue stood, a calm look upon its face, its eyes fixed on Seth, who returned its gaze. Seth could not believe his eyes. In fact he closed them briefly only to reopen them revealing the same face as before. Without thinking about what he was doing, Seth reached out to touch the statue, a strange compulsion guiding his hand. Pressing his fingertips against the cool stone figure Seth heard a whisper. Removing his hand he turned to look at Sara to better hear her words, but Sara stood silently watching him with a curious and hopeful look upon her face. Thinking this odd, Seth returned his gaze to the statue in front of him. Again his hand rose as if of its own accord. Touching the stone again Seth could hear the whisper, only this time it was louder and more coherent. He closed his eyes to focus better upon the sound and found himself in a familiar stone room. The room was circular with no windows or doors just as it had been in his dream. He turned in the room mentally, conscious that it was simply a vision in his mind. Finding nothing out of the ordinary he again tried to listen for the whisper. No whisper came, instead as if standing directly before him, he heard the woman’s voice from his dream so many nights before.