Atto 1 - Senectus (part one)
The sound of the delicate bell reverberated into the vast emptiness. A fleeting spark emerged from the void, quivering as it drifted and finally fell into the surrounding darkness. Then, all was still…
Yet, suddenly, the bell rang once more. This time, the spark gleamed brighter, casting a faint light that began to pierce the endless shadow, revealing the form that lay hidden within the abyss.
TIIIINNNN!
There was no halting its progress. Despite countless attempts, each failing with a flicker of weak light, it persisted. The dimly lit backdrop began to stir with vitality, as though something ancient was stirring from slumber, preparing to awaken.
TIIIINNNN!
Gradually, shapes began to take form, colors began to emerge, drawn forth by the sparks now dancing in a perfect triad. Countless grains of brown, each unique in its shape, surrounded something in the heart of this emerging space, enclosing it in a quiet embrace. In the center of this muted range of oranges and browns, a gleaming white glowed. It caught the incandescent yellow radiance of the three sparks, coalescing into a singular mass, gathered in a cradle of the same material once molded by the Creator. Seven long days had passed since the arrival of the third mysterious trinket. Still, the creature remained buried deep within the earth, nurtured by the very soil from which it was formed. But where did that melodious sound originate? What of the sparks? Who or what had summoned them into the darkness?
TIIIINNNN!
The organic cluster twitched ever so slightly. Yet the sound that followed was not the same as the one produced by the friction of skin against earth. It was a softer note, more delicate. The light now revealed a new detail. By chance, one of the sparks landed upon what appeared to be a rachis, adorned with endless, delicate feathers that formed a flat, compact structure, each attached to a slender limb fused to the creature's back. Some of these feathers were longer than others, arranged in an orderly fashion. The primary and secondary remiges outlined the lower portion, while the tertiary feathers formed a continuous vertical band, uniting the large, medium, and small coverts in seamless harmony.
TIIIINNNN!
The toll of the bell stirred an abrupt stretch and unfurling of the other wing. Together, the two feathered appendages formed a cradle, a bed that enfolded the unborn child as a mother's womb would. Contrary to what one might expect, not a single feather detached, no matter how hard one might pull. The warmth radiating from them shielded the final moments, the last preparations of the child yet to be born. But what would the Creator think upon encountering him? Would he share the same approval as when the third object descended from the heavens?
At last, in the boundless expanse governed by the void, life was poised to return with a smile. Everything was set, with or without the Creator's will. A true defiance of destiny. The wings began to tremble, an itch creeping beneath their plumage. Amid the steady ringing of the bell, the unborn child shifted, scratching at his feathered limbs. It seemed almost absurd—his desire to linger, to sleep just a little longer… perhaps forever…
But now, no more.
No more delays…
TIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNN!