Colours

Act 1: Azure

1. Prelude / Sprout
2. Chapter 01 / Decay
3. Chapter 02 / Garden

Chapter 02

Garden

The tree stood tall and proud against everything around it. The base of the tree was so thick it would take a full day to walk all the way around it. The trunk, which snaked upwards twisting and branching out in every direction. The foliage that covered the tree was thick, exploding with colour.

The tree was at the centre of a rich and elaborate garden that had formed around it. The garden was overflowing with a seemingly infinite selection of fruits, nuts and vegetables. Milk and honey flowed from the tree into separate ponds. And within all of this colourful beauty, children roamed freely.

The Garden’s sole purpose was to provide the children with an environment to play and grow. The Garden provided the children with everything they needed to take care of themselves. The Garden provided the children with the best environment for them to grow with complete autonomy as there were no adults.

As babies, the stream of milk which flowed from the tree itself and was all the nourishment they needed. As they grew, they needed more than sustenance. They needed an environment that encouraged experimentation, that allowed ideas and skills to be tested. The Garden provided tools of engagement. As infants the first of these were the orbs. Small lifeless bulbs that turn to life as soon as a child held one.

The orbs offered the children an object of pure wonder. The game they played simply involved passing the orbs to each other. Every time one of the children held the orb it would change colour, unique to every child. The colour would shine for a few seconds before gradually fading away, returning to it empty vessel form, ready to be awakened again by the next child.

Even at this early age, the rest of the children observed Onyx differently. The difference wasn’t in the colour of his skin, as no child was alike in that regard. The common trait between the children was the colour of their eyes. At this age, they were all as white as snow. By contrast, Onyx had eyes as black as night.

As the orbs were passed around Onyx found himself being excluded from the game. At first it was subtle, the other children would pass the orb to Onyx and then quickly take it away. This quickly shifted to more direct actions, as they would skip his turn entirely. This eventually turned to pushing and shoving Onyx out of the way.

As with most simple games, children tend to get better at the game the more they play. First they learnt how to make the orbs glow their colour for longer. Eventually they learned how to keep the colour in the orb after they had passed it onto the next child. Seeing their colour in the orb started off as a feeling of delight, this soon turned into something more primal, existential.

Curiously, Onyx noticed that try as he might, the orbs did not react to him the same way they reacted to the other children. When he held an orb it didn’t change colour; rather it sat there lifelessly staring back at him. Clearly the orbs are broken, he thought to himself. That is the only possible explanation.

Onyx’s experience of the game was not one of delight, it was one of exclusion and isolation. He quickly realised that the other children worked with each other to engineer him out of the way. Onyx couldn’t contain his frustrations and always found himself crying and alone, with nobody around to comforted him. It happened so often this would become his very first memory.

As time stretches forward, the colour of leaves on the tree begin to fade. The leaves never fall off but they turn a brilliant white. It’s a subtle transition that mutes the vibrancy of the remaining leaves. Like energy, the colour cannot be destroyed or lost, it simply finds a new home. The children have become the new colour bearers.

The colours manifested in the children in different ways, some visible, some hidden. The most striking way was in the children’s eyes. For most of their infant lives, the children had smokey grey eyes. It was only when the children finally came of age did the colour of their eyes shine through. This also provided their name.

The children are older now. Their games have become a little bit more sophisticated. They are playing in the sandbox at the foot of the tree. Some kids and grabbing the sand, giving it their colour and releasing it in the air, forming a colourful cloud of sand for an instance before falling lifelessly back on the ground. Others are building intricate structures and giving them life through colour.

As he has become accustomed to this Onyx has chosen a spot further away from the rest of the children. He maintains some proximity to see what the other children are doing. It’s a mistake he will learn from. For the moment, Onyx focuses on the build in front of him. From the sand he is creating an intricate tower with sweeping curves and interconnected bridges.

A small gaggle of curious kids approaches him to see what he’s built. The keep their distance but you can see a few fascinated by the way Onyx is manipulating and working with the sand and water in front of him. There is audible delight as he gently blows life into his creation, giving it a shimmering black gloss. Onyx is not used to an audience but this one time he allows himself to smile.

His happiness, as small and simple as it is, is short lived. Another group of kids arrives shortly after the first group. This group is not here to admire. This group is here to control. With a single glance at Onyx’s creation they have a primal and visceral reaction. It begins with Onyx being pushed out of the way, before they proceed to collectively trampling his sand structure. Only once they are all satisfied that no element of it remained do they turn their attention to its creator.

Shocked, Onyx can only utter one word, ‘Why?’.

The other children cannot hear him, nor do not want to. They are seeing red in a way that children can, devoid of any self control. The shove takes Onyx by surprise; he looses his balance and falls to the ground. The angry children around him begin kicking the ground at him, sand starts flying everywhere and gets into his eyes. While the pain in his eyes stings, surrounded by other children, the feeling of isolation hurts a lot more.

Time stretches further.

The colour of the leaves on the trees has almost completely drained away.

The children are not quite adults, though their bodies have filled out and certainly look the part, their minds have still not developed to the same level. The games have become more elaborate and seemingly a little more cruel. They are chasing Onyx, who has found some success when the hunt is in the tree itself.

While it feels like a high stakes game, it’s more about dominance against defiance. Onyx tends to keep to himself, however when confronted he refuses to cower away, even to his own detriment. The rest of the children swarm around him, but he’s wise to their advances. As quick as thought, Onyx leaps onto the tree and quickly scampers up. He allows himself a smile. The chase is on.

For the children, there is only one rule to the game, throw Onyx off the tree. For Onyx, there is also one rule although it is more difficult to execute, throw everyone else before they get to him first. The sheer size of the tree is accentuated during this game as the children run along the branches, they are suddenly more aware of their own size, it distracts some, who loose their footing and fall to the ground, playing themselves out of the game.

Even though the fall doesn’t hurt physically, the mental disappointment is palpable. Onyx manages to elude multiple advances and attacks from every branch, above and below him. As he moves from branch to branch, his movements are free and confident. While he has gotten better at the game, he lets his over confidence get into his head.

The first wobble is self inflicted. He tried to make an ambitious move that only marginally sticks but it’s enough of an opening for the kids closest to him to capitalise on the error. They work as a pack, the first clips the side of his leg; another swipes at his head. Onyx looses his balance, but is not given the opportunity to recover before he is dealt the push from the side and is thrown off the tree.

In the end it always ends in the same way. Onyx on the ground looking up in pain as a seemingly growing group of children look down on him in anger and vindication. Keeping Onyx in his place is the correct order of things. The way things should be. At first Onyx would always break out in tears, this reaction would eventually evolve into calm defiance, defined by not breaking out in tears anymore and staring directly back up at his attackers.

The tree is now complete bare.

The children in the garden have now grown into young adults. They are fully aware of their sexuality and their desires for one another. Their rituals begin innocently enough. Rubbing shoulders, warmly smiling at each other, holding hands. These interactions are quickly replaced with something less playful.

Azure has matured faster than many around her and is not afraid to use this to her advantage. She approaches a slender boy with vibrant grey eyes, her eyes are locked in on his, never breaking away. It’s a slow and purposeful walk, she makes her way in-between her brothers and sisters. The boy stays perfectly still, as though he can’t move. Azure walks right up to the boy, her face is a breathe away from his, she flicks her fingers around his neck while slowly circling him, rubbing her body against his.

Finally, while standing behind him, Azure tilts her head and slowly whispers in his ear. “Yes.” the boy says and closes his eyes. It only takes a moment and when the boy opens his eyes again, they are now a deep Azure hue.

They call it fading.

In the background, away from the others Onyx has been a keen observer of his siblings with envy. There was a calmness to the faces after the fading is complete. Those who faded became part of something more than just themselves.

It’s pure instinct. Onyx craved this future for himself. His approach does not go unnoticed, but the glares from some of his siblings does not deter him from his singular purpose. In the blink of an eye, Onyx finds himself standing in front of Azure. She looks at him with slight indifference, but also with a glint in her eye, ready to pounce. She moves towards Onyx with arrogance, hiding excitement.

In a similar move, she circles Onyx and whispers in his year, ‘Are you ready to become one?’ His answer is short and catches Azure of guard, ‘No, but I hope you are.’ Onyx grabs her hand and closes his eyes.

There is a stillness in the air and abject fear in Azure’s eyes. Her breathe is yanked from her and she only manages to compose herself enough and push Onyx away. The second she’s out of his grasp she lets out an incredible shriek. The cry is heard by everyone in the Garden, who comes running to help Azure.

Azure doesn’t need to say anything. They all know what just happened and if they don’t take action in the exact moment, it could happen to any one of them.

In all the time that follows, Onyx always questioned the reaction from his brothers and sisters, everyone now understood the game. He could never understand why there was always a different reaction to him. Onyx is chased out of the Garden.

He does not look back.