Solstice

In the end, a warehouse had to be used.  A sports arena might have sufficed for so many people, or a concert hall, but those had long since gone and no large public venues had yet been reconstructed.  Any number of churches were suggested, of course, but aside from the overwhelming number of people to accomodate, there was the inevitable issue of associations with Norsefire that made such an avenue less than ideal.  Thus, a large section of an industrial park had been carefully converted for this event.

It was late at night and throngs of people filled the area, guided by volunteers.  It had snowed earlier, but now the sky was clear.  A half-moon shone down, and there was enough of a breeze to make one eager to be indoors.  Lights and signs showed the way toward one central building where a low hum of hushed voices and shuffling feet could be heard.  Within, people slowly and steadily settled into rows and waited.

At last, midnight approached and as one the crowd fell silent.  At the front of the area on a small constructed stage, a tall, portly man approached a podium.

"Good evening."  His warm, friendly voice carried across the sound system.  "Are we all here?  Then I'll begin.

"I have to say, I was rather shocked when I was approached to make this address - I'm afraid it's a bit outside of my normal purview.  I can only hope I do credit to the occasion."

He smiled in a moment of self-deprecation, then quickly sobered.

"Tonight is the Winter Solstice - the longest night of the year.  For untold centuries this has been a time of apprehension and hope alike; a time when humanity looked to the light to dispel the surrounding darkness.

His eyes, tinged with an old sadness, scanned the silent crowd.  "We have all lived in darkness.  We have all had someone taken by it, and wondered if we would ever see the sun again."  

He bowed his head briefly, then continued.  "Tonight we acknowledge the darkness, as we must, for if we do not we will be swallowed by it."  The lights began slowly to dim at his words.  

"This is the moment of transition in the year, when darkness is most with us."  Only the faintest outlines of people could be seen now in the vast space.  No one stirred.

A match was struck, his hand reaching to light a candle to his right.  "But we must remember that it is also the time when light returns."  His features glowed in the candlelight.  "The days become longer, and the nights grow shorter.  Life is slowly restored."

He took up his candle and came forward to touch it to another one held by one of the many people standing near the platform.  Smiling softly, he nodded to the woman whose candle he'd lit.  As she turned to light the candle of the person next to her, the man resumed.

"Tonight is for remembering those we've lost.  It is a time for mourning, but also of celebration.  We are still here.  We made a difference, and they were not lost in vain.  But we have a responsibility -  we mustn't forget.  We mustn't turn our backs.  Not on them, and not on one another."

One by one, then in tens... hundreds... candles were lit, restoring illumination in the cavernous space.  All around, countless faces etched with loss and determination looked up at him.

He returned their gaze, struggling to control his voice.  "Remember the ones the darkness has taken.  Speak their names and safeguard their place in our history.  

"Ensure the light's return."


~ Finis ~