The Girl and the Laser

Long ago, before recorded history as humans now know it, there lived a young girl. She was from a small village that specialized in creating lasers from crystals that were mined from all around the region. Her job was an important one, as the largest laser in the village helped power the machinery for living.

The laser would power the mills in the water that fed the local agriculture. The laser would create enough heat to allow the molten steel to continuously churn. And finally, the laser would act as a barrier for the entire village; keeping any would-be invaders at bay.

Auryn felt she had the most important job in the village. Ever since she was a little girl, she appreciated the elders that taught her all the techniques she would use for her craft.

One day, a dark cloud formed over the village. Messengers living in the hills relayed no message of impending weather. The residents knew this was no ordinary cloud as it only took ten minutes to accumulate.

Auryn ran from her home and toward the direction of the center of the village. Though she didn’t know what exactly this dark cloud was, she knew it was dangerous. Nothing that isn’t dangerous heads for the center of the village where the Great Laser is.

Though she ran as fast as she could, she was not able to match the speed of the dark cloud. In only a few short moments, the dark cloud had formed an ominous spiral above the Great Laser.

Every person standing outside observed as the cloud spiral quickly turned into a cyclone.

Like the speed lightning, the cloud pierced the building of the Great Laser.

Complete splinterization.

Screams and gasps rippled across the city as the Great Laser stood exposed. It was a victim to the dark cyclone hovered overhead, ready for another blow.

Auryn knew she was only a few moments from reaching the laser. She surprised herself as she noticed she was still running while covering her ears from the sound of destruction.

Out of breath but full of anxiety, she finally reached the yard of the Great Laser. Shards of wood and stone lay scattered across the ground. Auryn looked forward.

The Great Laser was glowing brightly. It was the only shining light as the dark cloud prepared for its final strike.

Auryn ran to the base of the crystal, easily exposed to the outside. Just as the dark cloud shot down to deliver its attack on the crystal, Auryn placed her hand on the crystal.

With the touch of her hand, the laser whirled to life. Matching the quickness of the dark cyclone above, the laser fired a beam of energy directly meeting the tip of the cyclone.

Back and forth, the two forced battled in the air as onlookers could do nothing but cower in fear.

Auryn's hand was burning. By touching the crystal, she was activating the defense mechanism. The laser provided for the village but it was also a weapon when needed. Something so great was truly treasured by the village and there was no room for failure in this situation.

Suddenly, sharp crackling noises could be heard from the crystal. The cyclone piercing the laser was slowly barring downward. And only moments later, a great crack appeared straight down the middle of the crystal.

Auryn's mouth fell open as the crystal began to shake. In a moment of fright, she jumped away from the crystal, only moments before it shattered into thousands of pieces on the ground.

Silence fell the moment the crystal shattered. As if a lightbulb turned on, the dark clouds quickly dissipated.

Auryn looked around her at the devastation. The townspeople slowly began approaching the damaged area. Tears and sadness filled the air as the crystal that provided so much now lay in pieces.

Auryn jumped to her feet. This wasn't the final attack. The village was left completely defenseless. She quickly ran to a high point above the gathering crowd.

With a deep breath, Auryn called to the crowd.

"The crystal is destroyed but the disaster will surely return. This was a devastating attack but let us gather together. We can stop this calamity from destroying our way of life."

A man shouted back to Auryn.

"How do we do that? Nothing can defend us like the crystal. Nothing can provide us with what we need to live!"

"You are wrong. Please hurry and follow my directions. We will be ready next time!"

Auryn commanded the crowd to collect as many shards as they could. She dashes her way toward a furniture shop nearby.

At the store, Auryn was able to nab all the clear glass she could find.

At a small pond nearby, she orders barrels of water. She made sure each barrel of water was boiled before having villagers roll it back to the city center.

Next, she wanted all the villagers to gather as many sheds of broken wood alongside the shards of broken crystal.

Finally, after a tiring bout with gathering supplies, Auryn put her plan to action.

Lining the area around the destroyed crystals, Auryn instructed the villagers to create a circle surrounding the area. Next, she placed the mirrors in front of the baskets.

With the pieces of her work coming together, Auryn smiled for a brief moment before her heart suddenly sank again.

The dark clouds were reappearing.

Auryn signaled for everyone to run and hide. She would be the lone person in the open.

As the dark clouds began to reform themselves, Auryn held a piece of wood and a lit candle in her hand.

The clouds quickly formed another cyclone shape. In only a few moments, the cyclone was ready to strike. This time, Auryn was ready too.

She lit the candle flame on a rope; a rope running underneath the baskets of crystal shards. In an instant, the flame quickly spread to each basket of shards, setting them aglow.

In an instant, the combination of the crystal shards and light created from the fire, caused the area to glow bright red.

Auryn smiled.

The dark cyclone flicked in the sky above the glowing area. As if pouncing on a prey, the sharp tip of the cyclone speared its way toward the town.

As if the sound of a collision, the sharp tip of the cyclone froze in air. The glowing red area did not move or flicker. It was acting as a shield.

The wind grew stronger as the cyclone whirled and whipped like a nail unable to pierce a surface.

Everyone in the town held on as the wind began to rattled everything in sight.

Auryn took her place at the base where the crystal used to be. With a final mirror, she leaned it toward a beam of light coming from one of the shared baskets. Ricocheting the beam, now glowing a crimson red, the dark cyclone began to flinch and withdraw.

The dark threat was in retreat.

Finally, after a few moments the wind began to die down. The clouds slowly dissipated. But the one force still strong was a red beam shining from Auryn's mirror.

Like a paper bag in the wind, the dark clouds disappeared to reveal a small gray drone hovering in the air.

The drone fell to the ground before smashing into several pieces.

Auryn held the mirror down as she stared at the broken device.

"You can break the bond of a shared unit…" Auryn thought to herself, "though in pieces, staying together makes you strong."