The Man in the Window

The bells had not yet been rung. The signs were there. But the time for the Celestial Beings to lock themselves up, to remove themselves from human affairs was not yet here. A man stood tall, looking out into the abyss.

As far as the eye could see, there was nothing but snow. Pure, white, virgin. The windows he stood upon were thick, and floor to ceiling. Which made them very large. His ceilings were at a height of dozens of feet. This was where he had chosen to make the stand, ever since that fateful night in the room.

Why did it have to be like this. All of us at opposite sides, he wondered sadly. When once we were such good friends. Now at war, with the fate of the planet at stake.

He knew where the other two were. In fact, he had dedicated parts of his vast resources to keeping track on them and their organizations, just as he knew they would be keeping track of him and his. To be fair to one of the two others, he preferred to work alone. He didn’t have an organization. The man standing in the castle did. And the man he was sworn to oppose in this whole game did as well. The third of them, well the third had always been a bit of a loner. No, ugh. That’s not the right word. He had always been stingy about detail, loved to micromanage, was very particular. That was the third.

This man looked out the window from his large towering castle that cast a wide shadow over the pure virgin snow. Up here, in the mountains, there was peace. With the information he had been given, he could stay here indefinitely, cloaking himself from all governments of the world. He sometimes wondered, maybe he should. Maybe he should just stay out here instead of doing what he was tasked to do, what was his destiny. Maybe this would be best. Maybe he could get the other two to come here, and it could be just like the old days. But he knew, and it didn’t have to be very deep down, that such a thing could not happen. Such a thing would not happen. It was never going to be like the old days. Those times had been fun, but those times had gone. Faded into obscurity. Never to come back.

Shuffling behind him, one of his aides. With a silent bow, the bespeckled man handed his boss some papers, and backed away.

The man in the windows looked at his employee as he hurried away. They were so concerned by him, they were so, what was the word, frightened. Why? He was only doing what was natural, what was necessary. And yet, his own men. Frightened, terrified. He supposed that was to be expected though. He was doing something that was beyond their understanding, something that was unprecedented.

He glanced at the papers. Good, all was going according to plan.