The Enigma

https://herschelsterling.com/#cat-light This dull, floating orb hangs over the valley. It is not there all the time. Or at least it’s not seen all the time. From dusk till dawn it hovers. It’s as though it’s hung from wires stretched between the ranges on either side. Sometimes there are things that everyone knows but no one talks about. That type of thing where everyone sees it, they don’t understand it, they don’t want to deal with it, they assume everyone else sees it, and they figure it’s something they should know about. People assume that everyone else knows the story; they don’t want to embarrass themselves by asking something so obvious. Something so obvious that it’s assumed everyone else thinks it’s obvious too, but everyone is having that same dilemma, so it never comes up in conversation. The dull, floating orb that hangs over the valley is one of those things. Everyone assumes everyone else is hip to it, but no one is hip to it. Or, perhaps people fear getting hip. Determining the color of is difficult. It seems to be adorned with variance. Enough variance to keep people guessing. The hue is not a relevant quality considering no one knows the nature of the orb in the first place. Those extraneous features are a mild distraction. That weird back door part of the brain at the base of the skull, right above the spine. That’s where that sense is. That’s where the gnawing is. It’s where the annoyance in enigma sits… but never rests. Finally, people began addressing the enigma. Some made stories; they danced and chanted beneath it. Some claimed it gave them messages for the world to heed. Others study it. Attempting to employ technology to finally unlock the mystery. The harder they focus, the more vague it becomes. The truly disturbed would even fight about it. These patterns repeated over time. Regardless of whatever anyone was able to make of the enigma, it was a contrivance. Because it’s the effect of a thing that determines its nature. Therefore, the nature of the dull floating orb is confusion and annoyance. It’s distraction and madness. The true enigma is its unfortunate place in the sky. 366 Words https://herschelsterling.com/#cat-light 31 brand-new stories written & podcasted in 31 days This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit commercialherschel.substack.com/subscribe