The Rising Dawn, # 2— "Snow at Dawn"
- David Parker
- Oct 2, 2023
- 5 min read
[Short stories. Images generated by hotpot.ai]
Upon the plane of Terra, or Earth, for the nonce there was no such thing as a Water Bender that could genuinely and physically move and bend water with applied “chakra”. However, as the disparate worlds converged due to heightened ethereal activity throughout the Cosmos, those on Terra who had remarkable abilities began to notice that they increased in strength and power.
So who was the so-called Water Bender? Her Normy name was Jessica Auspice, but among the Gifted and the Rising Dawn Society, her name was Snow. But what did water bending look like without physically accomplishing the manipulation of the eponymous liquid?
In fact, her real ability was much more useful. The water of life, which everyone craved, was found in various forms of recreation and theater. Sometimes it was a simple game of Cornhole, and sometimes it was sharing the works of Shakespeare. But whether it was Mega Man, My Little Pony, make-shift games of Jeopardy, or Marvel Comics, Mrs. Auspice knew how to manipulate her words and her own soul to make artful use of all the forms of refreshment that her students needed.
Sometimes water-bending meant separating water that someone else had muddied. Cynical and simple pig-headed cruelty meant that some, after guzzling down their share of enjoyment, would derogate and disparage the arts that meeker students enjoyed. (“Frodo Baggins? More like Homo Baggins.”) However, Snow knew just the right method, spirit, and wordplay that would allow all her little animals to enjoy fresh, clean, cold water, no matter the state of the student body.
Unlike many public schools or even unlike other classrooms in their school, Snow Auspice was able to create refreshment even in arts that some students refused to imbibe, like something that required the appropriate reading comprehension for their age. She was able to effectively and efficiently communicate means that appeased difficult students so they could participate in material that they otherwise wouldn’t— Her wordings ranged from “Original gangster” and “the bomb” to “Muggles” and “X-Men” to “salubrious” and “ignoble”. She had a breadth of knowledge of the arts, able to awaken inspiration and enthusiasm for clean, cold, refreshing experiences, even by washing away the disturbing mindframe created by slasher movies and shoot-em-up games. She would be able to do this by masterful and artful approaches to what in truth was the entertainment equivalent of sewage, though not everyone was willing to be washed or healed.
That was the extent of her powers, until the various planes of existence began shifting and converging. She noticed that, if she pushed herself to near exhaustion, she could manipulate actual water, making waves in a full sink of water. She was far from demigod-like manipulation, and in truth her existing abilities were more useful, unless you counted being able to heal physical wounds through full mastery of water-bending.
The Citizens of the Dawn would not have heard of Snow Auspice if not for the bad-mouthing of some of her students, the hateful ones who incurred her enmity. The reality was that they did this by doing the verbal/behavioral equivalent of using the public well as a toilet, out of spite and bestial cruelty and wickedness. For this reason, Snow amused herself by using the water-bending equivalent of a water-whip, likened to whipping someone with a wet towel. When the opportunity showed itself, she would use the existing poetic context to make slights, jabs, and digs against her pigs and her wolves, which earned their ire, but she couldn’t please everyone.
As the boundaries of society shifted, her young enemies were able to gain traction in persecuting Snow, instinctively knowing what needed to be done to harm her. The words they used were “nuttier than a fruitcake,” “hurtful statements,” “inappropriate”, “not-so-positive”, “doesn’t meet our needs,” “traumatized,” “trigger”, “unsafe”, and they bemoaned her refusal to work in racial justice and LGBT+ “needs”.
Over the course of two years, enough of them complained that she was pressed out of her job, simply by loading her with unachievable workloads. However, co-equally, the students that loved her spread her fame outside the internet.
It took another year and a half before two of the Sentinels caught wind of her and sought to recruit her. She was working at a bakery, where her talents were reduced to being friendly to the staff and customers.
“We know what you can do,” said Parse, “Manipulate water. You have some people who really love you.” “Barely,” said Snow, “and… Well— who are you?” “For now, I am called The Scholar, and my fellow Citizen is Parse. How do you do?” After they made their greetings, The Philosopher said, “The Stone led us to you, along with your Destiny.” “I beg to differ,” said Parse, “I acquired the actual information.” “No matter,” he said, “What’s important is that the future is with us, and with you, Citizen Snow.” “According to the computer’s crunch on the parameters of your Gift,” said Parse, “You could be a Sentinel in your own right. Join us in Freedom tower, and say goodbye to this bakery.”
“Is dental included?” she said for amusement. “Our funds are not unlimited. But everything will improve.” “You’re the Rising Dawn, aren’t you?” said Snow, “some call you terrorists.” “That’s just the strategically most viable word they can use,” said Parse. “What about ‘nazis’?” “They wouldn’t call us that if we weren’t worth considering,” said the Scholar. “We’d just fall flat,” said Parse. “Tell me how that is, again?” said Jessica.
They deliberated the ideologies, aims, and the meaning of words. The Rising Dawn sought to place people with Gifts where they belonged, making full use of their Gifts, not languishing in bakeries.
“Well, I might say no to you aims, but I won’t say no to a paycheck. I’m living in a flat that smells like cannabis from the guy next door, and their deposit for pet ownership was ludicrous.”
“Come to Freedom Tower, and the Dawn will rise. It is writ in the Stone,” said the one called Philosopher. “Also, it’s mutually beneficial,” said Parse. “Well, I’m not one to abandon my post midday,” said Snow, “But after that, I’m in!” “You chose wisely,” said Parse. “You chose your Destiny,” said the Philosopher.
*-------------------------------------------*
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