The Divine Hunger

4,537 bodies were already piled up along England’s walls. All of them were victims of the raging famine that was spreading like a wildfire across Europe. The crops had withered and food was in short supply as shelves were barren. People were left begging and scrounging for food, their stomachs aching as if they were constantly being stabbed. Their bodies became so thin over time, that their rib cages were exposed, making it impossible to tell the difference between man and sticks, robbing the victims of their final breath. 

Simon and his wife Anne turned a pale green color, swallowing down the saliva and food that had started to come up their throats after they saw the grotesque tower of bodies. Arms and legs stuck out in different directions from the human pyramid. The soulless eyes of carcases stared into Simon’s hazel ones and followed him and his once muscular, tall body around, their gaping mouths begging for food. This horrific scene reminded Simon of his impending death, which plagued his mind incessantly, making him fraught with anxiety. Simon’s worst fear, death, was becoming his new reality. 

Simon’s overgrown jet-black hair, dripped with sweat from the blazing sun and it trickled down his back, drenching his shirt. His throat was parched as he lumbered through the cobblestone street, hoping to get the weekly ration given out by the merchant, though he would be happy with any scrap of food. The market had long run out of food, and the few wagons usually abundant with fruits and meats, were empty. A growing line of hungry villagers were in front of the horse-skin tent, demanding more food. But it was no use. As Simon looked up, he gulped. All that remained on the shelf was half a loaf of dry, stale, bread. 

“Hey... HEY!” Simon shouted, pushing his way to the front of the mob. “Give me the bread! My wife and I have not eaten for two days. We are desperate!”

“What makes you think you deserve it any more than us? How can I return home to my wife and tell her that this is the end. Tell me, how I can possibly do that,” a frail man dressed in rags seethed with desperation and fury. The stench from his shaggy chestnut hair was unbearable and his almond shaped eyes were full of anger.

“Please...please…my granddaughter has already lost her parents to the famine...please she can’t lose me too,” an older woman pleaded. Her worry lines seemed to deepen, and her body was barely strong enough to stand much longer. 

“Enough, it is the last bit of food that I have, and it’s for me. Be gone!” The merchant sneered. 

The villagers looked at the merchant with disgust, and tried to accept their fate. But Simon refused to take no for an answer and he continued to shout with all the energy that he could muster until he was hoarse. 

“Give me the food now, or you will suffer a far worse fate than death!” Simon roared, his eyes flashing with anger. The other villagers fled with fear, knowing all too well that Simon’s strong will and temper were a dangerous combination.  

“Simon, please! Stop terrorizing these people. As long as we have each other, we’re fine,” Anne pleaded, looking at Simon affectionately. The love in her pale blue eyes only made Simon feel more guilty that he could not provide for her. He grabbed a wooden board from a wagon and whacked the merchant over the head. The merchant fell, blacking out as he hit the hard cobblestone. Simon lunged towards the bread, grabbed it and Anne, and hurried back home.

Anne, feeling both sad and shocked, did not utter a single word the whole way home, and sought comfort in her bedroom.

Simon went back into the kitchen to put the bread away. He looked at the few rustic cupboards that were now empty. Half a loaf of bread...for one week...for two people. Simon was already ravenous and knew that he too would fall to the famine within the week given this ration. Simon couldn’t die. Simon didn’t want to die. But how could he escape his dreadful fate? 

Simon tried to ease his mind and decided to go check up on Anne. He stood over her, aghast. Her body was different; her legs and arms had thinned and her cheeks were hollow. Her face had become full of anguish. Her long ebony hair once luminescent, now hung like straw, framing her angular face. Simon left Anne to sleep, knowing that tonight would be her last. He couldn’t bring himself to think about that now, instead his mind was racing with the fear of his own demise. 

After a restless night, Simon woke up and found that Anne had indeed passed. He laid her body next to the others which were slowly decaying. The terracotta walls of the city were now stained with human remains. A putrid stench of death hung in the air. The city itself felt empty and ironically “dead” as those who were still alive stayed inside, saving their energy. Simon trudged back to his empty house, his mouth already watering at the thought of eating a FULL slice of bread. Simon feasted himself devouring the piece with great relish. He felt guilty that Anne could not be there to savor this bread with him. But his need to stave off death was all that mattered.

A week had passed and Simon had eaten all of the bread. He furiously rummaged through the kitchen knocking over dishes and emptying cupboards in an effort to find even a morsel of food. “No...NO!” Simon raged as he overturned a chair. He refused to believe that death would be upon him. Over-run by his fear, he had to do something...anything...to prevent his death. 

He ransacked the whole house determined to delay his fate. But there was nothing; not one single crumb. He slumped into an armchair, his body overcome with fatigue and failure. He knew it was no use. He had been defeated. Simon was destined to end up with the pile of bodies on the street. Grief flooded through Simon’s entire body. He was so paralyzed with fear, that he didn’t even notice his own hunger. He felt dizzy and his vision blurred. 

Suddenly Simon was in a room. There were no windows or doors. There was nowhere to go; Simon was trapped. The crimson walls were closing in on him. “Simon...Simon…” A deep voice echoed. “Aren’t you mad that famine has struck the land? Aren’t you angry that all of your loved ones have been lost to hunger? But most of all, aren’t you furious at yourself; that there was nothing you did to prevent your wife from dying,” the voice crowed. “If you had just given the bread to my wife and I that day at the market, maybe I would not be standing here, haunting you and making you pay every moment for the lives you robbed by taking away the bread.  

“SHUT UP!” Simon shouted, confused by where he was. 

“You really think you can get rid of me that easily...no...I’ll always be here to claw away at your conscience and make it rip you to shreds. You will be forced to destroy yourself...just like you did to my wife and I,” the villager’s cunning voice dripped with a vengeful tone. 

“Nooooooo!” Simon screamed as the floor underneath him caved in and he fell into a pool of frigid water. 

This room was almost identical to the first; no windows...no doors...no chance of escape. But this time, Simon was treading in pale, blue water that seemed to go on forever in every direction. Simon started to swim, hoping to find an escape but with each stroke, a massive wave crashed over him, causing him to gasp for air as his body was being swallowed by the water’s fury. As he struggled to stay afloat, a worried but caring voice floated through the room.

“My granddaughter is all alone now. She will always be alone. She won’t have a mother, a father, or grandparents to guide her through life any more,” the old villager’s melancholy tone filled Simon with remorse and Simon’s eyes bubbled over with tears. As the force of the water subsided, the color reminded him of his wife’s eyes and he ached for her. All he ever wanted was to have a peaceful life with a beautiful family. Any chance of that was gone now. Simon sank back under the water and curled up in a ball, his tears now flowing uncontrollably, emptying into the pool.

“Now you know how I feel. Sadness is not a shade worn well on anyone,” the woman somberly said. WIth that, the water slowly drained down into a pit and pulled Simon with it. 

Simon was plunged into a beautiful room, basked in a glow of sunshine. The walls were so radiant, they blinded him until his eyes could adjust. He struggled to get up from the soft, ticklish grass, his bones bruised from the fall. He looked around at the splendorous garden where a fragrant aroma filled the air. 

“Remember how happy you were with her? She brought you love and joy.”

Simon turned around to find out who had just spoken, but as he did he came face to face with a horrendous figure.

A dark, ashy-grey shadow covered in rags floated towards Simon. This shadow was Death. Death’s hideous appearance was enough to give any child nightmares for a lifetime. Death had no eyes, just empty, onyx holes, no nose, just a circular hole for its mouth. Death had come for Simon just as he did for Simon’s wife and the others. 

“Come join me. Let me consume you like the others,” Death cackled to Simon. 

“No, I will not die!” Simon shouted, still petrified with fear at the idea of dying. 

“Then I have no choice,” Death replied curtly. Death lunged toward Simon. 

But the room started changing. The walls disappeared and Simon and Death were surrounded with memories from Simon’s life, like a movie reel playing right in front of him; his parents showering him with kisses when he was born, his wedding to his lovely wife, his friends chatting in the village. The images all pulled at Simon’s heart and for a short time, Simon did not think about death. Simon only thought about love. He realized he had been so caught up in fearing death that he lost what really mattered to him. He was so busy worrying about his own death that he forgot how to enjoy life. The memories slowly faded and Simon and Death were once again in the glorious yellow room. 

“I’ll join you Death, but only because I now know what love is, and I am ready to be with my wife.” Simon bravely said as he walked towards Death.

Together, Death and Simon made the journey to the afterlife because Simon had not only fallen prey to famine, but also to love.