Darker, Grimmer
A dark thought crystallised in his head, solidified and became real. Spitting it out of the pit he called a mouth it lay shivering, vibrating upon the floor; a small patch of slimy liquid marked its first contact with planet earth.
Already the place seemed darker, grimmer.
What could have been the afterbirth but was really a name slid out closing the circle between the creator and the created. It is not possible to write this name in our language nor will translation serve the purpose.
A tender loving hand reached out and scooped the formless mess up to eye level. It is hard to imagine what passed through the mind of the foul creature. Objectively it is what we feel for our human new-borns. But having laid eyes and other senses on the creature to call it love would be to condemn such a high state of being to the depths of the sewer.
As the thing grew so the world grew darker. Light which once bounced off snow-crested peaks seemed weaker and eventually gave up its lofty playground to sink into the dark sludge of the sea.
But life in the vast oceans was no more. No longer did the screams of seagulls ring out as they searched and fought over bits of food. No longer did men put to sea. The oceans, once a flowing and spirited force which gave life and pleasure, were now ghosts. The awesome power that sailors had once held in respect was now feared by all. It had taken on a new existence: taking, tearing, swamping, suffocating - draining the life and soul from the planet. Turning all to mad, dark savagery.
And on the land the only rivers were of blood. When the water ran out we knew real fear, saw with our own eyes death charging across the countryside, saw his twisted smile and knew it was the end.
Some tried to make provisions for the future. In dark places people gathered clutching valuables in hope of rescue and a return to order. Buried alive they died a few days after those above, falling on precious metals, their bodies rotting among the finest collections of art.
On the surface it was all over within the slow blink of a black, shiny eye. The entire population of the world, humans, insects, the birds, everything right down to the last microscopic organism, gone.
Of them all there is no trace though their homes and possessions will take longer to disappear. But below ground the bodies were preserved as was planned. They become part of the food chain again, at the bottom this time, and once gone, life-forms will exist no longer. Not even as an idea. It will be as if they had never been and no-one will think to ask their name.