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cry to Orlog for vengeance.
"What is my immediate Present?" asks the dismayed Soul of Werdandi, the second sister.
"The decree of Orlog is on thyself!" is the answer. "But Orlog does not pronounce them blindly, as foolish
mortals have it."
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Nightmare Tales
"What is my Future?" asks despairingly of Skuld, the third Norn sister, the Soul-Ego. "Is it to be for ever
dark with tears, and bereaved of Hope?" . . .
No answer is received. But the Dreamer feels whirled through space, and suddenly the scene changes. The
Soul-Ego finds itself on a, to it, long familiar spot, the royal bower, and the seat opposite the broken
palm-tree. Before it stretches, as formerly, the vast blue expanse of waters, glassing the rocks and cliffs;
there, too, is the lonely palm, doomed to quick disappearance.
The soft mellow voice of the incessant ripple of the light waves now assumes human speech, and reminds the
Soul-Ego of the vows formed more than once on that spot. And the Dreamer repeats with enthusiasm the
words pronounced before.
"Never, oh, never shall I, henceforth, sacrifice vainglorious fame or ambition a single son of my motherland!
Our world is so full of unavoidable misery, so poor with joys and bliss, and shall I add to its cup of bitterness
the fathomless ocean of woe and blood, called WAR? Avaunt, such thought! . . . Oh, never more. . . ."
XI
Strange sight and change. . . . The broken palm which stands before the mental sight of the Soul-Ego
suddenly lifts up its drooping trunk and becomes erect and verdant as before. Still greater bliss, the Soul-Ego
finds himself as strong and as healthy as he ever was. In a stentorian voice he sings to the four winds a loud
and a joyous song. He feels a wave of joy and bliss in him, and seems to know why he is happy.
He is suddenly transported into what looks a fairy-like Hall, lit with most glowing lights and built of
materials, the like of which he had never seen before. He perceives the heirs and descendants of all the
monarchs of the globe gathered in that Hall in one happy family. They wear no longer the insignia of royalty,
but, as he seems to know, those who are the reigning Princes, reign by virtue of their personal merits. It is the
greatness of heart, the nobility of character, their superior qualities of observation, wisdom, love of Truth and
Justice, that have raised them to the dignity of heirs to the Thrones, of Kings and Queens. The crowns, by
authority and the grace of God, have been thrown off, and they now rule by "the grace of divine humanity,"
chosen unanimously by recognition of their fitness to rule, and the reverential love of their voluntary subjects.
All around seems strangely changed. Ambition, grasping greediness or envy -- miscalled Patriotism -- exist
no longer. Cruel selfishness has made room for just altruism and cold indifference to the wants of the
millions no longer finds favour in the sight of the favoured few. Useless luxury, sham pretences -- social and
religious -- all has disappeared. No more wars are possible, for the armies are abolished. Soldiers have
turned into diligent, hard-working tillers of the ground, and the whole globe echoes his song in rapturous joy.
Kingdoms and countries around him live like brothers. The great, the glorious hour has come at last! That
which he hardly dared to hope and think about in the stillness of his long, suffering nights, is now realized.
The great curse is taken off, and the world stands absolved and redeemed in its regeneration! . . .
Trembling with rapturous feelings, his heart overflowing with love and philanthropy, he rises to pour out a
fiery speech that would become historic, when suddenly he finds his body gone, or, rather, it is replaced by
another body . . . Yes, it is no longer the tall, noble Form with which he is familiar, but the body of somebody
else, of whom he as yet knows nothing. . . . Something dark comes between him and a great dazzling light,
and he sees the shadow of the face of a gigantic timepiece on the ethereal waves. On its ominous dial he
reads:
"NEW ERA: 970,995 YEARS SINCE THE INSTANTANEOUS DESTRUCTION BY
PNEUMO-DYNO-VRIL OF THE LAST 2,000,000 OF SOLDIERS IN THE FIELD, ON THE WESTERN
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Nightmare Tales
PORTION OF THE GLOBE. 971,000 SOLAR YEARS SINCE THE SUBMERSION OF THE EUROPEAN
CONTINENTS AND ISLES. SUCH ARE THE DECREE OF ORLOG AND THE ANSWER OF SKULD . .
. "
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