L Rubellius

L Rubellius of the house of Lumbricus you are hereby summoned to  answer on committing treason against the great empire, how do you plead?”

L Rubellius the earthworm sweat on his brow, his hands shaky in confusion stood in the great hall in the midst of the council .His face dared not look at the council, their piercing glances burrowing his flesh. His  skin now a dark burgundy gleaned in the dimlit court

“Answer! Son of Muska ,do you not speak?”

The council judge,the great Redling an earthworm of gigantic statue who stood towering over the council cast a foreboding shadow on the wall

“It is our mandate since the days of our ancestors to cultivate the soil, air it,decay dead organic matter to ensure the survival of our kind,yet you dare be idle spend your days seeking self annihilation by basking in the sun-the sun of all things!No earthworm here shall remain idle”

His voice bellowed, shaking earth ,gusts of soil falling from the rooftop into the council chambers-filling it with dirt.A few of the council members coughed and sneezed hissing at the same time 

“YES, Answer the court!”

“You stand accused of burrowing your way to the ‘Up’ and living among the Up for a fortnight walking among the vegetation and galvanizing with ‘Up folk’  like the beetles ,the molds of the Rotten Patch and the …

you forgot the great command did you?”

“No your eminance”.He whispered. 

“We are earthworms. Our home is here beneath the earth where we have resided for centuries. This place lies unexplored, yet you dare go up to the ‘Up’ walking upon the earth putting our very existence into jeopardy..”

His father Muska who stood comforting his mother who was weeping silently spoke in a low sob,

“What son possessed you? Had l not given you the rotten delicacies of the far east to eat, the red soils of Tabask to enjoy yet you leave this land in search of what ….haa?"

L Rubellius listened to it all in silence.They did not understand .Even if he explained to them they would not understand 

the joy of his skin touching the earth of the green hue that stretched for miles on end ,the fresh smell of the earth, the many many folk he met on his voyage .

He had felt liberated ,free of this underground prison. He was never going to stay here for ever.There was so much to see out there.They would never understand if he answered .Seeing a harp that lay not far from him, and struck the first string…..The entire council gasped, whispers swelled around and his voice a melody sang of the ‘UP’.