Profane Dearth

 Two children ran cheerfully down the concrete aisles of the indoor stadium. Despite a clear day whole areas of dark shadow covered much of the stadium seating. Both would be made to run again that day, in a way that would mark one of them for life.

Touti grinning with sugary juice stained cheeks.
Halim a quirky smile and questoning eyes. The other children who were helping that day didn't have the same gusto. As the two reached the bottom of the concrete seating terraces the spiritual supervisor or "Praiseworthy" asked them to go back into the aisles to bring back the lost or cursed(in their language) children.
Halim and Touti marched between the concrete seats enthusiastically some infant bride maid and ringbearer, ritualistic, something unknowable.
They came down chatting recounting their happy memories of the day. Holding the cold hands of lost children tightly. Guiding them out into the open valley that extended past the stadium. On the luminescent grass.

"Take their hands in yours, let go of the deep want. "
The lost children struggled to escape, some did, running back to the stadium of envy, relief and pride in them. 
Halim held his child "Let go of your want". The lost child's passive expression made Halim impatient.
Touti's lost child had struggled one hand free, kicking to get away. 
"Release the false love" Touti yelled, stamping her foot onto the grass. The lost child reconnected her hands with Touti's and the transference began.

The lost children's pale faces started to fill with blood again, making them seem more alive.
Before long the curses had dried like autumn leaves, snake skin, little trash heaps on the ground.
Those saved children walked uneasily off toward the recently flooded lowlands where shanty towns and country villas would take them in. The "praiseworthy" blessing them as they went.

Halim and Touti ran as sleek predators avoiding the shadowed areas to grab another two lost ones.
Touti took one by the hand, giving her a reassuring friendly introduction.
Desolation struck Halim He looked up through concrete aisles finding that small lost form would validate him. Emptiness rose from his lower stomach and he was entrenched inside a profound state of lonliness. All light was severed. A shadowy haze moved in.
"Will you give me the orange life?" a colorless face looked up at Halim.
Speechless paralyzed Halim tried his mouth, not a syllable would pass.
"Here we search for the things not given, see them in yourself," The girl invoking a solemn and cryptic spell.

A darkness unnoticed before, had started to create curtains around Halim and the lost child.
"I can help you" Blurted Halim. "I can take you to our praiseworthy, he can heal you."
The girl's face ran even paler. 
"I have Golgen of the dark I want to be like you, he wants to be like you too"
Halim gripped her hand and led her down toward the exit.
Each footfall turned the room a darker shade, by the time he got to the bottom it was pitch black. Blowflies were buzzing around and the girl was not with him. He searched for her hand in the dark.
The darkness disappeared and he found himself where he'd been as if he'd never moved, still clasping the lost girls's hand.

Images appeared of everything he was refused as a child, Not yet ten years old he could recount thousands of memories. All of those things either out of reach or outright refused. Each memory finding a connection to another forming an entity in his mind. Golgen!
"Praiseworthy" He screamed in protest.
The sight of her pale white features flickered as if lightening had clapped. She attempted to break out of Halim's firm grasp. 
He led her this time wincing his eyes and praying as hard as he could, down the concrete aisles and out to the hallowed field.

Praiseworthy stood confidently before them and took the girl's hand. Halim released his grip and threw himself on the ground feeling betrayed by all harrowing experience infecting him somehow.
At first the power of the Praiseworthy seemed to surge eliminating stringlike shadows that had followed the girl out of the stadium.
The children of praise who had now all assembled observed the paling face of the Praiseworthy. Eyes of disbelief, some bursting into tears.

Touti helped Halim to his feet positioning him and herself toward the praise worthy sending their combined energy to combat the lostgirl's possession.
Halim's mind still distracted by those old memories of insensed unrequited want.
The lost girl uttered with malicious intent "I have enough want for you priest and all of your little underlings"

Spruce trees that formed a circular boundary around the hallowed pasture burst into flame. Short teethlike flames working of their own accord pumping black smoke into the air.
slowly but surely obscuring the sun.
The fire curled into eye shapes that stared at Halim. whites and pupils appeared from inside them, the wanting had a soul somehow literally consuming the trees. Revealed by the lost girl harnessing the force of Golgen the entity of profane dearth.
Halim grabbed Touti's hand and as many children as they could. They ran in panic eastward toward mountains of healing.

 The stadium's bell chimed sinisterly. It's round old colosseum design smiled within itself.
A smile in anticipation of future deluge of the lowlands.