the awaking room

"can you tell me of the test?" eden asked arnicka as they walked
the long corridor that lead to the room of awakening.
a twin walked to either side of eden,
arnicka skipping and agatha walking on ballerina tippy-toes.
the corridor was lined in lovely green and blue stained glass.
and it was set in intricate art neuvo framing,
all spiraling ebony and deep cherry woods.
agatha eyed eden sideways,
"i can tell you that everything will change for you, from
this day forth, in just a few moments. the truth is fierce,
sweet eden. you are about to receive the knowledge of the hive.
all that we know, all that is known to every creature that exists
within the hive--- will be in your head."
arnicka suddenly began to somersault down the hall.
eden smiled at this playfullness before asking somberly,
"and what is the cost of such knowledge?"
agatha grinned as they reached the double doors of the awakening room,
"innocence is the cost if you can withstand the force of it...
if you can take it into you and make it yours....becoming one with it...
and insanity is the gift if you shudder beneath its weight."
she turned the doorknob and into the room they strode.
the chamber was circular, its floor covered in an intricately woven circular rug.
the rug's face was covered in runes and other--more obscure--occult symbols.
at the center, were two throne-like chairs facing each other.
mistress melorah sat in one of the two, waiting patiently.
the twins lead eden to the chair facing melorah and quickly exited the room.
"now," spoke the mistress with her hypnotic voice, "are you ready?"
eden was caught off guard by the question and stuttered, "...y--y--yes. i am ready."
the mistress smiled, "relax....things are about the change."
with those words she raised her right hand and rested its palm against eden's forehead.
words of magic spilled from her mouth and her green eyes stared into her charge.
she pulled her palm away and a sphere of bright green light emerged.
as she began chanting, the sphere hovered between her hand
and eden, rotating quickly. with the last word of the spell,
the sphere pushed inself into eden's head.
eden felt her breath catch in her throat
as her world erupted into shards of
rainbow-light. her head tilted violently upward as her
muscles froze in paralisis.
above her, she perceived a great vortex of
light opening
and her head then felt as if it
were being forced open
by a great
and shuddering
machine.