Jacob moves through the echoing halls of the Great Temple. Even his soft slippers seem to create a stir of echoes through the halls. Turning left, turning right, down this hallway, and that. Jacob moved from the Acolytes chambers to the main chambers of the temple through what seemed to be a maze of underground halls (they seemed to nice too be called tunnels), but he knew them well having spent many years here.
As he moves up the stairs toward the main antechamber to the temple, he starts a quick prayer. The same stupid prayer., he thought to himself. One day I will write a new one. "One day." but this time aloud, startling himself as his voice carried and echoed off the vaulted ceilings and pillars. In the end sounding like someone far away mocking him in his own muffled voice.
Jacob was not worried though, he was usually the only person in the main chambers at this hour of the night. Jacob's job was to put out the some of the candles in the main chamber and work the Alter of Candles every night, and that is what he would do. Whether he liked the prayer's or not. He shifted his poled candle snuffer to his other hand, and moved to the doors of the main hall.
As he entered through the doors to the main temple hall, as it had every time before this, the sight brought awe to his face with its size and beauty. He shook this off though, and started his task. First he had to put out every other candle, the opposite of the one from the night before, in the main chamber. This way the Acolytes in the morning could replace any candles that needed replacing but always keep some burning.
Next he moved to the Alter of Candles, which is a smaller but still large room off to the side of the main hall. Here there were 10,000 candles, each lit for most of the length of every day, except for the late hours of the night, while some of the acolytes worked to replace any of the thousands of candles that need replacement. They came later, an hour or more after he was done with his duties.
Luckily for Jacob these 10,000 candles had a trick to them. He reached over behind the curtain for a notch in the wall. He always felt pride that he was one of the few people who knew of the switch, that he was above the other acolytes just for that reason. After a moment a panel springs open. Jacob reaches in, and turns the lever.
On the alter, each candle is set in rows and like stairs each level goes up and back and shifts the candles a little off each other. He watches as a barely visible part of the ornate backing drops down and snuffs out nearly 10,000 candles all at once, with only a few stragglers going out moments later on some of the slower mechanisms. He would have to find them one night, and note them for repair, but that could wait. The room was now dark, with the only light coming through the curtains to the main temple hall.
Glancing around seeing all the candles were out, Jacob could hear the snuffer mechanisms snapping back into place. He tapped his own snuffer on the ground, and turned on his heel to leave. What in the hells., he thought, noticing a flicker of light on the floor coming from the Alter of Candles.
Turning around Jacob could see a single candle lit. "What in the name of Amar." he said to no one in particular, walking back towards the now burning candle. How did I miss that? he thought. He put his own snuffer onto the candle, extinguishing the flame. "That should do it." Jacob said aloud again. Known in the Temple for talking to himself, Jacob doesn't even notice he is speaking to no one.
Walking away again, the glow of candle returns to the floor, a little brighter this time. "Damn candles." he said exasperated, turning back around. This time he was suprised to see the same candle burning, along with five others next to it. It's ok Jacob, you aren't crazy. he thought to himself, the hairs on the back of his neck standing up now.
Jacob runs his hand over the flames. "Damn, ouch!" he cried out when the fire got his skin. Idiot, of course it burns. He quickly snuffed out all six candles and stood there a moment in the dark. "If this is some kind of joke, it is not funny, and if I find out who you are you will be punished." he said in a loud, but shaken voice. Jacob stood for a moment waiting for a response. Hearing nothing he spun on his heel to walk out of the room.
He started feeling better as he got farther away from the alter. Probably some acolyte playing... his thought stopped there, as the hair on the back of his neck started to rise again. Candle light.
Turning he could see the same six candles he had just snuffed out burning again. The only way out is the way I was moving, so it can't be another acolyte. As he gets closer Jacob sees another candle, above and in the center of the six candles burning as well.
As he approaches they seem to get brighter, and more brilliant with each step. Suddenly the seven candles erupt in flame and a nearly blinding flash causes Jacob to look away and cry out. As he looks back to the candles, he sees seven candles, burning bright and brilliant almost like starlight and nearly impossible to look at, but beautiful to look upon. Then as suddenly as it began, they all go out and plunge the room into darkness.
Jacob can only hear his labored breathing, feel his racing heart. Everything is still and silent for an instant or two. Then all the other candles lit at once in another blinding flash.
Screams of Jacob could be heard throughout the corridors, as his poled snuffer rattled to the ground in the middle of the Alter of Candles. The light of all but seven candles flickering off the silver snuffer.
