The Four Horsemen

Taking up Reena’s Exploration Challenge #88
by Reena Saxena. This week’s prompt moves around two points
A sudden event that feels magical in its impact
Significance of numbers or any superstition if you find it interesting. This is my fictional response. Thanks for the mind prompt Reena.

The four horsemen rode through the land and in their wake left intolerance, anger, greed and debasement of the human soul. The horsemen never raced or galloped across the land but came at a slow, measured pace. People scurrying around, wrapped in their daily toil failed to observe the horsemen’s approach.

The first horseman rode a white horse. He infected people with intolerance. They divided into tribes of close minded zealots, reinforcing their ignorance of views held by other tribes.

The second horseman rode a red horse. He stirred people to anger and to express their views in violent ways. Peace diminished as the red horseman rode among them.

The third horseman rode a black horse. He weighed the worlds resources in his scales and drove greed before him. The rich became richer and the poor became poorer.

The fourth horseman rode a pale horse. He removed all respect for life and glorified in the debasement of the human soul.

The horsemen walked their slow, measured pace throughout the land for forty years, trampling virtue and sowing discord.

In the fortieth year,after the advent of the horsemen. the land and its people were dying from war, disease and famine and the people finally awoke to see the horsemen in their midst. They united for the first time and called for a great gathering to discuss solutions to the crisis. After four days of discussion they instituted the winds of change and sent couriers North, South, East and West to ensure that all were aware of the new mandate.

The four horsemen having no vices to nourish their mounts disappeared from the land to wait patiently in the fourth dimension until their time would come again to walk the land.