Creation

[unimportantguy]

I have a love-hate relationship with deadlines. Sometimes, they get my butt in gear and make me write good stuff. Sometimes, they just make me turn out crap. I'll leave you to judge which this is.

This is a sort of side-story to my longer fantasy story that Blackest talked about before.
Without further ado, I present...

[unimportantguy]

Creation

It was a beautiful day in the Sindavian capital city of Lun. Fall was beginning, and the leaves were turning; a parade of reds, yellows, and oranges led the way up to Castle Bree, where a small crowd of children gathered in the gardens, awaiting the arrival of Princess Gwyneth. “I wonder what story we'll hear today?” one child asked.

He was quickly hushed by his fellows as the princess approached. Even in this cool weather, Gwyneth was wearing her favorite light-blue dress, her beautiful wavy blond hair cascading down her back like a golden waterfall. Tucked under her dainty arm was a massive, black leather-bound book. A kind smile crossed her lips as she knelt down on the grass.. She greeted the children with a quietly cheerful, “Good morning.”

A chorus of “Good morning, Princess Gwyneth,” echoed back. The children were all bright and attentive; this was their favorite part of the day. “What story are you reading today, Princess Gwyneth?” the child asked again.

Gwyneth spread the book out before them thoughtfully, opening it to a page marked with a delicate strand of silk. “Today, I will tell you a very important story,” she told them, “This is the story of the Creation.”
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
First, there was nothing. Then came the Creator, and in her wake rode the Destroyer. No one knows from where it was that the two Goddesses came; they have existed far longer than anything can recount. And the Creator looked about them and said, “I am saddened, for there is nothing.” And so, she created the Planet and the Heavens.

The Destroyer looked upon these creations, and she was dissatisfied. And she said unto the Creator, “This world is sterile, and it is without form.” And so, the Destroyer took the Planet, and she tore away the land, shaping it as she pleased. She created trenches and valleys, and that which she pushed aside became the mountains.

The Creator looked upon the Destroyer's work, and she, too, was dissatisfied. For the Destroyer had left the Planet rent and torn. Great holes covered the Planet's surface. It was ugly and misshapen, and this the Creator could not stand. So, she created the oceans to fill the holes, and in the oceans and on the land, she sowed the Seeds of Life. Time passed, and the Seeds planted by the Creator blossomed into Life, and soon it covered the Planet.

The Destroyer looked upon this, and she was again dissatisfied. For Life reproduced itself, and the Planet was quickly overrun with plants and beasts, and there was no room for the multitudes that continued to be born. And so, across the oceans and across the land, she sowed the seeds of Death and Decay. And so, these Seeds sprouted as well, and the old became sick and died, and the predator beasts turned upon their prey, killing them for sustenance.

The Creator was outraged at this. “Why?” she asked of the Destroyer, “Why have you done this?”

And the Destroyer replied, “The Planet was suffering under the burden of the Life that you created. I have established a balance.”
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Gwyneth stopped reading for a moment when she noticed that a girl had raised her hand. “Yes?” Gwyneth asked, gesturing for the girl to speak.

The girl stood up. “Princess Gwyneth, did the Destroyer kill people?”

Gwyneth shook her head. “There were no people back then,” she explained. The girl, apparently satisfied, sat back down, but another hand shot up. “Yes?” Gwyneth asked again.

A tough-looking freckle-faced boy stood up. “If there were no people back then, then how do we know what happened?” A sound of disapproval passed through the assembled children.

Gwyneth didn't even have to pause to think about it. Maintaining her smile, she replied, “That's a different story.” The boy sat down, grumbling a little, and glaring at a few of his peers. “Now,” Gwyneth said, “let's get back to the story, shall we?
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

[unimportantguy]

Then, the Creator and the Destroyer began to argue. Their argument shook the Heavens, and brought down the stars. The powers of Creation and Destruction, like the Goddesses' tempers, ran rampant. Life came and went at an alarming right; creatures were born and destroyed in the blink of an eye. And still, the Goddesses did not tire, for such is not their nature. A continuous fire burned in the sky, and the rampant powers changed Life, causing new creatures to be strange, and unlike anything that had come before. Finally, neither the Creator nor the Destroyer had anything left to say, for their arguments had all been based upon the state of the Planet and of Life when they had begun. And for a moment, both the Planet and the Heavens stood still.

Then, the Creator and the Destroyer looked upon that which they had wrought with their rage. To their surprise, the Planet looked not a bit like it had before. Masses of land and water had moved; some had joined together, and others had been destroyed completely. Life had changed and mutated. Where once there had been great lizards and Dragons, and all manner of creatures that have not been seen since, Life was now smaller, and more numerous than ever. Life, they discovered, had adapted with a will of its own.

As the Goddesses looked upon the new face of the Planet in awe, a new creature was born before their eyes, unlike anything else that had existed before. It walked upright, and it created and used tools. And what it did with those tools! It built structures and tore them down. It was capable of the most tender kindness and the most terrible cruelty. This creature, they realized, embodied the essences of both Creation and Destruction, the powers woven into its form by the Goddesses themselves in their rage.

It was this realization that prompted the Goddesses' decision. These creatures, whom the Goddesses termed, “Humans,” would settle their argument. The Creator and the Destroyer visited the visions and dreams of the Humans, and prompted them to found two distinct kingdoms. The first kingdom, the Goddesses named Sundania. The second, they called Sindavia. Then, together, the two Goddesses wove the strings of fate to their liking, binding the two kingdoms together for all eternity.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
After a dramatic moment of silence, Gwyneth raised her eyes from the book, sweeping them over the childrens' faces. The children were all silent, staring up at her. “That is why,” she told them, “It is important for you to behave well; remember that the Creator and the Destroyer are always watching us, and that they stand as judge of our every action.” A hand shot up. “Yes?”

An extremely tiny girl with big brown pigtails to match her big brown eyes stood. “Princess Gwyneth, does that mean that the Creator and the Destroyer are still arguing?”

Gwyneth nodded. “The Goddesses are still waiting for humans to decide their argument. And we haven't yet, have we?” Several children cocked their heads inquisitively. “We have neither destroyed ourselves,” Gwyneth picked her words carefully, “nor have we overrun the Planet until there's no room for us. So, yes, to answer your question, the Goddesses are still arguing.”

Another hand was raised, and the freckle-faced boy from before stood up before Gwyneth even acknowledged him, arms crossed over his chest. “My Dad always told me that there's an important lesson in all the stories of the Goddesses. Everybody knows that the Creator and the Destroyer are always watching us! What's the lesson?” He quickly glared behind him as someone in the back hissed angrily.

Gwyneth pressed her teeth together. She briefly entertained a fantasy about teaching this boy a lesson about proper etiquette herself, but her good nature prevailed, and she merely nodded, her smile somehow staying on her face. “There is a lesson in every story, not just the stories of the Goddesses. I think that the lesson in the story of Creation is balance. Sindavia and Sundania were created in balance, and to continue existing, we must remain in balance. That's an important lesson not just for you, but for all Sindavians. If Sundania and Sindavia were to fall out of balance, then either the Creator or the Destroyer's fear would be proven, and we would inevitably destroy ourselves.” With that, Gwyneth gathered up her book and turned to leave. Before walking back into the castle, she took one more smiling look at the children. They were all watching her leave, except for the freckle-faced boy, who had gone off elsewhere to sulk. A few of them waved at her. She returned the wave. “I shall see you again tomorrow,” she promised.

[blackest_knight]

guess what I want to read now?

[unimportantguy]

Gee, I dunno.

[blackest_knight]

I'll give you three guesses....and the first two don't count!

[unimportantguy]

An instructional manual on proper Twinkie-eating ettiquette?

[blackest_knight]

Right on! however did you guess?



notice the sarcasm?

[unimportantguy]

ROFL! I love you Blackest. Never change!