The Two Gods

 

Image generate by AI,story written by Douye Soroh 

The Curse of Mist Valley

What would you do if your worst enemy was time? What would you do if time was the very thing that could end a life or make a life, and yet it is evil? What would you do if you found out that time is a curse in your town—and you can never leave, because time waits for no one?

The people of Mist Valley have been living in fear of time. No one knows why, but it seems every night at midnight, time claims a soul. It has been so for generation upon generation. People are afraid to even check the clock or set a time for an event, for fear of being noticed by time. Time—that everyday thing; time, which reminds us when we have appointments; time, that tells us when lunch will be served or when it is dinner. Time has been a curse for the people of Mist Valley.

The Hidden Land

Mist Valley is located in a far corner of the world that can only be found using the Mirror of Life. It is hidden by the Demon of Mirage, a nasty, powerful demon that delights in playing with the people. Long ago, it was a prosperous land where everyone thrived. Mist Valley is nestled on a piece of land that floats above the clouds; when the wind blows, you can feel the valley moving. The people cannot leave the valley unless they pass through the Mirror of Life—and the Mirror is controlled by time, their number-one enemy, and the demon, their number-two enemy.

The Elder’s Council

"Have you wondered what is below us?" Ashley asked one day. He and his fellow elders sat in the council chamber drinking wine made from the dew of the clouds. It is said the wine can give you a vision if you drink it at midnight, but you will never see the fruit of that vision because you will be dead.

"I was told it is a vast land, rich with game and minerals," Pandy said.

"That is true," one of the elders said, leaning over. "On a clear, moonlit night, if you look through the Smoky Mist, you will see people going about and doing their normal business."

The Smoky Mists are clouds in the form of a telescope, but they only appear before midnight, and no one wants to be out at that hour or time will claim you.

"That is a lie," Ashley said. "No one has seen the Smoky Mist and lived to tell the tale."

"Yeah," Pandy chipped in. "The Smoky Mist is a myth."

The elder chuckled. "You guys are too nervous to risk it. When I was your age, I used to watch the people on that vast land and even dream of jumping off Mist Valley."

"We are in our mid-thirties; we are not kids anymore," Ashley protested.

"And I am a hundred and fifty," the elder said with a grin.

"Did you jump?" Pandy asked him.

"I tried. So many times..." At this, they all made a sign of protection against time.

"You don't have to draw its attention toward us, please," another elder said. "That which must not be named is watching, and when it strikes, there will be wailing."

"Don't be a sissy, Danny," the old man said with a frown. "Are you not tired of this old age? I remember when we ran around the valley as kids."

"I just married a young wife, Allen," Danny said, sipping his drink. "I don't want to make her a young widow."

"Ha! Speaking of wives, what made you take another? You already have two, if my memory is right."

"Can we cut the marital talk and focus on the vast land you mentioned?" Ashley asked, uninterested in the old men and their pretense of being young.

"Like I said, I tried to jump for so many many... hours." They all sighed in relief as he avoided saying the word "time." It is a taboo to speak its name, because time will claim you.

"So why are you still here?"

"I don't know. I tried, but the clouds just caught me and dumped me back in the valley."

The Oracle’s Arrival

They were interrupted by a commotion at the entrance. They all turned their heads to see who it was; it turned out to be the Oracle.

"Ha, Oracle!" Elder Allen greeted him as he approached. "It is nice to see you after so many moons have passed."

"I need a drink," the Oracle said with a grin.

"We all need a drink, but it must be at the right hour," Pandy said as he drained his glass.

"That is true, young Pandy," the Oracle said, sitting down and pulling an empty cup toward himself.

"We were talking about the vast land below," Ashley said. "What do you know about that land?"

"The land of the green people?"

"Green people?" Pandy asked.

"Yes. It is a land full of riches and all manner of food and game."

"We want to go down there," Ashley said.

The Consultation

"We need to consult the gods now," Pandy said.

"Yeah," Ashley agreed. He turned to the Oracle. "Is the Smoky Mist a myth?"

"No," the Oracle said, smacking his lips. "The Smoky Mist is no myth. You can see them drifting in the clouds. All you have to do is tempt them with an offer that would attract them to you."

"What are they?"

"They are people from the land below who have died but are restless in the clouds. They watch over the land. If you’re lucky, you can watch the land through them—like I said, if you have a good offer."

"So, if I offer them something worthwhile, they would let me see the land below?"

"That is right," the Oracle said.

Ashley turned to Elder Allen. "What did you offer them?"

"That is none of your business. You give what you can, not what others have already given."

"So, what is this talk about consulting the gods?" Pandy asked, changing the topic. He could see Ashley getting red from the Elder’s nonchalant attitude.

"We need to know why we have been in the Mist Valley for so long and why we can't leave it. I’m tired of losing people to Time. Imagine Time killing at the hour of 12."

"Shut it, Pandy! Don't draw the attention of the Unknown here."

The Ritual

Seeing that they would not let him be, the Oracle sighed and drained his glass. "We could do it here and now, so I can have a peaceful drink."

"Sure. What do we need?" Elder Allen asked.

"Just a lock of hair from each of you, and a vow to stick to the solution—no matter what it may be."

"That is risky," Ashley said, looking around. "How can I stick to a solution I can't debate?"

"That is the power of the gods. You don't go about dragging them into your personal life."

"Don't be a coward," Elder Allen said. "Let us find a solution so we can go to the Green Land and have those taste of what they are enjoying."

"You’re an old man; you have lived your life and you have nothing to lose," Pandy shot back at him.

"Just a lock of hair?" Ashley asked.

"Yes, and hurry up with it. I don't have all day."

They grudgingly produced a lock of their hair and gave it to the Oracle. He performed an incantation, then brought out the drink he was consuming and blew on it three times. He then asked Ashley to call to the Smoky Mist. Ashley nervously did so, and to his greatest surprise, the Smoky Mist took the form of a young woman who drifted down to them and landed in the center of the hair locks.

"How is this possible?" Danny asked.

"All things are possible with the gods," the Smoky Mist said.

"My people, this is not just a mist; this is a divine being who inhabits the Smoky Mist," the Oracle said. "Ask your question and let the gods answer you."

Ashley wasted no time. "How do we solve our problem?" he asked, referring to Time.

"Before I give you the answer, let us go back in time to see how this problem started and how it can be solved," the Smoky Mist said with a smile. Ashley could see she would have been a beautiful woman if she were alive. He wondered what kept her so restless that she hadn't found peace yet.

The Origin of the Curse

"Long ago, the people of the Mist Valley were part of the Green Land. It was a beautiful land full of hills and valleys, surrounded by the Golden Sea that flows in a cascading rainbow of different colors. If you close one eye and look at it with your index finger pointing at your forehead, it is breathtaking. It was so beautiful that the gods chose to live among the people. There was the God of Life, who was proud to boast of how his creation was flourishing and how prosperity was the order of the day."

"And there was the God of Time, who told the God of Life that he held Time, and that Time is as important as the life the God of Life had created."

"But the God of Life mocked him. He said, 'What is Time to Life? A Life breathes, while Time just counts the seasons and the days.'"

"And the God of Time replied, 'Time waits for no one, and it can count the time a life lives on this vast land.'"

"'It is still meaningless,' the God of Life said. 'You can't touch it or feel it like the kiss of life.'"

"'You can feel Time in your old age,' the God of Time said. 'You can feel it as the days grow old.'"

"'Then let us see who is more powerful. Let us see who can win,' the God of Life said."

The God of Time just laughed and said, "You’re arrogant and a fool. I will take every life on this vast land, one at a time, as the hour strikes 12 midnight. No one will know who is next. So it shall be, and so it will be until the end of days."

"And I will create a life every 12 midnight," the God of Life said.

"Wait!" Pandy exclaimed. "So the loss of life and the anguish families face is just a game between two gods?"

"Don't interrupt, please," Ashley said.

The Impossible Choice

"After a hundred years, the God of Life soon found out that Time was winning. He tried to make a truce, but the God of Time would only say, 'Time waits for no one.'"

"Then one day, the God of Life begged the God of Wind to intercede on his behalf. This was after he had carried a few people from the Green Land to the Mist Valley, thinking the war would be fought only on the Green Land. But what he forgot is that Time is everywhere and waits for no one. The God of Time replied to the God of Wind that he would stop the deaths only if the God of Life gave him half of the lives of everyone."

"I don't understand," Elder Allen asked. "How?"

The Smoky Mist said, "If a family has two sons, one would be taken. If they have four children, two would be taken. If they have ten, five would be taken."

At this revelation, they just sat there, shocked, mouths open in surprise. Elder Danny just looked on and muttered, "I have twenty children from my two marriages... that is impossible."

The silence stretched even after the Smoky Mist had left. It was a sad moment for the men as they reflected. No one would ever agree to that—not even the God of Life. It was an impossible task, one that would destroy the human race. They sat there thinking about their families and what would happen if such an action were taken.

The battle rages on between the God of Time and the God of Life. But as we can tell, Time waits for no one, and Life is just living on borrowed time.