August 7th, 2012 - Seventh Contest!

[Grace, Head Moderator]

For our seventh contest, I want you to write a fictional story based on the picture below. Don't think of the picture as a rubric though... let it inspire you. And think out of the box, if you want.



Rules:

1. It must be at least 300 words (anything less will be deleted and disqualified from the contest) but no more than 1,300 (anything more will be deleted and disqualified from the contest).

2. No commenting on others' stories. Only writing entries will be accepted in this thread. If you want comments on your stories, post them in the Critique folder.

3. No sex scenes.

4. Keep cussing to a minimum (it's ok if a word slips out here or there, but please keep it PG-13)

5. Have fun and DO YOUR BEST! And vote for the winner!

Entries are due by Monday the 13th

[[deleted user]]

A Gift from the Moon
1246 words (I know that sounds like a lot but please take a read through for me:3)

Once upon a time, there was a cliff.

This cliff was special. This cliff was the highest cliff in the world. It stood in the middle of a stony wasteland. It may seem ironic that the tallest peak on Earth was so difficult to find, but you see, it was protected by magic.

Once upon a time, there was a legend.

The legend said that, if a child could make it all the way to the top of the highest cliff in the world, on their own, and wait until exactly midnight there, then they would get an extraordinary gift from the moon.

But, obviously this task is beyond hard. Go ahead and think about it. How tough it would be. How long. And you could only do it as a small, vulnerable child.

What even is the gift, anyways?

No one knows.

No one knows, because no child has been to the top.

It is said that some have tried, but they eventually came running back down claiming to be hungry or tired or afraid. The rest of the children--they were too scared in the first place. Or, they didn’t believe in magic.

Once upon a time, there was a girl.

The girl’s name was Lavender. Lavender, seven years of age, with silky chestnut hair and shining hazel eyes.

Lavender was not a normal seven-year-old girl. Lavender was intelligent, brave, daring. Yes, there are other girls in the world that are intelligent, brave and daring. But not like Lavender.

Once upon a time, there was a village.

The village sat between two vast lands: on the right, sprawling desert, and on the left, a maze of rocks. In this village lived Lavender.

Every day when Lavender went to school, she would see the rock side. She always wondered what it would be like to be amongst the rocks, what kind of animals lived there, what was beyond them.

One day, she found out about the legend.

Within the village was a library. On a particularly hot day, the teacher of Lavender’s class announced that they would go there.

It wasn’t a long walk. Lavender’s skin was only suggesting sweat when the class headed through the doors.

The rest of the children scurried over to the storybook section. Lavender, however, strode over to another shelf entirely.

Legends of Magic. The name on the spine of one book caught her eye. Standing on tiptoes, she teased it out of it’s spot, and the next thing she knew she was curled up on a cushion in the adult’s section and opening the navy cover.

Legend after legend she read, and then she came upon the one. A Gift from the Moon. Every word she scanned peaked her interest more, and when she was done, Lavender knew. The stones on the left of the village. How interesting they were. It was there where the highest cliff was.

Once upon a time, there was a plan.

That night, she snuck out of the house the first chance she got. It was just before nightfall when she left, in her favourite summer nightdress, with a pack of food and water on her back. If it was the tallest cliff, it ought to be a long journey. And Lavender knew it was always good to plan ahead.

She darted through the houses whose lights winked out behind her. Her footfalls were soundless, and she was going as quick as she could go.

Lavender found herself stumbling down a hill and then in the wasteland. She gasped at the size of the rocks; they were massive. But none of them felt right. None were big enough.

And so, she searched.

Once upon a time, there was a discovery.

Lavender came to a boulder about ten times her height. She was a small girl, so that wasn’t too big. But, unlike the other stones, this one ended in a mysterious haze. It just faded into nothingness.

Oh, but it wasn’t nothing. Lavender knew. She smiled, and then she began to climb.

Once upon a time, there was a journey.

Lavender climbed up, up, up. Sure enough, she could climb further and further and more cliff would just appear under her.

She kept on climbing, and the only place she looked was the way she was going. Up. Up, to the sky, to the stars, to the moon.

Lavender ascended until she was too tired to go any further. She seated herself atop a piece of stone that jutted out from the rest, stretched her arms, and yawned. She gnawed on a piece of jerky, then curled up to rest.

Once upon a time, there were ravens.

They cawed and roused her to awareness. Lavender blinked open her eyes. Eight of them formed a semicircle around her. She pushed her dishevelled hair back under the lucky leaf chain around her head and watched them inquisitively.

The birds picked their way toward her, four on each side. One raven pecked each of her arms gently and then jerked his head upward, as if to indicate for her to lift them. She did.

Four birds under each of her arms. They lifted her up. Lavender was flying.

She flew for hours, beaming the biggest beam in the world, enjoying the rush of air around her body. Disappointed she was when it ended, but not for long. The ravens had flown her to the top.

Lavender didn’t dare look down. Instead, she looked heavenward. The boldest indigo sky, laced with millions, billions, trillions of stars.

Somehow, somehow, it was still night.

Once upon a time, there was a gift.

You’ve made it, said a gentle, motherly voice. It seemed to come from everywhere.

Shakily, Lavender nodded.

You are the first to have made it to the top of the highest cliff. You may find it hard to breathe way up here, but don’t worry. It won’t be for long. I am the moon. And I am going to give you, brave child who has come all this way, a gift. What is your name?

“Lavender.”

Lavender. You see, I sent those ravens to help you. You made it further than any other child, and I could see that you didn’t plan on stopping. I could see that you were frightened, but you were going to come up. I could see that you are courageous. And for your courage, you get this. Open your hand.

Lavender cupped one, and when she did, a tranquil glow began to form in it. She gasped yet another time as a ball of pure white light took shape.

Awestruck, she asked, “What is it?”

That, dear Lavender, is a star. What I want you to do now is hold that star to your heart, look to the sky, and make a wish.

Oh, but what did she want? Lavender gazed into the endless space, barely breathing, and thinking. All she could think of was earlier, with the ravens under her arms, lifting her to the twinkling sky. All that bliss, all that freedom.

When she looked down, the star was gone.

Your wish has been manifested. Now, jump off the cliff.

“What?”

Jump. You will be safe. I promise.

Lavender trusted the moon. So, she squeezed her toes on the edge of the peak, took the deepest breath she could manage, and rocketed into the air with her arms spread.

A small giggle escaped her lips when she didn’t fall, and instead, soared.

[Aria]

One Last Star

Stars of dozens glisten in the purple and black sky. Night is so gorgeous down here from Earth. But are we seeing the greatest or the worst? I wonder what it'd be like to live up there in that peaceful sky. Stories always say that the stars are people who have passed by. I am the last person on Earth. The rest were killed in a horrible storm and earthquake. I do not know how I have survived. But here I am, all alone with nothing to spare. My friends, family, home, and world were taken from me.

How can I go on living like this? There is no hope to keep. No hope of anything. I am about to turn one hundred. How come I still haven’t met my fate? I gaze at the star covered sky. “Take me with you all, please!” I cry.

I wait for an answer, but get no more than dust. The world is in ruins. The only place standing is the strange forest called Creeka Forest. I give up waiting and walk through the willows of the woods. No crickets, animals, or people to be heard. Though, in the distance I hear a faded noise. I ran, ran as fast as my feet would carry me. I had to know. Had to know of what that noise was. Was it something real and alive? Was it the wind passing by?

Through the brambles and branches, I see an old temple. The temple is in one piece, but I hear the same noise coming from its door. I bolt to the entrance and look inside. Moonlight reflects on the tan marble floor that’s polished and brushed. There is obviously no dirt on this floor. The noise is louder this time and I follow it. Passing by tall pillars and columns, I find the source of the strange noise. A girl, a human girl is throwing rocks behind herself, as she sweeps the top of a shelf full of ancient books and intriguing objects.

“Hello?” I greet her and she jumps and then turns around to face me. Her face is full of beauty. She has lighter skin, green eyes, high cheekbones, and blonde long hair that falls back in waves over her shoulders.
“H…hello.” she struggles to say. She is the same age as I, ninety-nine, but she looks younger than she is. We both do. I have thick sprinkled in gray and black hair and my chin is covered in stubble. My back still stands straight and my teeth still shine white. Hers do as well.

“What are you doing?” I ask.

“Preparing for my end…” she says sadly.

“I didn’t know you were here too.” I say.

“We must be the only ones left…” she replies.

“We can end it all together. My one hundredth birthday is tomorrow.”

“As is mine…” she says.

We lay down under the skylight on the ceiling, letting the moonlight hit our face and bodies. Holding hands, we close our eyes and let death embrace us. The time has struck midnight and now we have both turned one hundred years old. Our souls are taken as one. Now we together as one can see the entire Earth. We make one whole star and the small girl from the old tales puts ours in the sky. The small girl was said to be in charge of placing the dead souls of those who are kind in the sky with all the other stars. I had one hundred years of life and fifty years of loneliness. You only have one hundred years to live. How long would we have to be dead?

[Taliah]

My Star

When will the star come again? It was such a pretty little thing. It sat and spoke with me for hours before it had to go home.

The rocking chair had seemed soft when the star was here, but now it is hard and cold. The balcony creeks and sways, the shadows loom, the rats scamper and grunt. Everything was so much nicer when the star was here.

Mum calls. Her voice is harsh and sharp. Not like the star, not like its warm and gentle tones. I go downstairs, the long and lonely stairs. Mum calls again. She is angry. I am taking too long. I wish she wasn’t so angry.

Dinner is ready. I must set the table. The placemats are fine, but the plates are too heavy. I put them down, one by one. My plate is too close to the table’s edge. I reach out to right it but misjudge the distance and knock it to the floor. It bounces of the chair then smashes to a million pieces.

More yelling, more anger. I have a brush but the handle isn’t long enough to reach, I’ll have to kneel down. I try to crouch but stumble, falling most of the way. It takes an age, but I clean up the mess. I don’t know how I’m going to get back up again. I think I could if I tried, but I just can’t be bothered.

I have to. I have to get up, or else I might miss the star when it comes back. The thought gives me new energy. I rise.

I have kept going for so long now, hanging on to the knowledge that the star will come, eventually. The star, my star. I always have thought of it as mine, as belonging to me. And that is why it must return – it is mine.

Not only will my star come to me, it will come tonight. Of course it will. Why wouldn’t it? All I have to do is call, and it will come, because it loves me as much as I love it!

I don’t remember what dinner tasted like – it doesn’t matter. It was probably awful, but I will have better food soon because I will ask my star to bring me some star food, and then I’ll eat it and I’ll be a star too and we’ll go to the sky together and be happy.

I run up stairs. They’re not lonely anymore but they’re longer than ever, by the time I reach the top I am gasping for breath, holding my sides, but I’m laughing too because everything is just so wonderful.

I twirl across the balcony getting splinters in my toes but not worrying. I look up to holler for my star. I stare. My mouth closes. Ever so slowly, I take in the sky. It is dark. Too dark.

There are no stars. Not one.

They’ve gone, all of them. Even my star. I understand now. It’s not coming back.

Not ever.

Maybe knowing the truth, the actual truth, will make it better. Maybe it will allow me to move on. Maybe one day I will live without my star. Not today. But someday.

I cry. I sit.

I wait for that day to come.

[Emily]

Farther Than the Moon

“It’s beautiful, Jack,” I gasped.

My right eye was pressed to the glass of my brother’s telescope, as I gazed upon an enlarged moon, shining at midnight. The craters and shapes were very distinguished like nothing I’ve ever seen from the naked eye.

I pulled my head back and squinted at the black sky, away from the telescope.

“Looking from here just doesn’t do it justice, eh Jack?” I said to my older brother when I heard his footsteps appear at my side.

“No, Lilliana, it doesn’t. The moon has a beauty that’s only recognizable up close.” He pulled the telescope to his height and looked out at the sky.

“Soon that’ll be you. You’ll be the one up close and personal with the moon.”

Jack had always been interested with the sky and everything going on up there. It all seemed so mysterious. He aced Astronomy in school, and guess what? Now he’s an astronaut. Just like our father had been. I came to visit Jack at his apartment, and he told me how he would be going to the moon.

“Yeah. That’ll be me,” he said, his tone flat.

“Are you scared? Because of what happened to Dad?”

Our father had been an amazing astronaut, but something went wrong the day his rocket was sent up into space. People had died that day—our dad included. Jack was 17, and I was 12 years old then. That was 9 years ago. We had been devastated at the time, but we’ve moved on. We’ve grown up. I think it had been the hardest on our mom. She still mourned him. I guess that had never dented Jack’s dream of becoming an astronaut himself. My brother’s strong, but I was worried.

Jack didn’t answer.

I breathed an awkward laugh to break the silence. “Of course you’re not scared. Nothing ever fazes you.”

“I’m doing this for dad, Lilliana.” His voice hardened and become serious. He stood tall by the rail of the balcony.

A cool breeze swept through the night and goose bumps settled on my arms.

I didn’t know how to respond so I nodded slowly after a heavy silence fell again. I then stepped through the sliding glass door, back into my brother’s apartment.

***

Today was the day that Jack launched for his mission to the moon.

“Good luck,” I whispered into his chest as he held me in his arms.

Tears slid down my face. I honestly didn’t want him to go. I thought that it would be okay when he told me about it, but now seeing him getting ready to take off made me think of what had happened to Dad. I didn’t want to lose both of them that way. But Jack and I both knew that I couldn’t have stopped him.

“Bye,” Jack said into my ear.

“Don’t say that,” I whimpered. “It’s not final. I’m going to see you again soon.” My voice was on the verge of panic.

“See you soon, Lil,” Jack corrected himself and squeezed me again before leaving me.

There had been a sound in his voice when he had said it that didn’t seem so sure.

That night I lay awake for hours in my dark room, worrying about my brother. Eventually sleep and stress caught up to me and unconsciousness took over.

I am a little girl with my long brown hair, wearing a cute little white dress. Wasn’t I just 21 years old? This is a dream.

I wear a woven crown of leaves on my head, and the world slowly turns into multiple stars and galaxies all around me.

“Jack would love this,” I think to myself as I gaze at all the colors and stars.

I reach out to one that shines the brightest and I grab it in my left hand. A smaller version of the moon. I can hold it. I can control it. It is mine.

Suddenly, someone appears before me, his hand held out. Without a second of hesitation, my empty little hand grabs his.

“Daddy!” I cry out.

“Hi, baby.”

“You’re back.”

“Not forever, hon. Just for now.” He squeezes my hand just as another figure appears beside him.

“Jack!” my little voice squeaks out. “Back from the moon already?”

My brother doesn’t answer me, but instead he says, “I guess this is goodbye for good now, Lil.”

“Why would you say that?” My high pitched voice whines.

Then Jack is hugging me, and I want it to stay like this forever. But something inside of me knows it won’t.

Then I woke up, and everything was too black, too silent, and too…empty.

All of a sudden the phone rang, alarming my sleepy body. I glanced at the clock. 3:30am. The ringing of the phone sounded dull, lifeless, and dreadful, and all at once I felt a twistingly sick feeling in the pit of my stomach.

That was when I burst into tears. It seemed as if the salty drops of liquid would flood my bedroom until I floated in them, and I would keep floating higher and higher, all the way up to the brilliant moon in the sky. There, I would look at it, touch it, and force myself not to feel a thing.

I never knew if Jack went on that rocket to outer space because it was what he’d dreamed of doing since he was a little kid…his passion—or if he did it to show how strong he could be for our father. Now, I guess I’d never know.

[Charity]

The Child & The Star

Words: 710


A small child stands on a cliff, elevated to a breathtaking height. Her small frame is stark against a star-speckled night sky splashed in vibrant hues of blue.

Her hands are outstretched toward the heavens, cupped around a small star of glowing white-light. She draws the orb toward herself and settles onto the smooth stone. An elated smile crosses her face. She lifts one hand, letting the star hover over her fingertips. It's glorious light splays across her lap and fills the crevices of the rock around her.

There had only been joy in that child's eyes in those precious moments...


Now, there was only fear.

Ten years to the day since she had been granted a star by the Sky Kingdom, Miah was walking the same upward assent she had as a child. This time, the circumstances were very different.

As a child, she hadn't realized what being granted a star meant. When she reached her teen years, she started to see the changes. Her skin was pale, her hair translucent, her eyes light blue. All the other people in her homeland had dark hair and eyes, with bronze, sun kissed skin. She was an oddity in the Earth Kingdom.

And now, the Earth Kingdom didn't want her. The Star had given her the ability to heal with a touch of her fingers, and to perceive everyone's thoughts and deepest secrets. She had a star, she was different, so she couldn't be part of the Earth Kingdom.

They had tolerated her as a child, and even as teenager, but she was twenty one now. A choice had to be made. What Kingdom did she belong to? Being gifted with a Star left her with only two choices; the beautiful and aloof Sky Kingdom...or the dark and mysterious Night Kingdom.

She shuddered. The Night Kingdom was an unknown thing to her, a place that was elusive and shrouded with foreboding tales of horror. They said if you were to even look at a member of the Night Kingdom, you would lose your sanity and be lost to darkness forever.

She clutched the small star to her chest, letting its soft glow warm her soul. According to law, she had to give the star back to the Sky Kingdom if she wished to stay in the Earth Kingdom. She would lose her abilities and her appearance would gradually return to normal. Yet, she was willing to pay that price. She wanted to remain in the only Kingdom--the only home--she had ever known.

If the Sky Kingdom didn't take the star, then the Night Kingdom would claim her.

Trembling, Miah reached the summit. It wasn't as high as she remembered, but she had been smaller then. She lifted her chin to stare up at the night sky. The view was even more beautiful than she had remembered. The swirl of stars dancing across the night sky smiled down at her, and for a moment, her fears were forgotten. Then, drawing in a deep breath, she gently cupped her star in her hands and lifted it above her head.

"I return to you what once you gave to me," she whispered the words, expecting the star's warmth to vanish--leaving her standing alone, and redeemed, on the mountain.

Nothing happened.

Her knees felt weak as she gazed upwards, waiting for the star to slip away into the sky. Time passed, and still nothing happened. She repeated the phrase the answer was silence.

Hours slipped away into the darkest time of night.

Her arms had gone numb, her body quivered with exhaustion, but she didn't move. She was not going to give up. "Please, please take it back!"

"It's a little too late for that," a man's voice said from behind her.

She spun with a gasp, hugging the star protectively. He stood an arm's length away, shrouded in a dark cloak. His thoughts, which should have been open to her perception, were completely concealed. It unnerved her.

"Who are you?" her heart raced in her chest. She didn't need to read this mind to know the answer--she before he said it.

"I'm from the Night Kingdom." His teeth flashed in the dark as he smiled, "I've come to get you."

[Katie]

Sarah's Grief
Words: 921

Harriet tosses and turns in her sleep, sweat covering her forehead and making her hair damp. I watch, knowing that the nightmare she’s having is one she must learn to cope with. One that we’ll all have to learn to cope with.
It’s the nightmare that’s making sure I’m still awake to watch Harriet’s struggle. All in Technicolor and with mockingly breathtaking beauty. An image superimposed on my brain. Pointing out the stars with Harriet, Mom, and Dad. Laughing. We never even knew Josh had crawled from his toddler-sized bed. But we watched as, deaf to our screams, he took the fateful step from the dome and onto the surface of the moon in nothing but his pale blue pajamas. We watched as, in a terrible moment, his tiny body suffocated, froze, and reacted to the pressure of outer space almost simultaneously.
Tears, which I thought I was dry of, begin to chase one another down my face. I touch the paleness of my cheeks, then the steady thrumming of my heart. A testament to my aliveness.
“Oh…” Harriet begins to sob in her sleep, thrashing in the sheets as the nightmare escalates. Even though I know she’ll wake herself up soon, I shake her awake.
“Harriet,” I whisper into the darkness. My voice is steady, but my eyes still weep. Sometimes I begin to cry before I’ve ever woken up in the morning. Before my mind can even think about Josh, my soul remembers him. Replays his last minutes, which I’m unable to move beyond. In waking moments—especially those like this—it’s no better. I am no longer a solid person, but a broken thing made of dangling, conflicting parts.
“S-Sarah,” Harriet cries, putting her trembling arms around my neck and burying her face into my shoulder. My gaze drifts out the small window in our bedroom and to the spiraling stars, which captivated Josh enough to kill him.
An idea occurs to me. Scary enough to make me hesitate, but also scary enough to make me reckless. “Do you know what I think, Harriet?” I whisper into her tiny ear.
“W-what?” Her voice is muffled in my now-damp shirt and stuffy from weeks of crying. She’s so young to have to go through this.
“We should go outside. Not like…not like Josh did, but for real. With suits. And see,” my voice breaks. I take a deep breath. “See the last thing he did.”
Harriet raises her head, dark hair turning to shadows in the dim moonlight. Nods.
I take her hand. It’s not illegal to travel outside the dome; on the contrary, it’s encouraged. Expected. But there are stringent procedures one must go through to earn their suit. Then there’s the gates one must travel through to get to the surface. Josh was only four; he crept through with apparent ease, too short and quiet to be noticeable.
For weeks he’d been begging to go outside. Months, even. Ever since we landed, but our suits weren’t ready. The allure of the cosmos was great. His wanderings took him farther and farther out, but no matter how stringent the limits Mom and Dad put him on, he always seemed to find a way to leave, to go further. Like a moth to flame, he flew outside the protective shell of the dome.
The first gatekeeper is very alert. Wary. They all are, since the accident.
“We’re going to look at the stars,” I tell him.
He holds out a hand for our passes, notices our names. “Robinson?” His voice is gruff as he takes in our red, puffy eyes. My hair, hanging limply down my back. Harriet’s hollow cheeks and chapped lips.
“Don’t do anything stupid,” the gatekeeper warns us unnecessarily. We know the perils of the moon more intimately than we ever wanted.
The next gatekeeper checks our passes again and helps us suit up. We’re rubbed down with a clear gel for warmth, outfitted in white jumpers for the pressure, and crowned with a leafy circlet so that we can breathe.
Harriet’s small hand slips into mine. Together, we suck in the recycled Dome air. Then we move to the next gatekeeper, who opens the door.
There are no tears, not of happiness nor of sadness, that can release the flood of emotions I feel as I see the seemingly endless expanse of stars. Breathe the strangely alien air. Feel my feet touch the dusty, rocky ground. Looking back, I can see the window to our living quarters.
“Oh, Sarah,” Harriet says solemnly. Gravely, she moves beyond me. Glides effortlessly to a tall moon rock, where she perches like a bird.
“Is this a dream?” I wonder.
“I bet that’s what Josh thought,” Harriet responds, reaching out a hand as if to touch the swirling constellations. “I bet he was so happy.”
And I can see it now, in my mind’s eye. Lifting himself onto his tippy toes and an expression of innocent glee transforming his normally serious face.
She’s pretty, sitting there. Harriet. My little sister—my only sibling, now—all eight years of her life slipping off her shoulders as the moon gives her some of its timeless strength.
I look down at my own feet as if I might find bravery beneath me. My breath hitches at what I see instead. A toddler’s footprint, so small next to my own. Driven into the moon as though the person who made it was lifted onto their tippy toes, ready to take flight.

[Krishnan]

The Strongest Bond
Word Count:1074

She lied there motionless on the rock, showing no sign of life. She knew it was time for her to wake up. She opened her eyes and gazed at the empty universe. Some other time she would have considered the glowing stars randomly spread a beauty but now it reminds her only of her failures. As she sat up, the rock stabilized and slowed down. She wondered why she could not find the thing she desired the most, a bond stronger than anything she could forge. She had not given up yet. She slowly raised her right arm and blew on her palm. A small stream of glittering particles fluttered from her lips to her palm and formed a glowing ball. She now must choose a place for her trial.

The empty red planet told her that she had failed the last time too. She chose the blue one next to the red one. She moved over to the edge and blew the ball towards the blue planet. The ball soared towards the planet and disappeared. Unable to bear the slowness of the process she had devised a method to get to the end fast. She clicked her fingers and the universe was at fast forward mode. Millenniums passed away at the blink of her eye. After sometime the life had gripped the planet, this was an especially slow one she thought. The life had taken a few more billion years to form into complex struture. She moved to a more comfortable position and watched life take larger structure, a tall green thing with a brown pole in the middle and soon the entire planet was filled with it. She decided to call it ‘plant’.

Soon the small creatures swimming in the colorless liquid, which she now named water moved to the land. They started feeding on plants and grew, soon there were larger creatures feeding on smaller creatures. But finally the inevitable came and the larger creatures were left without food. She decided to end it; after all she knew it would happen. The life she created always killed itself. She leaped up to the space and kicked the rock she was sitting on. The rock hurled towards the planet and hit it killing the creatures. She almost turned back but then she saw something. A few other creatures and the plants had survived. She decided to wait and see what happens. She was especially intrigued by a creature with a brown hairy coat that almost resembled her but it still walked on its four legs. Soon the creature learned to walk on two legs. She named it 'human'.

Now human had learnt to use the matter she had created to make fire and other things. Soon human grew in population and started feeding on other smaller creatures and plants. She knew how it usually ended. Even though it was slow before, human now evolved at a relatively faster rate. He formed groups and grew his own food. He conquered land and protected it. Soon he started fighting over land, wealth and females. The fight grew in size as much as he grew in knowledge. They even started worshiping her in various ways. She smiled cynically.

Soon there were a few who tried to stop the fights with lies which were truths in their view. She saw a carpenter trying to stop the fights telling others that he was her son, but failed. But technically all of the human were her offspring she thought. There was the prince who left his kingdom and learnt the way of life and tried to teach it to others but soon he died too. There was also a man who heard life; he was called ‘a prophet’. He too failed to stop the fights. Soon all the land came under rule and humans revolted against their rulers with violence. She said to herself ‘life never learns’.

Now there was a bald guy who walked with a stick. He fought for freedom with non-violence. Though the idea spread, it was not strong enough to stop the fights. The entire world waged war thrice and came to the brick of total annihilation. Although the human still survived, he had damaged his planet beyond its healing capability. The fights stopped as the end was near. The planet trying hard to heal itself killed the human population in the process. A few of the human have survived but were left without food like the large creatures. But this time she decided not to hurl a rock at them.

She moved near the planet and the universe slowed down. Only a handful of humans were left. The land was overcome by the sea. The humans who survived had grouped together and were living on what was left of their existence. She now saw a human with a dying youngling, alone far away from the others who were left. She named her ‘mother’.
She never believed she would intervene in the end of life; it only made her sadder after it was all over. She decided to help the mother reach others. She made a transport for the mother to join others and left it on the mother’s path. The mother used it and sent the youngling to others.

She got infuriated and came down to the planet and asked why the human had not used her help. The mother said that she wished for the safety of the youngling more than herself. Mother said “I know I may not live, but as long as my daughter lives I am prepared to die for her. I love her that much”. The mother called it love.

She had finally found it, the strongest bond of all. It was the bond between the creator and creation. All this time she was not able to find it only because she did not love her creation. All the death at the end of life had made her forget why she had created it. She decided never to forget again and took the small plant from the ground and made it into a crown and wore it on her head. She flew back into the space and sat on a rock. She lifted her left palm, blew a ball of light and hurled it towards the planet.

The planet healed itself and breathed life again.

Now happily she went back to sleep on her rock.