The People of the Earth: Tears of Stone

In the day of the last sun, the people of earth gather into one land. There they dwell, separating themselves from one another, each to his own kind. As brothers, they walk in service and deed, as one, tending to one house, one temple, and one name. Lines scorch the earth dividing man from man, so none of difference mix. Flesh, words, and souls reflect equally among them. Within each mark, a people stand. The knowledge of one forsakes the other. In the earth, they rest. The wind sings gently upon her face. All know her peace.

As time passes, each grows, flourishing, and enriched. No one people stand above another. With words, they paint the skies, praising the bounty of the earth. Her children grow strong at her breast. Hands of favor celebrate the lines upon her flesh, giving freedom to all within their mark. Malice knows no place. The people of the earth bear their distinctions in color, a tribute of gratitude, each to their own god. In turn, the red clay of the land pours favor upon her children turning the lines to roads. A pebble falls upon the water.

The stars of night take flight over the face of the earth, flapping and soaring with the wind. Such a queer sight they have never known. “Why is it the people of the earth stand separate?” the stars whisper to the wind.

The song of the wind fills the land. “Apart, they know themselves, rich in their ways, free in their voice. Alone, they find strength.”

Returning to the heavens, the stars scorn the wind. “The earth sustains them taking freedom from them and casts it beyond. In their reaching, they remain unsatisfied. Remove the people of the earth from her grasp.”

In fullness of fury, the wind whips the waters. “Remain in the sky and meddle no more with the children of the earth.”

Witnessing the rage of the wind, the stars retreat to watch the people of the earth from afar. Upon the black canvas of forever, they etch their wisdom, a map for the lost. Below, the children of the earth sleep in peace, warm among the flesh of their brothers. With eyes closed, they see not the ways of the stars. To awaken the people of the earth, stars throw themselves from the sky, shooting spears of brilliance upon the land. With gentle voice, the wind stills the children, singing softly upon them. None stirs. The battle of the night ends.

The yellowness of the sun blots out the sky, hiding the wisdom of the stars. In gratitude, the wind eases the heat of the sun. The children of the earth rejoice in the delight of the day. Joy moves the feet of the people upon the red clay roads. One man walks among another, knowing difference. In stranger’s company, brothers grow. The colors of each remain distinct and celebrated. With words, the people of earth name one another. The red clay road broadens under the feet of man.

Betrayed and fearing for the children of the earth, the wind seeks to destroy the roads. With twisting rage, the wind bites at the red clay. In terror, the people of the earth cry out. The wind continues along the roads shedding the blood of the travelers and brothers, alike. Upon the ground, the blood of each man pours mixing into the red clay. The earth drinks in the abomination of the mixture setting fire to her heart. In the intensity of the flame, her heart hardens, crumbling into tears. The rocks of the earth tremble.

With the shaking of the earth, birds take to flight. Uncertain of the strength of the land, the birds climb into the heavens and perch among the stars. There they recount the destruction set about by the wind and the blood of traveler and brother mixing with the red clay, poisoning the earth. Together the stars and birds plot to bring salvation to the people of the earth.

Returning to the earth, the birds agitate the clouds, bringing rain. As the rain falls upon the earth, it carries the blood to the waters. The people of the earth seek shelter from the rain and travel no more on the roads of red clay. Satisfied with emptying the road, the wind subsides, unaware of the deeds of the birds. The earth stills.

Brother stands with brother crying out to the earth but she hears them not. Mothers console their children as the people of the earth sit silent, afraid. In shame, the wind retreats from the face of the earth, stillness consumes the land. The words of the people, first beginning with murmurs, pass from one to another with tales of travel and strange places. Stories turn to dance, filling the imagination. Brother breaks bread with brother, stamping his feet upon the earth retelling the day of the terrible wind. Together, each people weep alone, turning cries to shouts. Each from their own place, the shouts rise, uniting in the sky, making a mighty noise. The birds listen.

As night returns, the stars hide. Pleased to see the stars no more, the wind finds solace over the waters playing in the waves. With the wind away, the birds descend to roost among the slumbering people of the earth. Each bird, in each home, within each road, until all the birds rested upon the earth. With morning, the people of the earth awake to find an egg at their door. The egg bares the message “Give care and bring to life.” The people of the earth agree.

The people of the earth care for each egg until the day of hatching. Upon emerging, the chicks open their mouths and cry out, but the birds return not to care for their young. Seeing the faces of the young, the people of the earth feel compassion and take on their care. The chicks continue to plead for food. Confusion arises among the people as they feed the chicks, but cannot satisfy the hunger within them. As the chicks grow, the people work harder to keep up with the demand. The chicks grow fat and unable to take flight. The people of earth toil under their burden.

In giving to the chicks, the people of the earth grow poor and struggle to feed one another. Brothers whisper to brothers concern over the burdensome birds. Hunger grows among the people. How can they continue? Together the brothers decide to go to their neighbors to ask for food. Upon the roads, brothers of each group travel to find help. Along the way, they see strangers, but when they ask for help, they learn the birds burden the stranger’s home as well.

To the stranger, they tell of the greatness of the birds they raise and the massiveness of the appetite. The stranger replies with a tale of the same. Pressing the stranger, the brothers plead for assistance. Instead, the stranger explains the birds have grown much larger than the birds they describe and create a greater burden that his people happily bear to care for the birds, however his people have no extra. Looking upon the stranger, the brothers find him well dressed and fat. They grow convinced the stranger lies to keep for his people stores of food.

The brothers return home and give to their people the news of the wealthy neighbors who know bounty but share not. The brothers conclude the neighbors to the north and south, as well as east and west all keep stores of food raising small birds. For indeed, the birds among them grow the greatest, for none other has birds so great. This they make a song among the people.

Angered at the idea of bearing the greatest burden, the people send the brothers to the land of the stranger to learn the location of his wealth so they might come at night to relieve them of their bounty. The brothers travel to the stranger’s land and greet the stranger once more. Hand in hand, they walk among the stranger’s people and see treasure at every turn. For the birds of the stranger’s people, measure not to their own.

Traveling home, the brothers turn to the north and south, as well as the east and the west to walk among the other strangers and see the birds and wealth. Indeed, each community has sent out their brothers. Each community’s brothers turn to the north and south, as well as the east and the west to walk among the strangers and see the birds, and wealth; for each believes their burden the greatest and their birds the mightiest.

Pride grows among the people of the earth, each in their own group. Resentment grows against the stranger and his people for the wastefulness of their bounty and disregard to the birds. Hunger secretly unites them all, bending the future to destruction.

Brothers standing together shout and dance, telling of greatness, but each man, in his home, weeps at the hunger of his people. In his tears, he cries out to mother earth, to the wind and stars, to the birds on high, begging any who will listen for relief. But the earth remains broken hearted, the wind plays upon the water, and the stars hide in the heavens waiting. The birds watch the people of earth, waiting for the time of enlightenment to come.

As starvation sets in, the people decide to take the wealth of the stranger for themselves. Under the cover of night, they dress in darkness and travel the red-clay road to the stranger’s land. There they take from the stranger all they can carry and return home. Upon waking, the stranger shrieks in despair. Not knowing what happened they turn to one another in question. None among them can account for the lost goods. Then the birds begin to sing. In the song, the birds tell of strangers walking among them in the night taking the goods and returning to their own land. Anger boils in the land of the stranger.

All across the land, the people of the earth violate one another, coming in the night and taking from one another. Each people upon the land hate the stranger for his wealth or robbery and each man feels entitled to the stranger’s wealth. To protect the land, the people take up arms with a cry of defense, until one night, when a brother mistakenly sheds the blood of his brother in the name of defense. As the blood of the brother returns to the land the earth trembles.

Awoken by the taste of blood, the earth looks upon her children. Anger boils from deep within her carrying the tears of her broken heart to the surface of the earth. In a great explosion of rage, the tears burst forth and shower the children of the earth. Terrified at the shaking of the earth, the children weep and hide. The wind returns from the waters, moving once again among the people. From each home, the birds sing and eat no more.

Feeling the wind upon them, the people of the earth fear punishment. Each man takes the goods stolen from the stranger and returns them. Upon returning home, each man finds his bird sick. Concerned the bird needs more food than he has, he turns to his brother to help, only to learn his brother’s bird lies sick as well. Fearing for the birds, brothers return to strangers for help, but again, only find the stranger’s bird sick as well. The people of earth toil with worry, trying to nurse the birds to health. In desperation, the people bring their birds to one place, at the center of all the land, in hopes to find help.

Day and night, the people of the earth work together to bring the birds to health; stranger labors beside stranger, desperate to save the birds. Together they make songs to sing to the birds and console on another in their efforts but the birds continue to wane. At the last, the people gather around the birds, strangers and brothers no more, hand in hand they weep believing all lost.

With a sound simple and pure, a bird weakly sings. The wind picks up the song and carries it to the heavens. The birds in the heavens hear the voice of their young and return with song, calling. As the call of the birds of the heavens falls upon the birds of the people strength returns; the song of enlightenment has come. Stirring to their feet, the birds of the people begin to flap their wings. The wind, seeing their efforts, supports and encourages them. The people watch in amazement. Suddenly a bird takes to flight, the impossible made true. Seeing the truth of the bird, the other birds follow. To the heavens they fly.

Once in the heavens, the birds join together all as one, and continue their journey to the stars. Pushing along to ease their way, the winds clear the clouds of the night. The wisdom of the stars shines upon the people of the earth. And in that day, the people of the earth come together as one. With great celebrations, they sing and dance under the wisdom of the stars until the night was no more. As the sun came up, each man turned to go home only to find the red-clay road gone and in its place, scattered upon the earth, lay beautiful rocks, clear as water yet full of color and light. The people of the earth took the rocks and adorned themselves with them, using them to signify the love that had grown between strangers turning them to brothers.

For in the day of the last sun, the earth looked upon her children and found them covered in her tears, walking hand in hand, sharing words and colors, no stranger could be found. Tears filled her lands and set as diamonds upon the flowers, watering the bounty of her children.