The Mistake

The Mistake

         They three exist, perched on the horizon of endless obsidian, overlooking the vast universe that is their empire.  There, beyond the cloud of stars that play at staring and winking after one another, they three boom and shout; boisterous, they each top the other with their own embellished feats, heedless of what the last one says.

         Their colossal forms materialize and vanish at random, flirting with the thin veil of reality.  One materializes, speaking.  “Just this morning, finished hand crafting me a planet! BARE HANDS, you hear me?” Eulidos brings his fist down upon his thigh as he speaks “Bare Hands”; great rumbling ripples through the white-flecked sea of darkness.

         Materializing, Tanis whips her thousand arms across at Eulidos; the echoes ensue within his skull for the eons that are a moment.  “Quit shak’n the heav’ns, you nit!” Tanis pauses.  “A’sides, hand makin’ planets ain’t nothin.  I hand craf’ed my own planet not on’y a week ago. Less than ten days n’ it was done.”  Near the end of Tanis’ tremendous boast she vaporizes, yet her voice lingers to finish her words before it too follows suit, fading.

         Eulidos growls and glares at the void of space that had just been Tanis.  “I’ve seen your hand-crafted work, Tanis. Everything on your planet just sat there like rocks. Nothing. No talking, no moving. Just waiting to starve. More to it than just creating a rock and tossing life on it, like flicking paint across a canvas.” Eulidos puffs his chest up with importance.  “Takes real skill to make a planet that functions like mine!”  As soon as the subject is himself once again, his volume quickly gets carried away like the steady creep of a rising tide, a typhoon of sound that reverberates through the heavens, tickling the stars.

         The youngest of the eternal beings then speaks, calmly.  “Eulidos, didn’t your planet have some issue?”  He pauses, already knowing what had gone wrong with the planet, but playing at forgetfulness. “Right! You made it too close to your sun, and the white star first blinded and then burned them all!”

         Tanis materializes, scolding. “Wasn’t till YOU went n’ gave stars Light that we had this damned blindness prob’m, Orin.”

         Orin shrugs. “Well, He liked it. You two can bicker all you want but the truth is I made a planet in SIX days. Well seven, but all I did that day was nap.” Orin crosses his arms, beside himself with smugness, an atmosphere of pride radiating from him.

         Eulidos is not impressed as he peers past the obsidian vacancy to spot Orin’s planet. A frown of concern crosses his face as he watches the small pebble of life at the end of his nose. “Orin, what are they DOING!?”

         Before Eulidos’ sputtering could disturb the cosmos much, Orin tries to sow peace and relaxation amongst them.  “My kin, allow me to explain my latest genius.” Tanis vaguely listens, now staring wide eyed at Orin’s little planet. “I have invented Will and Drive. Though it is nothing like the unknown that makes you and I, the concept is very similar, I think.”

         “But brother—“ Eulidos stammers.

         “With these two concepts within the blood of my creations, and very simple orders, they now take care of themselves. I just watch. It's perfect. I think He will love it.” Orin grins with an air of pride once more, oblivious to his kin’s dismay.

         “Orin!” Eulidos roars, grabbing the colossus and forcing his sight upon the little rotating rock.  The ghastly image is one of hate, deceit, and bloodshed. Self destruction lay waste to the pebble without relent.

         Orin’s face pales significantly, he flickers then vanishes in embarrassment, only to return materialized, his eyes drinking the horror he brought into existence. “I didn’t know!” the naïve colossus cried out.

         Unsurprising to the other two, Eulidos’ voice was far more explosive than need be. “How long since you created this disaster?!”

         “Not long!” Orin protested. “A few hundred million years, tops! Nothing but a moment!”

         Meanwhile Tanis simply stares at the planet, aghast. Decisiveness passes over her face as she reaches two fingers out towards the planet. Only a gasp escapes Orin’s lips before Tanis pinches the planet between her fingers, grinding it into a fine powder. “It has t’ be done, young brother.” Tanis says with a note of sadness. Orin nods but cannot raise his eyes to meet with hers. Tanis, her face disturbed, asks “Orin, what were them ‘simple’ ord’rs you gave your critters, that caused us so much trouble?” Orin looks up with a face full of shame and embarrassment.

         “Go Forth and Multiply…”


Word count: 779