Ashes of Beginning

Ashes of Beginning

Everett
First thing in the morning since our Creation, we all gather around the dark Pit that we built our lives around and pray. We pray for our salvation, for our passing into a better world. A world purer than this cold, dank place that we were sent to by the Gods for punishment. Rose tells us we were put onto this desolate place for our sins in previous lives, although we don’t remember. She is our Guardian and has protected us since our Creation in this world, making sure our souls stay intact until our time is up in this place and we move past this stage of punishment. She says we’re almost forgiven, almost done with the torture of these putrid Woods. She says someday, we will be forgiven and be hand in hand with the Gods for an eternity. A long, happy, forever.

After morning prayers, Rose sends the older, stronger boys out to hunt for the day’s first meal. Usually its deer or rabbit, there’s not much variety in the Woods. That’s what Rose calls this place, the Woods. She says that she has lived here for many years, caring for the children until their Passing. It’s necessary for our Passing to happen at the end of our first day of our Thirteenth Year, she tells us.

Another boy about my age, Lucca, and I skin the deer we shot with the bow and arrow Rose made for us and cook it over a small fire, Rose says large fires might upset the Gods. After the meat is cooked we split it between the ten of us, pray, and eat silently. Afterwards, Lucca and I take the organs and bones of the deer and dump it into the Pit a few hundred feet away from our tents. Each meal goes the same way. Unless on the day of a Passing.

“Ev? Can I ask you something?”

“Sure, Luc. Just keep your voice down.” I whisper to Lucca.

“Did you ever get the feeling that this is wrong?”

“I don’t understand.”
No one has ever questioned Rose, I have never heard any of the children say anything of this sort. “To question a Guardian is to question the Gods”, Rose had explained to us one day long ago.

“Have you ever thought that this might not be all there is to the Woods, that there could be more out there? Perhaps other Guardians with other children?” Luc asks shakily.

“Remember what Rose said, this is a temporary state. We are being punished for our sins. We musn’t forget that now or all might be lost. There is nothing else out there, Luc. Just us, the Woods, Rose, and the Pit.” And of course the Fire, but it wouldn’t be appropriate to mention this to Luc since his Passing is coming soon. We all know it’s right though, the Passing. If it pleases Rose, it pleases the Gods. If it pleases the Gods, it’s right.

“I must be imagining it, then.”
As I watch, Lucca walks away from the rotting Pit as if in a daze of deep thought, turns around, looks at me quizzically, then keeps walking.

Maybe he had a bad dream, I thought. Yeah, that must be it.

Rose
The two oldest are getting rather good at cooking, I thought as I bite into a big juicy deer thigh, savoring the flavor. It’s a shame they’ll both be gone soon, Passed onto the next world as all children should before the stinking world robs them of their purity and beauty. The Gods will be very pleased with them, pure as two twelve year old boys can get. Thirteen is where the problems start happening. Best to prevent them from that, as least the Gods will be pleased with me for trying to purify the world once again. The attempts might be feeble but the Gods surely must realize that I am doing my best. These children don't deserve to suffer.

Two Weeks Later
Everett

Tomorrow is Lucca’s Passing, which means today he and I will go out hunting for the feast that’s to be eaten before the Ceremony. He should be happy, leaving this place for good. But I can tell he’s on edge, that he’s unsure about this. Something’s wrong this time. I’ve witnessed many Passings and they were all celebrations, we cheered and feasted and danced. Luc knows something, something that he’s hiding from Rose.
Hiding something from Rose is synonymous with hiding something from the Gods.

As she would say.


Rose

The boy, Lucca his name is, looks nervous. The gleam of wonder and excitement is absent from his eyes unlike the other children before him. He suspects something, suspects that this is wrong. To other people, this might be considered sick and cruel, but the children know of no other people in this world. I am the only one who influences their minds, along with the Gods of course. This Passing must happen quick, the other children’s thoughts must not be tainted with the boy’s doubt. It’s unlikely it would have any affect on them, but you never know. The slightest thing can change the course of the future.

Dusk, the next day
Georgia

“These mountains are so beautiful.” Michael said breathlessly.
This is one of those times when my love for him is most prominent, when he gets into deep thought about something and his true self comes out. He’s not always just an arrogant, amusing guy. He sees the world through the eyes of an old man who has nothing better to do than think about what he’s seeing. He rarely allows this side of him to show, he keeps it well hidden.

“Yes, they are rather pretty.” I say, barely a whisper. It was a breathtaking view. “What’s that over there darling? It almost looks like smoke.”

“Yes,” he squints his eyes to get a better look, “I think it could be.”

“Should we go over there? It’s been days since we’ve seen anyone; maybe they even have some decent food.” I give him a good-natured glare, and then smile.

“If it’s what you desire, my dear. We'll have to go back to town tomorrow anyway, might as well make this hiking trip as enjoyable as possible.” He gives me a quick peck on the cheek and we start heading off toward the source of the fire.



Later that night
Everett
Luc and I dig into the feast after the traditional prayer that Rose saves especially for the Passing meal. We throw the scraps into the Pit and we wait for Rose to begin the ceremony. She takes her place on the far side of the Pit on a little wooden platform some of her children built for her long ago. And she begins the prayer.

“Quis est Iesu
ego unforgiveness liberantur a malo.
Lucem et spiritum sanctum tuum ne adimplebis me
Omnis autem provincia caeca mentem illuminet.”

We all join in and pray with her. Rose throws a piece of flaming wood into the Pit. All the animal flesh and bones catch fire and the Pit becomes a giant flaming inferno waiting to be fed.

Georgia
“Mike, do you hear that?” There was a slow, sadistic chanting coming from the source of the flame.
“Is that english?” He asks, already knowing the answer.

“No, it sounds like a curse almost. Should we still go over there? They might be dangerous.”

“Honey, I seriously doubt that. They're probably just having a little fun, that's all. Probably a group of guys on a break who decided to go on a hiking trip. Besides, we're running low on supplies.” I see the slightest look of doubt in his eyes and it sets my teeth on edge, but I know we have to stop. We're running out of food, and Michael's a mediocre hunter.
We walk a few hundred yards towards the noise and peer through the brush to see what they're doing. It was the oddest sight, a group of worn down looking children surrounding a fiery ditch in the ground, which was pervading the air with the worst kind of smell. There was a woman, perhaps in her mid- fifties, standing on the other side of the ditch, her face turned towards the sky and eyes bulging, tears dripping down her long face. They were all chanting the same thing, over and over again, getting louder every time.
All at once, the chanting stops. A rugged boy staggers towards the woman, trying to hold his head up high, but failing to. He walks over to her, she embraces him, then unclothes him. He turned away from the children and faced towards her and she takes out a short, rusty looking dagger. What she does next, we could not see, but the boy's flinching and shuddering was enough to show us.
“What the hell is she doing?” Michael almost screams. They do not hear him, they are all focused on the boy, the woman, and the fire.
“We have to do something Mike, we have to! She is cutting that boy!”

“No! Don't move, it's not safe.”
The woman turns the boy to face the fire and on his chest is a cross, the vertical of it starting at his throat, ending at his navel.

“Oh my god! Mike! What do we do?” I scream. The children don't hear, the roar of the flame is too loud.

“We can't do anything! She is a mad woman, we would be murdered! The best would be to go back to town and get help.” Michael said, trying to be calm.

“It's miles away! We don't have time! Don't you see what she's doing? “
The woman walks the boy closer to the pit, the children all start chanting again, slow, but steadily gaining speed.
“They're all smiling, they enjoy this! They enjoy watching him die!”

“What? You think that woman is going to kill the boy? I'm not sure what's going on here but I doubt that anyone could be as cruel to kill a child. Are you insane?” Michael says, with that arrogant gleam returning to his eyes.

“I'm not the insane one, she is!” I scream as the chanting stops once again and the boy starts taking steps even closer to the edge of the ditch. I run out towards them, flail my arms and scream, “NO! STOP!”
“GEORGIA!” Michael yells at the top of his lungs.
The boy is already at the edge, he looks at me wide eyed for a second, then teetering on the edge he falls into the pit screaming as he goes. The children are all staring at me, like they have never seen another human before.
I turn on the woman on the far side of the pit instantly.
“YOU SICK BASTARD! YOU WITCH! HOW COULD YOU HAVE DONE THAT TO THAT CHILD? HOW COULD YOU HAVE LET HIM WALK INTO THE FIRE? YOU-YOU....” My speech falters when I see her take the knife she used to cut the boy out of her pocket and walk towards me slowly.
“You have interrupted something most important, my dear. And I'm afraid, to make up for this disturbance, I'll have to...” The woman looks at me with possessed, bloodshot eyes.

“Rose? Who is this? Another Guardian?” a small child asks.

“It's another woman! She's not a Guardian, or else she would be knowing!” another one proclaims.

The children all stare at me, surprised. They honestly did not know there were other people on this planet.

“What have you put into these children's minds? What have you made them believe? Have they even seen other people before?” I scream at the woman who is advancing slowly at me with that blood covered knife.

“DO THEY EVEN KNOW THEIR FAMILIES?”

Michael finally comes out of his stupor and jumps in front of me, protecting me from the one the children call Rose.
“We will see you in jail for this.” he says trying to be calm. “Come on, Georgia.”

“How many have you killed so far? Ten? Twenty? How many until it satisfies your sick needs?” I yell at Rose.

She looks at me questioningly “Kill? I do not kill them. I help them. I pass them on to their next lives before this disgusting world rids them of their purity. Before they have to suffer through life as I did, as we all do. I protect them from that harm.” she says quietly. “And no, they do not know their families. Their family is the Gods. The Gods are the only family they will ever have that will stay with them and protect them forever and never falter in their duties to prevent suffering of their children. They are the only family they need.”

“Not all people's lives are like that! JUST BECAUSE YOUR LIFE WAS HORRIBLE DOESN'T MEAN THESE CHILDREN CAN'T HAVE THE CHANCE TO SEE FOR THEMSELVES! THEY DESERVE TO LIVE! THEY DESERVE FRIENDSHIP, LOVE, AND THE RIGHT TO LIVE THEIR LIVES AS THEY WANT AND NOT TO BE GOVERENED BY SOME CRAZY BITCH WHO THINKS THE GODS SENT HER TO MURDER CHILDREN!” Out of breath, I try to tell the children to run into the woods, but they don't listen. They only stare, awed and confused.

“Listen to me. You're scaring my children. You'll have to leave now. Remember to remind the Gods that I ended your suffering when you meet them up there, I want to get credit.” Rose says slowly, coming faster towards us with the knife.
“Farewell, my dear friends.”

She gets to Michael first, sticking him with the dagger straight in his heart. The lights leave his eyes before he hits the ground. I don't have time to mourn for his loss when I feel a wet, hot liquid running down my shirt and blackness fills my vision. I know no more.








Everett

The woman falls to the ground next to the man shrieking. Luc was right, there are other people. There was a chance for him, for all of us to have better lives. Rose was wrong, living a long life full of suffering is better than dying in purity. Rose is looking at us now, I don't know what she's thinking but I know I must run and take as many of the other children with me as I can.

“Everyone follow me! QUICK! None of this is right! The Gods do not want this! Follow me NOW!” I shriek at them. One, a bright, red-headed girl around the same age as me named Carylin, snaps out of her stupor and we run as fast as our feet can carry us, but not quick enough. We get away, but not without witnessing Rose pick up one of the smallest children, in her Fourth Year, and throw her into the fiery Pit. Rose's expression is eerily blank, although there are tears streaming from her eyes. She doesn't notice our absence until we are out of her sight, a long, drawn out howl makes our feet move even faster. The rest of the children, too stunned to do anything and too confused to protest, watch Rose and wait for their turn to Pass on.

Rose

I pick up the remaining child gently around the waist and place him nicely into the Pit along with the others. The Gods must realize that was necessary, that they would never have trusted me again after those two young scum bags showed up. All I have to do is sneak into another few hospitals and take more children, as she had done many times before. It was still my job to save as many as possible, still my duty to protect them. Or was it? Had the Gods changed their minds? Is this their way of saying that my job has ended, that they don't need me anymore? Perhaps it was. Perhaps this was a sign that my time here has come to an end and I am no longer needed in this world. The Gods have a job for me elsewhere. I start taking steps towards the fire, and let the flames wrap around me, taking me to the place where I have sent so many others.