Angels and Magic

by E. J. Bennett

  She wondered if they would still consider themselves 'fittest' if the gods had not granted them such mercy. Presumptuous lot, all of them. If they would just stop killing each other to establish dominance, and simply thought about it for a little while, they would actually realize that they were actually better off in the afterlife.

  The gods who made the earth knew better than to make it as good as the place they themselves resided. When humans expired, they came to live amongst the gods, it was how it was supposed to be. They proved themselves worthy and when they finally perished, they moved to a more comfortable plane of existence. Of course, there was a place of punishment for those who fell short of their good graces. But she was sure even the humans could relate to that. Even they had a way of punishing offenders. In fact, they had more than one way, she reckoned. Ad they were inventive ways indeed. And then, there were those who did not believe in the afterlife. Those who felt smarter than the gods themselves and did not see the hand of the divine in their everyday lives. It did not, however, stop some of them from living good lives and ending up in eternal solace with the gods. She always hated the look of surprise they had when they finally realized that all they'd believed their entire lives had been untrue and they'd been the less than intelligent ones. But then, she always managed to rein in her anger. She wondered what would happen the day she lost control. She usually just took solace in the majority of those 'free thinkers' who ended up going to the underworld to suffer for their crimes on earth. Their surprise was much more satisfying and she secretly enjoyed their cries and pleas for mercy.

  With all this in mind, she couldn't bring herself to see why her mother and the other gods seemed to love them so much. All they did was annoy her. Their hubris, their complexes. She found them to be unendingly annoying and she just wanted to put an end to it all.

  She shook her head, feeling her anger start to grow and she tore her eyes away from the roof.As she turned, she caught sight of the man who she presumed owned the house. He sat just in one corner of the room, shivering from the cold and wetness that surrounded him. He looked majorly unkempt as she took in his terribly modest look. He was gaunt looking and had a somber look on his face. His clothes hung off him like a scarecrow and his eyes were the deep yellow of someone suffering from malnourishment of some sort.

  Again, she wondered what the lure of it all was and it failed to register. The man coughed and she could tell that he had some illness or the other that he was either not aware of or he was aware of and just didn't have the resources to get the treatment his frail human form needed. It was funny, even the way he currently lived, if he was asked to fall on a sword and die, he would staunchly refuse, more often than not.

  He looked as unhappy as his current situation demanded and she wondered why he was not singing her praises yet. Wasn't he a farmer? From the tools that she could see scattered in a corner, he definitely was. She had just provided him with rain for whatever crops he may have planted. Once they grew, he would have enough money to cater for himself and his house, so why wasn't he on his knees thanking her for her mercy?

  She wondered if he had a family. She decided not. At least he'd been smart enough not to start a family with the condition he was in. Since the gods had given mankind, as with other life forms, free rein over the creation of its own kind through conception and birth, they had quickly abused the gift and made a complete mockery of it.

  Granted, as her mother always put it, there was a sense of fulfilment that accompanied the creation of life and humans liked the feeling they got from it. They liked it a lot. It was not uncommon to see impoverished men and women starting families and ending up with offspring who could not help themselves or be helped by the people who brought them into this world. She'd always watched in slight awe when they did this, trying to get the rationale behind it, but failing. She did not get the 'sense of fulfilment' her mother spoke of, not the way she described it at least.

  She turned to the man and his thoughts wafted into her head. It was a special ability of hers, one she shared with a few other gods. The thoughts and wants of man could never be hidden from her. Whatever they said in secret, even if only to themselves, were, to her, as though they had screamed it from the top of a particularly high mountain.

  The man's anger and hatred towards the rain registered immediately and she was taken aback. She had not expected such a reaction. Why was he angry with the rain? What happened to him? Wasn't the rain good for his crops?

  What an unfortunate turn of events, why couldn't the gods hold the rains for just a bit longer? At least for long enough for me to fix my roof?

  She listened to him complain bitterly and felt instant anger and contempt mixed with disappointment. What exactly was his problem? Granted, he was suffering now, but could he really be so shortsighted that he could not see the good effects it would have in the long run.

  She could sense that he had no plans for the planting season and was considering borrowing money, despite owing a lot of people already.

  She shook her head, filled with endless contempt. He was just a lazy man. She couldn't expect praise from the likes of him. She was certain there were others who would see the good in what she'd done.

  With one final look at the bitter farmer, she floated off back into the village.

  CHAPTER THREE

  The rains poured down hard as she left the house of the bitter man. She could feel the anger threaten to take complete hold of her and she willed it to calm down, marveling at the fact that she had not instantly incinerated him or done him some other harm. His ingratitude was more than baffling. He was willing to blame anything, anyone other than himself for the misfortune he was currently going through. And somehow, it made complete sense to him. He was the victim here, he was the one who had been wronged by the provision of rain at a time that did not go along with his own plans for his roof. After so many months without rain, he did nothing about the roof and he still had the gall to be upset and even complain when the rains finally came. What exactly did that make her? His oppressor? For providing the rains for the soil at the appointed time. She almost could not withstand the strength of the anger that held her and she clenched her fists not wanting to do anything that would cause commotion and probable punishment for her.

  He's just a lazy human. He's a lazy human, she reminded herself turning it into a mantra as she flew towards the center of the village. The rains were staring to ebb out slightly and she stopped and hovered for a minute. It hadn't fallen for long enough, the rains needed to continue for a long time for the soil to be fully saturated and to ensure maximum spread. She stretched her hand and summoned her wand, then she waved it and the rain gradually gained momentum. She smiled to herself, confident now that she had mastered the art. Her anger subsided slowly, no doubt she was bound to get some praise from some of the villagers. They couldn't all be like that farmer could they? Somehow she doubted it, despite their many similarities, their differences were even more numerous. Never had she seen a species who were so alike and yet so different at the same time. One person had a myriad of ways they could react to a situation, based on a lot of things that were going on with them at the time. Those ways were in turn different from how another person would react in a similar situation, even given the same scenario, all things being equal. And the way their minds worked. She sighed, she'd listened to them ramble on to themselves for the most part of their lives. Their so-called 'prayers', irritating disturbances as long as she was concerned. But what did she know? As far as the other gods were concerned, humans needed to keep praying. It made them feel closer to their gods and goddesses. They did a lot of things to feel closer to the deities responsible for their being. They built temples, they made sacrifices they deemed to be enough for the gods and offered them for one favor or the other, as if the gods would ever negotiate with them over some petty offering.

  She scoffed as she turned and continued her flight to the middle of the village. As she approached the more congested
part of the village, she started to hear voices and angry thoughts carried to her unknown to the people making them. She paused, uncertain of what to do, and taken aback by what she was hearing.

  Mother Nature is totally against us. What did we do to deserve such cruelty? All we did was love her and give her sacrifices.

  The thoughts wafted to her from a house close by and she made to fly towards it, but then,

  Who would have thought Mother Nature could be so thoughtless. So unassuming. Just look at the amount of destruction she is wreaking with this unwanted rain. I was thinking I would be able to plant my crops tomorrow and be ready for the rains. Now all that is gone. She really is an evil goddess.

  Ariel felt her chest swell and fall with each anger filled breath she took. 'Thoughtless'? 'Evil'? Her?

  The affront confused and offended her greatly and she tried to rein in her anger, floating in place and fuming with rage. What was their problem? How dare they say such nasty things about her after all she'd done was try to help them. Could they really be so blinded by their own self-righteousness that they could not see that all she'd been trying to do was help them out? What right did they have to talk about her in such a disrespectful way? She was the daughter of the mother of creation and they presumed they could just speak about her in whatever manner they wanted?

  "...I've always said it. These gods are just not on our side"

  A voice came from the house closest to where she floated and she moved closer, slipping her head in through the wall to listen in on the conversation.

  There were four women in the room and they were sitting close to each other, they seemed to be having a discussion, unable to leave the room as a result of the rain. The first woman to speak, spoke again. The anger and contempt in her voice was palpable.

  "I said it, didn't I? They're definitely not on our side. So what if they're all powerful higher beings? Does that give them the right to walk all over us? My husband and his men were up river trying to fish and the rain started, they had to haul ass out of there lest their boat be thrown over by the disturbed, gradually strengthening river. He's back home now, he's caught a serious cold and he's resting in the room." She pointed towards a room and the other women nodded sadly

  "They lost all the fish they'd caught and they couldn't catch anymore. The entire journey now seems to have been for nothing. I mean, what was the use. Today had started out bright and sunny and then, without warning, a big bully of a goddess decided to send down the rains, and what for?" she finished, throwing up her hands in frustration. Ariel watched them, gritting her teeth as another continued from where she stopped.

  "You know I'm not a strong believer in the gods, but if they're up there and one of them is responsible for this, then I am seriously disappointed and would really like them to stop interfering. I was trying to harvest some of my remaining produce and perhaps plant some more when the clouds suddenly turned grey. At first I thought it would pass, because, how could a day that had been so sunny mere seconds ago be so dark and grim? So I continued harvesting. Before I knew it, it started to drizzle, and then it intensified. I was unable to save anything. I had to get out of the rain" the woman spoke, wiping tears that had started to form in her eyes.

  Ariel was absolutely incensed. What exactly did they think would come out of this disrespect? How exactly did they think an affront of this magnitude would end?

  She looked at them, and the scowl on her face intensified. One by one, they spoke of how unwarranted and unnecessary the rain was. She felt her anger slowly reach its maximum and she was powerless to stop it from taking over.

  How dare they? After what she had done? It seemed she had underestimated humanity's penchant for ingratitude. And to think she had been worried that she had come too late. Her anger boiled through her even as her decision slowly formed in her mind. Why had they sent her here? Had it been a silly test to find out how she would react to their mean thoughts? Was it even possible for them to have envisioned something so cruel?

  It wasn't exactly intentional. See it from their perspective a tiny voice whispered in her head and she hushed it harshly, floating unseen amongst the people and their various complaints. She wondered if they would have been moved to be so honest if they'd been aware of her presence. She doubted it highly and it made her even more upset. Such duplicitous attitude deserved nothing but pain and suffering. She wondered what her mother saw in them. These vile uncouth creatures whose main motive for being created was defeated by the fact that they seemed intent on wiping out everything they came in contact with. Something in her could relate with their penchant for destruction, wars, all manners of conflict, it was almost poetic, but still, it annoyed her greatly. She turned to the sky and felt a scream of pure anger bubble up inside her, but she bit it down allowing the rain pour all over her, barely feeling the cold water as it soaked her through and through. Of course she knew what the others would say. 'That's just how she is. She just lacks control', 'Why was she sent on such a mission? Didn't her mother know better?', 'her mother ought to have known better, I can't tell how such a kind being could have spawned another so entirely different from her'. She scoffed, as if she'd asked to be one of them. Goody two shoes.

  She was used to their scathing comments when they thought she was out of earshot, but she had long given up trying to make them think otherwise. They seemed more than determined to treat her like some abomination and she was certain that with the plan she was now concocting in her mind, she would definitely fit their profile perfectly. She sighed, floating higher up as the decision took root. She'd been so happy and expectant, giving them what they wanted. What did they know about anything? She could very well have held back, disobeyed and they would have been still been the ones crying up for help. Silly beings, they surely knew how to plead when it suited them didn't they? They'd perfected it. Made it an art and now, it was basically second nature to them.

  The anger boiled deeply within her and she stared daggers at the houses in the village below. The streets were deserted now and a reasonable distance away, the dense vegetation bathed and seemed to be enjoying the bath she had provided. She smiled sourly, not quite feeling anything that even remotely resembled joy. The feeling of Euphoria she had felt in the beginning had died down completely and she felt a pounding in her ears as her anger boiled inside her, urging her towards a decision she didn't think she had the power to stop. The swine. They were at the mercy of the gods constantly, at her mercy. Yet they mouthed off and showed just how unworthy of their divine help they were. How hard was it to show some gratitude though? She asked herself floating higher up. What exactly had made it so easy for them to disregard and even insult such a well-timed gift. Artfully executed. Only one answer came to her mind. They were spoiled. The gods had been taking it too easy with them, catering to their every whim without as much as a thank you coming from them sometimes.

  What had her mother done that she had not done? Her mother had provided life giving rain to the amazon and the entire world for that matter, for millennia. She had been praised endlessly and completely. Why did it have to be when she was the one holding the wand that the spoiled attitude, the one that deceived them into seeing the gods as their equals rather than what they were and always would be, their superiors, decided to come out an manifest in all its ugliness?

  She stretched out her hands and opened her palm as her wand materialised on top of it. It was glowing slightly, and seemed rather to be an outward expression of the anger that boiled within her. Her mind was filled with colorful ways in which she could make them regret their actions. The anger within her was completely unbridled, urging her to burn and consume everything that stood in her path without exception. A small part of her, the one which still retained the power of rational thought, begged her to calm down, but she couldn't. She knew she was past the threshold where she could easily come back from.

  There was no going back from this. Not until she had gotten her vengeance and meted out the punishment she saw
fit. These puny humans, with their bloated egos and enhanced sense of entitlement, they had to be put in their place and put there permanently.

  She stared at her wand as it glowed, mirroring the rage she felt and she smiled at the irony of what was about to happen. The same wand she had used with the intention of bringing joy to these humans was about to be the same wand she would use to bring them the retribution they so deserved. They liked to complain right? She felt compelled to give them something to really complain about. Something to scream at the gods about, whether it was for help or for forgiveness, it didn't matter, just as their screams echoed throughout the forest. If they didn't praise her for her good deeds, they would sure as hell marvel at the amount of destruction she could wreak.

  For a brief second she wondered what her mother would say. She knew that the goddess was really hoping she would be able to pull off the mission without a hitch. A lot was riding on this. She had trained all her life, simply so she could do things like this, and now that she was out testing herself alone, it seemed like the humans were determined to bring her efforts to naught. With that thought, the moment passed quickly as the memories of the perceived injustice and unwarranted ingratitude she'd just suffered came rushing back to her. They didn't deserve any mercy. No, they definitely deserved this. They deserved to be treated with the same level of respect they had doled out. If her mother decided to punish her, well, it was her decision.

  Just as this was hers.

  With that final thought, and with the cold reality of what she was about to do settling in her mind, she flew up to the sky. Her eyes blazed with untold anger and spite as she zoomed high up and then stopped. She turned and with one smooth motion, calling on all her training, albeit for a different purpose from that which it was meant, she waved her wand. The clouds shifted slightly, gathering closer and becoming denser than they'd been mere minutes ago. Thunder boomed loudly and lightening flashed repeatedly heralded each time by the grand slam of the thunder.