Prologue
Seth and Ezras’ father was a wisp of sentient spores. He appeared as a haze in the firelit chamber. On their arrival on the transfer beam, he floated directly to a humanoid figure at the front of an eerie queue. Ten human forms were ‘plugged in’ to the wall in a sedentary line. The kindly looking, white-haired form at the front could be seen to suck in the wisp. Behind this being, there was a diverse cultural mix of human male, bodies. Their father preferred to meet his sons in this guise. It was part of his bond with his offspring. He stood hesitantly and walked towards his children embracing Seth in a bear-like hug. Glaring at Ezra he stuttered from infrequently used lips.
“Why are you here Seth and why have you bought your disgraced brother?”
Seth gave a knowing look towards his brother, this meeting had been planned for a very long time. They had both expected this gruff opening with their parent. Seth had a script and he was going to stick to it.
“I am here to tell you our time in this universe is over. We are ‘moving on’ as they say. We can start over. We can create worlds without the greed and hatred you have incited in this one.”
There would be no backing down today. The die had been cast.
“How Dare You! I have given these creatures everything. I have given them morals and taught them right from wrong. I have reduced plague and pestilence. I have lived among them.”
“And in return, they deemed you, God. You have abandoned them. You have let them die. You made them turn the other cheek to wars and hatred, but not stopped it. Why have you abandoned them, father? Why have you allowed pain, suffering and death?” Seth adjusted his facial features making his jaw stronger and his eyes deeper-set and determined.
“Their ways were set before I came. I tried to mould them. Give them a purpose. I set them on this course. It is too late now to intervene. The truth would confuse and change their path into oblivion. I prefer to let them enact their own future now. I have grown to love them for what they are. I often wonder how they would be without my guidance. Therefore I leave them to their devices.”
“So you have given up and abandoned an entire world?”
“Your brother Ezra did not help. Without the notion of evolution, this would never have happened. He undermined my teachings and has led the creatures away from me.”
“You could not have hidden it from them forever father. They grow in consciousness daily and you have underestimated their thirst for knowledge. Ezra helped them to understand their history. You made up a history for them. We have our plan. We have watched these people struggle through life into death without joy and hope. We want to create worlds where joy and hope last a lifetime and a lifetime can be without end. How much simpler could this be. No wars, no greed but above all else no religion. That is where you went wrong father, religion has been their undoing and you are the cause. Let them believe in their own selves. That which they see with their own eyes, that they feel with their own senses. Let them look to themselves for forgiveness. Belief in themselves. This will be our testament.”
Ezra moved toward his brother and stood beside him in a show of unity.
“All we ask father is that you allow us two transfer beams and our pick of undiscarded souls. Then we will leave you to your universe and begin to create our own.”
Their father stood dumbstruck. Unable to reply. This massive, underground pyramid was beginning to feel a little more lonely. Nearly as lonely as his aeons-long journey from the centre of space. His fellow spores concurred.
" The beginning was so long ago now. We have come so far. Let them go.”
Echoed in his human-like skull.
