text: “Well, fuck you in the eye with a skewer then,” Jane quietly muttered. Whether her comment was heard or not wasn’t totally apparent, but the conversation continued. “I’m just reminding you that it’s always been this way. Every being has a purpose and this is yours. We all have to come to terms with our lot in life, although you do seem to have more trouble than most accepting this.” The priestess looked at Jane for what seemed like a long time, and then when there was no response, she went on. “You can call it Fate, or Destiny, or whatever you wish, but it is the will of the Gods and it cannot be changed. The Gods can be harsh but they can also be kind. Remember that everything we have, we have only because they have provided it, so we can not, we MUST NOT go against their will. Some would tell you that your place in the grand scheme of things is actually quite an honour, you know, “ the priestess patiently, and not unkindly, replied. Jane had heard the news earlier that day, and come to the hut of the priestesses for... guidance? Advice? Maybe a glimmer of hope or even a hint at another way? “I understand how it all works, I really do. Yes, I’ve heard it my whole life, but I just can’t wrap my head around it. I am not trying to ruffle anyone’s feathers, I just don’t understand why you have this life and I have a different life, and other races have other lives and our purposes are all so defined but also so different... Who decided it all, and why? I just don’t believe that this could possibly be everything there is...” The priestess let out an exasperated sigh. “It is the will of the Gods, my dear, and that is ABSOLUTE. Of course it is not entirely unusual to have misgivings in your position, and especially the closer you get to your time, to feel at least some measure of fear. The sacrifice is a great thing, but it can be frightening. However, you must accept it anyway. Continue to meditate on the very important part that you will play, and remind yourself that it is for the good of the whole flock. If nothing else, try to find some comfort in knowing that not only is this all necessary to keep our entire universe in balance, but also it is widely accepted that through this act, you will have earned a very exalted place in paradise.” Jane kicked and scratched at the ground nervously, unable to truly articulate what she was feeling. She knew she shouldn’t be arguing, and that so many others before her had gone through the same thing with acceptance, sometimes even with dignity, but to her it just all felt so wrong. Maybe she was just afraid, but she just couldn’t come to terms with the fact that her whole existence came down to this one thing and one thing only. She walked back across the dirty street to the hut that she shared with others who would share the same fate, some at dawn, (as she was), and some another day. She knew that her life had not been unpleasant. She had a warm place to sleep, plenty of food to eat, lots of friends around. She spent her days strolling about in the sunshine, talking with her friends, looking for something to do. Every now and then some new cock of the walk would come through and maybe provide an exciting distraction for a time. She could do what she liked for the most part, nothing was really prohibited and nothing was really expected of her. But if, from the moment of your birth, your fate was decided for you, do you really ever have free will? She had never lived anywhere else and she knew that each race had a purpose, all of which were decided by the Gods. She had known her purpose for as long as she could remember - this was not a new idea or a shock to hear about it. She had never known anything else. She was born and raised to eventually become sustenance for the Gods. Nothing else mattered. Still, her stubborn inner voice whispered, what if? What if there was a way to escape your fate? What if there was a way to just ESCAPE? She knew there just had to be more out there somewhere. Sometimes she snuck out at night and sat on the roof of the hut to watch the sun rise and she could see that the horizon went on way beyond their borders. It seemed to go on forever. She often wondered if there were other races, other whole worlds or even other Gods out there? She had asked a priestess this once and was told, not for the first (or the last) time, that it was very dangerous to daydream about such things. And even if there were other Gods and other worlds, they could be so very much worse. Out of the frying pan and into the fire as the saying went. It was better to just accept and enjoy what the Gods have given you for as long as you could. Maybe life being so short was part of what made it so precious. There was some wisdom on the priestess’s words, but still...? What if? That damned inner voice would not give up. She walked past her hut and just kept walking. Soon she was past her hut and long past the priestesses’ hut, and to the green space on the edge of the village. She walked through the grass, thinking for a moment of how cool the grass was on her feet, and how nice it might be to stop and sit and listen to the quiet of the evening, maybe poke her toes around in the grass and disturb a few insects and watch them scurry or slither for a while. Her thoughts roamed. The Gods came through her small village at dawn every day, sometimes there was one of them, sometimes more. They would stop first in the hut of the priestesses with their baskets to receive their offerings. Then they provided the day’s food to all. Other than that, there had been no real contact. Where did they go? Were there other villages with other purposes? She could not stop thinking about whether it was possible to escape her fate. If she accepted with grace and dignity, as hundreds (thousands?) before her had, then in the morning, she would be sacrificed. The gods would kill her and they would eat her flesh. So she kept walking. Soon she was further away from the huts then she ever went. With every step her inner voice repeated what if. Soon she wasn’t really thinking at all, it was just step, step, step, step, what if what if what if what if. She kept walking. Soon she was feeling the creeping cold of the night. She shrugged it off and kept walking. At some point, it dawned on her that if she kept going, she had no idea how to find food or shelter or care for herself. She decided she didn’t care and she kept walking. She had no idea how much time passed. Suddenly, she fell back with a startled gasp as she realized she’d run into something. She backed up and squinted. Wire? She eyed it slowly. She looked to her right and then left. Some sort of wire mesh that seemed to extend for miles, and was higher than her eyes could focus in the dark. She saw that there was a gap in the bottom between the mesh and the dirt so she scrunched down as low as she could and wriggled under. There was a point when she thought it might be too tight but she forced her way through and with barely a scratch or two realized she was on the other side. She saw a thicket not far away and felt the exhaustion inside her screaming at her to stop, even just for a few minutes. She had never really experienced the darkness so it was easy to convince herself how much she needed to rest for a time. She got down low and maneuvered herself into a well hidden spot in the dense foliage and closed her eyes. * * * * * * “Here she is!” Jane was startled awake by a shrill voice and a very large shadow looming over her. Before she had shaken the sleep away, a God reached into the bush and wrapped her within its massive hands. Jane could do nothing except let out one scared little squawk. She was walked past her village, where, from the dizzying height of the God’s hands, she could see her friends waiting for their daily rations and watching her go by with their eyes wide. The God who carried her passed her to another one, who seemed to be twice the size of the first. It took her by the feet and swinging her upside down, slammed her down onto a wooden block. It happened too fast for her to be anything but stunned. The God raised a stick with something on the end that glinted in the morning sunlight. She felt a sense of awe come over her. As the axe came down, her last thought was, “It is the will of the Gods.”