one man rode the way through the woods down to asa bay where dragon ships had sailed to sea more times than one could say to see with own eyes the wonder people told from man to man the god of all almightiness had arrived from a foreign land the rumors told of a man who had come from the other side the seas carrying gold cross around neck in chain and spoke in strange tongue of peace he had come with strange men in armor dressed in purple shirts and lace smelling not of beer but flowers and with no hair in face and the bold man carrying cross had told all one of asa bay the god of all man woman child had come to them all save and to thank lord of heaven one should build to god a house and to save one s soul from hell one should be baptized and say vows a man of pride with the hammer told new god to build his house on own and spoke loud of the gods of their fathers not too long time gone the rumors said the man with a beard like fire and the hammer in chain by men in armor silenced was and by their swords was slain those who did not pay the one coin of four to man of new god whipped was twenty and put in chains then locked by their neck to the log and so all of asa bay did build a house of the cross every hour of daylight they did sweat limbs ached because faith does cost and on the day two hundred there it stood white to the sky the house of the god of the cross big enough to take two dragon ships inside and all of asa bay did watch the wonder raise to the sky now must the god of the cross be pleased and satisfied just outside the circle of the crowd one old man did stand he looked across the waters and blotted the sun out of his eyes with one hand and his old eyes could almost see the dragon ships set sail and his old ears could almost hear men of great numbers call out oden s hail and though he did know already though he turned face towards sky and whispered silent words forgotten spoken only way up high now this house of a foreign god does stand now must they leave us alone still he heard from somewhere in the woods old crow of wisdom say people of asa land it s only just begun 1