| THE LORELEI SIGNAL |
.
| Written by Kapri Sanders / Artwork by Lee Kuruganti |
| Make a donation to this writer |
| The Unholy |
It was a perfectly beautiful morning.
Olin simply could not stop smiling. He smiled at every bird, tree, flower and person he passed...and everything smiled
back, each in its own fashion. The birds twittered delightfully at him; the trees rustled their leaves in an almost-silent
greeting; the flowers opened at his feet as he past; and every person said hello and grinned happily at him.
Once, he even passed a cat. The cat meowed politely and he leaned down to scratch its ears. Purring softly, the cat looked
up at him with big green eyes. He stroked its downy fur once, then smiled and continued on his way, leaving the cat to do
as it pleased. For all were welcome in his domain.
Looking down, he could see the realm of humans stretching out in all directions below him. How foolish they were...how
simple-minded. And yet Olin loved them, every last one of them. They pretended to know his momentous love for them,
and yet none of them could hold a candle to its true girth.
Yes, Olin loved them, though they called him by the wrong name and spoke of him in hushed, awed, and even frightened
voices. Everyone in his world understood that, but the humans below had not yet learned. Never mind. They would learn
when the time came.
Looking upward, Olin happened to glance at the sun. Time was getting on, and he had an important engagement.
Momentarily clearing his mind of thoughts about the humans, he headed off towards the gates at the head of his domain.
A young man was sitting in the archway, staring up at the golden curlicues of metal above him and wearing a faraway
gleam in his eye.
"Peter," said Olin, drawing near to the man.
Peter started. "Hello, sir," he said with a smile.
Olin warmly smiled back. "Amusing yourself?"
"Perhaps," said Peter, looking back over the gates. "Just thinking."
Olin could see in Peter's eyes that even he was unsure of his own thoughts, so he did not pursue the matter further.
Instead he said, "I'm going out for a time."
"Really?" said Peter, looking up in surprise. "Where to?"
"To see Endellion," said Olin.
Peter's smile vanished and was replaced with a deep frown. "I see," he said finally.
Olin laughed. "You wonder what I see in her, don't you, Peter?"
"I wonder why you meet her regularly, if that's what you mean," said Peter.
Olin nodded. "Understandable. And I do not ask that you approve," he added with another smile.
Peter gave a rather lopsided, half-hearted grin and said, "When can we expect you back?"
"An hour or two, perhaps. Don't wait up for me," he said teasingly.
"All right, I won't ask any more questions. Save one -- what should I tell Him?"
Olin smiled. "Tell him that I am away to see Endellion, what else?"
Peter nodded doubtfully. "Farewell, then."
It didn't take Olin long to reach Endellion's domain. Instead of puffy, white clouds as far as the eye could see, fire and red
stones appeared on all sides. Olin stopped only a few steps in and called, "Endellion -- come forth!"
There was a short pause, then a young woman stepped from the shadows. She was clothed in a red blouse with a neckline
so low that very little was left to the imagination; a red skirt that swirled around her knees beguilingly; orange boots that
came up to her thighs; and an orange cape which was tossed around her shoulders carelessly.
Olin smiled; Endellion took great pride in her image.
"You call me forth as if you expect me to come when I'm called!" Endellion greeted him. "Like some sort of pet, perhaps."
"Not at all," said Olin. "I see you've left your pitchfork behind today."
Endellion smiled at him; her teeth were slightly pointed. "You know very well that the pitchfork is just a symbol thought up
by those stupid humans. I see no reason to carry one about simply because they think I do. And as I recall, they think a lot
of wrong things about you, as well. Aren't you supposed to tote around a triton or some such rot?"
"You're thinking of Poseidon from Greek mythology. You should pay more attention to your history lessons, I think," he
said teasingly.
Endellion did not smile at this. "Why should I care about their history? They're all evil, deep down, every last one of them.
You know it very well. Why do you go on liking them?" She paused, and added in a bitter voice, "Saving them."
"You are wrong on that point," said Olin. "They are not evil in their heart of hearts, although many may appear to be."
She snorted. "They are a greedy, back-stabbing, traitorous bunch. I don't know why you don't call down hellfire and
brimstone and have done with the lot of them."
"I have no power over hatred or pain, much as you seem to think otherwise. Even if I wished to destroy them, I would be
forced to call upon you."
"Forced to, eh?" Endellion regarded him for a moment. "Sounds like you don't like me very much."
Olin just smiled.
"What do you think of me, then?" she asked finally, exasperated at his silence.
"We are two very different creatures," said Olin. "You are fiery, passionate, motivated by mischief. I am calm, kind, and
motivated by love and a hope for peace. You rule over torment and horror; I rule over love and salvation."
"Then why do you come all the way down here?" she demanded. "Just for a nice battle of wits?"
"Why do you hate them so much, Endellion? What makes you hate those humans so completely?"
"Hundreds of reasons!" Endellion spat; there was fire in her eyes now. "They think they are so intelligent, and they know
nothing! Look at the creatures they've made you and me into!"
"They are not so far from the truth," said Olin demurely.
"Oh no? They say that they must follow you and only you if they wish to achieve eternal peace. They say that if they turn
from your path, their souls will belong to me forever. What morons! They even say that I..." here she laughed bitterly, "...
am a male!"
"Are they to be damned for simple mistakes?" Olin asked her.
Endellion glared fire at him. "It was a mistake that caused all this, Olin, and you know it. It was all because of that
ridiculous garden!"
Olin laughed. "You still blame the incident in the garden? If it hadn't been that, it would have been something else."
"I only wanted to have some fun," said Endellion protesting. "I just wanted to see what that stupid girl would do if I told
her to eat from the tree you told her she mustn't touch. How was I to know you'd cast them out and tell them to live on
their own? And because of that, they decided that women just weren't as good as men, and eventually I turned into a male
in their folklore! All because of that one stupid apple!"
He smiled kindly at her. "I would have sent them out to live on their own later, regardless of what you did. What good is it
to sow seeds, if not to let them grow into great trees and sprout seeds of their own?"
"Always talking in riddles," Endellion sneered. "You have only to look at that packet of lies they call a book to see how
blind they are."
"Again you condemn them for mistakes, Endellion. Even you and I can make simple mistakes."
After a moment of silence, Endellion said, "And what about Him? I'd like to hear your explanation of that again."
Olin smiled. "You never forgave me for that, did you?"
"Never," said Endellion. "Sending out a little spawn of yourself and never telling me -- we're supposed to work in
harmony! Something bad happens, something good happens. You cheated!"
Oh, Endellion, Endellion, Olin thought, how much I can see of you that you don't understand. The turmoil in her heart, the
hatred and confusion. And half of it she didn't recognize herself. "I did not cheat," he replied. "I merely sent the humans
another textbook, one that was closer to the truth than the one they wrote themselves."
"Oh, so He's a textbook now, is He? Your little boy is nothing but a textbook."
"If you choose to look at it that way, that is what he was to the world."
"And that's another thing!" she exclaimed. "Everyone talks about Him with a capital in their voice. 'Him' is with a capital h.
You only ever speak of Him in lower-case letters!"
"He doesn't speak of me in upper-case letters, does he? Why should I be formal with my son?"
"They call it a sacrifice you made, sending your only son into the hard, cruel world of humans. I believe you just wanted
to give your beloved humans another compass to see with."
"A compass that I loved with all my heart," Olin corrected.
"You must have a pretty big heart, to love all those humans and Him besides,"
said Endellion mockingly. "I'm surprised it hasn't burst out of your chest by now."
"It often surprises me," Olin agreed, and Endellion looked at him in surprise.
After another short pause, Olin said, "Well, it has been a pleasure debating with you, but I must be getting back. They'll be
expecting me."
Endellion's sneer changed into a genuine smile. No matter how heated they got, they always parted friends. "Come back
again," she said. "I do enjoy our battles of wits."
"You asked me before why I come all this way," he said with a smile. "It's certainly refreshing, to have a conversation
with someone whose views are so drastically different from mine. And it's not so far a distance as you pretend."
"True," she conceded. "Not nearly as far as Heaven and Earth."
"Not at all," he agreed. "Only -- Heaven and Hell."
Olin simply could not stop smiling. He smiled at every bird, tree, flower and person he passed...and everything smiled
back, each in its own fashion. The birds twittered delightfully at him; the trees rustled their leaves in an almost-silent
greeting; the flowers opened at his feet as he past; and every person said hello and grinned happily at him.
Once, he even passed a cat. The cat meowed politely and he leaned down to scratch its ears. Purring softly, the cat looked
up at him with big green eyes. He stroked its downy fur once, then smiled and continued on his way, leaving the cat to do
as it pleased. For all were welcome in his domain.
Looking down, he could see the realm of humans stretching out in all directions below him. How foolish they were...how
simple-minded. And yet Olin loved them, every last one of them. They pretended to know his momentous love for them,
and yet none of them could hold a candle to its true girth.
Yes, Olin loved them, though they called him by the wrong name and spoke of him in hushed, awed, and even frightened
voices. Everyone in his world understood that, but the humans below had not yet learned. Never mind. They would learn
when the time came.
Looking upward, Olin happened to glance at the sun. Time was getting on, and he had an important engagement.
Momentarily clearing his mind of thoughts about the humans, he headed off towards the gates at the head of his domain.
A young man was sitting in the archway, staring up at the golden curlicues of metal above him and wearing a faraway
gleam in his eye.
"Peter," said Olin, drawing near to the man.
Peter started. "Hello, sir," he said with a smile.
Olin warmly smiled back. "Amusing yourself?"
"Perhaps," said Peter, looking back over the gates. "Just thinking."
Olin could see in Peter's eyes that even he was unsure of his own thoughts, so he did not pursue the matter further.
Instead he said, "I'm going out for a time."
"Really?" said Peter, looking up in surprise. "Where to?"
"To see Endellion," said Olin.
Peter's smile vanished and was replaced with a deep frown. "I see," he said finally.
Olin laughed. "You wonder what I see in her, don't you, Peter?"
"I wonder why you meet her regularly, if that's what you mean," said Peter.
Olin nodded. "Understandable. And I do not ask that you approve," he added with another smile.
Peter gave a rather lopsided, half-hearted grin and said, "When can we expect you back?"
"An hour or two, perhaps. Don't wait up for me," he said teasingly.
"All right, I won't ask any more questions. Save one -- what should I tell Him?"
Olin smiled. "Tell him that I am away to see Endellion, what else?"
Peter nodded doubtfully. "Farewell, then."
It didn't take Olin long to reach Endellion's domain. Instead of puffy, white clouds as far as the eye could see, fire and red
stones appeared on all sides. Olin stopped only a few steps in and called, "Endellion -- come forth!"
There was a short pause, then a young woman stepped from the shadows. She was clothed in a red blouse with a neckline
so low that very little was left to the imagination; a red skirt that swirled around her knees beguilingly; orange boots that
came up to her thighs; and an orange cape which was tossed around her shoulders carelessly.
Olin smiled; Endellion took great pride in her image.
"You call me forth as if you expect me to come when I'm called!" Endellion greeted him. "Like some sort of pet, perhaps."
"Not at all," said Olin. "I see you've left your pitchfork behind today."
Endellion smiled at him; her teeth were slightly pointed. "You know very well that the pitchfork is just a symbol thought up
by those stupid humans. I see no reason to carry one about simply because they think I do. And as I recall, they think a lot
of wrong things about you, as well. Aren't you supposed to tote around a triton or some such rot?"
"You're thinking of Poseidon from Greek mythology. You should pay more attention to your history lessons, I think," he
said teasingly.
Endellion did not smile at this. "Why should I care about their history? They're all evil, deep down, every last one of them.
You know it very well. Why do you go on liking them?" She paused, and added in a bitter voice, "Saving them."
"You are wrong on that point," said Olin. "They are not evil in their heart of hearts, although many may appear to be."
She snorted. "They are a greedy, back-stabbing, traitorous bunch. I don't know why you don't call down hellfire and
brimstone and have done with the lot of them."
"I have no power over hatred or pain, much as you seem to think otherwise. Even if I wished to destroy them, I would be
forced to call upon you."
"Forced to, eh?" Endellion regarded him for a moment. "Sounds like you don't like me very much."
Olin just smiled.
"What do you think of me, then?" she asked finally, exasperated at his silence.
"We are two very different creatures," said Olin. "You are fiery, passionate, motivated by mischief. I am calm, kind, and
motivated by love and a hope for peace. You rule over torment and horror; I rule over love and salvation."
"Then why do you come all the way down here?" she demanded. "Just for a nice battle of wits?"
"Why do you hate them so much, Endellion? What makes you hate those humans so completely?"
"Hundreds of reasons!" Endellion spat; there was fire in her eyes now. "They think they are so intelligent, and they know
nothing! Look at the creatures they've made you and me into!"
"They are not so far from the truth," said Olin demurely.
"Oh no? They say that they must follow you and only you if they wish to achieve eternal peace. They say that if they turn
from your path, their souls will belong to me forever. What morons! They even say that I..." here she laughed bitterly, "...
am a male!"
"Are they to be damned for simple mistakes?" Olin asked her.
Endellion glared fire at him. "It was a mistake that caused all this, Olin, and you know it. It was all because of that
ridiculous garden!"
Olin laughed. "You still blame the incident in the garden? If it hadn't been that, it would have been something else."
"I only wanted to have some fun," said Endellion protesting. "I just wanted to see what that stupid girl would do if I told
her to eat from the tree you told her she mustn't touch. How was I to know you'd cast them out and tell them to live on
their own? And because of that, they decided that women just weren't as good as men, and eventually I turned into a male
in their folklore! All because of that one stupid apple!"
He smiled kindly at her. "I would have sent them out to live on their own later, regardless of what you did. What good is it
to sow seeds, if not to let them grow into great trees and sprout seeds of their own?"
"Always talking in riddles," Endellion sneered. "You have only to look at that packet of lies they call a book to see how
blind they are."
"Again you condemn them for mistakes, Endellion. Even you and I can make simple mistakes."
After a moment of silence, Endellion said, "And what about Him? I'd like to hear your explanation of that again."
Olin smiled. "You never forgave me for that, did you?"
"Never," said Endellion. "Sending out a little spawn of yourself and never telling me -- we're supposed to work in
harmony! Something bad happens, something good happens. You cheated!"
Oh, Endellion, Endellion, Olin thought, how much I can see of you that you don't understand. The turmoil in her heart, the
hatred and confusion. And half of it she didn't recognize herself. "I did not cheat," he replied. "I merely sent the humans
another textbook, one that was closer to the truth than the one they wrote themselves."
"Oh, so He's a textbook now, is He? Your little boy is nothing but a textbook."
"If you choose to look at it that way, that is what he was to the world."
"And that's another thing!" she exclaimed. "Everyone talks about Him with a capital in their voice. 'Him' is with a capital h.
You only ever speak of Him in lower-case letters!"
"He doesn't speak of me in upper-case letters, does he? Why should I be formal with my son?"
"They call it a sacrifice you made, sending your only son into the hard, cruel world of humans. I believe you just wanted
to give your beloved humans another compass to see with."
"A compass that I loved with all my heart," Olin corrected.
"You must have a pretty big heart, to love all those humans and Him besides,"
said Endellion mockingly. "I'm surprised it hasn't burst out of your chest by now."
"It often surprises me," Olin agreed, and Endellion looked at him in surprise.
After another short pause, Olin said, "Well, it has been a pleasure debating with you, but I must be getting back. They'll be
expecting me."
Endellion's sneer changed into a genuine smile. No matter how heated they got, they always parted friends. "Come back
again," she said. "I do enjoy our battles of wits."
"You asked me before why I come all this way," he said with a smile. "It's certainly refreshing, to have a conversation
with someone whose views are so drastically different from mine. And it's not so far a distance as you pretend."
"True," she conceded. "Not nearly as far as Heaven and Earth."
"Not at all," he agreed. "Only -- Heaven and Hell."
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