Whispers

Chapter Eight

Shivering at the thought, I wrapped my arms around myself and stared into the endless fog, praying for some answer, for someone to show up. It merely stared back as silent and empty as before.

Should I... Should I walk forward? See if there really was anything in this void? Or should I just wait?

Before I could decide, fingertips brushed my neck, caressed it with their cool touch from somewhere behind and a chill raced up my spine. "Once upon a time..." a deep voice began in a whisper. His voice was right in my ear, so close I could practically feel his lips as he spoke. With a small shriek, I jumped away, whirling around to look at the man but no one was there. Just more fog. "...there was a Goddess named Ellowyn."

Bright light broke through the thick curtain of mist entrapping me in the void, and slowly my vision began to clear. There, standing before me was a woman draped in a dress of cream fabric and gold trim. A glittering crown rode atop her head and hair as bright as the sun itself fell down her back in long locks. Yet despite how hard I tried I couldn't make out her face. It, along with the rest of the world was still cloaked in a haze of white shadows.

"Who's there?" I stepped forward, approaching the woman, desperate for some sort of contact but no matter how many steps I took she always stayed beyond my reach. "Who are you?" I demanded. My voice trembled as I quietly begged her to look at me but she never turned my way. The voice began once more in my ear.

"She was beautiful and kind, beloved by all. But no one loved her as much as her consort, Sirus." Emerging from the mist, a man joined her. He was dressed in the finest blue and silver robes I had ever seen, his long, dark hair tied back and away from his face. "He was her loyal servant, standing beside her every decision, fighting for her without question. He loved her. And he knew that she loved him in return." The man swept down into a deep bow, taking the Goddess' hand into his own and placing a small kiss on her knuckles. The woman smiled down at him and though I couldn't make out her features I could feel that she was happy. They both were.

"But the Goddess became lonely. She began to feel unfulfilled and against his wishes she created a new life to care for. She gave birth to what you now call Humans." As though blown away by a gust of wind the fog cleared beneath my feet. There, miles below, the earth stood, lush and green. One by one humans began appearing, naked and happy. "She thought the humans were beautiful creatures full of love and joy. Her consort, however, saw things differently." I could feel the tone of the man's voice change, harden. Turning I looked at the two beside me. From where I stood I could see the Goddess' smile widen. As for the man, he watched the woman and her creations with a troubled frown. "Humans were ugly creatures filled with hate and jealousy. Driven by their greed, it wasn't long until they took to killing each other."

And like he said, below I could see the senseless slaughter as Human turned on Human. Killing each other, taking their possessions, their food, their wives, and their children. And yet, the Goddess continued to watch on, a smile on her beautiful, haze-filled face.

"He tried to convince his Goddess of their disgusting ways, hoped that she'd come to and realize that they needed to be stopped. But she refused to listen. Soon enough, she refused to see him at all. Instead, spending all her time watching the horrors that was the humanity she created. Perhaps," the voice continued on in my ear, "those humans had somehow managed to corrupt his dear Goddess' heart. Perhaps they had blinded her to the truth. If that was the case, then he knew his lady would not be able to stop them. So, he rose to the task of doing it himself.

"While her back was turned to him, Sirus began to amass an army of his most devoted followers. Angels who saw the world of humans for what they truly were- vile, disgusting creatures. Together they would purge the world and save their Goddess from humanity and their wicked ways." Slowly, a handful of angels became an entire horde rising up to help the consort, Sirus. They stood at his back, an army of winged soldiers. The mere sight of them and the knowledge that I was standing a mere few yards away, a single human -a creature that they despised and wanted dead- made me nervous.