N'een was daydreaming again.
She looked out to the deep, dark river that flowed past her home and wished for the millionth time she could once, just once, follow the river past the white shining mountains and see what lay beyond.
She longed to explore her world, see the deep caverns she had once heard of and meet others who weren't in her immediate family.
"N'een" her mother called, "get back to work.
There is too much to be done before the rest period.
""Yes, mother.
" 'That child', S'een mused, ' she has been a problem since the day she came into this world.
Always dreaming, wanting to explore.
I can't understand it.
She knows we are the worker class.
We all have our jobs to do to keep our world in perfect condition.
She cannot be a soldier or a member of the high council.
She was born into the worker class and will die in the worker class.
' "Mother", N'een asked, "Tell me again about our God, S'en".
"I already told you countless times.
" "Tell me again, please".
"All right", S'een sighed, "But this is the last time.
" "We call him S'en because his real name is unpronounceable.
He created this beautiful world for us.
Because of him, we are able to exist.
He takes care of us.
Supplies us with nourishment, keeps everything in perfect order for us.
He created the high council.
He decides who will be soldiers and who will be workers.
As long as we follow his commands our world will exist in peace and harmony.
" "What happens if we do not follow his commands?" "It has happened a few times, I have been told.
Never in my lifetime, though.
Apparently he makes the high council get angry.
When they do, they scorch some of us with heat and we die.
It is a lesson for the rest of us to do our jobs and not ask questions of them or of him.
Now - get back to work.
" "Yes, mother.
" The next day, N'een saw something she had never seen before.
The soldiers came marching through her valley on their way to a war.
Everyone in N'eens family saw them and were afraid.
N'een stopped working and ran up to one of the soldiers as they marched through.
"What is happening?" she asked breathlessly.
"We have been invaded," was the reply.
"What is invaded?" "That is when strangers from another place come into our world.
" "What do they want?" "They want to take over our world and make it their home.
" "Is that so bad?" "Yes, because there is no room for them here.
If they are here, workers will have to die.
Then their work will not be done and our whole world will suffer.
" The soldier moved on, and N'een stayed there, trying to absorb what she had been told.
No one asked her about the conversation she just had, so she kept the information to herself.
As the days passed, more and more soldiers were seen marching toward the conflict.
And the days started getting hotter.
"Mother, why is the high council angry with us?" "I do not think they are.
I think it is their way of trying to repel the invaders.
" "But it seems to be getting hotter each day," N'een said.
"Why are they taking it out on us? We did not do anything wrong.
" "I know," S'een replied.
"It is time to pray to S'en to save us from this threat.
" But their prayers did not help, because the invaders were tricking the soldiers and passing off as workers.
The soldiers could not tell the difference until it was too late.
The heat was unbearable.
Workers were killed before new ones could replace them.
The heat was raging until finally, the invaders won.
N'een felt herself rising, past the dark flowing river, past the white mountains.
Suddenly she was in a strange place, with gigantic creatures she had never imagined could exist.
She looked around.
There were her parents, and all the workers and soldiers, and yes even the high council members who had been killed by the invaders.
They gathered in one place and waited, they knew not what for.
"I'm sorry", the doctor told Steven's parents, "There is nothing more we can do for him.
The disease has spread too far.
We cannot control the fever.
It is only a matter of time before his vital organs are affected.
" Steven's mother broke down and sobbed.
With tears streaming down his face, Steven's father thanked the doctor for all he had done for their son.
They sat with him as he drifted in and out of conscious while the fever raged through his body.
Finally, his frail heart could not take the stress any more and Steven died.
"Where am I," Steven though as he looked around.
N'een and the others realized this must be S'en.
Where ever their god was going, they would follow.
Steven felt himself rising through the air.
Below he could see his parents.
He saw himself lying on a hospital bed.
He felt bad about leaving his parents, but knew he had to go on a journey without them.
He wasn't afraid.
This felt familiar somehow, as if he had done this before.
Suddenly he was in a mist.
At the end of the mist was a beautiful light.
The light radiated warmth and love.
He knew he was somehow going home.
Steven felt himself rushing toward the light.
He felt himself going higher and higher up into the air.
He broke through the mist and below he saw the earth.
There were trees and houses and rivers and mountains.
There were others floating above just as he was.
They invited him to join them, but he somehow knew his journey was not yet over.
He kept rising past Crystal Mountains and found himself on a ledge.
There in front of him was a being with wings that was radiating warmth and love.
Steven went toward the being and was gently enfolded within the wings.
He felt safe and at peace.
The being started growing, getting bigger and bigger.
Soon the being, Mihael, was as tall as the biggest mountain Steven had ever seen.
Steven found himself part of Mihael's leg.
It seemed so natural to be there.
There were other conscious cells all around Steven.
And they said, "Welcome home.
" "I am a cell of S'en's body," N'een realized.
"And I have always been so.
" "I am a cell of Mihael's body," Steven realized.
"And I have always been so.
" But then, whose body is Mihael a cell of ???? Athena_louise