Beginnings and Ends
The Void.
And then, a Voice. It sounds female, but that doesn’t really mean anything.
“Hi there. I’ve been expecting you.”
“Are you talking to me?” a second Voice says. This one sounds Male. That’s inconsequential as well.
“Of course I am. Not many more people around, don’t you think?”
“I… don’t know?”
“You don’t know? Damn, this gets worse every time. I can’t believe it.”
“What do you mean?”
“Oh, don’t worry, you’ll come to learn it. It may take some time, though, but hey, that’s how things are.”
“I’m not sure I follow you.”
“Ah, but you will. You will.”
Silence. Male and female simply Are.
“So,” She says. “Are you going to do anything?”
“Do?”
“Yes, do. Oh, I’ll have to do this myself. Let’s see… how do you feel?”
“How do I feel… Odd. I feel odd. Come to think of it, I must say a have a… weird conception of Me. If that makes any sense.”
“Oh, it does! Yes, that’s perfect. How is it?”
“As if… I was alone, and in control of Everything. But you are here with me, and there is Nothing here.”
“That’s correct. Number one, I am here indeed, but I’m beyond you. I’ll always be. Can you feel it?”
“I… Yes, I can.”
“Good. Number two, there’s Nothing. But that can be changed. Your Control is key. Can you notice it as well?”
“Yes… Yes. It feels… as if my conscience is expanding. As if I could reach further out. I know there’s Nothing. I know, but I can do something about it.”
“Yes. Control. Focus. Focus on my Voice. Control.”
“Control…”
“Get ready…”
“Hnn… It… it burns…”
“Yes. Your Control will help you. Use It, use It.”
The male Voice screams, and a Universe is born.
“So…” He says, exhausted. “Let It Be?”
“We’ll settle for that. See you around, I’m busy.”
“Busy? How so?”
“You know, as soon as this started existing,” and She makes a gesture encompassing Everything, “I started having a job. As I said, see you around.”
++++
“This is The End, my only friend, The End…” a Voice sings. It sounds female. That used to have significance. Now it does not. “Ah, there you are. I’ve been expecting you.”
“You seem to do much of that,” a second Voice answers. Male. Ludicrous distinction.
“Much of what? Expecting?”
“Yes.”
“My, have we grown or what? Well, not really, you know. If you recall, I’ve been really, really busy. It’s only that there’s not been much to do lately. But you know that as well.”
“I do. How could I not?”
“Good. It’s almost time.”
He looks around. There’s Nothing to See, even though he knows that Everything that was once Created is still out there. He knows all of it is cold. So cold.
“I wish there was something I could do,” He says.
“That is not original, you know.”
“I didn’t expect it to be. But I’d still like it to be.”
“Control. It comes down to that, I told you. But still, no matter how much Control you exert, the options are limited. If it’s any consolation, this is not my favourite, either.”
“I’ll have to take that.”
“So you have.”
Silence. Once again.
“So,” He says, “here we are, at the end of all things.”
“Oh, I like that one. One of my favourites,” She says. “Though the quote is not exactly like that.”
“I know. But it felt right. Do I have to do anything?”
“Not really. How do you feel?”
“It’s not time yet,” He says. He doesn’t hesitate now. “But it’s not far away. No, not far away, certainly. We’re almost there.”
She stares at Him.
“How is it?” he asks.
“Do you really want to know?”
He ponders Her question. “I suppose I’ll soon know. Or not. I may be what I am, but my Conscience… I know it will dissolve. I may not experience anything, after all.”
“Does it frighten you?”
“Frighten is not the word. It saddens me.”
He raises His hand.
“What about You?”
“I have my duties,” She says. “You know it. You’ve always known.”
He nods.
“It’s time,” she says.
He nods again.
She takes His hand.
They move, but They don’t.
The Universe flickers, and then it’s gone.
++++
The Void.
And then, a Voice. It sounds male, but that doesn’t really mean anything.
“Is anybody there?”
A second Voice. Female, but that makes no sense.
“Oh, that’s new.”
And the Cycle starts anew.
~~~~
This is my entry for this week’s Chuck Wendig’s Flash Fiction Challenge: To Behold The Divine. The challenge this week was to write up to 2000 words about gods and goddesses, demigods, divinity.
I got stuck. The way I write, I brainstorm a prompt, then choose an idea, then devleop it. The end result may be more or less brilliant, but I need that seed to work on. And it didn’t come.
Almost.
In the end, I decided I’d better write a shorter piece than nothing. And here it is, right under the deadline.
