Asmireen
©2024 by Jonathan Scott
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Chapter 1 - The End of Peace
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Frand, He's Second Story
12.54 Frand, he stand in the storm. Papa Voice, He come and He be so scary.
12.55 "Papa Voice, I come and I be big angry." He say.
12.56 Frand, you's people be sad because you's people don't listen. Papa Voice, I's words be good and I's words be enough until I be done. Frand, you tell you's people ask not for anything more. You's people use not Papa Voice's words and now Papa Voice be angry because you's people want more.
12.57 You tell you's people to go back to Papa Voice's words and you get enough miracles.
12.58 You tell you's people if you's people don't listen some more then you's people be even more sad.
12.59 The storm, it go and Frand, he stand and he think.
"I's words be... be..." stuttered Jake examining himself in the family mirror.
"I's words be ENOUGH!" spoke an upset voice from another room.
"Jake, you better hurry boy! How close are you to finishing?" Jake's father Homer continued.
"I need maybe another 15 minutes. I'm having a hard time with the last half." Jake responded.
"We don't have it boy. We have to go. Sorry, but you'll just have to finish studying on the way." said his father.
Jake muttered some inaudible unpleasant words under his breath and quickly grabbed the paper that he'd been studying from the table and began to walk outside.
"Paper, pencil, penknife, ink, prayerbook... I know I'm forgetting something..." Jake continued to mutter.
"JAKE! NOW!" came his father's voice again.
With that, Jake started for the door, forsaking whatever it was that he wasn't sure he was even missing. Outside stood his father, mother, both brothers and all three sisters all staring at him impatiently. Awkwardly, Jake joined his family and hoped that he would soon stop being the center of attention.
"Well ok then, let's go." said Homer and the large group of them all turned towards the road and began to walk towards town.
Jake began to walk down the dirt path. His head was lowered. The narrow tracks left by the family wagon after the last rains made the walk difficult. He saw the hoofprints of the family horse Gideon and wished that he also could spend the day in the barn. He dreaded this day.
"C'mon Jake, let's hear it." said Homer hoping to help the boy avoid embarrassment at services and thereby hoping to alleviate his own as well. It would be quite embarrassing to have a boy not pass his first recital.
"Frand, He's Second Story, Big Part twelve, Little Part fifty-four, Frand, He stand in the storm..." began Jake.
"Mama, why'd they talk so funny back then. The scriptures sound so stupid..." asked Jake's little sister Kira.
"You shouldn't say that Kira. Some things may look stupid that just aren't once you get to know them. There's plenty of stuff that goes the opposite way as well. Y'know, looks good on the surface, but is quite bad once you look at the details." said Saja, Jake's mother.
"Frand, He's Second Story, Big Part twelve, Little Part fifty-seven, You tell you's people to... to..." Jake continued.
"...go back" said Kira, finishing Jake's sentence.
"Jake, you've said this thing so many times, even I know it now...and I don't have to do my recital for another two years." continued Kira.
"Be nice Kira." said Saja.
Just then a big gentle hand came down on Jake's shoulder.
"Keep working on it Jake. You'll have it soon." said Shane, Jake's oldest brother.
"Keep working...keep working...keep working" chanted Jake's youngest sister Hera while Jake's youngest brother Jason quietly admired the weeds he was peeing on.
"Jason...come on boy! Jolie honey, can you go back and get your brother for me?" asked Saja.
Jolie, Jake's oldest sister, quietly returned to Jason, waited patiently for him to finish, helped him with his clothes and returned back to the group who'd chosen to continue walking rather than to wait. Jolie was quiet and seemed unhappy. Homer glanced over to Jolie and wondered why she seemed so sad all of the time. It hadn't always been like that. She used to be happy enough. And at that, Homer's mind wandered back to another thought which he weighed with equal insignificance.
And so the group proceeded to services. Homer and Saja walked in the front with the rest of the flock behind. Jake practiced his first recital. Kira enjoyed the pride she felt in her mental superiority over Jake. Hera continued her new chant, "Weed pee-er...weed pee-er...weed pee-er." Jason laughed at the chants of Hera and, when his parents weren't looking, pretended to pee on every weed for the rest of the trip to services. Jolie became lost in thoughts that she seemed to not enjoy. And Shane quietly and dutifully brought up the rear.
"Hey there Homer!" cried a man from the church building. And with that Homer began to walk faster in order to meet his friend. Each and every member of the Tunnis family had been born and raised in this small hamlet of William's Peace. It was a wonderful little village consisting of several dozen families. It was simply one of those little towns that was blessed with peace. For whatever reason, people got along. People helped each other out. People were civil and friendly much more often than they weren't. It was Heaven draped in the disguise of work, simple pleasures and friendship. Homer stood on the steps of the church building with his friend engrossed in a small conversation of manly chit chat as the rest of his family entered.
One by one the members of the Tunnis family found their seats and sat as they engaged in some form of small talk with any one of the dozens of friends that surrounded them. Jolie though continued to stand. She looked around and eventually found something that brought a sad smile to her face. In the church sat Hank. Hank Atobia was a friend of the Tunnis'. He and Shane had been good friends since they were very young. Now though, it was Hank and Jolie who were closest. Hank and Jolie sat together on a bench separate from the Tunnis family. Homer sat in his normal seat next to his wife with the rest of their family strewn about them. The leader of the services then stood and everyone else began to quiet down.
"It is a beautiful day, isn't it. The sky is so blue. I shall enjoy living here. It smells much better than hell." said the first.
Below and far off in the distance, the church services began.
"Quiet you fool. The sounds you make, make me want to kill you. Don't tempt me further." said the second.
The first chose to continue to enjoy the scenery, although more quietly.
"The sky. I've always loved the sky. It's just so peaceful. Even in hell, I've always loved the sky." thought the first.
The first continued to fly, enjoying the peace, and looking forward to the excitement that he would have on this day. He looked towards the second that he could not see, but knew was there. Contentedly, he and the second approached William's Peace.
"Welcome! We hope you'll enjoy our services today." said Brother Samuel to a small group of visitors who were introducing themselves to the congregation. Brother Samuel, the religious leader of William's Peace, then relinquished the podium to a sister who began to speak.
"Good morning. I'd like to begin today's sermon with a quote from 'Natha.' I'll be reading from big part 10 and little parts 5 to 10. As you'll probably be able to tell from the quote my talk today is about humility." she said.
Natha
10.5 Natha, I's Papa be Papa Voice. You all's Papa be Papa Voice, too.
10.6 We all be nothing small. Papa Voice, He be all big.
10.7 But, Papa Voice, He love we all. And we all be the same.
10.8 If you all think you be smaller than Natha, you all be not happy.
10.9 If you all think you be bigger than Natha, you all be foolish.
10.10 If you all know we all be the same and we all be nothing next to Papa Voice, and you all know that Papa Voice love we all, then you all be happy and you all be wise.
Jake's mind drifted off. The scriptures never really ever held his interest. The concepts in them always seemed valuable enough, but the over-simplicity of the language always made it a little too hard to keep paying attention. Jake began to quietly practice his recital during the sister's speech.
The services became a nuisance to Jake as he desperately tried to study. The words spoken by the sister knocked about his thoughts. Jake secretively held his hands over his ears to try and deflect the intrusive words, but to no effect. Again and again the smallest of sounds would disturb Jake's concentration and he would be once again forced to begin again. Never, during this entire first section of the meetings was Jake even able to get past the third verse. Then, just as Jake's frustration was about to manifest itself inconveniently, Brother Samuel stood, ended the first portion of the services and came down from the small dais. Everyone rose and began to stretch and to walk outside. The first half of the day's meetings were complete.
Jake sat down on a stump behind the building hoping to get one more chance to practice his recital. He only had twenty more minutes before they would re-enter the meeting house. He was desperate, but somewhere inside of him, he was also calm. It was an uneasy sick calmness though. He knew he wasn't ready. He also knew that this last ditch effort to study was not going to pay off for him and part of him felt like he might be better off going for a walk instead. But, nonetheless, he made the decision to try, no matter how unattainable success seemed to be.
"Jolie, are you ok? You just don't look happy. What's the matter?" said Hank.
Hank and Jolie had decided to slip off for the few minutes between meetings. They walked together behind the meeting house. Hank held Jolie's hand and Jolie obediently followed behind him wherever he led. She almost looked as though she had no choice in the matter.
"I'm fine." she said coldly.
"Well, you don't look good. You're always so beautiful. I just can never seem to get a smile out of you. Why do you do this to me?"
"Do what?" asked Jolie. She didn't really want to hear the answer. Jolie looked seriously at Hank. In her mind, she became concerned.
"Make me sad. Don't you feel like you have a responsibility to put on a good face for me? If you're sad, it makes me sad too."
Jake, who happened to be sitting within sight, had heard their voices and stopped studying to watch them. Jake looked around and noticed that he alone could see them. Somehow they were not even aware of his presence. Jake slid down behind the stump and began to spy.
"I'm sorry." responded Jolie who then began to sheepishly walk away from him. She knew Hank and she always became scared of him when he began to act strangely. She hoped that Hank would walk away and that their conversation would end.
"I only want us to be happy Jolie. Why can't you be happy?"
Jolie stopped walking. She was filled with the beginnings of fear and dread. Hank was crazy. It seemed that only she knew about it though. Hank was one of those crazy people who weren't really crazy. They knew enough to act normal in public, but chose to be much different in private. On the surface, he seemed to be a bright upstanding gentleman. In private though, he chose to be a monster. With people such as Hank, familiarity bred far too much contempt. Unfortunately for Jolie, she hadn't become aware of his voluntary insanity until she'd become pregnant. And, by then, in her world, it was far too late to walk away from him.
"I'm sorry." said Jolie.
Hank looked at his fiancee and began to wonder. She hated him. If she hated him though, why didn't she leave him? Why did she demand to stay near no matter how much she was unhappy around him? Hank became angry. Hank was unaware of Jolie's pregnancy.
"Do you want to be with me or not Jolie?" said Hank.
"I do."
"Why don't you care for me?"
"I do care for you."
"I don't believe you."
Jolie knew it was coming. She began to walk away. At this, Hank became enraged. Thoughts began to fill Hank's mind.
"How dare she walk away from this conversation?" he thought.
"Doesn't she know how important this is?" he thought.
"How can she be so insulting to me?" he thought.
A million emotions began to run through Hank's tiny mind. They had had this type of discussion before and Hank had felt these emotions swell within him before as well. Jolie was right to be scared. Hank started walking towards her.
"Please don't." said Jolie who then turned and covered her face as if to protect herself from something.
Hank watched in horror at Jolie's reaction. Once again, intense thoughts began to flood Hank's mind.
"How dare she assume this of me!" he thought.
"But, I'm a good man." he thought.
"How dare she insult me like this!" he thought.
"I apologized for the last time." he thought.
"She didn't accept my apology?"" he thought.
"She doesn't trust me!" he thought.
"How dare she." he thought.
"HOW DARE SHE!" he thought.
And at that, the rage inside of him began to boil over.
"I'm not a bad man." asserted Hank, almost crying.
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry." begged Jolie.
Jolie felt herself being pulled in a thousand directions. She felt like fleeing. She was also worried though that Hank would see her run and become even more enraged. Hank was so much bigger and stronger than her. She wanted to run. But, then she'd think about the child inside of her. Her fears of her community and her future tied her to Hank. She didn't know what to do. She felt as though she was surrounded by the points of a thousand swords that were steadily moving closer to her. Were she to move in any direction, she could be wounded, or possibly die. But, were she to stay still, destruction was assured.
Hank put his arms on Jolie's beautiful but small shoulders and began to try to angrily convince her that he was a good man. Jolie though could only manage to cry and repeatedly say "I'm sorry" which Hank then used as an excuse to become enraged even more.
Hank slapped Jolie. Jolie fell to the ground. At this, Jake bolted from his hiding place near the tree stump and ran to the front of the church and found Shane and his father.
"DAD! DAD! HANK JUST SLAPPED JOLIE!" yelled Jake.
Shane and Homer ran behind the church and saw Hank standing holding up Jolie. There was a glow to Jolie's teary left cheek. Her eyes were open and her face held nothing but a blank desperate stare. Hank saw Homer and Shane and a stream of fear filled him. He let go of Jolie and began to run.
Homer was an older man. He was also fat. Shane though was young and strong and as fast as any man. Shane took on the chase and tackled Hank not far from the scene. Shane's rage had propelled him much faster than Hank's fear. Homer then caught up and both began to beat Hank until they had done as much damage they felt they could do and still consider themselves good men. Hank lay on the ground in complete submission.
"NEVER COME NEAR JOLIE AGAIN, HANK!" screamed Shane. Homer then picked up a rock and at that Hank bolted off and ran into the woods. Futily, Homer threw the rock after him. Both caught their breaths and then angrily returned to Jolie who was now sitting on the ground with Saja and Kira. Jolie was crying intensely, partly out of embarrassment, partly out of sorrow, and partly out of relief. She sat on the ground tightly clinging to Saja, unwilling to speak.
After several minutes, Jolie calmed down. She stood up and against her mother's wishes, returned to the meeting house. She looked angry and strong. Saja and Homer talked for several minutes and then they returned as well.
"Brothers and Sisters, let's all calm down. I know Hank and I know how foolish he can be at times. Let's just all hope that he'll find it in his heart to change his ways and someday become a man again." said Brother Samuel.
Saja and Jolie sat in the back row. Jolie was quiet and sullen and felt more tired than she'd ever felt in her life, but was happy to have her family around her. She knew what a good family was, and she was happy to be in one. Homer and Shane constantly eyed the door daring Hank to come back in. Kira sat on the other side of Jolie and tried to make sense of what had happened. The more she tried though, the less she seemed able to understand. She felt sorrow for her sister, but wondered why she had decided to stay with him in spite of Hank's apparent insanity. Jason and Hera sat quietly next to Shane, knowing that something terribly wrong had just happened although not certain of what it was.
Jake though had the biggest problem. His sister had just been hit before his eyes. Then, he got to watch his older brother and his father beat a man that he thought he would be related to someday. And, as insignificant as it all may sound, he also worried about the recital that he had not had enough time to prepare for. Jake sat on the bench in forlorn despair.
The meeting went on and on until at last Brother Samuel stood.
"Brothers and Sisters, it will now be time for us to hear the recitals. I hope all the pledges are ready." he said with an insincere chuckle.
No one had failed a recital in over two decades in William's Peace. The last family that had a child who did found themselves secretly branded as "Nincompoops" by every other citizen of William's Peace and has had to endure this brand ever since. No one is ever sincere, of course, when they think about this Nincompoopism. It is all done with a friendly sort of jabbing. Although, sincere or not, it never seemed to make a difference when it came time to choose teams for a friendly game of something-or-another or deciding who to invite to dinner or to parties.
Jake sat. Then, he sat some more. He watched the recitals go off with more or less perfection, one after another. Once, one of the children stuttered, and even forgot a word, and Jake found himself feeling grateful. He was happy that he was not going to be the only nincompoop.
At last, it was Jake's turn. So, Jake obediently stood up and walked to the pulpit. As he walked up to the pulpit, he saw Brother Samuel's eyes staring at him in bored anticipation. Then, he turned around and saw the other sixty sets of eyes also all staring at him with this same bored anticipation.
Shane had passed his first recitation four years previous. It had seemed easy enough for him to do. Jake was ten at the time and watched him prepare. Shane always was diligent and disciplined though. Shane wasn't any smarter than him. He just knew how to work harder. Jolie had passed her test as well the next year. She'd had to work harder than Shane. But, nonetheless, she'd managed to pass without any major mistakes. Now it was Jake's turn and all Jake could think about was how he wasn't ready. He stood, stared at the eyes and began to speak.
"Frand, He's Second Story, Big Part twelve, Little Part fifty-four, Frand, He stand in the storm..." began Jake.
Jake continued blindly, hardly capable of hearing his own words and completely incapable of thinking any but the most neanderthal of thoughts. A frantic nothingness enveloped Jake's mind. Some mechanical something within him controlled his mouth and allowed him to continue with his recital, but his conscious mind did nothing but wander from face to face looking. Eventually, even his conscious mind slowly lost its ability to pay attention and all that remained were the mechanical repetitions that kept his mouth moving.
Then it happened. As his eyes drunkenly moved from face to face, he eventually found himself looking directly at his sister Kira. His ability to pay attention instantly returned as he noticed his sister Kira's face staring at him in complete disbelief. It wasn't until then that he realized that he'd stopped talking and hadn't yet noticed. He had no idea where he'd stopped reciting and he knew that even if he started over that he still probably wouldn't have been able to finish. Nonetheless, he tried to begin again, but he knew it was too late. Then, he heard a child laugh, and Jake jumped from the podium and ran outside. Jake was now a nincompoop, and the thought tore at his soul.
Jake ran from the building. He ran out of town. He didn't stop running until he was sure that no one, were they standing anywhere in town, could see him where he was. He then sat down and cried.
The meetinghouse in William's Peace had been visited by sub-bishops in the past. And even once, about fifty years ago, a full-fledged bishop himself had visited as he was passing through on his way to Eastbrook from Hjalmer's Pass. But never before today had the little hamlet of William's Peace been visited by this particularly intense level of spirituality, nor would they have wished it. Two invisible, immensely fat, and horrendous devils hovered over the city and began their preparations. The sky, the ground, and even the air seemed to be afraid. Even the animals sensed the immense evil and began to bleat and bark and flee even though they could not see the source of evil that they felt. A quiet, demonic chanting began. The words themselves seemed to drip spots of filth all over the town center. Slowly, a small ball of color began to appear ten feet above the ground in the middle of town and began to grow. The ball grew until it was about the size of a large pumpkin. The colors of the ball pulsated and swirled, constantly changing patterns and designs. It was beautiful. It was perhaps even amazingly beautiful. In fact, it was more than just amazingly beautiful. It was far too beautiful.
"Well, perhaps we should have let Jake do this next week. He's been through a bunch today already hasn't he? Homer, when you get home, please tell Jake that if he'd like he can try again next week. I'll see you all then. Take care." ended Brother Samuel.
After the ending hymn and prayer, people, one by one, began to exit the meetinghouse. All of the Tunnis family began looking for Jake, and looking out for Hank. Saja and Jolie began to walk home.
Everything seemed normal, but something felt wrong, very wrong. Saja's feet walked the dirt path towards home as always, but today, each step was mingled with thought. It even felt like the air itself was cautioning them. Saja looked back towards the church to see the richer families getting into their wagons with the same sort of thick halting trepidation. Saja reasserted herself, turned and continued down the path towards home.
Shane was the first to see the ball of swirling colors hovering over the middle of the town center. At first he thought that it was strange, then he thought how he should tell everyone about it. Then he wondered whether or not he should be careful about it. Then he thought how he'd like to look at it closer. Then, he stopped thinking completely. Shane, obediently and slowly walked towards the ball and stared at it. Eventually, Shane stood directly under the ball, with his mouth wide open, staring. The only thing that suggested that he was even alive was his breathing. One by one, other townsfolk began walking towards the ball, equally as dumbfounded as Shane.
Hera, who walked with Saja and Jolie began to chant "Pretty ball...pretty ball...pretty..." Saja turned to see what Hera was looking at and then said out loud "Well, now what could that..." and began walking towards the town center.
Eventually, all the citizens of William's Peace found themselves under this colored ball of swirling beauty. Brother Samuel stood behind Homer. Jason was nowhere near his mother and didn't seem to care. Hera, who had been walking with Saja but was no longer had even managed to toddle over. About sixty-five people stood motionless and powerless under the colored ball of light.
It was going to be a good evening in William's Peace. Jolie, was going to break out of her sad silence and tell her mother about the child within her. Jake was going to spend the entire evening working hard so that he could pass the recital next week. Homer was going to understand how he needed to pay closer attention to his children. It was going to be a good evening in William's Peace. Evening never came though, or at least not to the people.
Had the townsfolk of William's Peace been able to pay attention, they would have heard chanted words that they would not have understood. They would have heard words like 'tethen.' In magic, it means ball. They also would have heard the word 'for.' This, of course, in magic means explosion. Lastly, they would have heard the word 'shak', meaning fire. Unfortunately, none could pay attention to the sounds that were available, and even then, none would have understood them.
A ball of fire exploded five feet below the colored ball of light. Shane was the first to die. Most of the others also died at almost the exact same instant, but, fortunately for Shane, his body was closest to the explosion. Forty people died instantly. The rest died within minutes from either the burning or the impact as their bodies were thrown from the town center dozens of feet into the town's buildings. Unfortunately for the living, the ball had released them from their entranced state, so they were now capable of appreciating their pain.
Homer, Saja, Shane, Jolie and her baby, Kira, Jason, Hera, and all the other townsfolk of William's Peace died with nothing to console their pain but the insane laughter and rage of two devils. There were no explanations. There were no apologies. There was only the ridicule as the devils played with the dead and dying. William's Peace was dead. Only Jake and Hank remained.