The island was the favorite place for gods
and goddesses; as well as for fairies and all others creatures that had been
created once and had then ascended the long ladder towards enlightenment. The
only race that had failed to do so was the human one, rid of stupid creatures
that had ideas that were not as grand and fantastical as the ones that the
creatures in the island had. Its name was Warghia, the place where everyone
could relax and be themselves, far from any responsibility.
However, a human named Floyd once washed
ashore. He had lost his life in a battle far into the ocean and his body had
then floated slowly towards the hidden island. The magic surrounding the place,
as well as the one done by thousands of creatures for so long, had been the one
to blame for his resurrection, which no one was could ever understand, even
millennia after Floyd’s actual death. His story would become myth but first, he
had to live again.
The first creature that saw him lying on the
sand was a centaur, a male one that had been taking a walk by the shore.
Assolan was his name and he had always loved water but his culture and
traditions had never related to water, at all. He liked to see his reflection
on the water and the moon’s one too. He always dreamed of sailing the ocean and
he had been able to fulfill his dream there, on the isle of dreams. But, sadly,
he had realized he wasn’t made for a life in the ocean.
Of course, Assolan was devastated after such a
sad realization. But it was true; he wasn’t made to be in the ocean. His legs
couldn’t properly stand on a boat and his body was too large to be agile in the
many works that sailing required. Besides, he just couldn’t handle the movement
of the water. The need to vomit all over the place was impossible to handle and
an embarrassment for such and enthusiast of the ocean. So he had decided to get
off that boat and never try again.
Finding Floyd was the best surprise in his
many nights of solitary walks. He always did the same thing, kicking the sand
and trying to imagine a solution for his motion sickness. He tried to think of
herbs or other foods to provide a solution to his problem, but that just didn’t
work. When he saw Floyd’s naked body on the sand, his clothes eaten by the
ocean, Assolan realized his curiosity was not limited to the ocean. When he saw
the human, he instantly felt something for the creature. He couldn’t quite put
it into words but he knew he had to help.
It was very difficult for the centaur to help
Floyd. With his two arms, he pushed and poked the human but nothing happened.
The creature was as good as dead. He tried talking to his ear and even blew air
into his mouth but that didn’t work either. He touched the human’s face, his
arms and his legs. He touched every single part of the man’s body but no
response was shown anywhere. His face remained as the one of a sleeping
creature, as all creature sleep in the same way.
Assolan realized the only way to help Floyd
was to put him on his back and then ride to one of the nearest temples where they
were always doctors and shamans that could help even the gods. A human would be
a simply thing for them. With difficulty, Assolan managed to put Floyd on his
back and rode as fast as he could to the temple of Shiva, the nearest one to
part of the beach where they had been just a few minutes ago. The temple was
beautiful and grand, golden like the sun.
Shiva was actually lying on her back, moving
her many arms independently. With one arm, she used a fan to refresh her face.
Two others cut an orange and two more caressed the goddess’s body with a cream
that had the scent of a thousand roses. She didn’t notice Assolan right away,
only when his hoofs stopped stomping the sand and started stomping the golden
bricks of which the golden temple was made of. She looked to her side and just
stared at Assolan, tired as ever.
He dropped Floyd in front of Shiva and she
then asked if it was a gift for her. Assolan, with almost no more energy, only
managed to say the word: “Help”. Then he collapsed. Shiva stared at the two
unconscious bodies in front of her. The arms stopped what they were doing. She
really looked at the two creatures as she stood up and looked with not only her
physical eyes, but also the eyes of thousands of souls. With her third eye and
many more. She learned, soon enough, what had to be done.
Days later, Assolan woke up in a beautiful
room. It was made of gold and had tall windows to look to the sea. The surface
of the temple shimmered softly. He then realized he had been missing from his
home, not so far from there. Then he remembered that time didn’t seem to pass
in the same way in that island so his worries transferred from his heard to the
human he had found on the beach. As he turned around, giving his back to the
window, he saw Shiva there, looking at him patiently. One of her hands asked
him to follow and he did, in silence.
They walked through fantastic halls. Shiva was
clearly preparing a feast, a grand one for sure. Many servants of many species
tended to dozens of tables, putting bowls of foods all over the place, as well
as flowers and many other commodities for the many, many guests. They passed
rooms and rooms of people preparing for the party but Shiva did not say a word
about it. She kept looking forward, her hands moving in different ways from
time to time, enigmatically.
Finally, they reached a room similar to the
one Assolan had woken up in. But instead of a centaur, a human was sleeping on
a beautiful bed, adorned with lush vegetation. This time, Assolan was able to
notice Floyd’s breathing. He didn’t wait for anyone to talk, he just launched
himself at the human and hugged him, as if he was a doll he hadn’t seen in many
years. But to the centaur, Floyd was something more to him. It wasn’t love
exactly either. Just something else.
Shiva waited and, when Assolan stopped his
hug, she stepped closer to the human and touched his face. Then, she touched
Floyd’s forehead and felt everything he was. His desires and secrets were all
shown to hear in her head. With her wisdom and knowledge of every piece of
time, she managed to understand why the human was alive. She knew about the
mystical properties of the place they were in but had not yet understood how it
worked. And she knew there were things it was best not knowing.
She explained this to Assolan but he didn’t
care about any magic or everything that was not known to the gods and
goddesses. He knew he was only a centaur, a creature created a long time ago.
They were now appreciated by others because they were strong and brave in
battle. Both the females and males could use a bow and an arrow; they could
wield shields and swords and could best most other creatures in war. Assolan was just like that. But he knew there
was more in him, somehow.
Shiva knew this and she did something she
rarely did: she was kind to someone else there, in the island. She was a
goddess, yet she existed because the world needed her. And the world is
sometimes just one creature, one simple need.
She left the room. And as she did, she
whispered some words in an ancient language. Suddenly, Floyd woke up. Assolan
and him looked at each other in disbelief. It seemed to be for hours. Then they
hugged and spent days together, sharing and learning. But this is only the beginning
of their story.
