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Day 7 - Hope Amidst Disaster

100 Day Writing Challenge


Day # 7
Prompt: There were 48,000 gods in their mythology and not one…”


-Daniel Conway 

The Ancients viewed the world through the eyes of gods and goddesses, explaining the nature of science and mathematics through communicating the accounts of the different members of the pantheon.

The sun rose and set on a predetermined timescale; this phenomenon became the birth of the sun god. The moon kept reign over the sky during the night when the sun god rested and thus a moon god emerged.

Or perhaps the pantheon itself created the world and the various laws within in respect to their own personalities. The terrible might of the thunder god wreaked thunderous havoc upon Earth. The flamboyant nature god gave flight to the bee, dance to the vines, and joy of the flowers.

And yet, despite there being 48,000 gods in the pantheon that devoted their lives to various scientific and social functions of the world, not one saw the meteor encroaching upon the orbit of the great planet Earth. Man in no wise could ever predict such a devastation, but the 48,000 strong pantheon with the powers of science within their fingertips ought to have seen it.

Nevertheless, the meteor broke through the atmosphere. The sky filled with a fiery splattering as the atmosphere shattered at the impact.
The sun and moon god sat idly, watching the fate of man and beast meet with doom. The nature god swooped in, scattering the creatures of earth into the nearest mountains, sheltering them from the raining of fire that would begin soon.

The god of man sanctified a handful of humans to survive the impact to guarantee the future of humans. The god of the harvest wept, being unable to prevent the destruction of all crops by the fires of the demon meteor.

The god of the waters rose high in the sky in an attempt to shield the land dwellers from the might of the impact, but he faltered and his wall crashed down onto land. A wave flooded the lands of man and beast, drowning all that lived thereon.

The sun god veiled its face in ashen mourning. The icy presence of the god of winter hovered over the ground, preserving seedlings while the god of space repaired the damage to Earth’s roof.

Mankind withdrew into the depths of the earth, frigid and dark. A deep slumber fell upon them, thrusting them into a hibernating status to protect them from the ice above. The god of fire buried himself with the survivors of mankind, offering them his warmth and light to brighten their darkness.

While the gods failed to foresee the destruction of much of nature and mankind to the powers of the deep space which hurled its stones upon the face of their beloved home, they promptly offered the survivors of Earth their strength. The animals found the mercy of the god of nature to preserve and protect them, although several groups fell victim to doom of the day.

A quiet, almost invisible god made her way through the homes of those who remained on the land. She visited the hill creatures and sea creatures. She attended to the jungle beasts and the desert dwellers. Upon her final descent, she made her way to the depths of the earth where mankind found their salvation. Her name was Hope. Her message was a silent yearning for a better world. Her eyes sparked with what could be. Her gentle touch urged all those she encountered to press on.

Hope was the god who offered the greatest aid in the wake of the greatest destruction the world has ever known. And she continues her venture throughout the depths and heights of the world, wrapping all those she meets in her embrace of hope.


-(c) Kevin Barrick

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