Writing Prompts

I lit the fire and carefullly crumbled a mixture of dried herbs and the blood of today's sacrificial chicken into it, just like I had done every day for the past 40 summers and like my ancestors had done before me for generations uncounted. This year's harvest had been good, most children were healthy. Only one had died and Maluk hadn't formed a coherent sentence since the accident but ate and slept and went to toilet on his own again, so it had been a pretty good year all things considered. Dezoo was owed all the praise for that. The bountiful offerings in the temple's chambers spoke of good harvests and happy people in the small village of Salow.

As the smoke filled the room and crept upwards to the little hole in the ceiling, I leaned back and slowly and purposefully breathed in the aroma of the burning offering. The smell of burning blood and flesh had stopped bothering me ages ago. I listend for the cracking of the bones. Fika had taught me, that the cracking and sizzeling of the sacrificial fire was Dezoo's voice speaking blessing upon us.

However for the first time since Dezoo had led his people to live in the mountains of Memilos the fire stayed eerily quite. It was still burning, the flames dancing on the birch logs, but the herbs and the blood lay on top of them, unconsumed by the flames. As if the fire was just an illusion unable to touch the sacrifice.

I panicked. Then I tried to remember how much grass-wine I had drunken during the festivities of the prior days. Should I go outside and inform the elders? I had to, but I also didn't want to cause a panic. Surely this wasn't really happening. I stood up, closing my eyes. If I just went outside, took a deep breath and came back in, everything would be normal again.

Suddenly a pleasant but cold female voice filled the room. "The god you are trying to reach is currently unavailable. Please stand by."

"Wh...what?" Quickly I fell to my knees, forehead pressed to the ground. "Dezoo, oh great one, bringer of fruits, our shield and path, please, if my offerings have not pleased you, if I have offended you, please - I beg you - allow me to redeem myself!" I cried. I cried harder than I had ever cried in my entire life. Where had I sinned? Had the lambs not been young enough, the herbs not fresh enough, the scalps of the slain enemy warriors not plentiful enough?

"The god you are trying to reach is currently unavailable. Please stand by." repeated the same voice with the same intonation.

I cried in despair. I had failed Dezoo, that much was obvious.

Suddenly I felt wind on my face. This would not have been remarkable, had the doors of the chamber not been securely locked. The only opening in the room was the hole in the ceiling through which the smoke could escape, but the wind was coming from all sides. It grew stronger, scattering the ashes on the fireplace.

"I am Afa---, your god." The whisper was carried through the room by the wind. "Affa?" I asked, bewildered. "I am Afash, your god," the whisper repeated a bit louder. "I serve our great protector Dezoo. I don't know what kind of evil spirit you are, but Dezoo will protect me from you!" I managed to yell more confidently than I felt. "Dezoo is no more. He has ceased to exist. From today onward you will serve Afash and Afash will protect and guide you." "Dezoo cannot cease to exist! If he had, how come the sun has risen? How come the harvest was plentiful? How come little Nene was born healthy and happy three nights ago? You cannot deceive me, demon!" There was a sound in the wind that could have been a sigh.

"Look, I am very sorry. I am sure Dezoo was a great god. But there was an accident and he has been erased from existence. Accidentally. It had nothing to do with you. Anyway, I will be your god from now on."

With a loud cracking sound the sacrificial fire rose up. The blood and herbs were consumed in a heartbeat. Thick gray clouds of smoke quickly filled the entire room and made it almost impossible to breath, then just as quickly retreated, coalesced and formed the shape of a hare standing upright with antlers on his head. Its nose twiched and moved as if disgusted by a smell.

"First of, we will get rid of the fire sacrifices. I hate the smell." The hare paused and sniffed again. "Burning herbs is good, though. Let's keep that." Afash curiously looked around the room. "I hope you're not still doing human sacrifices? Anyway, grab a seat. We have a lot to talk about."