Big Bang

 

Shiara sank slowly down out of the air, and donned her visible body as if it were a heavy coat.  She stood there, just staring off into space, until Geo interrupted her.

“Shiara?”—She seemed still to be in some other world.

“Sheeee-ira!”  He began to tiptoe gently toward her, without her slightest notice.

 

He eyed a round gizmo with flat sides slung over her shoulder.  He stepped back a few steps and tried the old “clearing the throat” trick.  Nothing had worked so far, and so he decided to take the direct approach.  He walked straight up to her, and touched her on the shoulder.

 

“Shiara, sweetie, is that a cantee—“

“AAAAAaaaaaahhhh!”

“I was afraid that might happen.  It’s Geo.  Remember me?”

“Ahh (sigh) Oh yes, of course.  My human charge.”

“And lovely warm greeting to you, too, Madame.  Is that indeed a vessel of some drinkable substance that is by your side?”

“Oh, yeah, here” she looked at it as if this was the first time she saw it. “This is for you…”

“Thanks, sweetie.”  He opened it and took a drink.  “Mmmmmmm” he said, “mm-hmmm-hmm.”

“I hope that means you like it”

“Wow.  Who wouldn’t like that?  What is it?”

“It is a special gift to you from ‘My Superiors—‘

“You have superiors?”

“You don’t think I could make this big a mess all by myself, do you?  Anyway, the ‘canteen’ I believe it is called, it is from my Superiors, who really know how to give good gifts.  The canteen will never need refilling, and will be pleasant every time you drink.”

 

“And the package? is that for me, too?”  He wanted more of these magical gifts.

“Let’s see,” Shiara said.  “I have a bundle—“she looked around—“over there.  Good. And the ball is with it.  And you have a bundle, which I am holding in my arms to prevent you from ripping it apart.  You’ve had some fluid and sustenance, are you feeling any better?”

 

“I’m making a comeback, as they say.” Geo said.

“Okay, so I’ll give you some more time, while I tell you some things.  You seemed surprised to find out I have superiors.  This must be because of the small scope of the previous trial project.  I was the only higher power there that you could see.  The Voices were there, but you rarely saw them.  They only took the form of a certain type gray bird, which has a red crest.”

 

“The Redbirds ?” said Geo

 

“Yes,” said Shiara.  “Some of them.  Drink from your canteen.  They are not actually the redbirds, any more than I am a plant when I choose to look like one, or a human form for that matter.” She knew that thought bothered Geo, so she moved on. “So when I was with my superiors just now—they are called the Voices--and they watch over all of us earth-spirits.  The Overseer, who looks over the whole planet, and then the Knowers, of which it seems there will be several on a ‘real world,’ not just me.”

 

“I thought you were going to have your own planet, “said Geo.  “That would make you an Overseer now, right?

 

Shiara pouted.  “They changed their minds.  They want me to remain as a Knower.  I chose to remain Knower of the Forest, which is not all that bad, because I loved what I had been doing, and now I will be doing it on a real planet, and I will begin to see how other knowers interact with each other.  That will be good for me, and I think they made the right decision.

 

“And speaking of creating worlds,” she said, “I think it’s time we get this cookin’”

“What is that thing, anyway?” Geo asked.

“It’s the life of a Universe.”

“Whoa,” said Geo, “Do you mind if I look at it first?

“Sure, go ahead, it is probably good that you see it.”

 

He looked at the ball which was glowing silver.  The closer he got to it, the less bright it seemed.  It was like looking in a Christmas ball, but instead of seeing his own reflection, he saw different things.  He saw a building, sort of like his lodge.  He saw a river.  He saw a little pig-like creature drinking from the river.

“Pigmet” Geo mumbled.

He saw a woman with black hair sitting in a window, making clay butterflies and blowing on them.  The butterflies became real and flew away, down to the river.

“Jadis” said Geo.

 

He turned to Shiara.  “I remember you pulling this ball of light down from the sky when we left Deep River.  You said that my friends had not been killed.  I see them in this shining ball.  Now I do believe that somehow you have saved them, and that they were not killed.  But how—“

 

“That is probably all you are able to understand at this point,” said Shiara.  “I am glad you are reassured about your friends.  It is the truth.  Even the Moles.  I know you didn’t see them, but they were there.  And the stars too.  But the quicker we get this started, the less time we spend here.”

 

Shiara walked over to the door that had led to the old universe.  She shut the door completely and locked it fast. The vertical part of the door jamb was still there.  Now she stood on the opposite side of it, and kicked from left to right, so that the jamb would move partially into the space of the door she had just shut.  Shiara kicked and kicked.  When she stopped she realize that she had already passed the door handle, and part of a wall was now exposed, too.  “Duh” she said out loud, “I’m the Equal Opportunity Knower.”

 

Geo laughed.  “What happens now?”  He asked.

“Come and see an empty Universe!” she said.

“Will I get ‘sucked in’?” he asked

“Well, hold on to me, and we’ll see how things go.”

“He scooted toward the door holding onto her.  She shuffled him over to the door jamb, and told him to hang onto that.

 

Through the door was Utter Blackness.  A blackness that was thick and palpable, as if you could not breathe if you were in it.

 

“That is Nothing” said Shiara.

 

“I’ll remember that next time I use the phrase so casually” said Geo.

 

“Okay let’s look at nothing a little bit more; you won’t get much of a chance to see that again.  Now comes the real fun, and get ready to duck when I say so.”

 

“Aye aye Captain!”

 

Shiara took the Ball—The Life of the Universe—and she wound up and pitched it as hard as she could through the door and into the Nothingness.  It became a tiny point, and then it disappeared.

 

“That was a wicked pitch, Shiara; we should really get you a tryout for the Montreal Expos!”

 

“Okay now” she said, standing to one side of the door.  “You get on the other side, and prepare to duck out of the way, or you’re gonna get hit by something.”

 

They watched and watched.

 

Suddenly there was a bright pinpoint of light.  It began to expand. “Duck!” she shouted,” and several large pieces of molten material came flying through the doorway at incredible speed.  He tried to look up to the sky to see them, but all there was was gray clouds.

 

“Big Bang,” said Shiara.  “Our new universe.  Things will still come whizzing through that door, so you need to stay clear of it.”

 

***

 

9:51:15 AM