The Empty World | The Empty World Sequence [complete | rewriting]

Two (Draft 3) "Mentors"

The sky was a deep and brilliant blue, only shades brighter than the sea at the middle of the world, and there were flowers and tall grass; it felt like home. A warm, salty sea breeze came up to the cliffs, and flower petals skirled through the air. The flurry of delicate petals reminded Morpheus of an anime scene. He wanted to say so, he started to, but Absinthe and Laudanum darted away from him.

They were speaking Greek. Morpheus had to listen carefully and translate before he understood. They were lething on; a murmur of fleeting thoughts: the air is so sweet, the land is so warm, there are not too many Humans, just enough to amuse us.

"You haven't even been born yet, but here you are. We haven't even been born yet!" Absinthe said in the language that would be American.

Laudanum tried to impress upon Morpheus how few Humans there were in this age, an age where gods ruled. And certainly, they could be counted among these gods.

"But there is only one God," Morpheus said, "and God is not a person as you or I. Not something...small."

Laudanum giggled.

"But the Humans don't know that!" Absinthe said.

She laughed and danced about the field. Her amber hair changed to green as she spun, from the tips of the longest locks to the shortest layers, as her skin did the same, first at the center of her body and then in her limbs. She wore something insubstantial as those nets the Humans below used to catch fish. It looked like it might actually be a fishing net decorated with green seaweed.

Laudanum wore an immaculate white chiton and delicate sandals: the same thing he had worn every time Morpheus had seen him.

Morpheus was still practicing with forming clothing, but had managed a simple black cloak in keeping with the age, which he might have called a poncho.

"Couldn't I go talk to some Humans?" Morpheus asked, "I've barely gotten to talk to any."

Absinthe shook her head. "You're too new, you might say the wrong thing and confuse them."

"You're my mentors. Aren't you supposed to teach me?"

"No, we are merely here to facilitate your self-education, Little Brother," Laudanum said.

Absinthe smiled. "What we'll do is this: we'll go see if any of the other Angels are about. If they have Humans with them, you may speak to those ones. But, don't talk to strangers, Murph."

Morpheus said nothing and followed.

Absinthe explained that the land Morpheus might know as Greece was then little but a beach resort to the gods, as their bases of operation and battlefields were in the east. This was why, she said, though the Greek storytellers had quite a few things right, it seemed a great number of myths they passed down were tragic love affairs between gods and men.

Laudanum explained to Morpheus how love affairs often formed at resorts.

Morpheus did not think he was ready for love affairs.

They came to a small house near the slope of a hill. Several olive trees grew without and some flowers. There were three figures in sight: a Human and two Angels. Morpheus could tell that much, at a glance, from the glow or aura about the two.

Laudanum approached the Angels while Absinthe fell back to walk alongside Morpheus.

"Now," she said, taking his arm, "This is an Angel highly ranked, so wait until he speaks to you. But, I am sure, if I know this one, that he will be friendly to us!"