Should We Really? by Adelin Grace Conanan (Issue #4)

“Mother, I really don’t think this will–”

“Hush child. This change will help them quite well.”

Blonde and green-eyed, Luciana watched The Creator work with a skeptical gaze. As the twelfth goddess and attendant to The Creator, she… surprisingly received plenty of attention from her. Even with her superior height over The Creator’s humble vessel, Luciana enjoyed whatever time her mother would give her, whether it be private or in the presence of her thirteen other siblings.

However, when her motherly figure came down from her adobe to simply tell her to change the way plants grow, she was perplexed. Why? Why change? The way she used her power to imbue flora with life and bring forth food to people was helping them. So, why did The Creator wish to change her duties?

With a sigh, Luciana leaned over the clouds to observe The Creator’s plan. Her abode was different from the rest of her godly siblings; she preferred soil over the plain clouds above, but she had to admit they were a heavenly cushion. Her mother moved with grace as she sprinkled color and life from nothing, light emerging from her palm like a river from an ocean. However, instead of the great tree she was expecting, Luciana’s emerald eyes watched as a mere sprout popped out from the fertile soil.

“Th-That’s it?” The Creator chuckled as her blonde child hopped over, bewildered at the small plant. “This will not help your creations below, Mother! Hath they angered you in a way? Is this punishment on the mortals below?”

In response, The Creator laughed. Giving her taller daughter a rub of the shoulder, she smiled. “Such is not true, Luciana. Think of this as a chance for agricultural freedom.”

The Goddess of Agriculture gave her mother a blank stare. “Freedom…? Would that not give you more work?”

“Heavens no,” The Creator said. With a flick of her wrist, she brought the once small sprout into the height of a ponthus beech. Luciana gaped at its size, the light of above filtering through the blanket of leaves to exhibit all of its great splendor. “This is a shared responsibility with your sisters.”

She grumbled at that. Agriculture was her field. Her domain. How come her sister had to take over the growth of her precious flora? Sensing her distaste, The Creator giggled, “Fear not, Luciana. Your blessing will give those below the chance of freedom and change. I anticipate what stories you will influence and what seeds you will control.”

Luciana could not help but perk up at The Creator’s expectations. Although high, she could fulfill them! She was responsible for the leaves! The growth! All of the exotic beauties found on the flora of the world! Surely giving the creations below a chance to experience the process of agriculture would not be a problem!

But there was still something that concerned her…

“Mother,” she started with a frown, “how will the mortals react? Would their anger not be directed at us if we change the process?”

At that, The Creator gestured towards the tree. “That is why they must be taught,” she insisted. “For a few cycles, yes, they will assume we have forsaken them. The earliest cycles will be the hardest, however I did not create mortal kind to be weak and frail. Somehow, they shall persevere. Truly, the mind is an amazing tool for them to have.”

Her eyes glanced back up at the ponthus beech The Creator had grown in mere seconds. Perhaps… the leaves could be greener down below if they tried hard enough. The soft texture of moss, the cracks between the bark and the healthy brown color; the beauty of it all could be achieved. Enough water, sunlight, and nutrients would surely bring their plant life up and bring forth enough food to feed the masses. The mortals would still struggle to grasp such a concept, but in theory, as one would say, her mother’s creations would eventually learn to accept the reality. Such was the way of evolution, as The Creator insisted.

Yet, Luciana had to admit. She feared her mother’s creations. She saw how barbaric they had been when conflicts arose, how they set ablaze forests, and murdered their surroundings of all life. There was no use for her beloved plants to suffer such dishonor from the people The Creator placed there.

How would she know, let alone trust, that they would take care of her work when they could not even look after themselves? With her in charge, there was no fear of destruction; she could solve the problem of destruction somehow. There would be no reason to wait two seasons to yield crops. ‘Twas her original domain, after all!

Though, there was little to nothing that could change The Creator’s mind. From the moment The Creator came to her, Luciana knew there was no refusing her. If it was change The Creator wished for, she would get it. Perhaps… it would not hurt to give them a chance, right?

Resolving to try it just once, Luciana gave The Creator a determined look.

“I’ll do my best!”

Underneath that ponthus beech, The Creator’s thin smile widened. “Good girl.”

And that was all Luciana wanted to hear from her mother.