The God And The Pipe

Submission for Surreal Saturdays

Cross-legged sat the god at the threshold of time and smoked the pipe in his hand. For as long as he’d been, which was but a moment, the god had taken this pleasure. He heard the water bubbling within and saw the smoke trail gently away. No thought of time had ever concerned him, he had pipe and fragrant smoke. No thought of space had ever disturbed him, seeing blue smoke trail away.

In that very moment before anything was the god dreamt of a glass. The glass was round, translucent and cold, much like the bowl of his pipe. This dream startled and surprised the god, and his surprise did greatly amuse him. So he took this glass from the smoke of his dreams and turned it upside down. He held the glass upside down on his palm, the glass he took from his dreams.

He marveled at the thing for while when a spirit of whimsy took hold of him. He drew a deep, bubbling drag and gently tilted the glass. Then blew he with care a great billow of smoke into the overturned glass. This filled the glass with a thick whirling mass, and the god did quickly let go of it. Quickly did he let go of it, trapping the smoke inside.

Within the glass did the smoke whirl and thunder, and a shower of sparks erupted. In one place it grew thicker, in another much thinner, ‘til little spheres began forming. These circled the sparks and were nourished with light, and soon the spheres became worlds. On one of these worlds the god trained his eye, seeing the blue smoke take form. He trained his eye on one in particular, and there beheld he its surface.

From the surface of the sphere little peaks arose, and within it sank little ravines. The lighter smoke filled the deepest ravines while the lightest crowded the peaks. The light from the spark shone onto the surface and little trees grew from the light. Then little creatures emerged from the trees, seeing the dawn of the world. Into the dawn did the creatures flee and chase among the trees.

The god smiled broadly at the glass in his hand and the antics of the smoke within. One kind of creature stood on two legs and the god thought it highly amusing. These creatures felled trees and built little dwellings, raising therein little families. They raised therein their families, in the valley between the peaks.

In one of these dwellings lived a strange young fellow whom even his fellows thought strange. He neither built dwellings nor felled he trees and raised, therefore, no family. He was lonesome and lost, finding no home or place, in the valley between the peaks. He went instead to the waters to think, alone between the peaks.

One morning he went and he saw in the mist a tree fallen into the lake. This must be someone’s, he thought to himself, and dove straight into the water. He swam out to catch it but when he had reached it, he saw a sight under the waves. Little creatures were swimming about him, their bodies gleaming with light. He saw the bodies of silver and light and he marveled at the sight.

He climbed onto the tree and thought for a while until the thought he was thinking arrived. Branches he took and twisted about like he had seen them do in the village. From this came forth a sturdy basket and he dipped it into the water. Many of the creatures swam away, he did not manage to catch them. Some of the creatures jumped away, but a few he managed to catch.

When the sun was setting his basket was full, so he paddled the tree back to shore. He lit a fire from branches he found and there cooked he what he had caught. The smell traveled far and the whole village came to see what the fellow was doing. When they saw the feast the fellow had made, they praised him mightily. Where before he was strange he now was a hero and they praised him mightily.

The feast lasted into the night, never before had they eaten so well. The fellow went into the waters and there he showed them the tricks of his trade. One pair of eyes was especially keen, they wondered at the strange fellow’s ways. When the morning came the fellow was gone and the village whispered for days. The morning came and the fellow was seen with a companion all of his own.

The fellow awoke the very next day and wandered down to the lake. There he kneeled and spoke in a hush, his voice could barely be heard. But the god had been watching and his fancy was stirred, he leaned in so he could hear. And there they were, god and fellow alone, one speaking, the other unheard. There they were, god and fellow alone, and these are the words that were said.

“I give thanks to you, O Sky above, for making the valley and the waters. And to you, O Waters, I give thanks as well for the plentiful fish in your depths. And to the fish, no less, I give thanks, for the companion I now call my own. Above all, to the Father Above, I give thanks for my life and my joy. For the life I am given, I give thanks above all to the Father Sitting Above.”

These words were said by the fellow below and he looked with love to the sky. Then a rustling wind blew through the leaves and drowned his whispers with theirs. A blue mist like smoke all of a sudden appeared and settled over the waters. And the fellow could swear that fragrance and warmth had descended upon the valley. The fellow could swear that the rustling leaves sounded almost like laughter.