#elwyn.writes

Pleased with her first child, the Universe began to craft the next. She collected rocks and dirt and worked them together, willing the mixture to come together until she could shape it. She suspended the mixture in space and thus the Earth was created. The Universe studied the Earth for a long time, thinking. Eventually she took the Earth in her hands and blew onto it, breathing existence into the packed dirt and rock, and thus the Earth Goddess was born. She was full of life and wonder, restless but also calm. She was quite unlike her mother and brother, but they both loved her immensely. 

The Universe thought for a while. She had created Time who was so much like her and was content to simply exist. But she had also created the Earth, who had such a lively soul and should not be condemned to such a fate. And so she began to craft a third child. The universe thought of the pride and love she felt for her children and felt a sense of warmth. She followed that sensation, the edges of it beginning to manifest. As it came into being it grew warmer still, and for the first time there was light. And thus, the Sun was born. She was radiant and resilient, full of determination and strength. 

The four of them existed together in peace and harmony for a long time. Of course, they were not idle during this time. The Earth and the Sun loved each other immensely, in the way the only sisters truly can. They spent their early time playing together and imagining what it would be like to have the power that the Universe did, the things they would create when they were old enough.

As time passed, the Earth began to come into her full domain. She created plants, full of her very own life and wonder, from the tallest tree to the smallest sprout. She created plants to survive off the available resources, the fresh water, the clean air, and the abundant rays of her sister’s light. For the first time, something had been created by hands other than the Universe. A new precedent had been set, suddenly anything became possible. It is no surprise green became the color we associate with hope. 

No one was more awestruck than the Sun. She begged her sister to teach her the secrets of creation. The Earth smiled at her sister's determination and agreed to help her. She suggested that they make something together, something they could share. The Sun noticed that the plants that the Earth had created reacted to the absence of her rays as much as they did to the presence of them. She knew that her rays were necessary for the plant's survival, but she also knew that she could not be everywhere at once, all of the time. She mentioned this to the Earth and together they created the four seasons, Summer, Autumn, Winter, and Spring. Summer was energetic and warm, full of the Sun’s rays and the Earth’s enthusiasm. Autumn was cozy and calm, full of the Sun’s kindness and the Earth’s comfort. Winter was quiet and cold, full of the Sun’s resilience and the Earth’s strength. Spring was joyful and bright, full of the Sun’s radiance and the Earth’s wonder. 

The Earth was enamored by her plants and the way the new seasons worked. She began to spend more and more time with herself, tending to her plants and watching the way the seasons worked in perfect harmony. This caused the Sun to begin to grow lonely. She knew that they were growing up and taking on responsibilities, but she missed having someone to play with. 

The Universe saw that the Sun was beginning to withdraw and become sad. She immediately began to think of ways to solve her daughter’s loneliness. She thought of the Sun, full of light and determination, strong and caring. She thought for a long time and eventually something began to take form. She was bright, but not in the same way as the Sun, her glow was more subdued, more calm. And thus the Moon was born. She was kind and soft, full of serenity and peace. 

The Sun was immediately enamored by the Moon. They complimented each other perfectly. The Moon was soft where the Sun was bold, protective where the Sun was resilient, forgiving where the Sun was determined. It was no surprise when the two fell in love. 

The Sun and the Moon played together, their joy lighting up the Universe. The Sun loved to chase the Moon, and the Moon loved to be chased by the Sun. In their play, they made the Day and the Night. The Day followed Moon, arriving with the Sun and bringing the promise of the Night. The Night followed the Sun, arriving with the Moon and bringing the promise of the Day. From the space between the Day and the Night came the Dawn and the Dusk. They were transitional and fluid, bridging the gap between the known and the unknown. 

The Moon and the Earth also became fast friends. The Earth loved the Moon’s calming effect and the Moon loved the Earth’s sense of wonder. The Moon enjoyed playing in the Earth’s water. It was hard to not feel comfortable around the Moon and slowly the Earth began to play again. They would splash water at each other as the Moon passed through while being chased by the Sun. In their play, the Earth and the Moon created the Tide and the Current. 

The Earth loved the Moon and cherished her as a sister. But as she watched the Sun and the Moon, in their relentless play and desire to see the other one happy, she began to feel alone. She knew that she was loved, and could feel that love all around her. But it is difficult to look at the way the Sun and the Moon are so clearly made for one another, and not feel a little left out. 

Determined to not appear jealous or unhappy, the Earth decided to busy herself. Her planet was really coming together. It had plants and seasons and now even the water had tides and currents. She sat with her brother, Time, and watched everything for a while. Time was a nice companion to sit and think with. He was never still, but he was constant and dependable. Eventually she realized what her planet was missing. It needed things to play with one another. It needed life that was free to run and roam, and not rooted in the soil. With this idea in mind, the Earth began to create. 

The Earth created Animals. From the smallest flea to the largest whale. From the gophers burrowing under the dirt to the eagles flying high in the sky. From the solitary tortoise to the pack dwelling wolf. Soon the Earth was full of Animals. 

The Universe watched with pride as the Earth created Animal after Animal. She watched the Earth take breaks to play with the Sun and the Moon and to sit with Time. Even through all of this love, the Universe could see that the Earth was sad. She knew that Time was content in his solitude, that was why she had made the Sun in the first place. But now the Sun had a wife and once again, the Earth was alone. 

The Universe sat and thought about the Earth for a long time. She thought about her daughter's determination to live, her sense of wonder, her ability to be everywhere and nowhere at once. As the Universe thought, something began to take form. He was calm, but not in the same way as the Earth, he was not like the calm before a storm but like the calm that follows after destruction. And thus Death was born. He was disastrous and beautiful, never-ending and final. 

The Earth was immediately enamored by Death. They complemented each other perfectly. Death was still where the Earth was restless, patient where the Earth was strong, understanding where the Earth was determined. It was no surprise when the two fell in love. 

The Earth and Death began to play together, their joy lighting up the Universe. Death loved to chase the Earth and the Earth loved to be chased by Death. In their play they created the Life Cycle and the Afterlife. Just as the Earth and Death chased each other, the Life Cycle and the Afterlife chased each other, running throughout the world giving plants and animals alike the beautiful gift of mortality. 

In her joy, the Earth continued to create. She loved her animals more than she could ever express, but she felt the need to make something more. Once again, she sat with Time and watched everything. After a while she realized what was missing. The animals were alive and they could play, but they couldn’t communicate the way that the gods could. She set out to create new animals, ones that bore a closer resemblance to her and her family. She created a variety of new animals that were bipedal. Some were shorter and preferred the dark, others were taller and preferred the light. Some had wings and could fly, others had gills and could breathe underwater. And thus the Earth created Dwarves and Elves, Faeries and Mermaids. She gave all of her new children the gift of spoken language, so that they may worship the gods in their play. 

The Earth came alive in a new way. All of the different races lived together in harmony, basking in the Sun’s rays and splashing in the Earth’s water. They lived off the plants and animals and shared their joy. They gave thanks to the Earth for their creation, to the Sun for her warmth, to the Moon for her tranquility, to Death for his comfort. These early beings did not fear Death, they honored and celebrated him. Death came at the end of a long and beautiful life, to die meant that you had lived. 

Everything existed in peace and harmony for a very long time. The Earth, the Sun, the Moon, and Death spent their time playing together. Their laughter and joy filled the Universe with warmth and comfort. The Earth even got Time to join in their playing every so often. A great many things were created in their play, and it’s often hard to discern who should get the credit for what. Not that anyone was worried about receiving credit, these things came from all of their play, and that was enough for them. Slowly the Universe became more and more populated as their play left a trail of Stars and Planets. The Sun and the Moon became the ones to tend to these new creations. 

After a while, the Earth went to sit with Time again. She was full of love and pride for all of her creations and enjoyed watching them. After a while she got the desire to create something new. She wanted to create something that had all of the strengths of her current creations. She made them not as short as the Dwarves, but not as tall as the Elves. She did not give them the Faerie’s wings or the Mermaid’s gills, but instead gave them the desire to fly and to swim. She made them as resilient as the Sun, as kind as the Moon, as beautiful as Death. And thus Humans were created. 

The existing races welcomed the Humans with open arms. They showed them how to hunt and gather, how to bask in the Sun’s rays and splash in the Earth’s water, how to worship the gods and welcome Death. 

But the Humans did not want to live as the others did. They did not understand why they should have to worship the gods or welcome Death. They began to see themselves as superior to the older races. That superiority soon bled into hatred. The humans began to imprison or kill the older races for practicing the old ways. Terrified, they prayed to the Earth, their creator, to help them. 

The Earth heard the prayers of her creations and began to weep. How could such a beautiful creation have turned so bitter? She knew that something needed to be done to protect the older races, but she couldn’t bear to turn her back on the Humans. Weeping, she turned to her mother and begged for her help. 

The Universe could not bear to see her daughter in so much pain. She hugged her daughter tightly and promised that she would think of something. After a while the Earth’s sobs began to taper off and the Universe began to think. She was far more fond of the older races, and would have been content to destroy the Humans, but the Earth loved them as well. After a while an idea came to her. She would simply hide the older races from the Humans. She could not bear the thought of condemning them to a life outside of the Earth, nor a life of fear of being found by the Humans. The Universe did something she had not done in a great while, she created something new. 

She took the Earth and created pockets and folds in reality. And thus the Hidden Realms were created. These Realms were just like the current world in every single way, except that they were too confusing and complex for the Humans to access. The older races could come and go from them as they pleased, living in harmony once again. It was not impossible for the Humans to access the Hidden Realms, but it almost never happens, and those that are able to access them must have the correct type of soul to find them.

Upon seeing what the Universe had created, the Earth began to weep again. But they were tears of joy now, because all of her creations were able to continue to exist.