The Enlightened One is Here

by Jeff Baker

Author’s Note: The prompt pic this week showed a Buddhist Monk rapt in study. I translated this to a different setting as I hadn’t visited my World of Three Moons in a while.

Iatros Ti-abb rubbed his eyes. He had been staring at the scroll for hours. He looked up. The candles had been lit, Iatros had not noticed the young servitus enter with the fire sphere.

He shook his head. Gods who speak only to slaves, gods who speak to kings, gods who devour their worshipers as sacrifices, gods who express displeasure at offers of such sacrifice. And nothing in the scroll of the gods who answer those who seek.

The Vengeful one, the Watchful Ones, the Knower of Many Worlds. There were scrolls covering all these and more. Iatros was just a few steps away from tossing the scroll he was reading into the corner. Nothing that could help him.

He glanced directly upward. The zenith of the dome had the carving of the three Moons ascendant. One of the thick glass panels to the side would let them get hit by real moons light every now and then.

“Names of the Moons,” Iatros whispered silently looking upward. “I seek. That is all; I seek.”

He closed his eyes and looked down. He hadn’t expected a response.

But there was one.

There was an echoing, booming in his ears.

After another moment he stood up, dropping the scroll.

One of the young servitus’ ran up to Iatros.

“Seeker of Wisdom, what is the matter?”

Iatros smiled and stared upward.

“Nothing is the matter,” he said. “For the first time in millennia, everything is right.”

Iatros looked around, seeing everything as if it was new.

“You may tell them,” Iatros said, “that the Enlightened One is here.”

—end—