Stars

Part I - Preface

In the beginning there was darkness. The man was cold, naked, frightened. Lonely. It seemed he had been in darkness for an eternity. Mostly, though, he was hungry. He was always hungry.

Slowly, imperceptibly at first, Father Sun began to show his face. A soft glow began to fill the world. This made the man nervous. He moved deeper into the darkness to hide from the fearful face of the Father.

As the hole in the blackness grew brighter, the man could see details around him. Eventually, his curiosity overcame his fear and he ventured from his murky home. As he stepped out of his dark, little womb, Father Sun illuminated the sky for him. The brightness of the Father stung his eyes, but he remained out in the light, marvelling at the wonders the Father put before his eyes.

Wandering about, the man discovered that he was not alone. Other men also searched the land looking for food and water. Walking and working together, the men became the People. The people lived together for many seasons, discovering their green and blue universe as the man, alone, never could.

The people learned that they could plant grains and vegetables so that they didn't have search for food. They found that the beasts in the forest could be taught to help them in their labors and feed them in times of need. With this new-found help, the people built homes from the trees to protect them from the steady gaze of Father Sun and frigid chill of Brother Wind.

The Man grew old with his children and grand children around him. He was happy with his life. The Father smiled down on the People and the People thrived in his warmth. The People multiplied and in a short time filled the land with their kind.

But the land was smaller than the People realized and soon there was no room for the young to settle. They grew restless. They needed land of their own. They sought a new world. From the trees around them they built ships to sail the vast sea that surrounded their land. The People found other green lands to settle, and soon they filled their world as they had filled the land. But, again, the world was not as large as they believed, and soon the People were looking for new land again.

However, they had filled all the land of the world. Still, the People did not see the danger in their numbers. The Elders saw that their community had grown too large to manage. They asked the Father for guidance, but the Father simply smiled his warmth down on the people, and the people multiplied. In his need, Man forgot his fear of the darkness and looked into the night sky. He did not see the Father in the sky. He saw lights twinkling through the clouds. The lights made him think of the sea, glittering with reflections of the father's warm smile. The Man thought there must be lands across that sea also. He strove to find a ship that could take him to those new lands, but in the end the secret eluded him.

Now when he looked to the night sky he saw only demons, glaring at him, mocking him with their gleaming eyes. His fear of the night returned. Blackness filled his thoughts. The Father's smile no longer warmed his being. He needed more land. He looked to his brother.

That was when the trouble started...