Humble Beginnings and The Voice In Your Head
"Hurry up and chop that wood."" . . . "
"Well come on. Wood lacks the vital faculties to chop itself."
" . . . "
"And if wood had such sentience to control its own actions, it would also be then opposed, most likely, to the act of self-hatcheting."
" . . . "
"What'smore, wood really wouldn't like--"
"Where am I?"
" …I thought I had made it quite clear that you are a person in front of an unchopped woodpile, and one that needs a significant amount of hacking at to become a chopped wood pile, which is, by the by, the thing which you had best be doing."
"Who are you?"
"It grows cold soon. This, like everything I will speak to you, will be for your own good."
" …Who am I?"
"Trivial, only of importance in that you are someone who will grow very cold--I say near frigid--unless he picks up the axe to the immediate left, and begins forcing it with some degree of strength upon the segments of cut-but-not-chopped former trees to your immediate right."
" . . . "
"Well I suppose you are a 'he', and that much I can tell you. Now, be a good he and get to chopping wood. There is still much that remains to do, for about the next ten years."
"Ten years?"
"Give or take some odd months."
"Where are you talking from. Who is this. Why am I here."
"All questions that will have clearer answers in the ten years to come."
"I am not waiting ten years. Show yourself! Who is out there?"
"As I said, it may not be ten years exactly. Perhaps you will only have to wait, say, nine years and three months. You know, if things are going well."
"Is this some manner of wizard's trick? Did you kidnap me? Where's father!?"
"Kid, there is no napping nor is there any father. You are here now, and safe, and you will continue to be both of those things so long as the chopping of wood begins post haste."
"This is some really weird wizarding… thing going on. I don't like it! Show yourself wizard!"
" 'Show yourself this', 'Show yourself that', which hero are you attempting to portray with such commanding diction? None that will make a non-wizard that doesn't exist appear. Were I truly of the arcane magical persuasion, I would have enchanted that axe there to begin splitting wood autonomously, or cast a spell to simply control you to get the wood to be chopped. But neither happens. Besides, I want you to cut the wood, and I want it to be of your own volition. Even if it's forced volition."
"And if I don't? If I just sit here and wait for the cold to take me and die by morning?"
"Then your sense of dramatic stubbornness will have surpassed the body's natural defense of self-preservation, and I do not believe a boy of your stature in both mind and mold will have that force of will."
"Oh yeah!?"
"Yes. Not yet. Though I do believe you have enough force of arms to force the wood into pieces numbering more than one. Get on it."
"Not until you explain what trickery this is, what ghastly deed has been done, what wicked plot has been wrought."
"The only thing rotting is the wood."
"That's not what I meant and you know, who do you--"
"Audible sigh. I will tell you. If you will shut up."
" . . . "
"Good. Now, I can tell you are remarkably practical for a boy your age. That is good, a solid base to work from. It will take a bit of faith now, and in the time here on out, to put that potential in you to decent use. Until that time, you will train and listen and follow the teachings and gain strength and wisdom to serve me and most importantly to serve this world, while also bettering the self. I will help you with all that you need to do."
" . . . "
"Oh. And I am the disembodied voice of a defeated god only you can hear that lives in your head."
"Nope."
"Yes. And I will guide you through a life of training and teaching that will deliver you unto greater purposes."
"Nope."
"Audible sigh number two. I can't actually express emotion through this link yet, and am already exacerbated with other tribulations at the moment. If it will please you to prove this is a voice on the inside, think at me. Think your words that you would say instead of bleating them into an empty forest."
"I will find you and kill you."
"That's not very nice."
" . . . ! "
"Is that going to be a common thought directed at your benefactor?"
" . . . "
"I'll take the silence as progress. Now, if you will direct your attention to the ditch of water around the corner of the cottage. See it?"
"Yes."
"Oh good. You learn quicker now. Alright, watch closely."
" . . . It's glowing."
"I guess you can say it out loud to no one if you want. Yes, this is more than a parlor trick, but the most I can do in my current state."
"Can you tell everything that I am thinking?"
"Maybe."
"What did you do to the water?"
"Channeled the divine through its body."
" . . . "
"It probably also got a bit colder. Just a byproduct."
"Can I drink it? I just realized that I can't remember when last I drank."
"Yes. I can tell you it is clean, good water. It is also now conveniently colder."
"Do the glowing thing again."
"No. The divine is not a play thing. Just drink and believe."
"I can't remember the last time I drank anything… but I also can't remember… anything."
"Yes. That is a byproduct of my interference in what you have been through, much like the water cooling is an unintended consequence to my energies reaching through it. But believe me, both are for the best."
"I don't understand."
"You don't have to. Now that you have drank your fill, and you have to do is cut wood. Night comes. It will be dark soon."
"Is there--"
"--No, no one else. Just you, me, and much work to do. You have no family. Not now. That you still remember having a father and mother at all is remarkable. But I, and you, and we know nothing of them. I will look after you, I will keep you safe. And I will help with what things may come, as long as you do your part to grow stronger and wiser so that you may face them."
" . . . Okay."
"Good. Honestly, I thought it would take a few more days in the cold to reach this point. That's excellent."
"I still don't like you."
"You don't have to."
"I just have to chop the wood."
"Yes. Now you are getting it. I want the mountains surrounding to echo back the crack, and the trees to tremble with fear that they might be next to feel your mighty swing. And I want you to think why you do it, as you do it."
"Mister, I ain't too strong."
"You will be, you will. Just believe and all shall be made clear. Also, chop the damn wood already. I'm ever getting cold now, and I'm incorporeal."
A half-hour later and there was a small stack of chipped and chopped wood of unintentionally variant sizes, but enough so that with the addition of some kindling and tinder it sufficed in making a fire the warmed the hearth of the cottage with the one wooden-framed bed that they boy slept in that dreamless night, and for many dreamless nights to come.
