(If You prefer to listen to the audio version, I invite you here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZgkSmj55jl0).
It happened in another world, but it might as well have happened in ours. It was inhabited by creatures so similar to us that we might as well call them "humans." This world was divided into many different kingdoms, cities and tribes. As is usually the case, they went to war with each other from time to time. It was treated as a normal part of life. No one felt any remorse about attacking and robbing neighbors. Members of each nation were taking care to be strong, to defend themselves against enemy attacks and to be able to invade some foreigners from time to time and enrich themselves at their expense. The best warriors and leaders were universally respected. The atrocities of war were limited only by honorary rules such as "Do not betray your allies", "Do not start a war on holy days", "Do not murder children". Not all rulers recognized these laws, and even fewer cared that soldiers always obeyed them.
Until one day there appeared a person who questioned this state of affairs. No one knew what tribe she came from. She did not use any name other than Archpriestess. A young woman in white robes walked among the people, spreading a message of peace. She said she came on behalf of the goddess she called simply Mother. She talked about an ideal society in which everyone is the child of the same parent. And brothers and sisters never fight each other, never hurt each other. They love and help each other. They do not live in fear of their neighbors because they know they can trust them. Instead of wasting their strength on stealing each other's wealth, they simply work together to ensure that everyone has as much of it as possible.
Most people would probably treat the Archpriestess as a madwoman, preaching a vision detached from life. But she had evidence to support her mission. Her hands had the power to heal. She healed people of diseases and wounds. She helped everyone who asked her for help. And she told each such person about her bright vision. Some were only interested in the treatment of the body itself, and they accepted it, treating the necessity of listening to the dreamer's gibberish as a price for the service. They shrugged and went back to their existence of constant fighting. But many allowed the words to reach their souls. A community of people who wanted to try a new way of life was created around the Archpriestess. They built a small temple for the Mother. Worshipers' huts began to appear around it. Gradually, the village began to turn into a city. And then more settlements were established in the area. They were led by women who considered themselves disciples of the Archpriestess. Although they did not have her healing powers, they could spread her message and good works, collect donations from the rich and give them to the poor, so that no one would have to struggle for existence.
The king of the land where this cult began to develop was not pleased. The Mother's religion rendered his subjects useless as warriors. As the monarch recognized – weak and cowardly. And because of this, the kingdom and its power were weakening. The king sent his soldiers to force the followers to serve in the army. Many of the Mother's worshipers have succumbed. But others remained true to their ideals. They didn't fight the recruiters, they simply refused to take up arms. They couldn't be broken by insults, beatings or even torture. All the time they just asked their tormentors to stop using violence. They tried to explain to the soldiers that by hurting others, they were hurting themselves. Some warriors – there were not many such cases, but they did happen -were impressed by their attitude. "These are not cowards," they said. "These are real heroes! To defend yourself against suffering and death by force requires courage… but to accept them in the name of your faith requires even greater courage!" And they joined the followers of the Mother.
The king had had enough of this. He decided to destroy the cult once and for all by striking at its heart. He ordered the Archriestess to be arrested and brought before him. When the woman in white robes stood before the throne, the monarch asked: "Do you really believe that you are doing good? After all, you make people weak and defenseless against their enemies."
The woman was silent for a moment, and then she began to speak. "As long as there is fighting, there are enemies to defend against. Retaliation begets retaliation. This world will know true peace and security only when you all renounce war. Then the time will come when no man will fear another man. No man will fear suffering, disease, want, or even death. The entire earth will be in the possession of one loving family, under the protection of the Mother. I know it will be many years before we get there. But this is my vision and I swear I will achieve it. However, I need your help."
There was silence in the throne room. The Archpriestess spoke with such conviction, with such fervor, that none of the courtiers, not even the king himself, laughed at her or contradicted her. Finally the ruler spoke. He declared that he consented to the operation of the religion of the Mother in his country.
And so this religion began to grow even more. Temples were built throughout the kingdom, serving not only as places of worship, but also as hospitals and shelters. New settlements of people who wanted to live according to peaceful principles also appeared. They all wore white robes, like their guide. Most people were not ready to join the cult, but respected its members for their gentleness and help to all people. Slowly, a tradition began to emerge according to which killing the wearer of white robes was considered a great sin. Nations continued to wage wars, criminals continued to commit crimes, and the authorities continued to punish them in various bloody ways. Nevertheless, the Mother's religion gave refuge from the omnipresent violence and hope that one could at least try to live in different way.
The years passed. The first Archpriestess was replaced by her successor, and then another. Each of them had healing power and was the embodiment of peace and gentleness. People also noticed that although details such as hair color or facial features changed, each Archpriestess was similar to the previous one in her own way, thanks to the same posture and way of speaking. Some believed that the woman, thanks to her bond with the Mother, was reborn in new incarnations – and that this was the hope of overcoming death, which she spoke about during her famous sermon in the palace. The Archriestess herself did not comment on these rumors in any way.
The succession of Archriestesses and the spread of their church were not the only changes. Science and technology were developing. And with them, new ways of inflicting death appeared. One day another war broke out. It started with some minor border dispute between two countries. But soon their allies began to join the warring countries. Soon after, the entire world divided into two camps and plunged into war. And it was the most terrible war ever known. The arsenal of new weapons revealed its destructive power in all its glory. The machines launched missiles at cities their operators couldn't even see. Flying structures dropped bombs from the sky. Clouds of poisonous gases caused people to suffocate or die in agony with burnt skin and eyes. The end finally came when one of the factions dropped the latest type of bomb on their opponents' metropolis. In an explosion resembling the anger of a furious deity, thousands of inhabitants died in an instant. Fear of the absilute annihiliation brought peace.
But the end of the war only meant that people could finally see the enormity of the harm it had caused. Every country was filled with crowds of orphans and invalids without help. Veterans who escaped death or disability were haunted by visions of the horrors they had witnessed or committed. The destruction claimed cultural heritage and great wealth that could have been used for the benefit of the people. Many great cities, once bustling with life, have become ruins and cemeteries.
One slogan began to circulate around the world: "No more war!" Of course, those wearing white robes took the lead in its preaching. This time their learning fell on fertile ground. More and more people accepted their doctrine. Even the rulers came to the conclusion that peace was a better solution. Swords and war machines were melted down into gardening tools intended to restore a world devastated by war. People could engage in useful and enjoyable activities instead of wasting time and energy on a constant arms race. They achieved a level of development they had never dreamed of before, and created miracles of art and science. After a few generations, the war came to be treated only as a nightmare of the past. Some even questioned whether there had ever really been a time when people murdered each other in such a cruel way. How could the ancestors be so bloodthirsty… and so stupid?
Finally, the day came when current Archpriestess declared that the world was ready for the suffering of humanity to finally end and for one family to rule over it. On this occasion, she announced a day of great celebration. Crowds gathered in front of the cathedral, standing in the same place where the first, primitive chapel in honor of the Mother was once built. Even larger crowds watched the ceremony on screens around the world.
The Archpriestess came to the podium and began her sermon.
"Look, Mother!" – she began, raising her hands to the sky. "Behold, this people has become free from all violence. They renounced their weapons. Even if they wanted to, they wouldn't know how to wage war… but neither of them would want that. The very thought of fighting disgusts them. They have become incapable of it."
The woman fell silent, and a smile full of ecstatic elation appeared on her face. Even the most faithful followers had never seen their spiritual leader so joyful.
"Look, Mother!" – the Archriestess resumed her speech. "The Great Plan is complete! This world is ready! Mother, I am begging you, send my beloved brothers and sisters so that we can take possession of this land as one family! Thanks to many years of peace, it is full of goodness that we can enjoy! May the suffering of the inhabitants of this planet finally end! Quickly and efficiently!".
Many followers began to cheer. The others were silent, full of doubts. The Archriestess's speech was strange. What did "send my brothers and sisters" mean? Weren't they the family of the Archpriestess? But they were already here. There was no need to send them.
But after a while even the shouts began to fall silent. And then they started screaming again – but out of fear. Here the figure of the Archpriestess began to change. Her face undulated until it took on the appearance of a nasty, reptilian muzzle full of sharp fangs. The woman – if she could be called that – threw off her robe, revealing a monstrous, scaled figure. Her hands, the same gentle hands that had helped so many in need, turned out to be armed with claws.
But that wasn't the end. Some of the ceremony participants began pointing to the sky. A blood-red portal opened there. And after a while, creatures similar to the Archpriestess began to jump out of it. They wasted no time and immediately started tearing people apart with their fangs and claws. And the leader of the Mother's religion looked at them, her true family, with unfathomable, pure, absolute love.
The massacre in front of the cathedral was only the beginning. Lizards have spread throughout the world. And none of the indigenous inhabitants of the world could face them. No one even tried. People were running and hiding, which prolonged their lives by measly seconds, but none of them thought about fighting. Therefore, the conquest was completed within a month.
And it happened as the Archriestess promised. The suffering of humanity has finally ended. None of the humans were afraid of death anymore. And one loving family took over the prosperous, beautiful land. Brothers and sisters. True children of the Mother.
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Topic: All Children of the Mother - short story (text and audio) (Read 1152 times)