The Maker's Destiny
“I’m going to Indiana!”
This was hardly the answer Anu was expecting when, upon seeing Marduk standing at his door with a smile on his face and a cardboard box in his arms, he had asked what had brought him all this way to see him.
Anu had not seen him for many years, in fact, had not seen many from the old days since he moved into his penthouse apartment in New York, though he knew the Big Apple held many of his kind. But here he was, his old comrade - though he didn’t look very old. Marduk stood tall and stout with full dark hair and beard, and bronze skin, like a cross between how mortals envisioned Mohammed and Santa Claus.
“Well?” Marduk said, jovial but impatient.
“Come in,” Anu said, stepping back. Unlike his companion, he allowed some age to creep into his features. His beard and hair were mostly gray, but he had kept his form more fit. “You could have called first, Marduk, as you can see I have a guest.”
Marduk strode over to a coffee table and set the box upon it, then glanced at the woman on the couch. She too was quite mature, but had lost none of her beauty. Her dark hair shimmered like moonlight.
“Have you met Theia?” Anu asked.
“Oh yes, ages ago,” Marduk said, taking the hand she offered and gently kissing it. He then turned to his host. “I need the Tablet of Destiny.”
“What?” Anu responded, shocked. Theia raised an eyebrow, but calmly remained seated.
“Just to borrow it,” Marduk corrected, “Just for a few minutes. Bring it to me.”
“What on earth for?” Anu asked.
“I brought a scanner,” Marduk gestured at the box. “I can download what I need into this” - he fished a memory stick from his pocket - “and then be on my way.”
“Download for what?” Anu said.
“A textbook, of course,” Marduk said, again smiling.
A puzzled look crossed Anu’s face. “I think I need some explanation, old friend. You’re not making much sense to me.”
“So, I guess you haven’t heard.” Marduk said.
“Heard?”
“About Indiana.”
“I know what Indiana is - where it is,” Anu said, thinking. “I know about the Super Bowl, that’s been all over television.”
“No, no,” Marduk laughed. “It’s about their lawmakers. They’re making a law for us.”
“Go on,” Anu said.
“It just passed their state Senate,” Marduk said. “A law to allow their schools to teach creation, and not just the Hebrew story, but it’s open to all stories.”
Anu laughed. “Is that all? Most universities already teach our story, maybe even a few high schools in their advanced placement classes. Your fame is quite secure.”
“No,” Marduk said firmly. “Not as religion or history or even philosophy. This will teach creation as SCIENCE - as fact. They have to admit that what we did was real.”
“But if they’re teaching everyone’s version…” Anu started.
“That’s why I need the power of the Tablet of Destiny,” Marduk said, suppressing his impatience as he saw that Anu was starting to understand. “When I won it, I gave it to you, while I got busy creating the world and all there is.”
“Yes, but don’t forget I hung the sky,” Anu said, as he turned to leave the room. “Wait right here and I’ll go get it.”
Marduk laughed to himself as we stepped back to his box and extracted the scanner and a laptop computer. Theia watched him. “So you’re a maker?” she asked.
“Like you don’t know,” Marduk said while untangling cables. “Don’t forget our stories are older than yours.”
“But I, like you, am eternal,” she purred.
“And Titanic,” Marduk said. “Funny how that title got some bad baggage in the last century.”
“And who remembers your pantheon?” she said with an edge in her voice.
Anu returned, carrying something large and rectangular, shrouded in cloth. “Now, show courtesy to one another,” he chided. “We have no ill will towards the Greeks - or towards anyone these days.”
He carefully unwrapped the glowing stone tablet. Upon it were dense lines of cuneiform writing, which seemed to shift and change constantly.
“I haven’t looked upon this for ages,” Anu confessed. “Is it still even relevant in this day?”
“I believe so,” Marduk said. “Look there.”
Anu read aloud: “The men of unclaimed cattle defeat the sons of fire’s glow in the sixth contest.”
“You see?” Marduk said, “If I had had this, I wouldn’t have lost money betting on Miami in the NBA Finals.”
“So you’ve been doing more than eating,” Anu said.
“What, this?” Marduk struck his belly. “Ah, well you know I created the savage race of mankind to serve us” - he noticed Anu about to correct him - “OK, my father Ea did most of the work, but it was my idea. So, anytime I tell any of them to do something, they do it! So I got a little…”
“Soft?” Anu suggested.
“Comfortable,” Marduk responded. “Not like I’m the only god with girth. Still, we are what we are, and they’re still savages. Savages who will soon all learn to serve us again.”
Theia stood next to them, looking at the Tablet. “So… does any of this gibberish include my part?”
“Your part?” Marduk asked.
“I made the Moon, you know,” she said.
“Or so you say - in your stories,” Marduk said condescendingly, “but I’m fairly sure I did that. Made it out of Tiamat’s gall bladder, I think.”
Theia’s eyes flashed. “That was me! The mortals have even figured it out, how I gathered a great boulder to crash into the forming Earth so it could birth the Moon from its own clay!
“I will not be insulted like this!” she shouted, suddenly grabbing the Tablet from the men and throwing it down, the crashing, breaking sound punctuating her anger. Without another word, the goddess turned and stormed out of the apartment.
After a few moments of stunned silence, the two nearly-forgotten Babylonian deities looked down at the damage. Anu knelt down and picked up the Tablet.
“Looks like you need a new scanner,” he said.
“And you a new coffee table,” Marduk replied.
Anu shrugged. “Later, my friend. But right now, I believe there’s an office down on the first floor that will suit our needs. Let’s get this thing scanned before she gets the Greeks riled up.”
“Or the Egyptians find out,” Marduk said as they walked towards the door. “I think Indiana will soon become a very interesting place.”
- - - - - - -
My entry for LJ Idol Season 8, Week 13, Topic: “ Current Events.” In case you missed the in-story link, the news item is here. [EDIT: The story is now in the "paid archive," and I don't know how long the link will last in the future, so the first paragraphs of the story are copied into the comments below.] In an earlier story on the Indiana creation science bill one senator said, “What are we afraid of? Allowing an option for students including creation science as opposed to limiting their exposure?” And to disguise the bill being a blatant attempt to get the Biblical creation story in biology class, the bill allows for teaching of a wide variety of creation myths. So as this story demonstrates, that desire for “unlimited exposure” could have some interesting results.
Further notes: It’s hard to find a clear Babylonian creation story, so much of what’s here is based on this, with help from Wikipedia pages like this, and, by the way, this is what Theia was talking about.
This was hardly the answer Anu was expecting when, upon seeing Marduk standing at his door with a smile on his face and a cardboard box in his arms, he had asked what had brought him all this way to see him.
Anu had not seen him for many years, in fact, had not seen many from the old days since he moved into his penthouse apartment in New York, though he knew the Big Apple held many of his kind. But here he was, his old comrade - though he didn’t look very old. Marduk stood tall and stout with full dark hair and beard, and bronze skin, like a cross between how mortals envisioned Mohammed and Santa Claus.
“Well?” Marduk said, jovial but impatient.
“Come in,” Anu said, stepping back. Unlike his companion, he allowed some age to creep into his features. His beard and hair were mostly gray, but he had kept his form more fit. “You could have called first, Marduk, as you can see I have a guest.”
Marduk strode over to a coffee table and set the box upon it, then glanced at the woman on the couch. She too was quite mature, but had lost none of her beauty. Her dark hair shimmered like moonlight.
“Have you met Theia?” Anu asked.
“Oh yes, ages ago,” Marduk said, taking the hand she offered and gently kissing it. He then turned to his host. “I need the Tablet of Destiny.”
“What?” Anu responded, shocked. Theia raised an eyebrow, but calmly remained seated.
“Just to borrow it,” Marduk corrected, “Just for a few minutes. Bring it to me.”
“What on earth for?” Anu asked.
“I brought a scanner,” Marduk gestured at the box. “I can download what I need into this” - he fished a memory stick from his pocket - “and then be on my way.”
“Download for what?” Anu said.
“A textbook, of course,” Marduk said, again smiling.
A puzzled look crossed Anu’s face. “I think I need some explanation, old friend. You’re not making much sense to me.”
“So, I guess you haven’t heard.” Marduk said.
“Heard?”
“About Indiana.”
“I know what Indiana is - where it is,” Anu said, thinking. “I know about the Super Bowl, that’s been all over television.”
“No, no,” Marduk laughed. “It’s about their lawmakers. They’re making a law for us.”
“Go on,” Anu said.
“It just passed their state Senate,” Marduk said. “A law to allow their schools to teach creation, and not just the Hebrew story, but it’s open to all stories.”
Anu laughed. “Is that all? Most universities already teach our story, maybe even a few high schools in their advanced placement classes. Your fame is quite secure.”
“No,” Marduk said firmly. “Not as religion or history or even philosophy. This will teach creation as SCIENCE - as fact. They have to admit that what we did was real.”
“But if they’re teaching everyone’s version…” Anu started.
“That’s why I need the power of the Tablet of Destiny,” Marduk said, suppressing his impatience as he saw that Anu was starting to understand. “When I won it, I gave it to you, while I got busy creating the world and all there is.”
“Yes, but don’t forget I hung the sky,” Anu said, as he turned to leave the room. “Wait right here and I’ll go get it.”
Marduk laughed to himself as we stepped back to his box and extracted the scanner and a laptop computer. Theia watched him. “So you’re a maker?” she asked.
“Like you don’t know,” Marduk said while untangling cables. “Don’t forget our stories are older than yours.”
“But I, like you, am eternal,” she purred.
“And Titanic,” Marduk said. “Funny how that title got some bad baggage in the last century.”
“And who remembers your pantheon?” she said with an edge in her voice.
Anu returned, carrying something large and rectangular, shrouded in cloth. “Now, show courtesy to one another,” he chided. “We have no ill will towards the Greeks - or towards anyone these days.”
He carefully unwrapped the glowing stone tablet. Upon it were dense lines of cuneiform writing, which seemed to shift and change constantly.
“I haven’t looked upon this for ages,” Anu confessed. “Is it still even relevant in this day?”
“I believe so,” Marduk said. “Look there.”
Anu read aloud: “The men of unclaimed cattle defeat the sons of fire’s glow in the sixth contest.”
“You see?” Marduk said, “If I had had this, I wouldn’t have lost money betting on Miami in the NBA Finals.”
“So you’ve been doing more than eating,” Anu said.
“What, this?” Marduk struck his belly. “Ah, well you know I created the savage race of mankind to serve us” - he noticed Anu about to correct him - “OK, my father Ea did most of the work, but it was my idea. So, anytime I tell any of them to do something, they do it! So I got a little…”
“Soft?” Anu suggested.
“Comfortable,” Marduk responded. “Not like I’m the only god with girth. Still, we are what we are, and they’re still savages. Savages who will soon all learn to serve us again.”
Theia stood next to them, looking at the Tablet. “So… does any of this gibberish include my part?”
“Your part?” Marduk asked.
“I made the Moon, you know,” she said.
“Or so you say - in your stories,” Marduk said condescendingly, “but I’m fairly sure I did that. Made it out of Tiamat’s gall bladder, I think.”
Theia’s eyes flashed. “That was me! The mortals have even figured it out, how I gathered a great boulder to crash into the forming Earth so it could birth the Moon from its own clay!
“I will not be insulted like this!” she shouted, suddenly grabbing the Tablet from the men and throwing it down, the crashing, breaking sound punctuating her anger. Without another word, the goddess turned and stormed out of the apartment.
After a few moments of stunned silence, the two nearly-forgotten Babylonian deities looked down at the damage. Anu knelt down and picked up the Tablet.
“Looks like you need a new scanner,” he said.
“And you a new coffee table,” Marduk replied.
Anu shrugged. “Later, my friend. But right now, I believe there’s an office down on the first floor that will suit our needs. Let’s get this thing scanned before she gets the Greeks riled up.”
“Or the Egyptians find out,” Marduk said as they walked towards the door. “I think Indiana will soon become a very interesting place.”
- - - - - - -
My entry for LJ Idol Season 8, Week 13, Topic: “ Current Events.” In case you missed the in-story link, the news item is here. [EDIT: The story is now in the "paid archive," and I don't know how long the link will last in the future, so the first paragraphs of the story are copied into the comments below.] In an earlier story on the Indiana creation science bill one senator said, “What are we afraid of? Allowing an option for students including creation science as opposed to limiting their exposure?” And to disguise the bill being a blatant attempt to get the Biblical creation story in biology class, the bill allows for teaching of a wide variety of creation myths. So as this story demonstrates, that desire for “unlimited exposure” could have some interesting results.
Further notes: It’s hard to find a clear Babylonian creation story, so much of what’s here is based on this, with help from Wikipedia pages like this, and, by the way, this is what Theia was talking about.