All life started when five tremendously powerful beings became gods and their five companions of equal power became the months. Right, with that out of the way let us proceed to the far more interesting part: me.

I was carved with a knife covered in dew. The sides of my body smoothed with bone, and the sockets of my eyes dug in with the back of a rock.

Two pops and I saw the world for the first time. Almost clear past the pearly glass that were my eyes. The first thing I saw was my creator smile.

Smile. If only I could do that.

Only minutes later, I was in the dark once more, a veil of burlap over top my precious sight. The world toppled and bounced over and over. The crunch of steps my only companion. From time to time I could hear the cries of those who made me. The way they spoke escaped me, yet as I later learned, they were singing. Sometimes I was enraged, others I was mesmerized. Then I heard more.

"We're near." I would hear past all muffle and cloth. I waited for hours until the veil was lifted. Light bounced across my eyes and I waited as the light died down. Before I knew it, I was surrounded by a band of creatures just like my maker.

They stayed for four nights and three days, singing and dancing all the while. Odd. At the time I wondered why they did that, though on future thought, it was conclusive that they were idiots. Their only smart action was to create me.

On the fourth day they left, abandoning a wooden effigy over the doused firepit. It had eyes of pearl stuffed into a body of spruce. It was a gift to their 'spirit mother' as they would say.

"The spirit mother is all. The world is she."

Odd how that was what I was. A gift. A doll. Or as to those who would later see me, a god. I liked the latter much more.

I stared into the woods for days afterwards, the ashy remains of the fire all around me. There was this one stump near me. Perhaps my only companion. Stump I called it.

In the nights that followed stump and I shared many fascinating discussions. Though our discussion were usually one sided-- well always one sided. I had a lot of fun! Once we even gossiped about shrub. Oh, how rambunctious we were!

Yet the days passed, and talking to stump got boring. So I tried arguing with stump, yet his lack of rebuttals was astounding. Why I criticized the very wood that formed his base, how callous his makers must have been to leave him so… shapeless. I would have positively started a fire with heat of my remarks if slump was only smart enough to react. Which he did not. Ever.

Afterwards stump did not talk to me, not that he did in the first place. And I wanted nothing to do with Stump.

Then more of them came. Strange pale creatures, pink if you stared at them right. They huddled around me as if I were fire. One tried to poke me, but thankfully another stopped it before the first got its way.

Then another pointed at me and gestured with its hands. Having done so, it stood on stump. 'God' it said as it pointed at me. Its fellows staring at the creature as it preached, goggling and glaring. I stopped listening after "God is good. That god. He bring fire!" Why these creatures even blabbered so escaped me. I would have asked Stump, but I was mad at him, and he seemed fairly occupied.

To my surprise the creatures started giving me gifts. Lots of gifts. Sometimes furs, skulls, even the rare rock or two. Though it would have helped if I could have used any of it. Foolish things, these pale squishy things, which called themselves humans. At least they favored me over Stump. In that respect, I was moving up in the world.

Days passed then weeks, then months, until weeks felt like days, and years like months. The humans built huts and burnt fires around me. Every so often they would bring me some poor animal's head and spray blood all over me... I was starting to get bored of all these 'gifts'.

Yet they persisted, these strange creatures. Doing things even odder than how they looked. Every night they died and came back to life in the morning. Sleeping they called it. On one of these ‘sleeps’, I heard a few screams, a large fire and yelling all about. It was too dark to see anything save the fire ahead of me. Perhaps there was something behind me, though I wasn't very apt at turning.

Come morning a new herd of humans kneeled before me. Bearing me more gifts. Good, I was getting bored of the old gifts. Gifts such as long sticks with sharp rocks on the end. Or small sticks with flats rocks in the end. Staring at them again it occurred to me that these humans really loved sticks.

The humans themselves were at least better dressed than their formers. Bearing full body leathers instead of loin cloths. One spoke up-- they even spoke better-- still kneeling, he said, "Bless us oh god of fire."

I would have smiled if I could, I liked the sound of that.

These humans did not 'sleep' nearly as much as the other ones, instead they crept out at night, with little suns at the ends of more sticks. Sharp sticks stuck to their backs. Sometimes, they stayed back, lit a fire near me and told stories around it. Having nothing better to do, I listened to each of the stories.

They told stories of far off rulers, sunken islands, legendary humans who could not die, and entire countries where the people were not human at all. Fascinating!

The humans that left came back in the mornings with more food, more furs and even more rocks. They brought down the trees like lighting, but slower and gave me even more gifts than ever before.

Their houses were not mere huts, but more permanent. They even dressed me! From what I saw it was a fine fur, kind of brownish with hints of white. I came to like these stick humans.

One day a stick human returned with a stick that was entirely a rock, a very polished, sharp rock. The human swung the rock stick as the other humans gawked at it. "It's a sword. A sailor from the east had parted with it. They say it’s the pride of their Ilvari Empire." said the first human. 'Sword', what an interesting name for a rock stick.

For several nights afterwards, I heard loud panging and bright fires. The sting of metal apparent in the distance. I wondered at times what caused the sounds, even considered the humans at length. I had concluded that there was nothing special to them, at least nothing new compared to their loin-cloth counterparts. Humans are humans. They will never change.

In the days that followed, I saw more and more humans with swords, even some rocks strapped to their chests, and flat rocks strapped to their other hands. They shaped the swords in all different shapes. 'Axes', 'Polearms', 'Spears', and 'daggers'. Of course giving me some in the process.

In the years that passed, these humans grew more impressive. Now there were no trees around me, except for Stump, who they dubbed ‘the Sacred Step’. Instead large rocks stood all round me, and even more rocks behind that. On one of those days, I saw the most peculiar sight. A human riding a creature twice the size of it. I nearly thought the creature would kill the human, but apparently it enjoyed being ridden. Perhaps I had found a creature more foolish than humans.

Even more years passed, and even more rocks sprung up. More and more until I found myself in a room, completely shut off with nothing but my gifts. Here and then a human dressed in funny white robes would come see me, kneel by me, and chant odd words.

It never gave its name, so I thought I'd give him one. 'Rags' I dubbed him, but I doubt 'rags' could hear me.

Rags stopped by every day, and bowed low to the ground every time. I even tried listening to his mad rambles. Though to my displeasure his language was completely foreign to me. 'Speak in common!' I said several times. Rags did not listen once. It was outrageous! ‘Oh Rags’, I thought as the man kneeled by me, ‘why must you be an idiot’? Though questions such as those answered themselves.

One day, Rags flew through the door way and landed near stump. From where he landed, his eyes drifted to what I only saw as a goliath of a man. One different from the stick humans. His sword was as red as strawberries, and the rocks on his body were more yellow than gray. Odd, yellow rocks. He even had a hat of rocks, adorned with more colored rocks. What is it with humans and rocks?

The large human approached Rags and in one fluid motion sprayed strawberry juice all over. Or was it blood? It was too dark to notice, and I didn't really care. Our conversations were always one-sided.

Nevertheless, the human just like all the others saw me and kneeled by my side. Probably prepared to declare me one god or the other. I must admit I was rather curious as to what god I would be this time.

"Atechrities, God of war, I beseech thee. Let our empire thrive under your name."

A name. Even better.

Early on after, I had entire legions of 'rags' bow before me. They told me more stories in hymns. And I listened, considering I had very little else to do. But, as time passed, so too did they, and I was left alone.

The following centuries were nothing but yellow. Yellow rocks of all different sizes stacked everywhere around me. Mountains of yellow circles, or coins as they were called, and even yellow cups scattered by my feet. I would have asked for the gifts to stop if I could, but before long (or what I thought was long), the yellow rocks covered even me.

Perhaps they forgot about me? Madness! I was their beloved god! I was Atechrities! I was… I was… alone. I wallowed in my darkness, for decades lost in the emptiness. I wasn't even sure if Stump was there anymore.

Then it all ended. In a flurry of cries and pangs, light peaked through the openings in the pile of rocks ahead of me. I could see again! Soon more of the rocks disappeared until I saw what was happening. Larceny. Strange leathered humans were stealing my gifts!

They came in, often in groups and robbed my gifts without end. Some would even pick me up, but at a seconds glance put me down as if I were worthless compared to the yellow rocks. It was quite depressing.

I saw my gifts dwindle until only small hordes of it remained. It was as if I would be left alone once more, only this time without my gifts. I thought about my situation as it occurred to me. I would go insane! Everything that had ever mattered taken away. Why? I cried in my thoughts, feeling despair grip me is if it were inevitable. I-I was a god. I am a god!

Then a small human walked into the room, face covered. It swerved its head around like all the others, then did the unthinkable. It went straight for me. Finally! A human to proclaim me god again! Or so I thought.

The human skipped the formalities altogether. It grabbed me, wrapped me to its back, and ran. I would have been mad at this insolent fool. Outrage by its audacity. But then, I saw the world move in light for the first time.

It was wonderful. Better than any story, as if I had all the celestials captured in the curves of my opal eyes. I memorized every detail hungrily. Rocks! More rocks! Walls? Walls! Nearer to the gates I even saw one of the famous ‘toilets’ the humans spoke of. Though it was odd for a toilet. For one it was gold, for another it had no hole. I as almost certain toilets had holes, but to my displeasure, my study was interrupted by my rapidly changing surroundings.

I sobered myself to think. Where was I going? I would have looked around if I could, though it happened so fast. Like the earthquakes 'rags' often talked about. We left my room in a matter of seconds, the yellow rocks fading behind me.

As we exited, my pearl eyes traced the grand gates that led to my room. Built in the shape of two wings, all embedded with a variety of yellow rocks, and some light greyish ones. What had happened in the last centuries?

All around me walls as white as teeth expanded to the sides, we were in a hall. Various smug faces of humans were plastered to those walls, hanging in yellow rock boxes. Why? I had to ask myself. Why would humans want to look at themselves? Let alone trap themselves in little yellow boxes? How odd. Until then, I thought I had seen everything.

Bouncing some more, I saw the black flat rocks which hugged the floor. They replaced even the grass? Blasphemous! What had grass ever done to the humans? Besides it was far less ugly than the flat rocks that were there now.

My carrier jumped and I saw the body of a reddened human below. Bathed in strawberry juice. Soon I saw more and more. Some were slumped against the walls, other on the floor. Oh my, and here I thought the humans had become civil. Some things never change, I suppose.

While bouncing with the wind rushing past me, I found myself out of the long hallway. Out through an exit that was not quite as elegant as the one to my room. In fact it was a gaping hole of falling bricks and splinters. I saw burnt marks all around it. Normally I would have discounted this as any other act caused by humans, but now I was moving. Everything mattered now. I mean, I could die! If that was even possible for a god.

My carrier stopped a little ways away from the wall. It turned a little bit, then started. I swore it flinched. A second later it bolted and my world grew in twice the speed.

Everything after that happened in a blur. Green. Hills. White. Palace. The carrier stopped for what I could only imagine was to catch its breath. There I saw it all. It was no palace. It was a city.

High spirals of pure white, vines like spider webs. That was the city I lived in. Great flicks of flame danced about it, and a shadow of smoke rose from the city to the sky above. What a wonder.

"Halt!" I heard the voice boom from my corner. It was a small man-- no wait larger than that. An odd thing, perspective. He was growing as he approached us. "Thief" he cried again.

My carrier twisted momentarily then spun once more and dashed forwards. Soon the sight of the city vanished and became nothing more than a memory. Now images of green flew by me. It was minutes maybe hours, but all the while I saw only trees. Maybe the odd stump or root. All jumping as did my carrier. Then it was over and I was on a road, or at least what I imagined roads to look like.

My carrier slowed down to a stop. Why did it stop? Stupid creature, keep moving! This world was just getting good. I felt a jolt as I was lifted up and heaved. The sky was soon all that I saw. A moment later, the world spun and I came face to face with my carrier. It gaped at me with wide open eyes. A mouth as flat as a line.

It was human like the others but not wrinkled like trees. Perhaps it was young? But how young I could not tell. Human ages often escaped me. Pointless things. They live for such a short time, like caterpillars. What do they live for? Why even try only to die the next day? Or was it half a century? I had stopped caring about these humans to remember. Besides most humans I knew had died long before then.

I studied it further as it refused to stop staring. It had dark eyes like coal, and skin of beige. Short brown tufts of hair shot out over its cowl, and little specs dotted across its face, right over its nose. I never got used to how ugly humans were, but looking at it close by, maybe just maybe they were not so bad.

I heard wood scrap against the gravel road a little ways behind me, and immediately my world ducked down, my pearly eyes glaring at the gravel below. I started to regret that thought. There was nothing worse than humans. At least nothing uglier. And definitely nothing stupider.