Short Stories

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Man Made

The sound of the cash register chinging is music to my ears. The family business is prospering fantastically. It benefits the best after emergencies like tsunamis, earthquakes, mudslides, volanoes and acts of terrorism. When society feels the most lost and the biggest need for answers.

We are self sufficient, producing our own products from lumber we grow on acres of land outside of town. My relatives are very artistic. They can locate a horse, pig, bull or person hiding in any log of wood by simply whittling away anything that doesn't belong on said animals or persons. The rest of the wood is sent to compost piles or sold for fireplaces or grills, to either warm people in winter or cook their meals while camping. It's awesome watching something we grew as a sapling grow into a magnificent tree to be cut down, sanded and shaped into multiple styles of artwork.

We have a variety of products to choose from. Wooden fiqurines that can be carried in purses, breifcases or hung from a necklace or bracelet, then larger statues ranging from life size to monumental to place in gazebos, studies or offices. We have expensive and more affordable pieces, but the same value is applied to each article by it's prospective owners'.

The store is at capacity with people searching for various works of art. People well dressed, obivously successful, people in rags obviously hopeful and people inbetween. They all have deficiencies in their pathetic lives. Customers come in looking for generic statues that they can name themselves or one resembling known historic personalities. They spend as little as minutes to decide or hours. They spend time standing infront of the larger pieces with their eyes closed. Waiting, listening for vibes, a calling. They handle the smaller objects, rolling them around their palms, holding them up to their ears. What do they hear? I feel like opening a psychiatry office nearby for extra income. They buy the first time in or return repeatedly, waiting for a voice to call to them. We have a no hassle policy. The hearts of the majority of our clientel end up crying for our creations. They need something in their lives to adore and we are glad to provide them. Thank heavens for the gullible and those carried about with every wind of doctrine, without them I'd have to have and honest job.

People have such a need to kneel before something. To have a solid object in their line of vision to pray too. It fascinates me, this need of theirs being so irrational as to purchase something that was hand grown and forged into something they could worship. I saw the pieces from their mundane beginning. How can they believe this piece of oak that resembles a man could have a spiritual quality to it. How can we, flesh and blood, create something to say vespers to, to lie prostrate before. If we had the power to create devinity, shouldn't they just pray to us? We'd still be glad to take their money. I don't care about their illogical thoughts. Without illogical thinking my family and I would starve. We prey off of these individuals that idolize our works. I often wonder how powerful they make these objects. Can the same spirit they pray to be present in all their images at once making them as omnipresent as the One Lord. Not that I'm sure I believe in one Lord. It would defeat my way of life. I can make a better living offering a wide variance of venerated objects. Why limit myself. Christian stores don't pull in as much as me and my relatives do.

The qualities of our deities aren't intimidating. If I were to describe them in a brochure it would read like this: They have eyes that can't see our sins,(or see our needs),lips that can't condemn us(or offer us advice), ears that aren't offended by our language(or can't hear our pleas for help), arms that can't point fingers at us for failing(or hold us for comfort, or keep us from falling), feet that can't follow us throughout the day(or be there to help us), hearts etched on their chests that can't be hurt by our mistakes(or feel our pain) and a head that has no brain to think ill of us (or think of us at all.) They certainly haven't spared anyone from a tsunami, or earthquake or any of the aforementioned dangers. But since our interests are self serving, what we printed in the yellow pages reads: Gods for sale, made of the best cedar, oak and cypress. Find a god for any occasion or need. Mastercard or Visa accepted.

In my opinion, if we are really heading towards some divine destruction where we are sent hiding into the mountains and caves praying to be killed, these objects made by my clan will be absolutely useless. I hope we've amassed enough money at that time to buy our way out. Money is the only answer to live's hardships. Even I wouldn't hold our man made icons against some eteranal God head!!! That is, if you believe in such fairy tales.


Isaiah 44

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