Annoushka Lyvers
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changed the world. He was the start of a new era gifted unto man for reasons no one could name. And soon, more Saints were born and flying across the skies.
Bellsant was the beginning of history. Saints followed him not as their leader, but out of respect for being the first Saint. They had accomplished in moments what the world still struggled with. The Saints had created unquestionable equality among themselves.
This was the part in the story where it’s easy to tell what kind of storyteller is speaking. Saints possessed indomitable calmness. There wasn’t judgment or empathy in their expression, unlike man, who has a way of being influenced by emotions. I listened, when men spoke of Saints’ great equality, to the voice. Could I hear resentment? Was that jealousy? Even if the voice gave nothing away, the storyteller’s face reflected his or her true feelings towards Saints. I always watched and listened to people around me.
Bellsant’s compassion for man became all Saints’ compassion. An act of kindness turned into assistance. Soon everyday tasks could not be done without a touch of Saint.
There’s the best place to hear it, right where the story is turned. A shadow could be in the voice. A darkness, cloaking the aversion for Saints. I’ve seen people hide things, throw a blanket over a mess, powder over a blemish, but the truth that I saw was that which is hidden is ugly. In the word turned, there was hatred.
The skies were at the Saints’ command. Anything from faint drizzle to a devastating storm could be summoned by them. No one understood why or how. The Saints’ intelligence brought new technology. Built by man, but engineered by Saint. Above all else, they possessed an awareness of man’s mind, able to listen to deep-rooted thoughts. And in some instances, Saints could whisper things to man.
Yet they’re not allowed into a fellow Saint’s mind. Another testament to their equality. Or perhaps their powers were not absolute.
People who chose to listen to Saints usually find their way if they are lost or if they are looking for someone. Man accepted all saintly gifts without question, and acknowledged their power in the world.
Thriving in simple ways, crops were bountiful because of the Saints’ mastery over the weather. Fair trade was encouraged as the only form of currency. Everyone had something to give to another. Acts of charity and kindness were rewarded. These were the Saints’ beliefs and man’s rules to follow.
Mostly, man behaved. When someone did commit a crime, the Saints whispered to average men and women to take action. Punishment for wrongdoing was severe. Listening to the Saints’ commands in their minds, these men and women enforced starvation on the guilty, or thrust them into isolation, and at times beheaded them.
Once someone delivered punishment onto another, he or she changed, becoming hungry, but not for food. Nothing satisfied them. They left their families and homes and wandered, waiting to hear again a saintly voice and do exactly what the whispers instructed.
My mother used to sing this story to me when I was a baby, assuming I wasn’t really listening to the words. Her voice became distressed during the part about saintly punishment. Why the sadness? Wasn’t this justice? She taught me what mattered was right and wrong. While she sang I heard pity for the man in the wrong, and for the man in the right. It confused me.
Saints never gave up on the world. A rise in beheadings meant more charity from them. The whispers never ceased.