Chapter 46
Many Years Later
“What is this place?”
The boy looked up from scrubbing the floor to see a very old man standing in the entryway of the temple. It was odd to have a visitor here so late at night. The boy usually had the place to himself while he cleaned.
“What do you mean, sir?”
“This magnificent building, what is it for?” The stranger walked inside. His hair and beard were long and white, his skin dark and wrinkled from exposure to harsh weather. His clothing was odd and unfamiliar, stained by travel and bleached by sun. He studied the elaborate carvings on the wall, which had been painted by the finest artists in Vadal City to be exceedingly lifelike. “I know who these images are meant to be.”
“Everyone knows who they are,” the boy said. “They’re our gods and heroes, sir.”
Pausing before the symbol of the meat hook, he asked, “Is this some manner of memorial?”
The old man must have just gotten off a boat from one of the mysterious foreign lands to not know about this place, because everyone in Lok made the pilgrimage here eventually. “This is the temple of Lord Ashok, god of justice.”
The old man thought about that for a moment, and then he began to laugh. He laughed as if that was the silliest thing he had ever heard.
“Don’t laugh! This temple was built on the very spot he defeated the Night Father!” The boy got off his hands and knees and angrily threw down his rag. “Don’t you dare mock Lord Ashok!”
“Calm yourself, lad. I intended no offense. I was simply unaware of the promotion.” Then he noticed for the first time what the boy had been doing. “You scrub the floor?”
“That is my obligation to scrub the floor.”
“Do they shed blood here often, then?”
What an odd question. “No. Why would they?”
“I was just wondering.”
“It is tradition. Every night one of us is asked to scrub the temple floor.”
“Do you know why?”
The boy shrugged, because tradition was tradition. It just was. “Thousands of dusty sandals walk on these sacred stones every day from all the faithful coming to pray for Lord Ashok’s guidance. It is my job to shine the stones until they are so clean they reflect the light.” The boy pointed at the glowing bulbs overhead. “The Keepers choose me for this duty a lot because I always do my best.”
“To honor your obligation is an important thing.” The old man surprised the boy by giving him a solemn, old-fashioned bow, then he surprised him again by asking, “May I help you clean?”
Nobody had ever asked the boy that before. “Sure, I guess.”
The old man took off his shoes and left them in in the entrance, so as to not track more dirt inside. He got another rag from the bucket, wrung it out, got on his knees, and began to scrub.
“You are doing it wrong,” the boy told him.
“Apologies. It has been a long time.”
“Watch how I do it.” The boy cared about his labor and wanted it done right. “See?”
The old man watched and copied him. “Yes. That is clearly the superior technique.”
The boy just shook his head and kept scrubbing. “You don’t even know what this place is for, so why do you come here?”
“I was born in this city. I’ve been away for so very long that I wanted to return one final time.” He looked at the carvings again. “I suppose I wanted to see old friends before I die.”
That made no sense. “My grandfather’s grandfather carved those. Those are gods and heroes, not friends.”
The old man chuckled and continued scrubbing. “Even gods and heroes have friends, boy. They all had love and hate and dreams and fears.”
“Lord Ashok has no fear!”
“Is that so?”
The boy decided that this must be some kind of heretical unbeliever, so it was his solemn duty to educate him about the gods. “Lord Ashok fears nothing and he still watches over us, punishing the wicked and saving the righteous. All those obligated to keep the laws pray to Lord Ashok to help them make good judgments, so they do not go astray. Our warriors try to be fearless, just like him.”
“Good for them…What do they believe about Thera?”
“Ah, so you do know some of the gods!” The boy had suspected the old man was playing a joke on him, for no one could be that ignorant. “She is Lord Ashok’s lady. Her temple is across the river, where the great tower fell on the Rakshasa’s evil head! It is said all our gods used to be forgotten, hidden away by the Night Father and his evil masks, but Thera is the one who taught us how to remember. She is mother to our people, and her love is what set us free. She waits in paradise for Lord Ashok to return to her.”
“Then she should not be kept waiting any longer.” He stood up, put the rag back in the bucket, and began walking away.
“Where are you going? The obligation isn’t done yet.”
The old stranger gave him a weary smile. “Mine is.”