10. Epilogue
Bella dove into the water and savored the moment. Life had exploded. It had exploded a hundred times. She could barely swim without stumbling into another group of Movelings—beings they slowly started to call Animals now. The only difference was a bit of food. Eating plants. But it felt as if they reinvented life, again.
This is why they did it. This is why they gave their time and tears to this barren planet.
In her godly eyes, Bella already saw the first fish-like creatures emerge. The ocean filled itself with colors, movement, life. A thousand species who had found slightly different ways to move or find food. Worms crawled over the rusting seabed, leaving behind tunnels everywhere. Animals ate the plants, but the particles they excreted also helped new plants grow.
Everything seemed balanced. As if Father had been quite smart when he invented the laws of the universe. As if, if you waited long enough, a Heavenly Palace could emerge anywhere.
And now she found time to play. Just to swim, to tease each other, to insult Darus’ bad jokes. New problems would surely come. Such as the lack of plants on land which meant a lack of land animals too.
But until then? They had their playing ball from home—but really, the entire planet was their playground.
Hanah remained a mystery. She stayed for a few days, then insisted she had to continue alone. When Bella dove into the water like a dolphin, joined by Gulvi, Hanah and her Sandbeings were ready to leave.
Darus talked to Hanah, who listened with half an ear. “But how did you make the gate? Can you teach me? How did you find those special stones?”
“The gate was a big mistake,” Hanah said, scouring the beach for her Sand King. “I couldn’t control it. And now I accidentally let loose very powerful magical objects on this world.”
“Yes, where’s mine?” Darus said. “Everyone has something. Except Bella and I.”
Hanah shrugged. “I’ll look for it. The gate must have spit them out when I wasn’t there.”
Bella climbed ashore and shook her wet raccoon fur. “You think Mother is behind it? She wants to help?”
Hanah laughed. “No. Mother would never do that.”
Bella and Darus frowned. Mother had always been sweet. If they’d returned to the palace, everyone would have visited her first. Father played Chiefgod; Mother stood behind him to clean up his mess.
“But I don’t want to ruin your image and memories of Her. You see, the longer I say, the more I ruin it.”
“No Hanah, no. We want you with us, at the Throne.”
“We weren’t made to sit inside a house and tell life what to do.” Hanah left—Bella knew she couldn’t stop it. “Zyme, zyme, zyme.”
Our Movelings were already alive, Bella thought. But we were too impatient. How could we know? Life can take on so many forms, right? Darus still claims his stones might be alive. If only I had—
“Hanah, did you find my Book of Meaning?”
“No. But I promise that if I find it, I will throw it away and hide it where no soul will ever find it.”
Bella wasn’t sure if she was joking. Hanah didn’t smile, but she always sounded sweet, never angry or mean. She even looked sweet as she walked away, further South. Surely, she could pass that invisible and mysterious wall down there. Maybe she had even made it, to prevent Bella and the others from exploring the world too quickly.
Hanah suddenly waved to something in the sky. Cosmo soared through clouds, a giant bird who was even more intimidating now that he had his Windgustwing. Feria, a beautiful pink fox, hung from his claws. As he placed her on the ground, she immediately jumped to her own feet.
“I am never flying again!”
“And I was so careful!”
“Careful? I’m glad I didn’t break my ribs! And my Hespryhound was smart enough to walk!” Feria hugged everyone, while Cosmo frowned and searched his wings for sharp edges.
“But we had to be quick,” Feria said. “It’s insanity everywhere. Every ocean is now filled with thousands of different creatures.”
Filled? Not now, Bella found, but it would be in a while. Life grew quickly. Eeris tried to have the plants grow equally quickly, to ensure food never ran out.
But a planet? An ocean? It cannot grow. Bella knew, even without her Book of Meaning, where this was headed. Today she would play and enjoy the sun. The next months she’d neatly follow the idea of Zyme. Also because she feared Hanah hid behind every stone to spy on her family and check if they did it right. By doing nothing.
But it didn’t take long, dear reader, before they were in a panic again and hastily took the next evolutionary steps. Like a chain of problems that only grows longer and bigger. A chain of food.
And so it was that life continued …