This is the story that I submitted to Blooming Kalakar and was short listed for the writing competition. Even though I didn’t win, I am very grateful to all of you for giving it a read and voting for it. I really appreciate your support. In case you didn’t get a chance to read it, you can do so now. I hope you like it.

***

A millennium had passed since Gaia had placed her faith in humanity for one last time. In her somnolent state, she could vaguely recall the scene of an entire race kneeling before her, begging for her mercy. They pleaded for their life as she stood tall, towering over them with a vengeance in her eyes. Even though rage coursed through her veins, their cries had not fallen upon deaf ears. Before she was a vengeful goddess, Gaia was a mother first, watching over all the creatures that roamed on the surface of the earth. Having birthed a multitude of immortal children, Gaia knew the full extent of a child’s folly. Her heart softened towards the weakest yet most destructible beings that she governed. With a gnawing uncertainty plaguing her heart, Gaia reluctantly gave humanity their final chance for redemption. 

With hearts full of joy, the humans erected an altar in her name where they sacrificed their juiciest meat. They danced the night away while the ancient goddess watched over them. True to the promise they had made, the humans began leading the life Gaia had enforced upon them to keep them in check. The humans worked hard to please their goddess to prevent her from unleashing her wrath upon them. Humanity toiled under the supervision of the primal mother until her eyes closed once again for her thousand-year hibernation.

*

Gaia raised her hand to shield her eyes from the morning rays of the sun as her lids parted ever so slightly. While her head throbbed mercilessly, the goddess slowly opened her eyes. As the sun rose higher, painting the sky an orange hue, Gaia got to her feet. Her body complained about the movement while the world around her spun. Reaching her hand out, Gaia took support from the giant sequoia tree standing tall next to her. She closed her eyes tight, waiting for the dizziness to die down before she examined her surroundings. For a few minutes, Gaia remained perfectly still, almost appearing lifeless. Never before had she woken up from her deep slumber with severe neuralgia and a body that complained of searing pain. Gaia was the all-powerful mother who symbolised vitality. But unlike what she represented, for the first time since she took form from Chaos, Gaia felt sick.

For a few minutes, the only thing Gaia could hear in the silent forest was the sound of her laboured breathing. Through sheer will, eventually, the nauseating cloud of confusion cleared from her head. Gaia opened her timeless eyes once again to observe her domain. But before she caught sight of the world around her, Gaia’s vision fell on her cachexic hand that rested on the tree. Unable to believe what her eyes were seeing, she held her palms out in front of her face only to see them covered in wrinkled, parchment-like skin. Her covering had become so thin, almost to the point of transparency, that the numerous veins that carried ichor, the blood of the gods, were visible to the naked eye. Her body trembled, and her heartbeat quickened as she stood there examining her appendages, still in denial of what her eyes perceived. With a shaking hand, she reached out to touch her face. Instead of feeling her smooth, supple skin, her fingertips felt the wrinkles that marred her beautiful features. Unable to grasp the full extent of the situation, Gaia felt fear engulf her heart.

On weak legs, the primordial mother steadily made her way to the top of the mountain, catching her breath every few minutes. Had it not been for the dryads that materialised from their trees to help their immortal queen, Gaia would have taken days to reach the top. As she stood there with her subordinates supporting her, Gaia used her omnipresence to get a glimpse of the realm that she had entrusted to mankind. Rage dispelled the fear that had taken over her just moments ago when she realised that the oath she had made with man had been thwarted. The reason behind her body’s decay no longer remained a mystery, for the humans were bleeding her dry.

Gaia watched with clenched fists as man excavated the earth, leaving behind large gaping holes in her skeletal framework, flattened entire mountains, poisoned her rivers and culled the other inhabitants of her kingdom. The destruction of nature was at its worse that a select few had realised the devastation their species had caused. Their resolve to replenish the resources that Gaia had willingly offered for their sustenance was commendable. But the damage was far beyond anyone could comprehend. Gaia could feel parts of herself shut down. Her body was crying out for mercy as the humans continued to bleed her dry. The conclusive sign that mankind had gone too far was when the remains of a creature that belonged to the oceanic darkness washed up onshore. 

Fuelled with rage, Gaia let out an agonising scream that echoed throughout the world. She sat down heavily on the nearest bolder she could find and continued to watch the land beneath her feet. Silently she wondered if her husband’s domain was affected as bad as hers. Looking up at the clear blue sky, Gaia saw an eagle fly past. Unlike the scars she had obtained that left her disfigured, the atmosphere bore blemishes that weren’t visible to the eye. Breathing in the air, Gaia knew that it was contaminated by toxins that slowly ate away at her lungs.

“You should punish them for their insolence, mother.” A dryad ignited with a passion of purging the earth of homo sapiens spoke. She had watched countless of her sisters get axed and being burnt alive that she could no longer tolerate their existence anymore.

Gaia only nodded her head once without truly registering the words of her subject. Lost in her own thoughts her heart swelled with hatred and regret at the creatures whose desires could never be satiated. She had given them so much, yet they stabbed, dug, blew up portions of her anatomy because it was never enough. The resources she thought would last till the next crucial cosmic phenomenon was depleting faster than she could have imagined. ‘Judicious use’ was a term that did not belong in the human dictionary, for they frankly did not know what it meant. 

Gaia heaved a heavy sigh as the residents of the forest approached her. The birds weaved a crown of flowers and placed it on her oily, grey head while the smaller mammals huddled at her feet. The dryads and the nymphs stood close by, waiting for their mother’s orders. Looking at her subjects who had gathered around her, Gaia felt her heart break into two. The only reason why they were robbed of their homes and were suffering to the point of extinction was because she had favoured the human race. A wave of overwhelming remorse washed over her as she watched the sullen faces of those she had betrayed. 

Gaia raised her hand, prepared to invoke a massive catastrophe that would wipe out the human race. Other than erasing mankind from the surface of the earth, she saw no other solution. She had given them everything she had to offer. And they repaid her in full with sorrow and despair. As she sat there overlooking her domain, her mind churned for a punishment that suited the crimes they had committed. Gaia had heard of stories where other deities flooded the earth to cleanse the world of man and another where fire had rained from the sky. They were decent disciplinary measures but not good enough. Genocide caused by an immortal being would not have nearly the same effect as genocide caused by man. The pointed finger would be on the Supreme Being rather than on the root of all suffering, mankind.

Being the goddess who brought life upon the earth, who nurtured her subjects. The idea of wiping out an entire species in one fell swoop did not sit well with the eternal mother. Gaia carefully contemplated her decision. Humanity would never understand the magnitude of their crimes if Gaia decided to eradicate them. The elimination of man from the earth would be absolving them from their sins. And Gaia had no intention of letting them go scot-free. 

 A sense of dismay fell over the crowd as Gaia lowered her hand to her side. But none dared to say a word against the decision the immortal mother had made. An aura radiated from her that compelled her audience to kneel before her.

“I will allow the humans to live,” Gaia announced in a hoarse voice. No one made a sound on hearing their mother’s verdict. They continued to bow their heads in respect until a nymph timidly raised her hand above her head. Gaia’s ancient eyes fell on her before she gave the signal for her to proceed.

“Mother, I mean no disrespect to you and to the decision that you have made. But we would all like to know why you would allow the creatures who have caused so much suffering to continue living in your kingdom.” The nymph said, her voice shaking with trepidation. 

“The only person who can destroy mankind is man himself,” Gaia replied, her eyes fixed on her domain. “Do not be dismayed. They are not exempted from their punishment. I am merely delaying it. Mankind will have to deal with the complications their actions have caused. And when the time comes, they will have to endure nature’s full fury.”

The crowd fell silent as the goddess rose from her seat. She smiled as she watched the sun go down over the horizon turning the sky a shade of purple. Things that were left untouched by man still remained beautiful. The crowd parted for their queen as she got down from her throne to stand among them. Feeling the fatigue overpower her frail body, Gaia closed her eyes and felt her body become one with the earth. The primordial mother would remain dormant until mankind unleashed nature’s wrath upon them. Only then would Gaia awaken again to wreak havoc upon the world and take back what was rightfully hers.       

(Featured Image obtained from Google Images.)