Kintu and Nambi; The Creation Story #18

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CONTINUED FROM; THE SECOND TASK#17

By Aine Susan

Gulu was not convinced that this measly human could stroll through the tasks without as much as a scratch. Where was Walumbe?  He should have been present to watch the event; his absence just proved the obvious, Kintu was getting help from the gods. Gulu scoffed at the thought of this; the mighty and powerful Walumbe serving the human? To think all this could have been avoided if he hadn’t made that mistake so many years back, if he’d settled for a life in the heavens in perpetual celebration. Gulu’s children thought he would never understand them – maybe it was true. He had always considered his extraordinary knowledge as more of a curse. Every nerve in his skull shuddered as glimpses of the  past haunted him. 

This story had turned into a horrendous mess. It all started the day Gulu decided that the heavens couldn’t possibly exist on their own. His visions and dreams showed him a lot more… varieties of creatures; with more or less legs than one, creatures that could soar above the ground, others that could glide through vast pools of water, or wear so many colours that one could but long to gaze; even for a second. At the time, it all seemed like an illusion meant to forever dwell in the dark.  It all changed when he opened up to the least expected god in the heavens – Kibuuka; the god of war. Everyone, except Gulu thought his consistent success in battle was a result of wit and might. It was actually born of his gift; a talent in foresight and prediction. He too had seen the possibilities that haunted Gulu’s dreams. They both understood that power wasn’t everything, that there was something greater, more hopeful; untainted by the bias of immortality or the upper hand of controlling any chosen element of the universe.

Kibuuka had always been better at diplomacy.He was the only one who could transform these dreams to  reality. His way with words was simply unmatchable. With their skills combined, Gulu and Kibuuka were able to convince all the gods to join their quest to create the new world – a replica of the heavens.

The due day finally arrived and the gods assembled at the center of heaven, with each face showing a different emotion, ranging from the worst cases of anxiety to enthusiasm.

 Gulu’s only son, at the time, Kayikuzi, stood there with his ragged bone structure shivering like a wet bird. The ceremony began – it was phenomenal. All that came to Gulu’s mind were the chants, meditation, bright lights and flashes of features and creatures, best known to the minds from whence they came. The events of the day were brought to a halt by a loud explosion that set everyone into a frenzy. All that remained from the sparks was a huge rock, which Kibuuka approached with enough caution to keep a feline comfortably asleep. He touched the rock gently and stroked it slowly, with his face pressed into the stern look that spread across it as he peeked into the future.

“This rock holds three intertwined futures.  One, our goal, contains the ability to pass on the greatest gift – life; along with hope and love; the potential for a life in the new world. The second supports the first; as a protector and steward of the new world – less powerful than the first, but very valuable for its existence. For the third however, we must fear: it comes with a thirst for peace, that will never be quenched, a longing for which there exists no fulfillment. With these three, a balance is struck in the new world – subtract any one, and the universe will tear apart. We must decide now, whether to keep this rock sealed, for the sake of keeping a potentially great evil at bay, or to break it open and give life to the new world we have unveiled; to see it grow and develop into something glorious,” Kibuuka concluded, glaring up at the circle of gods who just stared in awe.

To be continued

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