The Golden Pool

It is said that at the top of the world, on a golden bed, lies a golden pool. The pool holds the birth fluid of the mother of the world, expelled upon the birth and guarded by a great serpent. As long as the birth waters remain so to will the world. But even gods can be foolish and petty. A great battle took place, jealousy and greed divided them. In the final battle, the serpent was wounded and the golden bed was broken. All fighting stopped as the gods realized their deed. Watching in dismay as the precious fluid began to run out, one stepped forward. A patch was applied, but the leak could not be completely stopped. Eventually the water would all leak out and the world would cease to exist. In shame the gods retreated from the world that they had doomed with their folly. Leaving it to the lesser beings, the angels and the demons. Leaving the waters of time slowly draining away.

         Angelica climbed down the rock wall, fingers and feet threatening to slip from their precarious supports. Biting her lip and trying not to look down, she wondered for the hundredth time why she was doing this. Just what made her think she was up to doing this? The answer was simple, no one else was willing or able to come. Plain and simple, except that she was little more than no one. What if she failed? Which actually seemed pretty much a guarantee.
         "Who are you?" snapped a voice behind her. Fingers slipping, she struggled for a moment, then retained her grasp. "I am Angelica," she gasped. "I have come to help."
         Turning her head slightly, she gaped and the quickly closed her eyes shutting out the sight of the demon hovering behind her. "Please go away and let me climb down in peace." she asked in a low voice.
         "So you are Angelica?," the demon laughed. "Where are your wings? You ARE supposed to be an angel aren't you?"
         Tears prickled at her eyes as she gulped down the sudden lump in her throat. "I am ... well not exactly an angel any more." she said, shame reddening her cheeks. "I was stripped of my wings. But," she continued with a rush, "no one else wanted to come. So here I am."
         Angelica clutched harder at the wall as his wild crazed laughter echoed off the cliff. Shudders ran through her body, as once again she wondered just why she had come and what she thought she could do to help.
         "Be gone foul beast," a low voice said softly but firmly from above her. "Take yourself down to the bottom and be quiet for once. Are you going to be all right, Ange?"
         She started, "How did you know everyone calls me Ange?" Leaning slightly away from the wall, she caught a glimpse of the voice's owner. "Oh!" she gasped suddenly nervous, "What are you doing here?"
         "Relax," chuckled the hooded figure above her. "I am not here to take you. I am here to do what I can, the same as you. And to that end, I thought you would like to know that there is a path a few yards to your right. I think you would find the way down much easier if you used it."
         Angelica's cheeks felt like fire as Death's low chuckle drifted back to her. Why oh why did she always have to do things the hard way. How could she have missed that path? She silently berated herself. Edging sideways, she reached the path safely and followed the eerie figure down the trail.
         "So we are the big saviors of the world?" sneered Marsapheus, his wings rustling with nervous energy. "Well I think we can kiss the world goodbye." His grating laugh making Angelica visibly cringe and Death frown in disapproval.
         Silence settled over them like a heavy blanket. Marsapheus' wings snapped irritably, as he waited impatiently for someone to speak. Ange studied the ground intently, determined not to be the first to speak.
         With a heavy sigh and a shake of his head Death spoke, "Well I assume that you are both here as representatives of your various, umm realms, as am I. So it is up to us to decide what needs to be done and how to go about it. Either of you have any suggestions?"
         "Yeah I think we should just let it go and if the world ends, it ends." With a grin at his own wit, Marsapheus stretched out his wings in a blatant "look at me" stance.
         "Of course you would say that, you nasty, foul mouthed fiend." snapped Ange, fists clenched at her sides. "You would like to see all the good vanish for all time wouldn't you?"
         Launching himself into the air, Marsapheus glared down at her, smoke starting to puff out of his ears. "And why not, just what has good accomplished? Oh sure a little miracle here or there, an occasional good deed," he hissed evilly. "But most of the important discoveries have been made in the advancement of some "not-so-good" ideals."
         "Great discoveries are not always good for the people. So your example doesn't mean anything at all!" Ange shouted, voice trembling in fury.
         "We must not fight among ourselves." reasoned Death calmly. "Marsapheus, if the world ceases to exist. What makes you think your realm will continue to exist? Your whole reason for being is to tempt people away from the path of light. If there are no more people to tempt, there is no reason for your existence."
         Marsapheus hung in the air for a moment, his mouth opening and closing. Then sheepishly he fluttered to the ground, the smoke dissipating.
         "Ok, does anyone have any HELPFUL suggestions?" continued Death as if the little spat had never occurred. "We know that we need to stop the leak permanently, but how do we accomplish what the god's could not?"
         "Well not to speak ill of anyone, but I don't think they tried very hard." offered Ange, then cringed and glanced upward as if expecting a lightning bolt to appear any second.
         Death stared at her for a second and then smiled, "I think you are probably right. If so, even better for us. That means we have a real chance to find a solution to our problem. We need to repair the crack, plain and simple. So let's go take a look at it, see exactly what we need to do."
         The "bed" was actually a wide shallow bowl of gold. It shown in the light of the full moon with a warmth that spoke of the promise of the morning and the sunlight to follow.
         Ange was the one who found it. The crack was clearly visible, the patch a lighter shade of gold that fused the sides together. As she followed the crack down the side of the bowl, she noticed it at the bottom. "I know why it is leaking," she said solemnly pointing. "There is a chip missing, such a small chip that it could be easily overlooked."
         "Great work Ange," Death smiled with approval. "Ok, spread out and see if we can find it." Getting on his hands and knees, Death started crawling along the rocky floor, carefully studying the ground.
         Ange thought for a moment, well it might have flown along ways with the force of the blow. With that thought she moved to the base of the cliffs and began her search there.
         Marsapheus moved around the bowl and hovered above the ground, slowly moving back and forth while patting the ground haphazardly with his hands.
         The full moon had set and the sun was high in the sky, when Ange sat back on her heals and wiped the sweat from her forehead. "I don't think it's here, or at least we are not going to find it this way."
         "I am afraid you are right," sighed Death heavily. "But what else can we do?" He took a long drink from a bottle, then offered it to the others. "Some water?"
         As they sat around and argued about what to do next, the sun began to sink into the west. No one knew what to do and tempers were starting to heat up as the day cooled. "We have to decide what to do!" raged Ange in a sudden temper tantrum. "We are sitting here deciding nothing."
         "And what do you think we are going to do?" snarled Marsapheus nastily. Then laughed when Ange leaped to her feet, her fists clenched.
         "Ok, we all need to calm down," soothed Death. "There must be someone who can help us. We just have to do some research and find out who."
         "I can help you, if you assk." hissed a strange voice behind them.
         Turning toward the bed as one, their mouths fell open at the huge serpent rising before them. "I wass here the day that the bed wass broken. I wass here when the godss tried to fix it. I tried to tell them of the chip, but they were not interessted in what I had to ssay."
         Ange finally broke the group's silence. "Are you?" she trailed off unsure of herself.
         "Yess," hissed the serpent in amusement. "I am he, the guardian of the golden bed, keeper of the preciouss waterss. Failure." With that last word, his head drooped down in misery.
         "But how could you be expected to have stopped the Gods from fighting?" soothed Ange, recognizing the guilt that the serpent bore heavily.
         "That iss not my failure," he continued. "My failure iss that I wass not able to sstop the one who sstole the chip. I sstayed to protect the bed from further damage, but that wass unneeded."
         "But you didn't know that," Ange asserted earnestly. "You did what you thought was right." She added thoughtfully, "That is all any of us can do."
         "Oh come on! Get to the important information." Masapheus bounced excitedly and leaned forward. "Who stole the chip?"
         "Antigua, goddesss of the the animal kingdom came and brought sseveral of her minionss," he paused. "The little curiouss one with the massk picked up the chip and carried it away with him."
         All were silent as that simple answer stunned them. "But," said Ange, breaking the silence. "How are we going to find something an animal stole?"
         Marsapheus and Death looked at each other in bewilderment, then back at Ange. "I don't know," whispered Death.
         Marsapheus leaped into the air angrily. "Well someone think of something!" He flew back and forth, wings slapping loudly in agitation.
         "If I may be sso bold," the serpent hissed. "Why don't you go assk Antigua where the little one went."
         The other three looked at each other startled. "Do you think we could?" asked Ange, doubtfully.
         "I don't think we have a choice," added Death with a shrug. "We don't have a lot of other options."
         Marsapheus seemed to shrink in size and curled his wings around him. "uhh, do you need me to come with you?" he said, chewing his fingernails.
         Something is his voice caused the other two to look at him closely. "Ok, what did you do?" asked Death with a chuckle.
         "Well," Marsapheus said sheepishly. "I kind of teased her favorite flying squirrel." He continued hurriedly, "I didn't really hurt him, I mean he CAN fly after all. It was a long time ago, so maybe she has forgotten?" He added hopefully.
         "I am not going to ask for details," said Death dryly. "I am sure it's not as simple as you are making it out to be. But as we said, we don't have a choice. And," he looked at Marsapheus sharply, "we are all in this together. So we head to the nearest temple and respectfully request an audience with the goddess Antigua, agreed?" He waited expectantly for their nods. "Good, I believe that there is a temple not too far from here. Might as well head out now."
         After a short trip back up the cliff and across the plains for a few hours, they came to the temple. In the moonlight of the newly rising moon, the temple seemed to glow with an otherworldly presence. The trio approached it wearily, Marsapheus hanging back further and further until a sharp word from Death brought him up to the others again.
         Silently they entered the temple, Marsapheus nervously jumping at every little noise. "Well," ventured Death, "who wants to to call to her?"
         "There is no need to call anyone." Boomed a loud female voice. "I am here already. Why do you come to my house seeking me? And why do you bring that creature with you?" With the last sentence her voice boomed even louder.
         Marsapheus let out a cry and threw himself at the feet of the woman who appeared in front of the altar. "Antigua, I didn't hurt him. I was only having some fun with him. Please don't kill me."
         "Mighty Antigua," said Death solemnly. "We have come to ask for your help, for a very important quest. Please hear our plea. We are ALL here to represent our kingdoms."
         Antigua studied Death and the others for several minutes. "What is this quest that you would have my help with?"
         Ange had been silent until this moment, studying the goddess curiously. "Mighty Antigua," she curtsied. "We have been chosen to try to fix the golden bed and stop the waters of birth from leaking out." She paused.
         "And you think you can do what the gods could not?" Antigua said with a raised eyebrow. "Are you mightier than the gods now?"
         Ange's mouth snapped shut, her face turning white. "Forgive me," she whispered. "But I was thinking that maybe because of the fighting and everything, that not too much effort was made on the patch." She continued with a rush. "And I found that a small chip is missing, that is where the leak is coming from." her voice faltered, her nerve gone.
         Antigua studied the girl thoughtfully. "So child what is it you want of me?"
         Color rushing back into her face, Ange offered a trembling smile. "The great serpent that guards the bed, said that on the day of the great battle he saw what took the chip. Your masked companion picked it up and carried it away. The serpent stayed to protect the bed from further harm and didn't see where the small one went. Do you know what could have happened to the chip, where the masked one could have taken it?"
         "That one has long since ceased to be," frowned the Goddess. "But I could show you where he denned."
         With a wave of her hand, they were deep in a forest. Antigua walked toward a tree talking softly and holding out her hand. As she neared the tree a masked face popped out of a hollow, chattering anxiously. Antigua crooned softly, then began to talk. "The little one, knows of what you are looking for. But," she turned and looked at them. "He is reluctant to give up a treasure that has been theirs for centuries. You see this little one is a descendant of the thief." She laughed at the insulted look on the raccoon's face. "Do you have anything to offer to take it's place?"
         They looked at each other in consternation. "We never thought of having to trade for the chip." protested Ange. Her voice trailed off as she noticed the other two staring at her throat. Instinctively she clutched at the golden symbol hanging from her throat. "No," she gasped. "I know what you are thinking, and you can't ask that of me. It is all I have left." she broke off as sobs burst from her throat.
         "You are right, we have no right to ask that of you." said Death apologetically. "We will have to think of something else." He awkwardly patted her shoulder, then he and Marsapheus began to whisper urgently.
         Ange sobbed quietly for a few minutes, then angrily wiped away the tears. "There is nothing else to give. You both know that." she jerked the chain over her head roughly. "Here, take it. It is worthless anyway if we can't repair the bed."
         Death solemnly took the chain from her hand. He stood for a minute with bowed head, Marsapheus sniffling behind him, then handed the necklace to Antigua.
         "This is a noble gift you are giving," said the goddess with a gentle smile. "You will surely be blessed." Holding out the necklace, she placed it in the raccoon's hands and received a tiny golden teardrop in return. "Here," she handed the drop to Ange. "May your quest be finished and what was sundered made whole again." The goddess touched them one by one sending them back to the valley of the bed.
         They stood looking at each other for several minutes. Suddenly Marsapheus burst into tears. "That was so wonderful what you did and so horrible for you."
         Ange blushed, "Well it wouldn't matter anyway if we couldn't fix the crack. So it wasn't really anything."
         Death gazed at her, "It was everything in that you sacrificed the thing most important to you, for the good of all. I don't know what happened to make you loose your wings, but I think it must have been a mistake."
         Blushing deeper, Ange threw her arms around both of them, tears trickling down her cheeks. "Thank you both. I am so glad that I met you. And I will never forget you."
         Disentangling her arms, Death took a deep breath. "It is time now. Ange, you must ask the gods for their aid to repair the crack."
         Raising her hands to the sky, Ange began to pray in a soft but carrying voice. As they other two watched, she began to glow with power. Lightning seemed to leap from her body. Slowly lowering her hands, she turned to the others. "Hold my hands, as we put the chip into place. We must all be connected and as one."
         As one they walked to the golden bed, the chip cradled in Ange's cupped hands, her hands cupped in return by the others. Kneeling down, she gently placed the chip at the bottom of the crack.
         A huge boom of sound and a tremendous flash of light, left them blind and deaf for several minutes. Ange was the first to recover her sight and she stared in wonder. "We did it!" she cried tears springing to her eyes again.
         They all stared in wonder at the bed, the crack gone as if it had never existed. The serpent raised his head, "Thank you, ssaviors of the world. As the bed wass healed sso too wass I. Your names sshall be ssung forever more." Then he slithered from sight.
         From the top of the cliff, Ange looked down at the golden pool once again. "It is so beautiful." she sighed, then turning abruptly. "I know we weren't together very long. But I will miss you two, if ever you have need of a former angel, call me."
         "And the same goes for us," smiled Death, Marsapheus sniffling and nodding behind him. "We will be your friends forever." One last hug and the three turned and went their separate ways.