In all my wanderings, Texas has got to be one of the most miserable places for vagabonds. Actually, as a whole Texas is pretty miserable for people in general, well, the ones that don’t live there at least. The people that live there seem to like it well enough. There must be some opiate in the water because I was starting to like it here as well.285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvOifdNEacb
“What do you think, Zig? This would be a pretty nice place to settle, wouldn’t it?” Zig just looked at me in his typical fashion. He was a quiet creature and didn’t like to talk much. Then again, I guess if you live with someone for over a thousand years you start to run out of things to say. When you live with someone for a million years blinking can communicate entire thoughts and emotions. When you live with someone as long as Zig and I have been doing this, well, there really isn’t much point in even talking. I knew that, he knew that, he also knew I hated when he did it. So I flicked him on his nose.285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSI08hxvW2M
“Hey! What was that for?” I stared at him. He huffed and settled down. “Well it reminds me much of the old badlands. I hate it. Just like I hated that place.”285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6oXya6UCFn
“You know you shouldn’t harbor hate in your heart Zig.” He huffed again. “Seriously you will be stuck like that forever if you don’t learn to let go of it.”285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNV4tb2sO8O
“I’m old you have to indulge me.”285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLPQRLA45iV
“Zig, you are only two months older than I am.”285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRDuOKPVDHj
“Indulge me damnit!” I sighed and put my arms out. This was an old, familiar fight. Neither one of us could take it seriously anymore; that and Zig has always been much more stubborn than I am.285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCLNI663hK6
“There’s nothing around, the only water out here is well underground and the people who live here should be as well. Idiots, all of them.”285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAta71W7vnw
“Zig.” I interjected. I definitely didn't want this conversation again. Lucky for me he stopped.285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsGLs2zEPT8
“What would you settle down with anyways? There is naught but tumbleweeds and mesquite.”
I looked around at that. He Was right of course, there really was little in the way of building materials. I thought as we walked through the cooling desert. “We could always build down.” I said after a couple of miles. That got me another scoff.285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2cYCZlyU0n
“You know as well as I that we are doomed to roam forever.”285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMfnUX8pghj
“Not,” my voice cracked with the emotion those words brought up, “forever.”285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfzUeQGmrD4
“It feels like forever.”285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCLo73I7cj3
“You’re kind of an ass sometimes, you know?”285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxX607emyJW
“Love it or hate it you are stuck with me until forever.”285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTcl5LLQS2n
“Forever.” I deadpanned. “Forever is such a long time.” Zig grunted. We walked in silence for the next two days, through the blistering heat and frigid cold. Not one person in sight, of course. That’s why we came out here, to get away from people for a while. Zig’s antisocial nature finally asserting itself after a long period of us being ‘in the limelight’ as he called it. I have no idea what he was talking about but I figured he needed his time away from the hustle and bustle of civilization.285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIrIva2L9fq
The thing about immortality is that you don't really have to worry about the little things like food or water. The body just keeps finding something to nourish itself on. I think at least. That’s how my sister explained it. That’s her gift, an innate understanding and resonance with magic, the years have only honed her abilities. So doing the normal things like eating and sleeping can be completely forgone for a time. Sleep it turns out is particularly important for humans. Thankfully for immortals the need is far more manageable to stay sane, though we have all pushed it.285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLFOUOS2iyN
“Zig.” I said. “What do you think will happen when the curse is lifted?” This was the apology question and signified the end to the fight. It always brought us into better spirits.285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd3Eb8alP5K
“Well you will either die of gluttony or starvation. You are far too comfortable with depriving yourself of food and drink.”285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2z8JOKioG1
“Perks of the job. I can start eating anytime I’d like. Maybe I’ll chop off a bit of you to eat.”285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0vsgZm6JVt
“Bah, you don’t have anything to cut me with.”285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoLvMTkMwba
“True enough.” Tufts of green were starting to sprout across the dusty terrain and started getting thicker and hardier the further we walked.
Zigs head shot up, “There’s a heard of something coming towards us.” I breathed in and smelled the telltale tang of fresh water in the air.285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnnidBY7inS
“There’s a water source nearby, they must be heading towards that.”285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqDyH1oc5lp
“I think you fail to understand the importance of what I just said.” He fixed me with a serious stare. “There Is a heard of something heading directly towards us.”285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy8pb1R8GnA
“Oh. Any idea how far that water source is?”285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdtuaZ5UMJy
Zigs nostrils flared almost imperceptibly, a questioning look on his face. “Half an hour’s walk north, if that.” I quickly turned north and walked briskly towards the fresh water. “Why are you walking towards the water? No. Damn it, no, we are not starting this again. All I wanted was some peace and quiet for a week or two. Just head east and we will miss them completely.” Zig was tugging on me trying to change my course. Of course he couldn’t do much, this was my talent, nothing can stop it when the time comes. If there were that many animals all heading one direction there was bound to be drivers with them. I had heard of cattle herding was on the rise here in Texas but I never really understood the scope of it. I mean usually people can envision only so much in the way of numbers. I could envision quite a bitbut you don’t realize how many three thousand cattle really is until they are right up on you, in the stench.285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKi3zdw6BUd
Zig groaned. He was probably remembering the cattle from the old days. Bred to be hulking monsters of walking protein, with the ability for perfect regeneration over the course of a day or so families were able to be self sufficient off two or three never needing to be killed when a chunk could be hacked off with out the animal noticing. There was no widespread hunger back then, before the breaking of the world that would later be called The Years of Tears, before the great flood, before most of humanity was lost. Before the curse. Before those times were forgotten. Well, not completely forgotten, I do not forget even if thing were better left forgotten. I remember the cause of it all. It is a special story, one that will eventually be told but not today, not when even Zig doesn’t know that I know. The pain, even after all these millions of years, is still too raw. I have no choice, it’s my talent.285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwVXWs6t8R1
The drivers arrived around half way through the stench train, more arriving periodically until the last of the showed up around dusk. My small pond or river turned out to be a gigantic lake. Had I been a smaller person I would have called it an ocean, but it wasn’t and I am not. It was an impressive lake though, not yet tainted by the technological advancement of man, polluting and generally ruining the planet. To the long lived this change has happened so suddenly that there is no other explanation but for it to be directed from a single force. It smelled of my brother, manipulation was something he was a master of. Like the rest of my family he was gifted with a talent. Being able to understand and invent, he has no equal when it comes to technology of any form. Though he means well, I’m sure, he is directly responsible for eradicating several whole cultures leaving almost nothing behind. His biggest failures and largest casualty list all stem from him attempting magic. He is also directly involved in the spontaneous generation of several classes of creature and material, probably his most famous creation being ironwood which was an attempt to stop people from fighting with spears and other wooden weapons. 285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqdL4Qd8Y9k
The riders were hard men, they knew their job and pursued it relentlessly. They were as cautious as they were hard though. They approached me warily neither giving the impression of fear nor trust, they were smart men. Too many wanted to take advantage of others in the wilderness, some would even say that I was one of them. One approached my camp, he was hazy in the smoke of my campfire. The wood was wet and hissed and popped irregularly, the smoke dense yet not thick enough to completely obscure. The man was grizzled, with several days growth of beard making him look menacing. Which is probably why they sent him as emissary. He looked like the type of person you would think twice of before starting a fight. I smiled at him.285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiY6rhsbIs0
“ ‘Lo there stranger. What business do you have here?” It was quite possibly the most disarming voice I have ever heard come from such a tough looking character. It actually sounded like he wasn’t even past puberty yet. They actually sent the youngest to talk to me, it had to be an initiation of some sort. 285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE1OzC4cab1
“ ‘Lo there.” I said mimicking his accent. “Just resting from a long walk, figured here was good of place as any.” It wasn’t a lie if I squinted real hard I could even see the kernel of truth buried in it. 285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡesOVMvIWKn
“Where you headin’ to?” He asked, I guess he figured out my accent wasn’t native.285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkxZmej8Wcs
“Wherever my feet take me.” I adjusted my smile to be more welcoming. He was hard to read but he was having even more trouble needling in on me. Especially since I was being so open, can’t really judge a truthful man harshly is what I was told. “I was just getting ready to start dinner, you folks are welcome to join me if you’d like. I don’t have much but eating with people is much better than eating alone.” I relaxed my face and looked into the boys eyes. “It’s bad for the soul, ya know?”285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB3dCZ2dcnT
“You don’t talk like the other folks from these parts, but you don’t seem to be a bad sort either, I’ll talk it out with the other guys.” Then he turned his horse around and rode towards his fellows.285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvPGC2WYZ6F
“Think they will accept my invitation Zig?”285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1xXX6x3Rej
“If they have been out for half as long as they smell they will be in some want for company. Though I don’t know why you offered them food since you have none to speak of.”285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhTiuCKHnp7
“You worry too much Zig. Why can’t you just let things sort themselves out?”285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJRC0EW5oZe
“This is not an Elder’s damned story, these things don’t just work themselves out, it takes planning and preparation for things to work out in real life.”285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHwOfMme0MM
“There you go, lecturing again.”285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1gNO1lcSUQ
“Ah, do what you want then.” I felt a pressure lift from my shoulder and Zig was gone. He’d be back, he always came back. He didn’t have a choice really, but mainly it was because he didn’t like to be alone for very long.285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8tFhMyRTov
“Now,” I said. “Let’s go about making good on that food.” Despite what many religions say there is nothing really dark about it. Nor light, white, black, or any other color. You don’t have to sell your soul to gain powers, neither do you have to be born into it, you merely need to know the appropriate formula and the original language the formulae are written in. Over the years my sister has tried to adapt the language to more modern languages, she has failed more times than she has succeeded. The more language deviates from the original the less potent and unreliable the spell will be. But there are limits to magic. You cannot get something for nothing except for very rare occasions even in magic. You need the exact mass of materials to exchange for what you want to appear. Theoretically one person could change the entire planet into a giant turtle if they could calculate the exact mass of the Earth. I know this because my sister knows this. She even came up with the formula to do so, she burned it as soon as it was done. Perpetually naive she may be, but she is not stupid. 285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeOPlOdJ69r
So I gathered what I would need. A circle in the ground, some sand to turn into salt, and some rocks to use as the meat and potatoes of the meal. In a matter of minutes the ingredients were ready to be cooked. Granted none of it would taste much better than what they were originally. Another drawback to magic is that created food will keep much of it’s original taste which is why it’s always better to create raw foods to be cooked, at least then you have the delicious smell to occupy the senses. A few more minutes and some more careful use of magic I had shaped what I needed to cook with out of some larger rocks.Today was going to be special, today was a day to tell a story. 285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡloLjo5JSsY
It was my responsibility to make sure people didn’t forget what happened, even if it is told as a fictional tale, people need to know, they need to remember what they are meant to do. Every living thing has a purpose whether they know it or not. The important thing is not to deny it, only bad things happen when you do that. Poor Gar was the one that demonstrated it for all to see. Above all other reasons, he has always been the primary reason we became immortal. 285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuhSC3pzZHh
The stew was almost done by the time the riders showed up for their meal. The boy must have had a difficult time convincing some of them to come share a meal. 285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuDGgAna7d8
“Welcome!” I said as the first entered into the circle of light my now stable fire had created. 285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiU0GsGvKtq
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“ ‘lo.” One of the older riders said. He had long hair under his hat, the dark hair flowed down just below his neck, his beard greying, this man knew his trade, at least he looked the part. “My boy says you are looking’ to share a meal.”285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbKqJwRDd7W
“Indeed, come and sit. All I have is stew but you are welcome to it. Just be warned I’m a terrible cook.” The old man nodded. 285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1ADh8y4wHq
“My boy said you had nothing but your fire, so we scrounged up some extra food, that’s what took us so long to join you.”285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM760wwZZoK
“That is very generous of you kind sir. I do have enough for everyone to eat but as I said I am a terrible cook and it might be best if y’all ate what you brought.” The rider noded again and sat down after getting a bowl full of the rock stew. One by one each rider took their portion of the stew. One by one each grimaced as they tried to get the stew past their tongues. A hundred million years and I still cannot cook worth a damn. In a show of virility I have never seen the equal to each man downed the bowl and started politely eating the rations they brought with them. 285Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCj6QRMpaGC
“You are brave men, each one of you, to face my cooking with such determination. Maybe I can soothe that foul taste with a story, the likes of which none of you have ever heard.” The men looked at me, curious but otherwise saying nothing. I took a sip of my stew, grimaced, choked, and finally swallowed. I set the bowl down and tipped it over. “Have you men ever heard of a place called ‘Uruk’? “ I didn’t expect them to know so I continued on. “My friends let me tell you of a man named Gilgamesh.”
