A golden sun was setting against the white feathery clouds in the sky. It glowed with fiery illumination over the small cliffside village of Monsa. As it reached the altitude of the mountains, the sun seemed to crown the white marble church dedicated to its honor. Each day the sun would glide across the sky, rising from the easternmost peaks of the mountains. It would set in the west by evening, brightening the church before disappearing into the sea. This natural phenomenon helped to fuel the faith of the people of Monsa.

The Church of the Sun has accumulated many myths over the centuries since its construction. Some of these myths were uplifting to the villagers, while others cautioned against foreigners and nonconformists. These beliefs affect every aspect of village life, including marriage, childbirth, employment, and the right to live in the community. Of the many fabrications, three stood out as the most central to the church’s doctrine.

The first belief is that Lord Vadim, God of the Sun, is the sole inheritor of the entire world Krása. His father Áki, God of the Starry Sky, created it at the beginning of time. As Áki was nearing his death, he named his son Vadim Lord of Krása and leader of the other gods. Many gods were shocked when Áki finally died, as gods were supposed to be immortal. They came to accept Vadim’s guardianship over the world and themselves in time. Of Krása’s many deities, two resisted Vadim’s sovereignty.

The second belief is regarding Zale, God of the Sea, who rejected Áki’s will and wanted to rule everything himself. Vadim attempted to reason with him, but that ultimately failed as Zale declared war on all gods that were loyal to Vadim. Zale was a powerful god protected by the ocean’s depths from the light of Vadim. The absence of that light slowly caused darkness to grow in his heart. Zale abandoned his love Vadoma, Goddess of the Moon, to create monsters and storms. He terrorized both mortal and deity alike. Kaplans of the past and present teach that Vadim must stop him nightly to prevent the sea from rising and drowning the world.

The third belief concerns Vadoma, who is also the older sister of Vadim. Losing both her father and her love drove her into madness. Insanity took her to such a point that she declared only she should rule. Vadoma believed as the leader of all things, she could bring an end to the war between sea and sun. Zale rejected her pleas and instead took a foreign goddess for his bride. Kaplans teach that it is forbidden to say the name of Zale’s wife because she embodies chaos itself. Her mere presence causes the sea to move, making crashing waves. Vadim attempted to comfort Vadoma, but she became jealous and declared she would reclaim the world and Zale. The Monsan people believe she casts a false light on the planet, leading women astray with false dreams and desires for power. Vadim grants strength to men and wisdom to Kaplans so they may protect the women of Monsa from the moon’s madness.

***

The sun had set, and the Monsan people gave thanks to the sun once more. With that, the service was over, and everyone returned home to prepare dinner. Likewise, Marika and Edda began walking back to their respective homes. Edda seemed distant as Marika rattled on about one thing and another. Eventually, they found their way back to the blue granite house with the aspen door in the emerging darkness. They entered the house, and Marika spun around quickly after Edda closed the door.

“Edda, you have been unusually quiet. Is something bothering you?” Marika questioned.

“I think I am just tired. I should probably skip dinner and go to bed.” Edda softly spoke.

“Well, that seems entirely unnecessary. We always have family dinner after church. Just have dinner, then you can go home.” Marika pointedly urged Edda.

 “Marika. I think you do not hear me, daughter-in-law. I just do not have the stomach for anything else tonight.” Edda tersely said while raising the volume of her voice.

Marika glared in confusion. “Anything else? You have not eaten as far as I can tell. Tell me the truth, Edda. What is wrong?” Marika spoke with concern in her voice.

Edda sighed. “I think I am too old for intrigues, and I should just go home.”

“Ok, out with it. You are being unnecessarily dramatic.” Marika declared in frustration.

Edda somberly spoke, “Marika, I do not care what you and the Kaplan do in the dark of night. I do ask you to think of Pétur before publicly displaying your affections again. If you two were ever to be found out, it would devastate him. My time is short before the wolf calls me home, and I can bare such disrespect to my son’s memory, but poor Pétur is still innocent.”

Marika stared murderously into Edda’s eyes. “How dare you! I would never do what you are suggesting, and perhaps if you had made your own prysiaha to our Lord, you would not make such insane accusations. The Kaplan is a childhood friend. He has always had an eye for me. Even before you and Rybak came to our village all those years ago. I am friendly with him because he has graciously donated food to help us since Rybak’s death. Never question my devotion to our faith or my son. Never question my honor or my love for Rybak.” There was a momentary uneasy silence between the women before Marika spoke again. “Let me remind you, Mother Sila, that I have provided for you through the Kaplan’s charity where others have not. Should you decide to comment again on the means that I acquire your provisions, you might find yourself begging in the streets for food. Given your lackluster reputation in town, I suspect the wolf will call you sooner than planned.”

Pétur walks in with Wilk trotting behind him. Seeing the tension between his mother and grandmother, he asks, “Is something wrong?”

“Oh, nothing, dear.” Edda calmly stated. “I was just heading home as I am tired from church. Have a good evening.”

After Edda walked out of the door, Marika slammed the door behind her. She turned around angrily and began shouting at Pétur. “Where were you?” She waits for a moment as Pétur begins to stammer and screams, “On second thought, I do not care. You missed church and will have no dinner tonight. Starting tomorrow, you will report to Kaplan Rufa for religious training. Since you will not take a wife, then you will serve the church. This will continue every day until you decide to marry. If you choose not to marry, then you will become this town’s next Kaplan.”

Pétur despondently mumbled, “yes, mother.” He hung his head low and started towards the stairs.

“And one more thing, boy! You will declare your prysiaha by moon’s end or by Vadim you will regret ever coming home!” Marika roared.

Pétur nodded in silence and walked up to the attic as tears slowly rolled down his eyes. He crawled into his bed and wept silently to himself. He could see the sky through his open window and noticed how beautiful the moon looked tonight. It gave him some solace as the world around him grew dark, and slowly the pain subsided as he drifted off to sleep.

***

The darkness Pétur remembered faded from his sight. All he could see was a brightness that was partially blinding. As the luminosity eased slowly, he could make out bits of things. He felt a cool breeze and saw patches of sunlight through an opaque white mist. Strange spatial sensations caused Pétur to look down and see that he was floating above the ocean. Water extended in all directions, seemingly kissing the horizon. Pétur was so bewitched by its beauty that he had no reaction to his floating in midair. He had never seen the ocean so still and calm before. As Pétur stared, the whole area moved away from him. In a moment, he realized and looked skyward. He was rising towards the sun and the moon in its fullness.

Pétur thought it strange that the sun and the moon were so close. The glow of the yellow light drew his eyes in. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t look away. A tiny speck of black appeared to grow until it emerged as a honeybee. The bee was enormous and seemed about half the size of a newborn wolf pup. It pulsated with the same golden glow the sun did. Gradually, the bee made its way toward the moon. The bright silver light of the full moon called the honeybee to it. The insect’s glow blended the gold with the silver, transforming into an electrum-colored hue as it drew nearer. In a swirl of lights, the bee became an amber-like crystal. It emanated a strange honeylike light that caused changes in the moon. The moon’s brightness diminished, changing the full moon into a crescent. The crystal began floating towards Pétur, focusing its light on him.

Pétur marveled at the wonder of it all. He felt a sense of peace inside himself while looking at the translucent stone. It made him feel welcome, and there was a sense of belonging that he couldn’t explain. Instinctually he reached out, but it fell just as he was about to touch it. The crystalline stone crashed into the ocean, causing ripples and waves to move the once still waters. All manner of life seemed to explode from the point where it hit the surface. The amber light grew dimmer as the stone sunk into the deep. Pétur felt an unusual attachment and longing for the stone. There was a bittersweetness to the explosion of life and the stone’s disappearance.

As he glared down at the scene unfolding, he noticed a woman in a raft. She was in her mid-thirties with dark brown hair and wearing a scarlet dress. Pétur looked closer and realized it was his own mother. Marika began fearfully calling out for him while struggling to stay afloat. Pétur tried to call out, but no sound left his throat. The waves grew frighteningly larger, and he could see her floundering in their turbulence. He tried to gain her attention but to no end. Without warning, a gigantic shadow emerged underneath the raft. It expanded quickly until it was larger than the raft. Then Pétur realized what the shadow was. It was a monstrous shark. It rose upwards before he could do anything, swallowing the raft and his mother whole. All became silent and still as the waves lost their momentum. 

Pétur began to cry as emotional pain built up inside his chest. With everything he had, he screamed. This time, a sound came rushing out of his throat, much to his amazement. As if some invisible rope had snapped, Pétur fell into the ocean, making a great splash. He swam back to the surface of the water in haste. Panicking, Pétur looked down to see if he saw the shadow return. He kept floating and looking. His fear rose, and then he saw it. The shark was ascending faster than before. Pétur tried swimming away from it, but that shadow mirrored his every move. He kicked as hard and fast as possible, but it swallowed him whole as he screamed aloud and closed his eyes.

The darkness returned to him, and all was still. Moments passed, and he still lived. He could see and hear nothing as all semblance of the ocean disappeared. Suddenly in the dark, something attacked his cheek. Pétur inched back and touched his face. He could feel something other than water and thought it must be blood. The beast struck again, this time catching part of his nose. Pétur sneezed, causing his eyes to open slightly. He yelled as the monster was an inch from his face. He scurried backward, hitting his head against a wall in the process. Yelping in pain, he opened his eyes to see that he was alive and not inside a shark’s belly. The monster was none other than his own little devil dog Wilk who decided it was time to wake up.

“Pétur!” Marika called, arching her pitch. “Come eat breakfast before you head to church.”

Although Pétur was not happy about a chore-filled day, he was ecstatic that his mother was alive and it all was just a nightmare. He got out of bed and poured water from a pitcher into a small basin. He wet the cloth next to the bowl and washed his face. He avoided looking in the mirror and shifted his focus to a playful and noisy Wilk. Picking up Wilk, Pétur found the pup squirming in his arms as he walked downstairs.