The Portal

I 1.2 The gods {extra chapter}

Note: Hi! Thank you so much for following this far! This is an extra chapter to better explain the culture and religion in Adij Alim. It's a slightly longer chapter, but because of it, you'll be able to understand what's going on in the characters' minds. Let's go back a little bit in time, to the Orange Tree Day. Hope you like it! <3

~*~

Island, 1133

Orange Tree Day was especially difficult for Gaetana. How to teach her pupils to thank Vashï Bahija for their families when there wasn't one? How to give a gift to a mother who didn't exist? Raoul always said that the Island was like a big house, but, for Gaetana, it was a big orphanage. In a house, there was the father and the mother, the brothers, the sisters. Raoul was barely able to pay attention to the affairs of the Council, let alone those who lived under his protection. She and the other masters did what they could to welcome the children, but they were many and so different from each other!

She felt suffocated for a moment, despite being in a large and clear room, which was at one end of the main house on the Island, with long windows that went almost to the ceiling. Outside, in front of her, she could see the beach. On the right side, there was the forest. He stared at the younger girls who were already there, sitting on the floor of the room waiting for her. Each had received an orange tree seedling. She watched little Prune, who was playing with the seedling spilling dirt on the wooden floor. She was the smallest among them, for sure. Gaetana took a deep breath before beginning her speech. Bahija's first day of the month of Bahija always stirred her feelings. No matter what she did, those girls shouldn't be aware of the pity she felt in his heart. May they remain oblivious to the sufferings of their short lives for a while longer, she wished.

- Girls, as you know, every year we celebrate Orange Tree Day - She let out a weak smile, when Prune clapped her hands celebrating. - Yes, it is a very joyous occasion, Prune. On this day, we celebrate a very kind and powerful goddess, the mother of all who walk on this earth.

Gaetana loved to tell the story of the creation of the gods on this date. It was not part of the tradition. It was on the first day of Alim in the month of Alim that, according to custom, the wisest of the whole family told the stories that had been passed on for so many generations. However, she knew that there was comfort in the creation for her orphans. For the gods had not all appeared together, on the contrary, they were each created in their own time by Alim, the one who knew everything and who was created by Amadam, who had existed alone for thousands of years.

- Before we leave on this beautiful day to plant our seedling, let's remember the history of the gods.

Gaetana opened an old, small book with a worn leather cover and began to read:

In the beginning, all that existed was Amadam. Her long black hair spread across the sky and she slept soundly in the darkness. Amadam's peace was never interrupted, as there was no one to steal it. But one day, Amadam dreamed a strange dream and, frightened, woke up. Then she realized that she had eyes. Her eyes shone in the darkness, but she couldn't see anything, because there was no light. Without knowing what else was in the darkness, Amadam was afraid. Tears fell from her eyes, brilliant as diamonds, and lit up all the darkness with stars.

But the brightness of the stars did not calm the heart of Amadam, who was afraid of what might be hidden in the shadows. So Amadam reached out to the sky and picked a star and asked it to stay by her side to keep the shadows away. The next day, Amadam had another dream and, waking up, realized that she still had eyes. Beside her, she found Alim and was startled, since she had always been alone. But Alim said they were former friends, for he was the star who had promised to light Amadam's ways.