The Sibyl

The inky sky shuddered with rain as the storm rolled in. I heard thunder roaring it's way across the sky lightning chasing close behind. All the little ones in the village clung to their mothers skirts and aprons. But I stood on the highest hill to watch and listen. This is the time that the gods speak. And I am the one that must hear them.

Yes, at the oh so tender age of 14, I am this village's sibyl. My training started before I was 5. Just recently, my teacher, the only mother that I ever knew, passed away in the heat of the night. When the lightning kissed the sky, the last puff of breath passed her lips with a gust of wind that blew open the door of our little hut.

Today was my first storm reading. I could feel the earth tremble under my feet as the thunder rumbled again through the sky. In the clouds, I could see the faces of the Goddess looking down on me. I waited, with my face tipped up, felt the sting of the cold summer rain drops hit my face. I wait for the message to crawl up from the earth and into my bones. I wait for the words to be whispered in the wind.

And then it came. The night air exploded. The lightning struck a nearby tree splitting it in two. The smell of ozone and charred bark flood my nose and sting my eyes. And suddenly I know the message that the Goddess wants to tell me.

We must be cautious. Just as this storm came upon the village suddenly, so shall our trouble.

The storm passes quickly, just a brief warning of what was to come. I hoped that the trouble it warned of would pass equally as quickly.

Just as I turned around to descend to the small cluster of huts, the Goddess sent another bolt of lightning landing right behind me. This was her sign, telling the village that I was indeed the net chosen. That I am supposed to be listened to, even if I'm much younger than most Sibyls in the neighboring villages.

The village was hushed, almost silent, as if everyone there was holding their collective breaths. My body was on high alert, the electricity from the sky coursed through my veins and amplified everything around me. I could hear each drop of rain rivet as it dropped down into the water barrels. Plunk, plunk, plunk. The crunch of leaves, as I walk to the raised platform and the creaks and groans of the wood as I take the preassigned position. The place I was taught to stand at from the time I was 4. That was the first time Nilsa , the previous Sibyl, showed me the giant bell that would be rung in times of danger, or when the Gods and Goddesses sent urgent messages to the town.

Slowly I picked up the thick ruff rope that was attached to the mallet nestled inside the bell. I mimicked Nilsa's motions; pulling on the rope for the very first time as the new town Sibyl. The weight of the responsibility weighed heavy on me as the deep sound of the bell reverberates over the town and far out into the hills, a signal to call everyone to come to the square.

I stood, shaking from fear, electricity, cold and shock. I stood on that old wood and waited. Silent and still, much like the night now that the storm had passed. My face was still tipped up to the fathomless night sky, and I felt the weight of the universe fall upon me. Eventually the shuffling and muttering of the villagers approached and then quieted down, and still I stood. When I sensed that the last villager was settled I looked out over the 30 to 40 people and raised my voice to carry over the crowd.

"Fellow followers of the Lord and Lady on High!", I called out. "The Goddess has spoken to me. She has given me the appropriate sign appointing me as your next Sibyl! She told me that our town will be visited with a time of trial and hardship. She says we must prepare. We must be ready to stand the trials."

There was a flurry of questions. People shouted, in anger and fear, demanding answers. But it was not my job to tell the people how to prepare, just that they have to. I'm just the Sibyl, the speaker. In silence, I turned and descended from the platform. It creaked as I stepped on the bottom step. The wood sunk into the wet ground, making a wet, squishing sound and a loud sucking sound as my weight came off of it. I ignored all of the questions. My job for the night was done and I needed rest.