Watching From Afar

Ever since her creation, Doxa had been fascinated by the world she inhabited, and was born to protect. From the tallest Hyperions, cutting throught the white clouds in the sky, to the smallest daisy, growing between the green grass and the stones, the beauty of mother nature was astonishing. Every mossy surface, every rough patch of land, every colorful leaf and fungus, had its place and its importance. Nothing was too tall, too small; too strong or weak; everything fit perfectly in the place they laid or grew.  Even the animals, with their food chains and power dynamics, knew just how much they could take and let be, surving only with what they needed, not on what they wished for. 

The innate charm, elegance and intricacy of every dust and mountain was admirable, and holy. If only mortals could learn a thing or two from nature. Maybe they wouldn't waste their time searching for meaning and peace through words and rituals, and pointless traditions.

She had lived through these creatures called humans long enough. She had been there before they were created and after. She had seen the best that they could offer, and the worst.

Some of their traditions were gorgeous. Others, despicable. But after observing so many generations of men, women and other folk from afar, she had come to one conclusion about these people; all of the answers they looked for, were already in front of them, and they were clueless about their existence. 

The voice of the gods they prayed to hear, spoke louder in the silence of the plains. The meaning of their life was in living it, and that's all. Hell was a forest on flames. Heaven was the peace that reigned between the trees. Forgiveness and growth was found on the seeds of a fruit that had fallen from the branch, and had laid new roots on the ground, to stand up tall and strong in the near future. Grace and kindness was found in a dog saving a drowning deer from the freezing river. Faith was found in the bears hibernating through winter and patiently waiting for the arrival of spring. 

Nature held all the answers. There was no need to argue or to destruct. 

But humans begged to differ. They read and wrote about empathy, yet deceived their own kind, exhausted the resources that kept them alive. Broke, tarnished, killed and wrecked, everything and everyone.

As their empires, civilizations, creeds and techonology envolved and grew, so did their avarice and hunger for power. They no longer respected that which the gods had created and therefore, had lost respect for the gods themselves. They became myths, legends, shadows of the past.

Their Hubris led them to exile. The world Doxa knew to be bright and beautiful became a place of endless wars, famine, illness and pain. The winds switched directions, the ice melted into the ocean, the white coat of the mountains and the green veil of the hills were burned until the stone was bare, naked, devoid of any decency. They had robbed Gaia, in every way imaginable.

So of course, the nymph couldn't help but only feel hatred for humans. These mortals that believed to be greater than the cells in their bodies, the sky over their heads, and the planet that allowed to live.

And she had many enemies. Tourists that knew of the existence of trashcans and chose to poison the soil instead.  Politicians that refused to pass laws to protect the land they were supposed to take care of. Businessmen that put money over morals, gold over green, and murdered a billion lifeforms with an evil smile on their faces. 

And of course, hunters. Not those who killed to eat, and to survive, but those who killed to prove their dominance over the world, to prove their strenght and their courage, without a need to. These were the biggest assholes of humanity, in her humble opinion. They left cubs without their mothers, lakes without their fishes. The screaming of their rifles quieted down the beautiful songs of the birds up above.