The True Price of Free Will

The loud scraping noise filled the clearing in the forest and a subtle shaking of the ground at their feet caused the inhabitants to crouch instinctively to keep their balance. A wordless cry drew the frightened eyes of those gathered. They saw the horrified fascination in the eyes of their Brother and followed his frantically pointing hand upwards to the sky. Murmurs of confusion sprang up when the majority of those gathered saw what was happening beyond their heads. The sky was opening.

How was this possible? The shield had always been there. Steady and secure. Even the Fathers and Mothers could not remember a time when the sky had not had been veiled by a green shimmer.

“Where is it?” The Father muttered. “Where is it?” Unconsciously, the Fathers and Mothers drew together.

“I took it down as the Brothers and Sisters asked.” The new voice shattered the quiet murmurs and muffled sounds of shifting feet. All eyes flew to the Creator who’d appeared just at the edge of the clearing. No one seemed surprised at the Creator’s appearance merely the words the Creator said.

“Why… No. Why would they ask for that?” The Mother questions blankly. The Creator tilted his head slightly to the left and replied softly,

“Given the new ships were created some 14 years ago, they wish to use them. They want to fly. In order for them to do that, the shield had to come down and so.” He pointed upwards. The open sky gaped above them.

The Father whispered, terror wrapped around every word,

“You fools. Don’t you understand? That shield might have been holding us in but it kept pain, sickness and death out.” Most of the Brothers and Sisters gathered looked at the Father incomprehensively but one Brother stared at his Creator in shock. What was this? His gaze moved up to the newly opened sky. He had wanted so much to go out there and… just… see it all. His eyes returned to the still frightened Fathers and Mothers. He had wanted to be free but not at this cost. His Sister hesitantly spoke up,

“Can you not stop the, the pain? And the dying?” Her question lingered in the silence like a virus. The Creator looked at her kindly.

“No.” She blinked and took a step back. Immediately, a fellow Sister wrapped an arm around her. Then the Brother felt it, he had never felt this emotion before in his entire existence but he knew it intimately at this moment; resentment. He straightened abruptly as the Creator’s face turned towards him. Wincing at the knowledgeable eyes opposite him, he nonetheless did not look away. The Creator seemed to know what he was silently asking, demanding.

“No one can live forever. You wished to experience life and so you must experience death as the two are forever entwined. Here, on this planet, you have been content. No, you have not felt pain but nor have you felt the heights of emotions that I meant you to. You cannot have one without the other.” The first Sister to speak stepped forward once more, anger, new and sharp, was encouraging her.

“Perhaps we do not want these emotions and experiences! Perhaps we do not believe they are worth everything we shall go through to receive them!” Her breath panting slightly, she stood firm despite the flush of rage in her cheeks and spark of fear in her eye. The Creator’s face fell slightly. He closed his eyes for just a moment. When they opened, his expression had firmed.

“They will be worth it.” She was about to reply when the Creator silently raised a hand, her mouth snapped closed. “Look up.” He entreated quietly. “Wasn’t this what you wanted? What you prayed for? You gathered in this clearing to ask the Fathers and Mothers for this very thing and now you have it. Why do you reject everything that you sought?” The Brother retorted heatedly, voice practically strangled,

“We never wanted this.” The Creator sighed. An upraised arm swept across and produced a three dimensional screen in the centre of the clearing. Almost without noticing, both the Parents and the Children moved towards it. In awe they watched the images that appeared of different worlds filled with great cites, which were themselves populated by new species. They heard languages coming from mouths utterly diverse from their own. For over an hour the pictures and noises kept them entranced.

When the screen finally faded they blinked rapidly and many seated themselves on the ground, sudden fatigue draining their energy. The Creator’s voice did not alarm them this time.

“That was only the tiniest fraction of what you will find out there away from this planet.” Moving silently over the ground to where the Sister who had first given voice to her anger was seated, the Creator knelt in front of her. The question was directed purely at her. “Are they worth it?” She nodded; eyes no longer alight with fear but the curiosity that will not only never end but also come to define this species who’ll reach for the stars so eagerly and with so much passion that all those they come across will be unable to not be inspired in turn.

The Creator turned to look at the others assembled. Seeing the same light in the other Sibling’s eyes and a fledgling of it in the Parent’s, the Creator smiled. The sorrow and heartache at allowing the children to hurt will be far outweighed by the knowledge of the joy and delight that they will experience beyond the Creator’s reach on this planet.

Several planet rotations later, the populated ships gracefully rose into the sky. The Creator raised a hand in farewell as they began to streak away in blue light, into the dark space one by one.

Soon the Creator was the only person on the planet.

The crushing pressure of loneliness built quickly.