The God Out of Time

The Request

The man quickly spun around in an attempt to see the person who had just spoken to him, but when he turned around.........there was no one there. After a little searching, the man decided that he was alone and that he was just hearing voices in the wind. Though during his search for the person who had spoken he began to wonder......how is it that this shrine is in near perfect condition after being abandoned for so many years, and more importantly........who lit the candle?

The man proceeded with caution while he removed his hiking pack and the outer layer of his protective clothing, as the area around the shrine was actually quite warm. Through all these actions, the man never once let the satchel he was carrying touch the ground. The man then proceeded to the long since abandoned shrine and began to pray silently.

He then, for the first time since he had left, he unlatched the satchel and reached inside. The man removed a variety of items, the first of the items was a framed photograph of an older man, easily in his 80's with bleach white hair. The old man had his arm over the man who had traveled to the shrine and they were both smiling. The man was not smiling now. The next items were solid gold coins, easily 30 of them. The man grabbed as many of the coins from the bag as he could hold in one hand. He then stood up from his praying position and walked to the purification fountain.

"I've never been the type of guy for worship, in fact I've never done a religious thing in my life" the man said beginning to fight through tears that were starting to well up.
"I know, that my family doesn't deserve your help, we abandoned you".
"We, who were the keepers of this shrine, left, and never returned to you" the man said, barely able to continue speaking through his tears.
"But" he said as he began to toss gold coins one at a time into the purification fountain.
"My dad, the most important person in my life", the man is barely legible through his tears at this point,
"My dad is dying, and I don't know who else to come to so please.....PLEASE HELP HIM XANKAI!" the man shouted out to the shrine, his voice echoing in the mountainside, and a single one of his tears landed in the purification fountain. The sound of that teardrop landing in the fountain, echoed...and it seemed to echo for what felt like an eternity for the man, but the sound was broken, when a voice that seemed to come from no where spoke the words
"Your wish has been heard, and your payment accepted, your father will be well again". The man stood in awe at these words, and for the first time since the trip began......he smiled.