A god was found

The first god that was discovered was found by a child. There was probably something profound about a child finding the god, but that is for philosophers to ponder.

The god was small enough to fit in the child's hand. Despite its lacklustre size it was unearthly with a constantly changing shape that filled people's heart with both hope and dread.

The discovery of the god became a massive sensation. The child who had found and picked it up was dubbed the "God Finder", no one remembered their real name. News about the god spread across the world and all the stations of radio and television couldn't stop talking about the miracle. It was the hottest topic the world had seen and with the use of the internet news and rumours were spreading far and wide.

The ones that were the most up in arms about the discovery were different religious leaders, their followers, and the people opposing them. There were discussions flying around about how this god proved or disproved the truthfulness of people's believes. There were even new religions and cults forming that began to worship the god. There were also groups that banded together in fear of the god and who wanted to kill it. Not that killing it would be possible with mere human weaponry.

While all of this was going on the god lived a simple life. The god had, for some reason, become attached to the child, the God Finder, and refused to leave their side for too long. There were still scientists around the god who did their best to discern what exactly the god was, but all their research was to no avail. The closest they ever got to an explanation was what the god wasn't. For starters, the god certainly wasn't human.

The news and discussions reported on every little thing that happened with the god, it was not that much in hindsight, until suddenly the reports died down. Humanity's attention span is short and soon the existence of the god, despite all the questions it didn't answer, became the new normal and people found other things to talk about.

That's when the second god was found. Again, it was the child, the God Finder, that had made the discovery. This god was still small but larger than the first. This one was the size of a puppy or a small dog. Again the circus of media dancing between scientific facts and people's opinions played out.

Then even more gods were discovered. They were bigger and no longer needed to be found, they appeared by themselves before every type of human. The God Finder became obscure and the first god was forgotten. It was small, weak, and unappealing.

People loved the gods. People hated the gods.

The gods hated each other.

They thrived in the presence of humans. They gathered more humans around them. Loyal followers that provided them with prayers. The gods grew in both size and influence. However, humanity is a limited resource and the gods were not a compromising kind of being.

It quickly became clear that the gods were competing for humanity's affection. Promises of fulfilling desires, eternities, and better lives corroded the air.

Were the promises kept? The news spoke of people who had prayed to one god or another and gotten their wish granted. Was it a result of the god's abilities or a coincident? Was there a life waiting for followers after the one they were already living? Who knows? The dead has no voice.

Still, the gods paraded around, claiming every miracle as their own. Not that the gods actually cared about individual humans. While the gods hated each other humans were a means for an end.

The change came when the largest god, the one that had managed to amass the most followers, decided to finally become the only one. With a simple command the god asked its devoted followers to remove the other gods' followers from existence. They obeyed the command without hesitations or complaints.

What followed was a time of calamity.

The gods never injured a human but their words slaughtered millions.

People clasped their blood covered hands together in prayer. They believed the words of a happier future. Their god gave empty praise then steered them towards the next heretic.

There were a few gods refusing to contribute in the bloodshed. Sadly, they were the gods that lost their followers first. Whatever land the gods had claimed as their sanctuary was covered in the corpses of their followers.

One god cried. If it was because of the loss of human life or the prayers is unknown. No one thought to ask the god why it showed such a vulnerable and human state, at least not before its existence faded away.

It then became clear that the gods weren't immortal. There was a theoretical end to their being. They were "alive". And everything that is alive can die.

The gods could die.

That piece of information was the needle that punctured the gods inflated egos. Suddenly the gods' dependency on humanity was visible and the humans who took notice questioned the gods' superiority. Soon clusters of humans defected, rejecting their previous gods.

One after one the gods were erased.

At the end the largest god, the one who had started the wars, was the only one still standing tall. The only god left with followers. It assumed it had been victorious, but it was not.

Humans are fickle creatures with strong personalities. While they live in communities and survive by cooperation they all are individuals with their own values and thoughts. They work together towards common goals but they can never be completely united as they fail to agree on a method.

All of this became known to the large god as its followers began rejecting one another. The followers slipped up in different groups and began to fight one another. The god made attempts at preventing this infighting, but the humans had since long stopped listening to whatever the god was saying. Their bloodlust was not yet satisfied and soon they had erased their own god from existence.

In the morning of the godless world stopped. How would they live without the gods? What did this mean for the promise of an afterlife?

The many questions filled people's minds, then they drank their coffee, dressed themselves, and went to work. As if nothing had happened they continued living their lives.

All gods were gone. Well, not all of them. A single one remained. It was the one the God Finder first had noticed. It was the last god, the first god, a former sensation. However, this time the God Finder never informed anyone that the god was still there.

It was a tiny thing that fit in the palm of a child.