Posted in Posted by Lois Walfrid Johnson

Hiya! Sorry I had been such a very bad girl and I hadn;t posted anything for SOOO long... but here is Amutas... I've editted it a little bit and added some more! Enjoy! I hope to start For the Lawless again because Pip shocked me and told me she acctually LIKED it so I am starting it again... Also I shall TRY to post All Nature Sings sometime soon but you know how life is! Not to mention living on a farm!


                                                  AMUTAS
                                             CHAPTER 1
I am Amutus, born of the Aztec and called by God to follow Him. Even
though it would cost me much.
The great sun was glowing in the western sky as I ran down the
causeways that formed our streets. My feet began to fly as I came to
the edge of our village and the beginning of the large field where I was
to meet my friends. It was time for The Binding up of the Years, an
Aztec celebration that came every 52 years. During this celebration all
of us would put out our hearth fires. The priest lit the new fire on the
chest of a living human sacrifice and we would all pick our fingers to
add our blood to the sacrifice. After this we would re-light our fires
with this new fire and go home to feast.
    I wasn't afraid of human sacrifices. It was a normal occurrence in
the Aztec culture. Several of my friends had been sacrificed to Tlaloc,
the god of rain and fertility. I see now that it was a pagan and ruthless
crime. Then it was just a part of life.
    I met my friend, Montezuma, who was the son of the emperor.
Together we walked towards the teocalli (our temple) talking joyfully
of the feast that was to come. We never once thought to be sad for the
person that would be sacrificed. Besides, it was just a slave. Slaves
were captured from other countries most of the time. We cared nothing
for them. Looking back, I wonder how I could feel that way about any
human being.
    We reached  the  teocalli just as they were leading the sacrificial victim up the steps to the center. This slave must have been captured in a war because I had never seen him before.  Among our people it is a honor to be sacrificedThe priest lit the fire and never once did the slave utter a sound. As I got a stick and lit the fire, I looked into the eyes of the
slave. He had no hate in his eyes, no fear and no resentment. As his
flesh was being burned away he looked at me and whispered, "Follow
God when He calls. Even unto death."
    "God? Which one?" I asked for we had many gods
    "The One who willingly gave his life for the world." And with that he
breathed his last.


                 CHAPTER 2
I never forgot the words that that man said. I asked all the priests about this god that had willingly given his life fo the world. None of them had ever heard of such a god.
   Was the slave crazy? Did he come from some other land that had different gods and would be no concern of mine? Was it some joke? THese questions and millions more ran through my head. I kept them stored up and never told any one else about them, for fear they would laugh at me and say I was a lunitic. I tried to go on with my life. I went to war for the emporer and was considered  a great warrior. News of my wisdom, however meager, spread to the emporer himself, who happened to be my old friend Montezuma. He asked me to be his adviser, his reason unknown to me. Aftert his I married and  and had a child. A beautiful liitel girl but in her  sixth year she was thrown into a sacrificial well, hoping to please the gods so they would  send rain. They only thing it brought was heartache to me and my wife. My wife, overcome by grief, went mad and one day, wandered off and was never seen again. I thought my life was over. The gods had failed me, the priests had failed me. What was left to life for? Even now, tears splash on the parchment as I remember that time in my life.
   I had thought about ending  my misery many times. One day, I decided to do it. I took a sharp hunting knife. Just as I had raised the tip to my chest, ready to plunge it into my heart, I saw a man running towards me. When he had caught his breath he said, rather quickly, "The emporer, Montezuma the third requests your presences at his counsel as soon as possible." With that he swiftly bowed and waited for my response.

     Okay.. I know that is not much but I have a bunch to do and I will TRY to post more tomorrow!
;-)Syd/Johnson