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
Posted in Posted by Lois Walfrid Johnson
Hey guys!!!!! Sorry this took so long to get up here!!!!! Life has been rather hectic here!!! Hope you like it!! All Nature Sings and Amutas are going to be posted this weekend (hopefully!) :-D!!!!! Just as a warning to anybody who is reading this chapter first (I don't know why anyone would) IT WILL NOT MAKE ANY SENSE IF YOU DON'T READ THE FIRST TWO CHAPTERS!!! :-D
CHAPTER 3
I froze. I had practiced what I would do if I saw him. I had
practiced yelling and screaming "You killed my brother." and
"You killed my father" but all the words died in my throat. I
helped him up. His piercing blue eyes were cold, as if the only
reason he wanted to live was to hurt other people, as if he had
a terrible hurt and the only way he felt better was to kill. The
look in his eyes almost made me cry. You may have seen it
before, the look of unspeakable sadness mixed with fiery wrath.
"What happened?" I looked around to see who had
spoken. I knew it couldn't be me. I looked at Kami and pointed
to myself, asking with my eyes if I had said that. My fears were
confirmed, she nodded. I turned back to him.
"What do you mean?" I recognized that voice. It flashed
back again. "What are you standing around for? Kill them!"
I felt the hotness of tears streaming down my face as I
said again. "What happened? Your eyes are so...cold. What hurt
did you go through? I want to help you." Again I looked around.
Did I say that? Did I say I wanted to help the man who had
killed my father and brother?
The man jumped back as if he had been slapped, a
shocked look on his face, "No one has ever wanted to help me."
He paused for a moment then suddenly, he grabbed my hand,
mumbling, "Come with me." A smidgen of fear sprung up inside
me. I looked back to see Tom and Mattie start to come after
me. I shook my head and mouthed, "I'll be okay." Mattie had
been very protective of me ever since he had been the one to
find me knocked out and burned at the church. Unlike other
girls, who for some reason, see their brother wanting to take
care of them as their brother treating them as a little kid, I
enjoy it. I enjoy being young, time goes too fast not to.
Anyway, back to the man, he took me down a few alleys
until we came to the back of a saloon. I wasn't allowed in there
and I started to say so but he pulled my arm and I had to go in.
He took me up some steps to a beautiful apartment.
"Is this yours?" I asked
"Yes. Let me see your arms." He answered bluntly
"A please would be nice and why do you want to see
them?" I said in my teacher voice.(I was a teacher before all the
children left)
"Please." I giggled at this in spite of the tears still on my
cheeks. It was funny to see a man as big as him saying please
like a begging puppy. Then I suddenly stopped laughing,
realizing how good looking he was. He must have been over six
feet tall with black hair, a true black, blacker than coal. And
those eyes! Even in spite of the sadness and anger they shone
out brighter than liquid sapphires. His shoulders were broad
and he was very muscular.
"Could I just see your arms?" I held out my arms with my
sleeves pushes up.
"You are you!" He said with almost a sound of joy.
"Of course I'm me who did you think I'd be? George
Washington?!" I said starting to get upset at this strange man.
"You were the one at the church three years ago." He said
this time sounding sorry for what he had done.
My anger came back in a rush, "Oh do you keep a record
of all the people you have caused pain. Do you memorize the
families you left fatherless. Do you-"
"STOP!" He said. It wasn't said angrily. More...sorrowfully
"I know what I have done and I regret it every minute of every
day I live. Could you just be quiet and listen? Please?" Then
seeing my mouth go closed, "Thank you." I noticed his eyes no
longer had the anger, but more of the sadness. A sob caught in
my throat. I was so angry at him for causing me pain when it
was evident his was so much greater.
"My mother, father, two of my brothers and one of my
sisters were killed when I was nine. By Christians."
Anyhoo I hope y'all get as much out of it as I did. 