@Rekaigan"My watch must be back by a little."- he said as he checked his open wrist which certainly head no watch in it then he looked up and gave a laugh while rubbing the back of his head with a hand. But to be fair, this was the earliest he has ever gone to church in his time on this village.
"What brings you out here? Shouldn't you be.. preparing a sermon or something?"
"Yes, I was just on my way when I noticed a lost sheep in need of the guidance of God."- he said the last part in a mock fashion.
"Well that's just what my father would have said anyway. But still, will you join us for the service this day? There is wine testing in the end and I bought a couple of 30 year old barrels just for this occasion."Later after finishing the conversation with her..The Bishop enters the church where people are waiting him. Not many of them as they are busy with making preparations for the festivities, not that he cares as he doesn't expect nor make it mandatory to come here, not that he could. Some people acknowledge him, as he walks down to the altar, by saying "Father" and he responds with a courtly nod. He has put up a large poster of the harvest goddess in front of the Jesus statue, completely covering it out of view. He walks behind the the podium that is made of white stone decorated with golden linings and crosses, he turns his back on the people behind him and puts his hand on his inner pocket of the robe subtly taking out his vaping kit and taking a few whiffs. He blows the smoke downward so it isn't visible from behind and turns around only when he hears a dry cough permeating the quiet church. He turns back to the others and puts his hand over his mouth as he clears his throat once.
"We are all gathered here today in honor, in respect of the Harvest Goddess. Yes this is a festivity but the origins of such events are what make them special so it is of the utmost importance.."-he said the last word while raising his right hand slightly-
"to know and constantly remember the origins of days such as this."He had a rough idea of the history of the goddess and how it all originated..searched it up on google besides* reading about it in some books found at the library. Not much information to begin with except one story that everyone knew but has started to be forgotten.
"Hundreds of years ago, when the people that made this village moved here, the land was dry, rain time was rare and the animals few. Many people tried to make this land habitable and all of them failed. The well that was dug ran dry after a few days. The crops that were planted withered and died only after a few nights and the animals that the villagers brought with them when they moved to this land were on their way to starving to death. One day, a young girl came to the village's doorstep. Her hair was white as snow, her skin fair and her eyes were a jade green. An otherworldly creature indeed set aside from the others by her beauty alone, and as they were to find out, also by her kindness and generosity."-he ended while taking only a moment's pause before continuing.
"This visitor came to the village and saw a crying woman with a child in her hands. She asked the woman what was wrong and the woman replied that they had gone days without water and she feared for the well being of her child. As soon as she heard this the young girl put her hand on the woman's face and collected a tear that was falling from her eye. The girl then went to the well and dropped the tear in. No sooner she had done this the ground shook and trembled, getting everyone out of their houses only for them to witness the pillar of water that emerged from the well."- taking another deep breath he then continued.
"Seeing the people happy and full of hope pull a smile on the girl's face and with that smile she continued to the outskirts of the village where a man, far from the commotion in the village lay kneeled on the ground, a fistful of dirt on one hand and a bagged seed on the other. She asked the man what troubled his heart as he told her of his story. How he moved from his previous home because his daughter had passed away. She found joy in nature and always wanted to help it grow. The seed he was holding in his hand was the one his daughter found just before she passed on. The man had hoped to plant the seed in his new home so that her memory may never be forgotten. The young girl approached the man and took the seed which the man gave reluctantly. He watched in silence as the girl planted the seed on the ground and not a moment later a whole forest lay before them. The forest surrounded the whole village as lush greenery took over the desert wasteland. The first tree that anyone saw when they entered the forest was the biggest one, one that had the face of the man's daughter on the front. The man's eyes filled with tears as he took the girl's hand on his own while tears streamed down his face. Thank you, he said on and on before moving on to his daughter's tree."-2/3 way done, one more part.
"The young girl then went further away from the village into the forest that she had just created. There she spotted a young boy playing by himself in the wild. He seemed happy and eager to enjoy this newly created miracle all to himself but then he fell to the ground and adored a sad face. Why the sad face, she asked the boy. He responded by showing her his drawings in the ground. Figures of many animals and birds. He said that everything was quiet and he felt lonely. To that, the young girl put a hand over the boy's and pressed it on the drawing of a bird. Lifting both their hands a bird appeared to the boy's amazement. The bird flew upwards to the sky where hundreds of other birds came down from the clouds as they made the forest their new home. Along with the birds came the insects as the forest felt alive again and many other animals. The boy watched the girl and with an innocent smile thanked her before running off to play."- and with that he was done.
"This is the story of the Goddess of Harvest. One that our people should know and never forget. Stories like these give meaning to and make days special. Whether you believe it or not, it is a fact that on this day, many years ago, everything took a turn for the better for our ancestors. This may also be considered as a day of new beginnings."- all and all this whole service took about 10+ minutes.
"Now that we're done with that...how about some drinks!"- and on that note a couple of men and women cheered. Hell, the only reason they came might've been just to taste the wine.
The Bishop signaled one of the young priests to open the casks and fill everyone a glass. He let the barrel open if they wanted more.
Dawnpath
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