Genesis: Prologue Paul Ivan Quezon
There is one story unknown to man. It was only Heaven— called Bala, who was able to tell this legend; the sole witness of creation and tragedy. But Bala could no longer bear its secrecy and passed it down to his creation through the whispering winds. The legend couldn’t be carved in the stones or written in books. The happening in the story changes through word of mouth. Men fear Bala’s wrath if their tale becomes twisted. However, writing this down without being struck by lightning or dying in my sleep means I got the legend correctly. I understood why this tale made Bala keep it for eons. It was, after all, not a happy story. In the beginning, Bala created Earth. It was still a barren sphere deprived of life floating in the vast dark universe. It wasn’t Bala who made the mountains and oceans, the meadow and swamps, and the sand sprawling on our shores. Bala doesn’t have the patience to do it, so they created a man and a woman. They called the man Andal and the woman Ahon. Both of them had their unique gifts that Bala bestowed; they possess the gift of life. However, Bala was wise enough to put them in the same place together. Andal and Ahon were created on opposite sides of the planet. It was a clever thing for Bala to do that, but it was necessary to test fate. Unaware the other exists, they must fill Earth with their gifts in seven days. Andal graced the planet with grass, trees, hills, and forming the tallest mountains. On the other side of the world, Ahon created seas and oceans in her wake. The blue sky mirrors the glassy surface of the water. While the two creators continue their work, Bala whispered in their ears that they await each other and would soon cross paths. Andal and Ahon were shocked by the revelation. Both of them felt their heart beating faster. There was one thing Bala forgot to tell them—they must find one another on the seventh day, or they will vanish from the face of the Earth.
Illustrations by Emmy Nava
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