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

On the first day, Andal grew trees as high as the clouds above. He wondered if climbing it would allow him to see beyond the horizon and find whoever Bala promised. To his dismay, the world was a lot bigger than he thought.

Ahon made pools big enough to cover the entire planet. It was her idea to make it larger to get noticed sooner. To her dismay, the world was a lot bigger than she thought.

Days have passed. Andal began forming mountains, each one higher than the other. Meanwhile, Ahon made her seas deeper. She was hoping maybe Bala’s promise was somewhere down below hidden in the depths. She gave up when she started losing sight of the blue surface.

Both Andal and Ahon lose hope until the fifth day arrives. Ahon was resting on a barren spot when she noticed a stray leaf touching the surface of the water. It came from the west, so Ahon ran in that direction. A few minutes later, sprawled before her eyes are tall trees growing beneath tall blades of grass. Behind it are misty mountains of different heights. Excitement filled Ahon as she made her way across tall trees, leaving a trail of water behind. Each excited step makes the water rush until it creates a stream.

Andal fell asleep in the green meadow he made. When he woke up, he noticed a strange blue field; stretching so wide, he thought it filled the whole planet. It was wondrous even though it is only water mirroring the blue sky. Andal knew somewhere beyond it, Bala’s promise wandered free and looked for him.

However, he couldn’t find a way around the vast sea. He was too afraid to cross it and drown. So he conjured his gift to create small pieces of land where he could jump. He called it islands. He kept creating new islands until he found his way on the other side of the planet, where he could see his entire creation again: the towering trees and mountains.

Andal and Ahon might have been sure of the other’s existence, but time is running out.

On the sixth day, they start to notice each other’s trail in their creation. Ahon could see the islands forming in the middle of the sea, and Andal found the streams and rivers dividing the land.

At last, came the seventh day. Bala was surprised to see the barren planet becoming a bountiful one. But their creators were nowhere to be found. Bala thought both have given up and maybe vanished already. Then Bala realized the two lost souls were still naive of their fate.

Bala sent Agat the wind to find Andal and Ahon and whisper in their ears about their fate. They feel hopeful at first to search for each other in the last few hours of the day. They scoured the planet and even left signs.

Time is running out. They finally found each other, but they’re both still too far from each other. Ahon was gasping for breath while Andal was grinning in delight.

With a few distances between them, Andal and Ahon ran towards each other. But before their fingers could touch, they vanished off the face of the planet. It was also when the seventh sun set on the horizon.

Darkness starts filling the sky once again.

Bala sighed and Agat formed the gush of winds. It made the leaves in the trees sway and the water ripple.

Bala couldn’t intervene with fate as it would destroy the balance. They couldn’t bring back Andal and Ahon. It was maybe their fate not to be with each other, however, they have their gifts.

They might not be able to embrace each other but Bala made Agat feel both land and water touch. They made the ripples turn into waves, crashing it on the shore—a subtle touch Ahon could make with Andal. The leaves in the trees get blown in the wind until it falls on the water surface. A gentle touch Andal could muster to make Ahon feel his presence.

Bala became sad about this outcome but found it necessary nonetheless. It was a disappointment kept for centuries. If you wonder what happened next, Bala created a new man and woman who came together in this world. Both of them got to embrace, see, and feel each other. They lived with the trees, mountains, rivers, and seas. They didn’t know of its creators and their journey for seven days only to face a sad fate.