A BOOK OF SCROLLS: Shay: The First To Come

THE BOOK OF PROPHETS:

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THE BURNING MAN

There was a poor farmer just outside the walls of the towered city, named Shay. One day Shay told his wife, Anya he was going to market for more supplies. Walking with a stick in hand Shay journeyed down the wall-stone road from Mithar to Lindol as was his custom. Up ahead was a single stranger. Shay thought it odd that there were no wagons or other people on the road, but he continued even so. From time to time the gray cloaked figure up ahead would slow down and turn to look back at Shay, all without a greeting or sign. Having his pointed hood up, no face could be seen.

Shay called out, “Yo stranger, is there something wrong; something you need?” Suddenly to his shock the cloaked man burst into flames. There was no fright, no crying out or any reaction to pain from the stranger. The man kept walking down the stone road as though nothing had occurred. Several steps later, and still he continued walking down the road, albeit consumed in fire. There was no reaction from the torched man to the shock of the farmer Shay.

Shay ran to the stranger to help put out the fire. He called out, “For God’s sake man – let me help you!”

In that moment the roaring figure of the burning man was utterly extinguished. The only remaining form was filled with a boiling, wisp of smoke. As the farmer approached and stopped, the once figure of a man calmly turned to face the sure-footed farmer and said, “For God’s sake”? Yes, yes you may help. Stand still oh child of man and know before whom you are now standing for it is I myself; Illuva, the One and Always. I am that one you feared most, and in a lifetime have come to know the least. I call you, oh child of man to go and tell them who have corrupted the deeds of my name and they are warned to turn from their wicked ways!” With that, the smoke form was gone before the wide eyes of the poor farmer. Shay stood all alone on the road.

Rising from where he had been bowed in prayer, Shay realized he had just seen a vision. Many wagons and people were passing along on either side of the stone road, going to and from both cities. Looking down at the place where he was standing, Shay saw that the very paving stones were deeply scorched. Passerby’s stared at him strangely. One called out, “Fool, stop burning things!”

Forgetting all else he returned home back to Mithar. Upon telling what happened to him to his wife; Anya said, “You are very gifted and a blessed husbandman, but why would the Creator manifest himself so and speak to a poor man like you and not unto the king?”

“Because,” came a voice from the doorway, “of your humility, my friend.” It was Olma the candle maker.

“Forgive me for not having yet purchased the supplies as you requested,” Shay said.

“It is alright,” replied the merchant. Entering the home upon Shay’s welcoming, Olma continued, “So, this visionary figure of yours called himself ‘Illuva’?”

“Yes,” Shay did not back down, as his conviction grew, “Would you accompany me along the wall-stone road to see for yourself the place of meeting? I did not burn the pave stones nor did another man melt them on that way.”

“I do not know who burned them either, for all we have is your say so, and others will call you mad or a dreamer, perhaps both,” Olma said disbelievingly. Adding, “It is just a curious thing you call the Father of All as opposed to one of the Vala. I mean-”

“If you believe me or not is no care to me, I simply shared my experience. If it makes you happy or offends you, that is no matter to me. As for me – and my wife, we shall praise Illuva as the One and Always, for he far exceeds any of the Vala whom he sang into being. They were his children and we his grandchildren. The Vala made us but we were only gifts back to him from them! Amazing as those angels are, they should not be worshiped as Illuva alone should be, for he is God!

I had a vision once:

“I saw seven stars fall from the heavens, and they lay dead upon the ground. Then something like unto a sheet of skin appeared blowing in the wind came and covered the fallen stars. It came to pass that a great ocean wave washed them away for neither the sheet of skin nor the stars were to be found. They had both become as whispered rumors as a forgotten nightmare is unto children.” Shay said as Anya embraced him.

Olma replied, ‘I am not offended by the faith of your experience, Shay. Not everyone has had your vision. I have not had such, but you tell it as you wish I only give you caution is doing so.” Olma smiled and left the home, disbelieving in his heart.

Two weeks later Olma and another man, Vethdema by name journeyed together from Mithar to Lindol for a council meeting to strengthen trade between to two cities. Olma relayed the story he had overheard the farmer Shay telling his wife, and he asked Vethdema what he thought of the matter. As Olma was talking, the two of them came upon the very melted place of which he spoke. The pave stones, that once made up the first outer wall of Mithar were deeply scorched. The two men stopped where they stood.

Before Vethdema could speak in turn, there suddenly came shaft of light from heaven bursting through the clouds. Everyone along the road stopped as well to gaze upon the wonder, for in that moment a flaming stone was hurled to the ground below. Out beyond the road beside Vethdema, the ground burst open wide with fire leaving a gaping hole twice as broad and deep as a wagon! From the pit’s dying fire a pillar of black smoke rose up. Before everyone, the boiling pillar of smoke took to shape of a man, not its form.

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