Sidapa: the dying god

1. Heartbroken?

The calm wind made the ship drift slowly in the endless river of god’s realm. Sidapa, the boatman, boarded thirty souls who just died of a plague. It was a mix of old people and children, some of which were doubting their deaths. The innocence in the eyes of the children playing reminded him of the joys of being alive. Laughter filled his ship as they played around the mast of the ship. While in a dark corner several souls wailed in despair for leaving their loved ones. He stirred his ship away from a log that blocked a part of the river.

This was a daily occurrence for him. Not everyone welcomed death with an open arms. Especially, in this dark times when more people died than were born. Yes, he was exempted from such pain but he was dreading the day he would vanish from existence.

He knew his fate from the onset of the millennia. He had foreseen his future and made peace with it a long time ago. Being a god gave him immortality but it was with a caveat. Minor gods were weak because they depended on their believers. Once no one was left in the mortal plane they withered into oblivion. Yet, he chose such predicament when Bathala spoke to him on deaths door.

“Old man can I try that?” A teen stood beside him and pointed at the helm of the ship. His face was thin as a small branch of a tree, skin hugging the skull and eyes so deep you could place a cherry and it won’t fall off.

“Do you like to join my crew?” he retorted not an ounce of excitement in his tone. There were a handful of crew members who passed on already but there were always new recruits. For years he grew accustomed to such things he never minded it already.

It was his obligation to help lost souls. They were the ones who were drawn to serve his ship otherwise, the souls would be happy to off board the ship at the end of the river.

“If you would have me, señor.” The teen spoke with utmost respect to him. As if he revered him.

He sighed before offering the helm to the teen. It was fate that brought this lost soul for him to guide. The ultimate test was the ship’s helm. When it responds to the will of the soul then it becomes a crew immediately.

The teen moved forward without reluctance, and for the first time the helm of the ship shone so bright. It almost blinded him.

The water turned the ship side to side as the waves splashed on the deck. It was very unusual for Sidapa that he had to take the helm back to control the ship. Otherwise, they might end up in river where unjudged souls were trapped.

“Step back, you are officially part of the crew. Now go and help the souls to the lower deck. We must bring them to the end of the river or they will get lost in this river forever.” He ordered the teen without asking for his name. Unbothered by the huge waves coming his way, he stirred the ship to ride the big waves rather than go against it.

Sometimes, the river acted on its own. Violently shaking the ships traversing it. A while back he saw two other ships but when he looked around they were no longer there. He had to dock on the side of the river or the waves would capsize his ship.

It was the wisest thing to do or he would need to build another ship again. Such a burdensome predicament for a god. This was one of the few things he resented when he took this role. He never knew gods were subjected to such work.

A couple more waves came through then he saw the dock. It was farther than he thought but it gave him hope. Those souls needed to get to the end of the river not in the river. He had more than his fair share of lost souls.

The teen who volunteered gathered all the souls even those in the corners sobbing. Only the crew was left in the deck making preparations.

Another crack in the sky caused a thunderous sound. In the midst of the chaos, a tall figure in full body armor stood at the helm of the boat.

Laughter surrounded the deck and all eyes was focused on the figure. The teen who was busy pulling the crews that got off board suddenly froze. His legs trembled from the looming figure. He didn’t know if he needed to salute, greet or stay silent.

Sidapa scrunched his eyebrows from the outrageous entrance the figure made. He could have appeared without any fuss but he made a big deal out of it. Though he couldn’t just scold him. They gods still had to follow the order of things.

“Sidapa, my friend, it has been too long since we shared a drink.” The tall figure called him out in a joyful tone. It seemed he did miss his friend and was seeking his companionship.

“Indeed, it has been ages. You were off flirting while I had to tend to the souls your war causes.” He bellowed at his friend. Sometimes he wished he didn’t take the offer he made if he knew what he signed up for. The power he got wasn’t enough to appease the misery he felt all this time. Yet, he was still grateful to Bathala. He saved his village when they needed him most.

“Come on, you know I am busy with wars spurting everywhere. Are you free for a drink now?” He grinned knowing he had persuaded him.

“I can’t, Mars. Maybe next time. Today is not a good day for me. The river is acting up again and it looks like I am knee deep in these turbulent waters both metaphorically and literally.” He pointed towards the dock but he was surprised to see the sky so clear and the river as calm as they go.

He was stunned but gained his composure in a blink of an eye. Such occurrence happened far too lany times than he could count but this one was too fast for him to process everything.

“Sorry about that, I had to sink those pesky boats that was travelling in the river. I don’t want anyone to know what I am about to tell you next.” Mars let out a long sigh. His intentions were clear but due to a lot of things going out of his control, he didn’t trust most gods nowadays.

“I remembered our last drink you were heartbroken. What is it this time?” Sidapa gestured for the crew to fetch them drinks from the kitchen.

Others started to set up a table and chairs beside them. They knew who the guest was and it was best to stay in his good graces rather than offend him.