Star Bright

By A.F. Carcirieri,

When observing the morning or evening star, Planet Venus, modern-day people recognize it as a lifeless, brightly glowing rock in the sky where no one can go because its atmosphere is far too inhospitable. Yet from ancient times all the way up to the not-too-distant past, it was regarded by some people as the embodiment of supernatural beings who observed them right back. Believing it to be an object of worship in whom one could seek solution to problems and an overseer in the sky who cast judgment over human behavior, in the past Planet Venus was perceived quite differently than it is today. In representation of what the world was like before the true nature of Planet Venus was revealed, Star Bright delves into the inevitable conflicts between spiritualism and the realities of human nature.

Adhering to the mythological comportment of deific entities, historical detail, and the societal norms of subject periods and places as well as possible, the sixteen separate stories comprising Star Bright shine light on the human ground game that played out as a result of the mystical significance placed upon the second planet from the sun. Among the many characters in the novel is an ambitious young woman of the Sumer civilization and her extraordinary companion, a fatalistic Israelite king leading an army off to war, and a spoiled rotten countess of the French Bourbon Dynasty who harbors delusions of godhood, just to name a few. From the very earliest establishment of civilization, Planet Venus continues to exact its influence over humankind.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Page Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Jan 7, 2022
• ISBN: 9781662441172

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Star Bright

A.F. Carcirieri, Jr.

Copyright © 2021 A.F. Carcirieri, Jr.

All rights reserved

First Edition

PAGE PUBLISHING

Conneaut Lake, PA

First originally published by Page Publishing 2021

ISBN 978-1-6624-4116-5 (pbk)

ISBN 978-1-6624-4117-2 (digital)

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

The Bringer of Light

Among the Sumer

Adolphone's Quest for Love

I, Ahab

The King's Taste

Colossus Is Falling

The Roman Spring and Defenestration of Mrs. Brachius

Ishtar's Tears

The Knights of the Morning Star

Rich Girl Gone Wild

The Emperor's Planet

The Great Christo Bob

To Cast a Pale Shadow

Da Foist Men on Venus

Goddess Venus

Except for the Morning Star

About the Author

For Martha and Michele.

1

The Bringer of Light

Unfettered by the temporal substance of mortality, they roamed the universe at will. Symmetrically formed of fair visage, svelte torso, and limbs, endowed of motion unconstrained, they were like no other beings in creation. Among the race of sentient beings who were called angels, there was one among them who knew no equal in beauty or intellect. Blessed with virtue were they all, yet he was the most upright. Bestowed with benevolent powers were his brothers and sisters, but his spirit rose above all others. He was held the most beloved by the Father of the universe. He was the one chosen to stand at the Father's right hand, to watch over creation and to uphold his will. He was the one his fellow beings gazed upon as the paragon of their breed. In an existence without time or boundary, he exercised vigilance over the countless worlds, the masses of nebulous cloud, and the infinite space of light, darkness, and matter that the Father created. Toward his lesser kindred, he was kind and humble. Gathered in praise, the angels sang their songs and played in bliss. Enacting frivolous dramas, they expressed their unending worship for the Father and for the most exalted of their fellow kind. His name was Satan. The universe was his domain. Eternity was his essence.

Therefore, it occurred that supernatural eternity remained unchanged. Never was there a moment when all was not well, difference arose, or strife threatened. In the faultlessness of his angels, the Father's gratification palled. For in his great wisdom their perfection became triviality. Challenge was what the Father of the universe desired; challenge to his creations, challenge to his deity, challenge to his love. Challenge, though, could only be found in imperfection. He had created countless worlds of fertile lands and abundant seas filled with living beings to entertain his angels. Flora and fauna of beauty and ugliness, great and diminutive, existed throughout his boundless universe. All were of many imperfections. Moreover, his lesser creations were burdened of a fate that his angels were not. Their existence was limited. They died. In this, the Father of the universe found his challenge. But the mortal beings he had thus far created were crude. They were not possessors of a divine spirit, a soul, as were his heavenly children. In the Ingenio, the most gifted of his corporeal creations, there existed capacity. They were an ingenious species but were devoid of preternatural comprehension. What of his angels, the perfect heavenly hosts? How would they react if forced into a terrestrial world where they would face the rigors of inhospitable environments and suffer bodily pain and death? Would their love for him withstand such trial? Yet he could not do that to them. Above all, he loved them. He could not take away the greatest gift he had granted them, his most glorious creations, the gift of everlasting life. He could not make them…mortal. He needed different children, children who cherished life but knew of death, imperfect beings with the power to choose between good and bad, and of whom he could challenge with a mystery of faith.

I shall create a new race of beings, the Father proclaimed to the angels. I shall call them human man and woman. They will be born. They will live. And they will die. They will have intellectual capacity. They will face trial and temptation, experience joy and triumph, suffer pain and sorrow. If they choose to seek my love, I shall reward them after death with life everlasting, and they will come to remain among you as your brethren. Should they fail, should they choose not my love but defy my order by resorting to sin, they will be cast aside to repent. Those who have fallen astray may be forgiven once they have at last seen the error of their ways.

Dismaying over the Father's decree, the angels could not fathom his intention. Was not the universe meant for their enjoyment? Was there need for conflict and trial? Were mere mortal beings to be allowed among them to share in the Father's love? Regarding one another, they silently pondered the Father's will, until Satan spoke.

Father, have we displeased you? Do you find fault in us?

No, Satan. I have nothing but the greatest love for you and your brothers and sisters. I have gifted you with immortality, and you have returned to me your worship.

Why, then, asked Satan, do you seek the love of fragile mortality when it is already yours from us, the most superior of beings?

Your words trouble me, Satan. You and your brethren know me. You are with me always. Do you find it taxing to believe in me? Do you find it worrisome to question your existence? Do you ever contemplate your fate with uncertainty?

No, Father. There is no reason for us to do so.

That is true, Satan. There is no reason for you to do so because I created you with that knowledge. It is easy for you to believe in me. I will create human man and woman without that knowledge. Only in this way can true faith in me be tested, when it comes from a mortal soul.

You intend to give human man and woman a soul, Father?

Yes, Satan, just as I have given you and your brothers and sisters a soul.

Amidst the vast expanses of matter and space, the Father sought a place that was not extreme or hostile, one that was perfect in every way, where his mortal children would live. Many a world was already blessed with breathable air and inhabited by various creatures, but none suited his design. He then willed among the cosmos a hopeful cloud, an orb of light formed as a new star. The Father effected the cloud's swirl and eddy, cooling and dispersion. Inviting globules of vaporous gas and solid matter collected around the star, forming and solidifying into several different worlds. The Father was pleased. Not just one but two of the worlds among the several took shape, which would suit the needs of living mortals. Here! the Father declared. Here is where my mortal children will live.

The angels were appalled. The worlds the Father envisioned for his new beings to inhabit were wastelands not fit for even the most simple forms of life. Did the Father truly intend to make these places suitable for human man and woman?

Father, these worlds are accursed, said Satan. They are lifeless. They are without grace. There is either no air or what air there is is poisonous. How can such places yield the life that you desire?

That will come, Satan. Did not the other worlds that harbor life in the universe take long to form and flourish?

Yes, Father, but to expect such yield from these places is doubtful. Besides being barren, they are unstable and vulnerable. I fear them.

Why do you fear them?

I cannot say. I only feel that if such things as human man and woman can rise and multiply among such desolation, and should they come to love and worship you…

Yes?

I fear that their triumph over trial and difficulty will diminish the virtues of us, your immortal children. I fear that you will come to love the mortals more than you love us.

At the sound of Satan's words, a collective groan was uttered. Awed by the thought that they might lose the Father's favor to a race of mortal beings, the angels lamented. Did the Father intend to abandon them?

Fret not, Satan. I love you and all your brothers and sisters more than anything in creation. All of you have always been by my side, and by my side you will remain.

Please forgive me, Father. It is just that I love you so much that the thought of your love being swayed elsewhere distresses me.

Again, fret not. Never should you distress. The mortal beings I shall create are meant to worship you and your brothers and sisters as well as they are meant to worship me. They will ennoble us all.

But while the Father watched and tended to the formation of the new worlds, many among the angelic host became concerned. No longer singing their songs or idly frolicking about the cosmos, those that held doubt over the Father's intentions ruminated.

He shows more interest in these new worlds than he shows in us, sulked Nelchael.

It will not last, this world of human man and women. Mortals are weak and die out. We, the immortal, are the only beings that last, suggested Allocen.

Why then does he persist? wondered Marchosias. There can come no good from it.

However, most of the angels did not question the Father's will but praised it.

If the Father deems it so, then it must happen, insisted Michael. It is only right.

He has gifted us with everything we desire. Might we be so bold as to question his will? Gabriel spoke. I think not.

It is a good thing that more beings in the universe will worship the Father than just us, his immortals, declared Raphael.

Remaining silent, Satan turned his thoughts inward. Reflecting upon himself, he took prideful admiration of his beauty and strength. No other angel could match his might or power. It was within his means to topple mountains, turn the tides of seas, collide worlds against one another, and wreak havoc among the living beings throughout the universe. Yet there was one power that he did not possess. For all his greatness, he lacked the ability to enflame stars, form worlds, and originate life, neither plant nor animal. Although he was the most prominent of the angels, in truth Satan could do little more than to toy with the Father's creations. That the Father was now creating a new race of beings that would possess an immortal soul, his inadequacy in that faculty brought forth in him a feeling he had never before known—jealousy.

Gather, my children, beckoned the Father. Look upon the worlds where will live your mortal brothers and sisters. The two, the second and third from the star, will be possessed of fertile life. They are nearly identical in size and nature. One shall I bless with much land of greenery and great basins of water. The other I shall endow with vast seas and separate continents of land. Each is companioned with a smaller world to balance and hold true its steadiness. Each will give rise to human man and woman. I shall create them in our image and likeness, though their differences will be many. They will be born of flesh through the union of human man and woman. They will be varied of tribe, and different of appearance. They will be separated by vast gulfs of space. I shall give them intellect of free will. There will be much conflict and strife among them on each world and between worlds. Their trial will be to overcome visceral instinct and worldly temptation. After death, those who have succeeded in obeying my order will come to exist among us, loving and united in my name. This is the word of the Father. This is the test of faith of which I decree.

What is to become of the other worlds around the star, Father? some of the angels asked. Are they meant for us?

No, my children, the universe is still yours to possess, said the Father. And Satan will remain by my right hand, as I have always said that he would.

That is good to know, Father, for there are some among us who trouble over the matter, said Satan.

Do you mock me, Satan? asked the Father.

No, Father. I only project that the conflict and strife of which you speak may draw your attention from us, those who are already loving and united in your name.

Do not trifle with me, Satan. My word is spoken. Look now upon the two worlds and watch the meager rudiments of life take structure.

I see it, Father, but I do not share that it is good. The expectations you place upon these mortals may prove to be beyond their capabilities. You call it a test of faith. What if they fail that test?

Do you think I have not considered that outcome? The mortals will be weak, imperfect beings. Of that, there is no doubt. Their needs will be many. You are my greatest and most beloved child, Satan. I expect that you will share with me the task of satisfying those needs.

I shall do it, then. For you, my Father. The mortals, though, will have to prove their worthiness.

I do not accept your misgivings about them. You are blessed with the virtue of humility, yet you now display the vice of pride. If you could only grasp the love I have for my heavenly children, then you might come to accept what I have in store for my mortal children.

Upon the two worlds, seas, lakes, rivers, mountains, plains, and valleys formed. Plants in countless varieties evolved and thrived. Massive forests covered the lands. Multitudes of animal types, both great and small, came to walk on the land, fly in the air, and swim in the waters. For indeed the two worlds were of greater beauty and hospitable climate than any the Father had yet to create. But of human man and woman, there was no sign.

To satisfy the needs of the mortals, the Father asks. For what needs? wondered Satan. He is the one that transformed the poisonous spheres of air into ones that are capable of producing life. Through his creation, he has brought forth into existence numerous lines of animal brutes that die out, only to be replaced by others even more repulsive than the last. Where is this human clan? How will it rise sacred above the rest when it, too, must procreate in the same shameful manner as the abominable creatures that already inhabit these worlds? I weary of this vigil. It despairs me. Why does the Father persist in this absurdity?

Satan further pondered. Was he not the most beautiful and powerful of all the Father's heavenly children? he asked of himself. Unquestionably, he was. Yet it was not enough. Beauty and power belonged to all the angels; he merely possessed more of it than the others did. The Father's power of creation set him apart from the angels. Creation was the essence of the Father's superiority over all other beings in the universe. It had been that way throughout eternity, and it would remain that way forever.

Defiant thoughts conceived in Satan's mind. Of what need was there for further creation? Without it, he would remain the most beautiful and powerful being in existence. It was by the power of creation alone that the Father staked sovereignty over all other beings. Should creation cease, there would be no need for the Father. The angels could go back to the endless bounds of the cosmos, playing in frolic and singing their songs. They would no longer be troubled over the folly of mortals becoming their equals. They would be happy again. Satan contemplated if there was such boldness within him to act. Could there truly be happiness without the Father? No, it could never be so. Above all, he loved the Father. Renouncing thoughts of betrayal, Satan bore a second feeling he had not known before—guilt.

I shall confess, he thought. I shall ask the Father to forgive me for my sin. But sin was weakness, and it was against his nature to admit that he owned weakness. Instead, he determined that he express his frustration. He would appeal to the Father for encouragement over his bewilderment.

Patience is a virtue, Satan, spoke the Father. Human man and woman will come. You must have faith in them as you do in me.

Yes, Father, but such beings have yet to take breath. As I look upon the worlds where they will live, I wonder that when they do come, how will they be able to find faith in you. As you have said, they will not know you.

I have perceived that difficulty. The mortals of both worlds will find themselves subject to many temptations and false beliefs. They may resort to savagery. Only by means of intervention will they come to know me as the one and true Father.

No more than your word is needed to instill that in them, Father.

That alone would not do. They will be inquisitive beings. Words spoken by an unseen spirit will doubtlessly bring forth a discordance of false superstitions. My words may go unheralded. They will need to see with their own eyes and hear with their own ears the reality of their Creator.

Then what is the answer?

Perusing Satan, the Father found the answer. To the two worlds encumbered with ignorance, a shining light he would display to human man and woman to show that there existed in the heavens a wondrously eternal life for them if they committed their faith to him, the Father. What better could he present as proof of this existence than the being who stood before him, his most glorious creation?

You, Satan. You will be my intermediary. You will be the one that binds me and the angels to the mortals. When they see you, they will know that there is great meaning to their lives. They will know that if they have faith in me and obey my order, mortality is the test they must endure in gaining eternal salvation.

You would send me among them, Father? You would have me walk among the lowly mortal, that I should speak unto them as if they have comprehension? Offer them eternity as if the mere praise of your name and their obedience to your Word would earn them a place among your heavenly host? How could this ever be when they will never amount to anything more than the dumb animals that surround them?

Do you truly mean those words, Satan?

I do, Father.

Then say no more. I have misjudged you. I place my faith in you and you respond with vileness. I offer you incomparable honor and you scoff. Satan, oh, Satan, how you disappoint me! In you I thought I had created much more than greatness. In you I thought I had created purity. What do you show instead but contempt, contempt for beings less superior than you? The virtues that you possess are tainted by your vanity.

I am sorry to have failed you, Father. Satan quivered. Please forgive me. Bitterly weeping, he threw himself at the Father's feet. Please forgive me, lest your chastisement destroy me.

No. You are not forgiven, Satan. You are banished from my presence until you have repented. Now go. I do not wish to see you.

The Father's punishment of Satan caused great consternation among the angels. Many sympathized with the castigated angel, because they, too, were distrustful of the Father's intention in creating human man and woman. A divide formed. The angels who resisted became known to one another, separating themselves from those that accepted the will of the Father.

You are the most beautiful and powerful of our fold, Beelzebul, Lilith, and those who were with them spoke unto Satan. Lead us against the Father and we will follow you.

We are not like the Father. We are like you, offered Allocen. With each passing moment he loses more of his faithful to our cause. Although his powers are great, together ours are greater.

Though he be despondent, the entreaties of the dissenting angels did not fare well with Satan. As the Father had scorned him, he then scorned those who spoke against the Father.

Resist your vanity! he berated. Look at what vanity has done to me. It has brought shame upon me, and it has divided you against our brothers and sisters. Look upon me as your example. And if you dare to betray the Father, do it elsewhere! I shall not stand with you against him. I love him!

In exile, Satan's pride ever so slowly took charge of his temperament. Reminded of his greatness by the recalcitrant angels, he envisioned himself regaining prominence as the Father's most beloved angel. So too, did he find compelling the growing resentment spoken by the wayward angels for the yet uncreated humans. In their disgruntlement, they persistently attempted to entice him to join them in overthrowing the Father. Yet Satan remained opposed to their conspiracy.

No! I shall not take part in ousting the Father, he told them. I alone will act. The Father's reign will not come to an end. He will continue to rule the universe. It is the coming menace of human mortal that must be stopped. None of us has the power to create. That power belongs solely to the Father. I, however, have the power of destruction. I shall use that power to end the worlds where the Father seeks to create human man and woman.

How? they asked. How will you transgress against the Father by yourself? Do you not fear his wrath?

He will not punish me. I shall tell him that I destroyed the two worlds because I wish for him to be our Father only. He will then come to understand our love for him. He will forgive me, and he will forsake his intention of bringing the souls of mortal beings among us.

Together with Satan, the wayward angels schemed to distract the Father's attention. As he made way to the two worlds where human man and woman were to live, they gathered around the Father, posing to him many questions. Feigning homage while stating false espousal, they secretly hoped for Satan's success.

Encroaching upon the second world from the star, the one formed of much greenery and adequate basins of water, Satan took no longer than the wink of an eye to cause its smaller companion world to hurdle astray. Colliding against the world meant for human man and woman devastation was immediate. The hospitable sphere of life sustaining air poisoned. Heat of untold magnitude seared the world's surface. The basins of water vaporized. The greenery blackened to ashes. All forms of life ceased. When he was finished, Satan gloated his deed.

The Father has the power to create, thought Satan, but it is slow and tedious. I have the power to destroy, and it is swift and decisive. And in his power of destruction, Satan realized a will for dominance. Although the Father could create worlds, he could just as well destroy them. Recollecting his earlier thoughts, he determined that further creation was needless. He would proceed to destroy the third world from the star. Then, he would do as the wayward angels asked of him. He would lead them against the Father.

As Satan beheld his disgraceful work, within the Father's omnipotent conscience arose the cries of countless souls that were never to live. With the perfidious angels that surrounded him, he looked upon the ruination that had befallen the second world from the star.

Who has done this? he demanded. Who dares destroy the world that I have created? Witnessing the Father's anger, the angels cowered. None dared speak. Who is the murderer that has cast death untold upon my unborn children? Still, none spoke. Listen, then, commanded the Father. Listen to the lamentation of souls that have lost their world. Listen to the despair of those that will never know the love that I would have bestowed upon them!

By the Father's will, the heavens then roared with shrieks and cries most piteous. Multitudes of wailing voices fell upon the angels, as if stabbing them with daggers. An eternity of grief and anguish became known unto them. Feeling the hopelessness of those that die into oblivion, they fell as one and wept. The Father allowed long their torment. Watching as they trembled, when Satan appeared in their midst, he silenced the mournful howling.

Satan, called the Father, why are you here when I have banished you?

Though moments before confident and scheming, Satan, too, recoiled from the Father's wrath. I became aware of the disturbance, Father, stammered Satan. I could not help but come see the occasion that rent the heavens.

Was it you? Was it you that perpetrated this defiance against me?

No, Father, not I.

The Father then asked the same question to each of the angels. All answered as Satan. None would admit to the terrible deed.

Is there not one of you who will own up to this act? the Father asked. None answered. It is silence, then, that betrays you all, for the culprit must be known unto some of you. Again, none answered. Is the Father's hand that has shown eternal love for all of you now forced to inflict indiscriminate punishment? Will the perpetrator not confess to relieve his brothers and sisters of the guilt?

It is I who destroyed the world, Satan finally admitted. I have acted alone in the matter. To punish another would be unjust.

So, Satan, said the Father, it is you, after all, the one I suspected. Yet you denied your fault when I first asked you. In doing so you have shown contempt for me.

But Father, I did it so that we, your heavenly host, would be your only children. I did it because we love you! We cannot bear your affection being shared with any other beings. If I have erred so grievously, please forgive me.

Not all your brothers and sisters share in your jealousy for the coming humans. No, I cannot forgive you, Satan. You will leave my company. You will exist in the far reaches of the universe, alone and forsaken. Never again will you stand among us.

As was the Father's decree, Satan suffered exile from every being he had ever known. Wandering the stars and the celestial clouds as a solitary nomad, he traversed the universe without purpose.

While the Father continued nurturing the remaining world that still bore life, the wayward angels seethed. When the mortal frame of human man and woman took shape, they became bitter. But without the great angel, they had no ally of strength with whom they could carry out rebellion. In their idleness, they conspired to pervert the human race.

I shall corrupt the human kings, spoke Beelzebul. I shall tempt them with false gods. They will think themselves greater than the Father and will wage war against those who worship him.

I shall tantalize the humans to be lustful, Pharzuph said. They will do orgy with one another and become even lowlier than the animal creatures that fornicate only to reproduce.

Their child offspring, I shall steal, announced Lilith. The ones that I cannot pervert to commit sin, I shall murder.

We have not the power to transgress against the Father, warned Allocen. We must seek out Satan. Only he can ensure our triumph. For is it not he who has already defied the Father? Did he not speak on our behalf so that we would not suffer exile also? Satan has shown his love for us above the Father. He cannot be left to wander the cosmos alone without his kinsmen.

The wayward angels then abandoned the region where the evolving race of human men and women lived. Far in the reaches of the universe, they found Satan and pleaded for his collaboration.

The Father has wronged you, they told Satan, for in truth, he fears you. You are the mightiest of all beings in creation. Join in league with us against the Father and those who are faithful to him. Be our leader. Once he is vanquished, you will become our father. Through their words, Satan's pride multiplied. Answering favorably to their cause, he became their leader against the Father. With intention of destroying its inhabitants, Satan's legion of angels made sortie upon the third world from the star, the world where lived human man and woman.

Descrying the onslaught of Satan's forces, to the forefront of the Father's defenders rose angel Michael. Come, Raphael, Uriel, and Zadkiel, called Michael. Come, Gabriel, Ariel, and Nathaniel. Come all who would defend what is right and just against our rebellious brothers and sisters. Gathering in defense, the angelic legions stood to defend the reign of the Father. Let us defeat the insurgent ones that would do harm to our beloved Father.

Time being of relative perception, the war between the angels lasted of incomprehensible duration. One of every three angels in the universe took up arms against the Father, while two in three remained loyal to him. The first assaults of Satan's legion struck hard and nearly succeeded in overthrowing the Father. Lances and swords forged of celestial solidity wielded one angel against another. Blast and conflagration abounded. Standing fast, the defenders of the Father persevered, though the forces of Satan persisted. Satan's great strength waned in the face Michael's courage, until he and his followers were forced into enclave. Although many angels had been thrashed into oblivion, as the last blow was struck and the final fight was finished, the dominance of the universe remained unchanged. The Father of the universe and his faithful angels rejoiced in triumph, never again to be challenged. Before them groveled the spent perpetrators of rebellion, their beaten, disloyal brethren. Pleading for mercy, their cries were refused.

Your jealousy of human man and woman has blinded you. Though I have gifted you of every benefit in the universe, you have defied my will. No, I shall not be merciful!

But, Father, cried Satan, we meant only to show that we desired that you love us and not the mortals. Our jealousy comes from our perpetual love for you. For this you cannot punish us! I beg, have mercy on us!

You lie, Satan, said the Father. You and your traitorous ilk desired to supplant me. You took up arms against your brothers and sisters who defended me. Arrogance was your motivation. You do not love me, Satan. You love only yourself.

You are no longer of this heavenly body, the Father decreed to the fallen angels. I cast you down upon the world that was once meant for human man and woman, the one that Satan branded with destruction. For it is barren and empty of life yet shines of the disastrous light upon which he smote it. You will have no powers but will exist there as fleeting shadows. And the glow of that world, for those who cast eye upon it, will commemorate your wickedness. Should you repent of your sins, I shall bear consideration. But lest a meek creature dearly companioned by human man and woman casts eyes upon you, then yelps for your forgiveness, you will remain there throughout eternity.

With the Father's words spoken, the fallen angels, save Satan, became as one a massive cloud and were at once cast down through the void of space onto the badlands of the second world from the star.

Satan, spoke the Father, I say to you that although I have offered to your brethren unlikely instance of salvation, for you there can only be eternal damnation. You were my most beloved son, yet you conspired against me. No greater sin can be committed. You will serve as example to all sentient beings the penalty for such treachery.

And I say unto you, Father, spoke Satan, our wickedness, as commemorated by the glow of our world, will corrupt your humans. For they will always be born of flesh savages inclined toward every depravity. It will be your task to contend with those savages. Yet I, I shall reign among my peers as the mightiest of all in my world!

So be it, said the Father. Reign in your world. It is now your lot that be you sovereign over the rebellious; you will find that there will always be rebellion. It will be your task to contend with those rebels.

Satan was then cast downward, falling as a flaming white star to join his wretched brothers and sisters. Consumed then, were they all in the hot, barren world enshrouded by luminous white clouds of poisonous air.

We have suffered the loss of many of our kind, my children, said the Father to his faithful angels. We are depleted.

Aye, Father, resounded Michael. But we are victorious. Our faith in human man and woman and their faith in us will increase our heavenly throng once they come to join us in your glory.

You have served me well, Michael, said the Father. You will now stand at my right hand to watch over creation and to uphold my will as once did Satan. You will be the messenger to my mortal children.

And it came to pass that the third world from the star did flourish and give rise to human man and woman, who multiplied in great numbers and became masters of their world. In the skies of their world, the brightest orb that produced the light of day they would name the Sun. The companion world that glowed in the night, they would name the Moon. The uncountable smaller points of light that dotted the darkness of the night sky, they would name Stars. Of the brightest of all of the stars, the second world from the sun, they would give to it many different names and would regard it with great fascination.

Over the ages, humankind would repeat many a tale of the Father, the angels and gods of myth. Of the brightest star in the heavens, hosts of different beliefs have been contrived. Because it sometimes precedes the rising of the sun before the dawn of day, many of the humans who knew of the Father would name it Lucifer, meaning the Bringer of Light. So, too, would Satan become known as Lucifer, the once most beautiful and powerful of all the Father's angels before his fall from grace.

2

Among the Sumer

2934–2904 BCE

Standing at the top of the temple steps, she recites. The people have seen her here many times before. Their attention is spurred by curiosity, for her devotion is quite passionate. One cannot simply ignore her, yet she is barely worth a moment's notice.

My Lady, the Amazement of the Land, the Lone Star,

The Brave who appears first in the heavens—

All the Land fear he her.

In the pure places of the steppe

On the high roofs of the dwellings,

On the Platforms of the city,

They make offerings to her,

Piles of incense like sweet-smelling cedar,

Fine sheep, fat sheep, long-haired sheep,

Butter, cheese, dates, fruits of all kinds…

Witness the young girl, Shay Op Ta, ardent worshipper and proselytizer of the goddess Inanna. Believing herself to be a descendant of an affluent clan that long ago lost its noble eminence, she strives to reclaim her family's position of prominence through an emulous promotion of the Queen of Heaven.

My Lady looks to sweet wonder from heaven,

The people of Sumer parade before the holy Inanna,

Inanna, the Lady Who Ascends into the Heavens, is radiant,

I sing your praises, holy Inanna,

The Lady Who Ascends into the Heavens is radiant on the horizon.

The year is 2934 BCE, the place, the city-state of Shuruppak, the largest of several municipalities comprising the Sumer civilization of ancient Mesopotamia. It is in this backwater of the collective human drama that the diminutive, seemingly irrelevant figure expressing her heartfelt advocacies will discover, like countless human beings who will follow her, that striven dreams of ambitious destiny will forever be subject to nightmares of inexplicable twists of fate.

Life is complacent in Shuruppak. The people go about their work, come and go, make small talk. Some enter the temple, worship, then leave. Others simply loiter about the streets. The Eanna District, where the temple stands, is the marvel of its day. Impressive are the single story buildings of mud brick bolstered with limestone facades of cone shaped buttresses. Courtyards and communal halls overwhelm the senses. A narrow waterway running through the Grand Courtyard soothes the soul. Colorful mosaic displays and mural artworks of iconic figures and geometric designs stimulate the intellect. Amidst this enchanting setting, one cannot fail to take notice of the stalwart young girl. For her, life is not complacent. Like the proverbial dog with a bone, she does not drift from her preoccupation. Incessantly voicing the tales and singing the hymns of praise extolling the glories of goddess Inanna, she stands in the same place for hours at a time, unwavering in her devotion, committed to a zealous calling known only to herself. For not only does Shay Op Ta fervently worship goddess Inanna; she also wishes to become goddess Inanna. Her preaching, however, is fraught with shortcomings. In spite of her conspicuousness, she is just a child. She is not taken seriously. She does not inspire. Everyone has heard the verses she prattles and the hymns she croons so many times before that the content of her adulations have little effect. She is alone in her oratory, noticeable, but not persuasive. For the people who regularly visit the district, there is one quality about her that belittles her dedicated veneration: she is not allowed to enter the temple. Poorly dressed in a smock of deteriorating woolen material, she is barefoot and bears the taint of impoverishment. She is the child of a lowly commoner, fit neither to tread upon the sacred floors of the temple, nor to stand inside its hallowed walls.

When her sister Jaicoo appears at the base of the temple steps, Shay Op Ta ceases her sermonizing and strides down to meet her. The two exit the district, friendlily bidding farewell to those they pass. Unspoken thoughts of disdain cross the minds of the people whom they wish well. The two girls are lowborn urchins. Few are willing to deign themselves the courtesy of responding to the well-meaning sisters. Shay Op Ta and Jaicoo then spend time walking the city streets, where they are well-known among the inhabitants. Here, they are better received than in the Eanna District. Conversing with this mother of children, consulting with that craftsman of pottery, Shay asks many questions to satisfy her interests. Her purpose is to gain knowledge, to enhance her me, the Sumer term for the set of universal rules and limits observed by the gods and men alike. She feels that in this way she can reach the bridge of thought that spans the visible world of nature to the spiritual world of the heavens. She has already educated herself in such matters. Shay Op Ta, at the age of nine years, has mastered the communicative system of numbers, symbols, and letters, an achievement first established by the Sumer that credits them as being the earliest human society to reach the status of civilization. It is a remarkable accomplishment for one so young.

By midday, Shay and Jaicoo are on their way back home.

The people do not understand, remarks Shay. They do not understand that Inanna is our patron. She speaks in a slow, drawn-out manner, each word toned of a troublesome gravity, as is the Sumer habit when expressing a point that is meant to be serious.

Why do you bother with them? responds Jaicoo. She is frustrated with her sister. She is not interested in serious things. They know Inanna is our patron! she contradicts her sister. They just don't worry over her all the time the way you do. Her curt words fall heavily upon Shay's ears. She knows that Jaicoo is correct. Absorbed in thought, she becomes silent. Oh, stop brooding! Jaicoo interrupts Shay's contemplation. You should dress as the nobles do. Then they might take you seriously. It is Jaicoo's way, the way of an older sister. At age twelve, she is three years Shay's elder. She wishes to offer advice. Like the people who visit the temple, she does not take Shay seriously but plays along. It is fun, and she would rather be with her in the city than remain at home, where there is little to do until the reed cutting and barley and wheat harvests begin.

How can I dress like the nobles? asks Shay. We have no money for finery.

Then act like you are a noble, says Jaicoo. That is the better way. Remember, we are Aratta!

Aratta, their family name, is the same name as a city known to be rich in gold, silver, lapis, and other precious materials. Aratta is the home of great artisans and craftsmen who produce wondrous objects of pottery, ornamentation, and sculpture. In Aratta, the people are rich and wear dazzling garments; everyone has a fine house to live in, even the commoners. It was once the home of Inanna herself, so the legends tell. Aratta, the land mentioned in many Sumer legends, the land of great wealth and prosperity, is also known to be very distant from Shuruppak and extremely difficult to find. No one in Shuruppak has ever been there or knows where it lies. Yet Shay Op Ta and Jaicoo are certain that somehow, someway, their family is irretrievably connected to the city of Aratta and its greatness. Through some injustice perpetrated against their forebearers in the past, a great fortune was taken from them. After all, if their family name is Aratta, it only follows that their ancestors must have been at the top of the city's hierarchy, since they bear the same name. The injustice cannot be left to stand. A quest must be embarked upon to reclaim the family legacy. Since her early childhood, when she became aware of the goddess Inanna and her family's namesake role in the order of things, the small girl that makes her way to the city of Shuruppak to praise the Queen of Heaven every day pursues a solemn vow to right the wrongs of the past. She, Shay Op Ta of the House of Aratta, determines that through homage to the goddess Inanna, she will regain the honor and wealth so wrongfully denied her family.

Returning home is a stark contrast from the Eanna District. The air changes from the rich, flavorsome smell of wheat and barley fermentation emanating from the production of beer, the city's greatest trade product, to the malodourous dankness of the summertime Euphrates River. A few miles northwest of the city, along the banks of the river live an assortment of destitute people far too poor to live within the environs of Shuruppak. Here dwell the lowest sorts, the down-and-out people who scratch out an existence through hand-to-mouth forage, menial unskilled labor when it is available, prostitution, and beggary. Shay and Jaicoo's family is a bit better off than most. Their father is a canal builder. It is not a well-paid occupation and is required on irregular occasions, but still, it is better than most other families have to rely upon.

In the locale where the river people live, the banks of the river are somewhat elevated. It is along other parts of the Euphrates where the land lies in closer plain to the river's surface that are furrowed the canals that supply water to the great fields that grow wheat, barley, legumes, and vegetables. Where the river people live is an undesirable patch of land left to those least capable of securing respectability. They live a precarious life. Despite their higher position above the river, nearly every spring season the waters of the Euphrates rise high enough to flood their hovels, sweeping away everything that they have built. During the floods, the river people are forced to migrate to higher grounds and take what few possessions they have with them. Once the floodwaters recede to the mean river level, they return to find a washed-out mess where their homes once stood. A family rarely returns to the same place it had lived before the latest flood because, with the exception of shapeless scrub bush hedges and intermittent stands of thorny trees, the ground surface has completely altered. The population waxes and wanes, for not only do Sumer people live here but groups of nomadic Semites also make it their home. The migrant people bear appearances and wear forms of clothing that are much different from the Sumer. They also speak a different language. Their most distinguishing quality among the inhabitants is that when the floodwaters rise, the Sumer always remain nearby, while the Semites are more disposed to go elsewhere.

After passing a number of decrepit encampments, the two sisters step off the main path and take a narrower one that twists through tangles of bushes and trees nearer to the riverbank. Shay and Jaicoo know everyone here. They encounter two boys and a girl they are friendly with, all three of whom are naked, proudly carrying a sizable fish they have managed to catch in the river. This is not unusual. Many people walk around naked because it is so hot. Constantly exposed to the rays of the sun from living outdoors all their lives, their skin is darker than that of other Sumer who are able to live indoors inside a house. Here, a cluster of family dwellings plays out until they come upon their home. Sitting in front of the one-room mud hut, their mother, Trehoo, nurses their baby brother, Triallkk. Their younger sister, Exziel, plays in a spread of cooking fire ashes. Filthy and naked, flies swarming around her emaciated body, she goes about her fascination without noticing the arrival of her older sisters. Mother Trehoo calls to them. Offering pieces of emmer bread, she launches into a lecture meant for both her older daughters, but especially for Jaicoo.

A certain young man who lives along the riverbank had visited earlier that morning. He is interested in Jaicoo. It is the second time that he has expressed a desire to make her his wife. Trehoo does not approve. Then, in the slow, deliberate manner of gravity, she speaks of caution for men and their lusts, and also that Jaicoo is still too young to get married. It is the same words Mother always uses and has spoken almost every day to her two older daughters now that a man is showing interest in Jaicoo. She then insists they take water and some of the bread to Dieff, their older brother, who is off in the grazing lands, tending to the family's four sheep. This is expected. It is a daily chore. The sheep are of great importance to the Aratta family. They will provide wool that can be traded for money, and food. It is not necessary for both of them to go to Dieff, but since there are no other chores to tend to and they are feeling happy, they go together.

Their joy is for good reason. Now is a good time for them. Their father, Mosciar, will be returning in another day or two from upriver. They are anxious to see him after he has been away for so long. He is off with the canal-digging crew, which means that when the work is finished, he will bring home minas, the contemporary term for money. The payment will do well in seeing the family through for many days ahead, perhaps well enough even to buy a new lamb or a milk cow.

As they walk along, Jaicoo and Shay Op Ta roll their eyes and giggle over Mother's latest speech regarding the evils of men. They are both aware that their time to become betrothed is nearing, as it is for every river girl their age. What amuses them is how seriously their mother views what is inevitable, although secretly Shay Op Ta does not wish to become any man's wife. Jaicoo is pretty. Shay Op Ta is less so. Therefore, besides the ambitions she wishes to pursue, she is certain that no man would want her.

An hour later, they are with their brother Dieff. The three Aratta siblings bear the same physical aspect. Each is painfully thin. They appear undernourished. Shay Op Ta, Jaicoo, and Dieff are not only sisters and brother; they are also intimate friends. Aside from Father and Mother, they hold no closer bond with any other people. Here, the land is wide and empty. The sheep graze on dried grass. As is her habit, Jaicoo speaks amusing quips. She is something of a comic, always trying to get her brother and sister to laugh. The three Aratta children ponder over the good fortune that will soon come their way when Father returns. Their vigilance over the sheep, however, is focused. The animals are highly valuable to them, and to others. Theft is always lurking. People in these parts are regularly on the verge of starvation. The loss of a single sheep would be a disaster for the family. It is for this reason that their father has always insisted that they make their home on the very edge of the riverbank, with the sheep pen situated directly behind their hut so that the approach of intruders will be narrowed and the sheep can be more easily guarded. River people are always quick to come to one another's aid and share in their burdens, but they are also prone to defend themselves and their property, what little of it they have, to the death if necessary.

Before the sun rises the following morning, Shay Op Ta bathes in the tepid waters of the Euphrates. Emerging from the shallows of the river, she stands alone in the faint light of the new day on a narrow spit of sand among a forest of tall-standing water reeds. Her eyes fixed squarely on the brightly shining morning star in the sky, she raises her arms and prays.

Inanna, Goddess of Heaven, all glory to you

You who bring us joy and prosperity

You who bless the land and its people,

You who favor the Sumer above all others

I, Shay Op Ta, sing your praise

My lady, make me your envoy

Make me your messenger

Make me your uppermost servant on earth

Make me like you, Goddess Inanna

Every morning it is the same. With little variation, she offers a daily reminder to the Goddess of Heaven that she, Shay Op Ta, is the one human being that should be blessed above all others, the one most fit to speak of Inanna's greatness to all of mankind. When Inanna is in descent and appears in the evening skies, Shay adjusts her ritual and bathes in the river after sunset. During the periods when Inanna does not appear in the sky, Shay becomes melancholy. She feels that the goddess has abandoned her. When she again appears on the western or eastern horizon, Shay becomes ecstatic. It is the sight of the morning star, or the evening star, the true embodiment of Inanna herself, for which Shay Op Ta lives.

Two days later, Father Mosciar returns home. Again united, the family is joyful. Mosciar is a tall slender man whose compassionate manner and pleasant features hearten his wife and children. Wearing no more than a breechcloth, he is quickly approached by Mother Trehoo, who places a length of woolen cloth over his narrow shoulders. Mosciar's first order of business is to examine his family. The children look no more gaunt than when he left two months ago, but in his eyes they appear to be worse off. The family eats and converses well into the evening. The excitement having taken its toll, Mother Trehoo, sons Dieff and Triallkk, and daughters Jaicoo and Exziel fall sound asleep on the hut floor. Standing watch over the sheep pen, Mosciar is joined by Shay Op Ta. Although he does not let on, she is his favorite. The girl is very bright. Mosciar believes that in a few years her round face and childish charm will evolve into womanhood, and that she will leave the family to become some man's wife. Naturally, as her father, this worries him, just as he is already worried about Jaicoo. Mosciar watches his daughter's face in the pale light of the moon. He is very proud of her. They speak in hushed tones so as not to awaken the family.

Inadvertently, Shay guides the conversation toward her relentless aspirations. He listens but worries that his daughter is treading a course bound for disappointment. When she mentions the subject of returning the family to its rightful prominence of the Aratta line of descent, he interrupts. He has spoken to her before about the family name. It has become a sensitive subject between the two of them. Mosciar has always been patient but firm. He slowly tells her, Shay Op Ta, we share the name of Aratta with a mythical town known for its great wealth, but that does not make us people of Aratta.

How can you say Aratta is a myth, Father? gasps Shay.

Because no one has ever seen it. No one even knows where it is or if there really is an Aratta.

But, Father, Aratta is in the stories, the legends, the very beliefs of the Sumer.

Yes. Yes. Old King Enmerkar led an army to sack and pillage Aratta, and with Inanna's aid, he succeeded. I know all that, daughter. It is a myth. Things that people believe are not always true.

Shay Op Ta is shocked by her father's words. Conversations like these are not uncommon between the two of them, but never before has he cast such doubts upon matters that she believes to be universally espoused. In truth, Father Mosciar is skeptical of the myths, the hymns, and the supposedly acknowledged laws between mortal men and the Sumer gods. By no means is he alone in these thoughts. Even in a time of en masse devotion to multiple supernatural deities, there are many nonbelievers like him who think it all to be a lot of nonsense. But Mosciar is not an insensitive man. He loves Shay very much and does not wish to hurt her feelings or to make her feel poorly of him.

Your faith must be tempered with reason, daughter. Stories of the gods are part of what make us Sumer, but we are not gods. We are just plain folk. It is our lot.

Shay broods. She holds no greater respect for any other person than her father. His wisdom is unquestionable, but she refuses to accept that her family's low standing is just.

What of Aratta? What of our family name? she asks after a long silence.

I have told you before, daughter, Mosciar answers. I knew not of my family. I was a parentless ward of the state. My overseers donned me the name of Aratta by chance.

Then by some reason their choice of name must have been inspired by the gods, Shay quickly speculates.

Perhaps, says Mosciar, no longer wishing to dwell on the subject. Thus, the conversation ends.

Shay stays with her father throughout the night. Sitting together in the dark, they barely speak. She is terribly aggrieved. He cannot see the tears dripping down her cheeks. As she ponders over what he has told her, she is less disappointed in his words than she is worried about his absence of faith. She loves him more than any other person. She knows that after life, one who is not faithful to the gods will be cast into the depths of the underworld to flounder among the lowest of spirits, destined to an eternity of darkness and unending travails. The thought of her father suffering such a fate is unbearable for her.

As the night gradually turns to dawn, Shay is again at the river's edge, wet and naked. Standing on the reed-surrounded spit of sand, her eyes fixed on the shining star in the eastern sky, she launches into her usual invocations. Only this time there is something more.

Goddess Inanna! Oh, Queen of Heaven!

Have mercy upon Mosciar of the House of Aratta

His faith is weak, but his goodness is great

He does not believe, but his heart is pure

I pray thee, I pray thee, my Lady

Forgive him

Do not forsake him

Do not suffer him the worst of miseries in the underworld

He is my father

If need be, allow me to suffer the penalty in his place

Time passes. The Aratta children grow older. The man who showed interest in Jaicoo found another girl to make his wife, so for now she has no potential suitor. Little else changes. One day, wardens from the court of King Ubarra-Tutu come calling. They proclaim to the river people that young men and women will soon be needed to serve in the king's royal guard and household. It would seem that this presents a fortunate opportunity to the impoverished people who live here. Sons and daughters taken to become royal servants, and their families will be blessed. Remuneration will be paid to them. Few besides Mosciar realize the true intentions behind this blessing. His wariness is not unjustified. The aging Queen Nefmaus Ti, seventeen years older than her husband, King Ubarra-Tutu, is known to have fallen ill. She may die soon. A royal tomb will be excavated. A royal funeral will be conducted. The king's court already has more guardsmen and servants than it requires. When in need of new guardsmen or servants, such positions have always been reserved for the inhabitants of Shuruppak. Rarely is this kind of opportunity offered to the people who live along the river. There is an insidious motive behind the offer being made to the young people who live along the river.

He gathers Dieff, Jaicoo, and Shay Op Ta to speak to them in secret. All three are of suitable age to become servants to the king. Mosciar's words bear urgency. The employ of which the wardens speak is of ill consequence, he tells them. The wardens will return. If necessary, they will drag you off to the city by force. Before that happens, you must flee from this land until it is safe for you to return. Although the three are puzzled, they will obey their father without question. Nevertheless, Dieff and Jaicoo inquire of Mosciar's qualms. It is best that you do as I say and not speak of this to anyone, not even your mother. The three ask where they are to go. With the Semites, says Mosciar. The Semites do not settle. Their bands come and go, as do the wild duck flocks.

Dieff and Jaicoo are reluctant. No matter the danger, they would rather remain in Shuruppak, with Dieff as a guardsman and Jaicoo as a house servant in the royal palace, than leave the land of the Sumer. It would be a