Sometimes, when I enter my hut, I see the crack in the chimney. Surprise strikes me, because I have forgotten the monumental power that created this crack. Surprised, how I could have forgotten the fear of that one night so many years ago. Even after the Great Flash and living in the era of darkness, this crack is still the most surprising event I have lived to see. Even after all those years, I walk our plains and am thankful for the woman who caused that crack. Sometimes, the earth faintly shakes. I still wonder, if it is earth herself or one of them.

Many years ago, when I was young, I was the villages engineer taking care of levelling the hills around our refuge. Since the Great Flash, growing crops was once more manual work and plain ground valuable and fought for. So I headed a team of humans carrying dirt from one place to another to make space for crops in the area surrounding our refuge. It is a hard work for the team, because they have to carry heavy loads on their shoulders. It is heavy work for me too, because I have to make it easy for them.

One day, while we were working on an exceptionally high mountain, I noticed a series of earthquakes, slowly increasing in intensity. Strangely enough, they seemed rhythmic, like the gods were cleansing earth again with their great flashes, dropping them one after another. After one exceptional strong one, the earthquakes stopped. Earth was silent again.

Visitors

In the evening, a stranger entered our village. A young woman, but without luggage. It seemed like she was taking a leisure trip, even though the next refuge was many days travel away. She asked for food, travelling utensils and offered work in return. Her lightweight travelling made me curious and I approached her. What kind of work she offered, I asked. Well, what was the physically most challenging work we had to offer, she happily replied. I laughed and indicated our plans to level the hills. She asked how much we would give her, if she levelled those hills. This human was a lunatic, I was sure. I offered her huge quantities of food, two of our best flint stones and metal ware. She agreed. She just agreed, no hint of joking or anything. I was starting to doubt, whether she was part of a gang of raiders, whether she was scouting us. We would have had no way of defending ourselves, only some knifes and good old fashioned throwing rocks.

She indicated, that we should stay inside our huts all night long. No matter what we heard or what happened, we should not leave our huts. What madness was she speaking about? Furthermore, she asked me to accompany her to the hills and show her how they should be levelled. I went back to my fellow villagers and told them, what the stranger offered. I secretly told to them, that they should all hide themselves and there loved ones in case, there was a raid tonight. Only I was to stay in my hut, everybody else hidden safely elsewhere.

While I lead her to the hills, I occasionally peaked at her. She was well used to hiking, even to long walk. Her boots were of a good fashion, but heavily used. Her clothes were functional and in good shape. She herself looked well fed and not a bit afraid. She almost looked … happy to me. In the world after the Great Flash, happiness is a luxury few could afford. We arrived at the site where I had worked during the day. I explained her what she had to do with many details. She nodded, asked questions to assert she had understood. Then she instructed me once more, that after sunset I was not to leave the house, no matter what. She would come back to the village after sunrise, take her side of the bargain and then leave for good.

Back at my refuge, I was confused. Was she going to kill and rob us, while everybody was meant to stay in their huts? No doubt, the task she was given was inhuman, not a thousand humans could accomplish it in a nights time. Yet, she seemed so certain and at ease. So different from us, from me.

Specters in the Night

The night came. The earthquakes started again, this time stronger than before. My simple kitchen was shaking, the water in my cup rippling. The earthquakes become stronger and stronger. Now they were accompanied by a roar, like a thousand bulls breathing and screaming their rage into the night. Immense thunder started to roll, but through the window I saw nothing. This night was dark, exceptionally dark. The noise, the shaking, it was like a hill was crumbling to bits, like the gods were rolling stones over the mountains. The window was pointing away from the hill, which the woman was meant to level. My curiosity took the best of me, of course.

I stepped outside and went around the house. Horror gripped me. Two bright flames were high above the hills and moving, like they were going back and forth. The earthquakes and the thunder were even louder as stone hit stone and thousands of tons of earth were smashed on the ground. The largest crash shock my house so much, I was certain it would break. Within seconds after going out I ran back inside, closing the door, knowingly, nothing could protect me from the evil outside. My chimney had cracked, probably because of the huge crash just moments ago.

In that darkness, in the light afforded only by those two bright flames. I had seen it. Or rather her. A Golem. Alive, breathing, on earth.

Flat earth

I huddled inside, not able to sleep. Soon, the thunder got weaker and more infrequently. The earthquakes continued, but seemed to move away. The night went and sunrise came. I stepped outside. The air was cold and everything was covered with a faint layer of dust and dirt. Stepping around the house I looked at the hills. Or better to say, where they had been. Now, there was a plain there, just like I had described it to her. I was frightened. What power, what madness did she yield. This was magic, probably pre-flash magic.

Hurriedly, I started to carry the things together the village had promised to give to the stranger. She came back, with a sleigh attached to her hips. Quietly, she stacked the goods on top of it. Some of the food did not fit on the sleigh, so she left it behind without mentioning it. She smiled shortly at me and then started to walk away. I was finally able to speak through my fear and screamed “Thank you” after her. She waived, turned her head while walking and smiled at me again. A kind smile, not a mad smile. I was ever more curious.

I followed her direction, carefully, for about two hours. When she entered a long valley I stayed behind on a ridge. There was a new mountain in the centre of the valley, like a volcano had erupted overnight. She walked toward that mountain. As she got closer, large openings containing fire showed on the top of that mountain and a rock was protruding from it. This was no mountain, this was a Golem. A huge humanoid creature. And they were companions. When she got close enough, it extended its arm towards her, she climbed the hand and it placed her on its head. There seemed to be something like a crown there inside of which she placed all the items I had given her. Like it was her home. The Golem got up and started walking. The earthquakes began again. Every step of it shook the surrounding peaks and the snow on them came crashing down. They left and I returned home.

Never again

When I came back the villagers were both scared of what they had lived through in the night. This fair was coupled with gratitude. Gratitude for the huge plains ready for growing crops and overcoming the hunger that so crippled our village. They asked me, what had happened, what I had seen. I knew the fear Golems caused on earth. No one would sleep easily, if they knew a Golem to be around. And so I lied. I spoke of magic, pre-flash magic. This woman wielded a power none of us could ever match or fight against. We were lucky, we had not tried to trick or kill her.

Over the years, we learned how grateful we had to be for her help. Famine struck us from time to time, but the large plains she had given us still provided enough food, so nobody had to die anymore. Now, many decades later, some of the people who where there tell stories of the gods themselves levelling those plains. I know the truth, but the myths are easier to understand. What fear would strike us, knowing, that somewhere out there, was a human able to slay mountains? Sometimes, I still feel distant earthquakes. I always wonder with fear and delight, whether it could be her. But now, only the crack in the chimney and the plains remain of her.