Tanroa

[Colombina]

"To see a world in a grain of sand, And a heaven in a wild flower, Hold infinity in the palm of your hand, And eternity in an hour." Blake

[Johanne]

22nd Winter, 512AV. The Temple of Time; Lhavit. (x)

"Goddess of Time," she said, quietly, her voice carrying endlessly through the silence. She paused, thinking. "You are above all things. You watch endlessly down on us, moving through day and night like ants on an anthill. You can see everything and anything. The shadows and the night mean nothing to you. You are omniscient and omnipresent. And for that I am in awe." She paused, swallowing. All true. She had not lied. And yet she felt that she was not being honest enough. She tried again.

"You watch fathers and brothers die in battle to defend their children and their homes. You've seen this world shattered and wrenched apart. You watched the people of Mizahar cower beneath the stone. And yet you still watched."

"Your River, like this Temple, runs silently on. But the cries of the people on this world are deafening, Goddess. I don't understand." There it was. The truth. 'I don't understand.' Her words began to run freely now. "I cried for so many nights of my childhood, and you watched. You watched my mother scorn me for my heart, you saw my skin crack and bleed because of the touch of one man, and you can see it beginning to happen again. And yet you stand above us all. You watch us in the waters and you do nothing."

"It is only today that I have come to murmur your names to the Heavens," her voice was louder now, cracking, her breath heavy and furious and her eyes smarting, "and it is only today that I have realised how angry I am at you. You hold within your hands eternity, Tanroa! You hold every failed dream, every realised hope! The corrupt live and the loved ones die! And you do nothing! You do nothing!"

"I am one strange little girl with scars in my flesh and a desperation to be remembered, and you hold that power within your chest, you breathe that power, you have even gifted a part of that power to Syna and Leth, Kihala and Dira! Tanroa... you watched my mother break me. The least you can do is tell me where the stories are!" She was yelling into the silence now.

"Show me the way into the Bharani Library, show me the stories that have lasted through your River, help me to understand what I need to conquer time and all your destructive passages! Tanroa, give me something, a word, a promise, something, anything, just give me a reason to walk beneath the sun and to continue to dream and to hope! For once, be something more than silent! Find me in your River!"

[Julius Starr]

The following excerpt is taken from this thread, dated the eighty-eighth day of Winter of the year five hundred and thirteen. *** He closed his eyes, bowing his head in the greeting typical of a Lhavitian. Pardon my delay, Tanroa, in lifting up my annual homage. Not that you probably noticed, seeing that you have all of time to wait. I wish you'd bestow me a larger portion of your infinite supply, so I'll never have to worry about running out. Since this will never happen, I simply ask this of you: give me ample time to accomplish the most important things life has to offer. Not immortality, persay, but a guarantee that what little time I have won't be wasted. With that said, I'll see you next year. His eyes flickered back open, taking in one final sight of the orb. Then, he ascended to his full height once more and made his way back to Jenni.