Bitter Cross, Thankless Love: Story 3 – Life Ever Fleeting

I give myself to Divine Providence as all things are governed by it

It is you who gives, it is you who takes

No one is wiser or more loving than you

Though my life may end at any moment for any reason, I will treasure and share it as I treasure your love, the greatest gift of all. Amen.

-          A prayer of the Canus

Story 3 – Life Ever Fleeting

Penitents die more often than the average human, however, those of the Canus clan die more often than the rest of the clans. The Canus age rapidly in penance for the young that die before adulthood and in this day and age where infants are slaughtered on a daily basis, the oldest they can be is their late thirties, early forties if God deems it so. Because of this, they die more often than the Sententia. Through their penance, the Canus give the young longer to live and the unborn another chance to be born to good people rather than the horrible ones that would have them killed for their own convenience. Their lives are comprised of simple penances compared to most clans especially since they feel the effects of rapid aging including the graying of their hair and decay of their flesh that leads to the showing of their bones.

Melody is a young girl in the clan of Canus who isn’t too bothered by her penance though a gnawing feeling inside her wishes that her life was less tragic. She sits at her sister’s grave with the family’s dog that managed to outlive her sister and some of her friends. A man wanders the graves looking for someone like her and approaches her.

“It’s a sad thing for the good to die young,” the man says.

Melody silently nods in response before taking a better look at the man then saying, “Aren’t you from that silent clan? What was their name again?”

“We don’t have a name and we’re not always silent, or at least I don’t think we need to be. My name is Susurro.”

“Mine is Melody.”

“Oh, like a song.”

“Yes, one that begins sweetly then ends sweetly soon after as my parents say.”

“It doesn’t have to end soon. Your hair won’t have to grow grayer and your skin won’t have to decay and fall off.”

“I’m not going to stop doing my penance.”

“I didn’t say that you should.”

“Then why isn’t a member of the silent clan being silent? Why bother asking me to do this?”

“To comfort a fellow Penitent and help them with their penances. There’s nothing wrong about that, right?”

“Mmm, but what are you trying to suggest I do? Penances are the only thing that extend my clan's life and I do plenty of that daily.”

“Then how about doing a penance that’s greater than one you are doing now? Maybe you should do something great and offer that up instead.”

“Like what? The greatest thing that can be done for us is justice for the young and unborn and the Sententia typically do that for us.”

“Yes, a boy from that clan recently died after he did that. I’m sure you’ve noticed.”

“People from my clan notice that but aren’t always informed about it. Is that what you suggest we do?”

“No, no, no. If you humor me, then we can achieve an even greater penance.”

“Stop being so cryptic and just say what you’re suggesting.”

“I’m suggesting that we go to the outside world and convince some people to do penance and why the killing of the young is wrong.”

“If that idea isn’t circulating in the world, then the end of the world is soon coming as well as the end of our penance.”

“Oh, but it is. Some of us have even left to do this and lessened the penances of our people here. We won’t be gone long. We only have to visit one person and we’ll be back before anyone notices. She’s one of us who left and became a voice for people who do penance and servants of God throughout the world.”

“This sounds too good to be true. How will we reach this person? Leaving here teleports us to wherever God wills and we can’t come back unless God also wills it.”

“I know where this person is in the world and she’s always in this particular area. I also know the secret of coming in and out of this dimension. I’ve tried it already so I know it works.”

Melody feels a faint feeling of being called to follow Susurro’s word, so she says, “Okay, if your word is true, then let’s be off.”

“Thank you. You will not regret this.”

Susurro leads Melody to the edge of the Penitent’s dimension. The two are now not only in the outside world but also in a luxurious mansion around which are dozens of guards.

“Where are we?” Melody asks.

“This is…this is the city where our woman is,” Susurro says while also looking around the house, “This is also her house! Blessed be God for leading us here! This should be even simpler than I thought.”

While walking through the house, the two are careful to draw the attention of the few guards within the mansion as they hide and slip by them whenever they come across any. Looking outside at the pretty lights, Melody sees a certain woman whose image is repeated in the images and moving pictures.

“Who is that woman that the city lights like to show?” Melody whispers, “Is that who we’re looking for?”

“Yes, it’s she beautiful? She’s a famous spokesperson for the downtrodden and poor,” Susurro whispers back.

“If she’s so famous, then why aren’t there more people like her and why aren’t there more people who do penance?”

“People won’t listen to you just because you’re smart or influential. It’s a sad reality.”

“Okay, I guess.”

The two pass by a room with guards who are watching images with what appear to be moving pictures as Melody understands with one of the images being of the place outside the room. Despite some of the guards they passed being on them, Melody nor Susurro appear on them.

“We don’t seem to appear on those images despite everyone else doing so. Why do you think that is?” Melody silently asks.

“I don’t know. We radiate a supernatural presence that’s only equal to angels, spirits, and demons since they can hardly be captured by these futuristic picture making devices too,” Susurro explains, “I try not to think about it too much since it’s a great blessing for us to help us not get caught.”

Continuing further leads Melody and Susurro to a seemingly normal door that has various locks on it.

“This must be her room or at least a very important one,” Susurro says.

The locks automatically open when Susurro nears his hand near it.

“Is the presence around your hand some kind of key?” Melody asks.

“It’s that same kind of energy that hides us on their moving pictures. Now, stop asking so many questions,” Susurro says as he looks into the room that’s hardly lit.

They enter the room while carefully looking through it like an inspector examining a crime scene. Many trophies, medals, and pictures decorate the room of the woman’s life and achievements. These seem to be everywhere along with what seem to be priceless pieces of art. A subtle and steady beeping noise draws Melody and Susurro’s attention to a hidden room behind a wall that moves away as they near it. In this hidden room is the decrepit old body of the woman they were searching for. Her body is pierced by various needles and attached by wires to medical technology that surrounds her. It seems that she’s alive but can someone truly call this being alive?

Susurro is stunned by this while Melody is more confused than stunned. She asks, “Why would they do something to her like this?”

Before Susurro can answer her, Melody disappears and appears back in the graveyard she was at. Everything is the same including her dog being by her side and her standing at the graves of the family. It’s as if the entire thing was a product of her imagination.

A different man from the silent clan approaches her and says, “Be at peace because what you experienced was no dream or delusion.”

“So, it was real then? Why did I go through it?” Melody asks.

“For the sake of the Canus who think living longer lives is more just than living shorter ones and so Susurro could have someone to bring him to his senses on his way to reach that woman.”

“Who was she?”

“A member of the silent clan who wanted to do what Susurro wanted. She used to influence the public to do penance and why the killing of the young was wrong, but she eventually fell to the corrupt influences that have a strong hold in that world and instead became its voice instead rather than God’s. Because of her seemingly immortal body, she eventually became the test subject of the cult of science so they could use her body to live longer lives, but thankfully, God built something within our bodies so there’s cannot have the same supernatural abilities.”

“Why did Susurro think she was still an influence? I thought the silent clan knew everything that happened in the outside.”

“God gave him old information so he could fall into God’s plan of penance for him. Hopefully, he’ll come back a redeemed man.”

“I still saw images of the woman in her prime in images of the city. Can you explain that to me as well?”

“The cult of science used her DNA to replicate her face and likeness so other people could live in her skin so to speak and keep up the charade of her supposed immortality. Now, a truly horrific blasphemy of God is taking place as a man takes pretends to be her.”

“The outside world is a truly horrific place if men and women wear the skin of the opposite sex and pretend to be so. Oh, and one last question, if I may.”

“Go ahead.”

“Why are you allowed to speak despite your vow of silence?”

“Sometimes, God allows us rest from our penance and exemptions from the rules. We worship a being rather than a set of laws after all. Just like on Sundays when we’re allowed to rest and on days when God asks us to go the extra mile for our neighbor, which is something that Susurro and his inspiration took the wrong way. Most of the time being exempt from the law involves something we’d rather not do or something that doesn’t bring us comfort nor conform with our idea of what is right. Now, with that said, I must take my leave.”

“I see. I still don’t know why you had to speak though. I know the sign language your clan uses to speak.”

The man uses sign language to say, “You speak and ask a lot of questions for someone so young and virtuous.”

Melody uses sign language in return to say, “I’m just curious. Thank you for everything that you’ve told me.”

“You are welcome.”

The two part ways and Melody does as the man says and speaks to those the dangers of thinking that longer lives do not equal better or even happier ones by using the example of the woman and the silent clan itself. She goes on to live her simple happy life despite the pains of rapid aging and the threat of every day being her last.

One of the Canus asks her, “How can you be so satisfied with this short life of suffering?”

“I spend it doing what God wills of me while enjoying what I have and not caring for what I don’t. Tell me, what treasure can compare to the love of God?” Melody answers.