The Game of Gods: The Fall of Brooklyn 1

A fallen angel named Brooklyn sitting on a field of dark, barren grass under a stormy sky where the rain falls like salty tears, looking up at the translucent silhouettes of bickering gods in the clouds.

 

The Falling of an Angel

It was a cold rainy night and everywhere was dark. You could see the wind forming a kind of translucent image of a man roaring toward the sky. It was a night the rain fell, but if you look closely, you will notice it is more of a cry than rain. If you were under the sky when the downpour started, you will notice the rain was salty, like tears falling from the eyes.

This is the kind of night the heavens open and those who have had their fill of sins are judged; it is the kind of night the angels are also judged for those who have gone against the wishes of the Creator. It is rumored that the salty rain is the tears of the angels who were cast out.

Brooklyn found himself on a field of darkened grass. It was a barren land, he guessed; there were no crops and no source of water. He sat on the dead grass, not even thinking about the situation; he was reflecting on his life that had been torn away. He had regret, but he guessed if the opportunity came again, he would still do the same thing again.

"Are you sure about that?" a tiny voice asked in his mind.

He stood up and raised his hands, commanding his wings to appear so he could fly away and leave this desolate land, but to his utter shock, nothing happened. No wings. It dawned on him that he has been made a mortal.

The Feast

Brooklyn was one of the angels in heaven. He had had the privilege of living beyond time; he had seen the creation of nations and worlds. He had seen generation after generation of kings, queens, and princes. He watched their lives and he watched their love, hate, and betrayal. He enjoyed the games the humans played and he dreamed to be part of it, yet it was against the rules.

One day, he was in attendance when the Creator was having a meeting with his subjects and those he had given dominion over a section of the mortal world. Brooklyn listened, as he was part of those responsible for refreshment and errand messages. He watched as the God of Crops bit into a large leg of lamb, and he heard the remark by the God of Animals: "Look at the way he bites into my creation; one would think he is a vegetarian as the God of Crops."

"Do you not eat crops?" as the God of Animals, the God of Crops fired back.

"You create less crops for my animals to feed on and you call yourself a God of Bountiful," the God of Animals retorted.

Brooklyn wondered how the gods bicker, and yet people below the heaven look up to them. He could see the God of Transport frowning as he closed his eyes and twitched his mouth, and muttered, "Foolish humans." Brooklyn knew he was listening to the prayers of those who were about to take a long journey and calling on the God of Transport to protect them. He sighed; if only they knew they were just a merry game that the gods watch and bet on.

He was beckoned by the God of Wine, who was pointing at his empty glass. Brooklyn hurried to fill it, and the god wasn't happy about how he had mixed the wine.

"How can you serve this piss to these esteemed visitors and at the Creator's table? This is not of my work and I want those responsible to be punished."

"You could just wave your hand and create one that suits you," Brooklyn said with a bow.

"You want to be lazy and be doing nothing?" the god asked him.

"No!"

"Then shut up and focus on improving the wine. You have a task and your opinion is not needed."

His face had reddened with embarrassment as he had returned to where he had been standing fuming, but could do nothing. And that was when the Creator had spoken to them.

The Creator Plan

"My children, I see you are all having a good time. I see some of you already passing out from the drink made by the God of Wine." At this, the God of Wine stood and raised his glass to a general cheer from the other gods.

The Creator looked at the God of Morals and chuckled as he saw him pass out cold. "It seems our Morality is not aware about what he is responsible for in the universe. Where is the moral consciousness if the god could sleep without a care?"

The rest of the gods laughed while Brooklyn shook his head; these are the people the mortals worship.

"I called you all here today because I'm bored, and I need something that would make my life and those of yours cheer on."

"What is it, Oh Great One?" the God of Curiosity asked.

"Ha, Curiosity and his long nose!" the Creator roared with laughter.

"You made me to be curious," the god said.

"Now, did I? I wasn't aware of what I was doing all the time. Some of you were just created because I was bored. Take the God of Fart, for example. I had a great time in one of those small domains in the home of the God of Digestion and it turned out we were having a nice meal when I heard this sound that rattled my plate and a red rose turned black. I asked the god—where is he now?" The Creator asked, looking around, and he spotted the God of Digestion digging it deep in the pot over the fire.

"I asked him, what was that noise and how can it kill a beauty like the rose flower? And what did you say, Digestion?"

"I said it is called a fart, and since no one can control it, it can come out any moment."

"See," the Creator said, "so right there, I created the God of Fart and gave him authority over every fart that would take place. Like right now, there would be no fart because we are all enjoying the plenty of the God of Food; he is sensitive to farts. Can't want our food to disappear, right?"

"Yes, Great One!" they roared.

Brooklyn was mad. How can they be playing like this while he and his kind do the work and suffer their humiliation?

"So I called you all here because I have set up a game that would be played in the mortal world. I have made sure we can all be entertained and have fun."

"What sort of game?" asked the God of Gamble.

"Are you thinking of staking this early, even before I explain, eh?" the Creator asked with a grin.

"Staking is my lifeblood," the god replied.

"That has sent many mortals to their grave as you rig the game," muttered the God of Fair Play.

"Did you not have fun as you watch them rave and cry with anguish? Did you ask to put your rules? You are claiming to be fair, but you are just a mockery of my own invention."

"Both of you calm down. This game is between me and my brother who has been cast to the underworld for as long as I have lived—that fool who is greedy and wants to rule over everyone while I share power with you. He wants it all for himself."

"What is the game, Great One?" asked the God of Money.

"I will choose a mortal to give power, but he must not know it was from me. He must take the power freely and when he does, my brother will unleash a horror that would destroy lots of cities and it is up to this hero to defeat it. We can bet on the outcome on who will win and how the battle will go on."

"I don't think we can bet with money on this one," the God of Money said.

"Why?" the Great One asked.

"I think we can bet on individuals, and if my bet wins, I will merge with another god to form a multiple personality."

"Hmmm, that sounds interesting; it would reduce the number of gods on my table," the Great One said.

"That is a great idea!" they all cried in unison.

The Creator beamed as he saw the joy in his children's eyes. He was glad to have created them and now he would enjoy seeing them merge up and be useful to the mortals. He grinned. "Now, I will choose a hero from among the people."

Brooklyn was fascinated by this game but he knew it was wrong. He knew it was a bad thing to play with the lives of the mortals. They too have emotions and feelings; they too have lives of their own. It is not fair for what will befall them. He looked up and he could swear the God of Morals was looking at him, and then he saw the subtle nod the god gave him, and he knew what to do. He watched as the Creator picked a hero and he hurriedly left the throne room to Earth. He had a mission to stop the game before it started; he had the God of Morality on his side.

Read part 2: The Game Of Gods 2