The Gospel of Membertou: The Calling
Membertou was on the verge of adulthood, in his mind he was still a child but in all other ways he was an adult. He was a muscular youth, with legs as strong as the deer's and arms as strong as the black bear's. He was also tall, at six feet and still growing. His hair was dark as a moonless night, his teeth white as fish-bone blades, his eyes a hazle green luring others into their gaze, and his hair black as the raven. However, what was truly astonishing in his appearance was his skin. Membertou's skin was a deep, deep red. He had been dyed the color of blood in his birth, and he wore it proudly showing as much of his skin as he could as often as he could. Already at thirteen years he had come to know woman, but he was still young and his mind unprepared for the responsibilities of adulthood.
On one summer's night as he sneaked down to the river to join a young woman in love's embrace, he was knocked off his feat. As he ran, out of nowhere it would seem, an owl flew into the back of his head, before flying off elsewhere. Membertou, lying on the ground unconcious, drawing ever closer to death, was awoken by the feel of something wet dripping onto his face. Turning onto his back he looked up into the sky to see a series of droplets falling, in a straight path, from above. As each one hit him, he realized that the liquid was blood. In surprise and fear he screamed aloud, his voice shaking awake small animal all around him.
"Hush, child. Do not be afraid." the voice, soft and soothing, calm and relaxing, yet elegant and regal, seemed to eminated from nowhere, and yet everywhere.
"Who are you! Show yourself!" Membertou yelled, jumping to his feet in a position to fight. He held his fists high and his legs apart. His muscles trembled beneath his blood red skin as his long, black hair flew through the air with each sudden jerk of his head from side to side. His eyes darted, taking in his surroundings, thinking that mayber he might catch a glance of the speaker.
"Ssh, quiet child. It is alright." the voice replied, laden with sweetness as it eminated sothing words into the boy. Slowly, Membertou calmed down enough to take in his surrounding better. He noticed that he was in a clearing of evergreens, and that above him the sky was starless with only the moon to shining. More strangely, he noticed the crescent moon was a blood red.
And then, everyting went black. All that remained of his surroundings was the blood red crescent, hanging high above him in the sky. The moon began slowly to grow brighter the eminating red light began to grow stronger until Membertou was forced to avert his eyes. Then, all of the sudden, a beam of light shot the ground some fifteen feet from him. Just as suddenly, the beam disapeared, as did the bright red light and the blood moon above. Standing where the light had struck before him was a tall, elegant woman. Her skin was as pale as his was red; Her hair seemed woven of heavenly silver, light eminating from it; Her eyes were of opal, a fire burning in their white centers. She had a large bossom, and long legs. Though She had no wrinkles, she eminated wizened age.
"Child, do not fear me. I am Igaluk, Mother Moon. I come to you to teach you, to give you the prophesies that you may fulfill your destiny." the g-ddess smiled lovingly, her pallid eyes filled with compassion.
Looking up into the face of the Moon, Membertou collapsed to his knees. The strongest youth known to his people, with legs like the deer and arms like the black bears, and all he could do was collapse when faced by such power as the g-ddess eminated. "What do you want from me? What destiny do you mean for me?" he nearly wispered, his eyes looking fearful and stunned.
"I want to teach you child; I want to show you the truths of the world, to reveal to you the ways of Heaven that you may reveal it to your people. I want to give you the Good News, the Gospel which you are to preach." Ignaluk responded, her face still eminating kindness and calmness, even as she eminated great power.
"But I don't want to preach!" Membertou cried, "I want to live a normal life! I want to become a hunter like my father, to farm like my mother, and to enjoy the knowledge of as many women as I can! I am not the material for a prophet, I do not know the medicines and the spirit dances! I..."
"Enough!" Igaluk cried cutting off his horrid whining. She burst with blinding light, her power manifesting itself in bright, silver rays. Her voice likewise burst with power, as she roared on, "What fool are you think that you are not the material for prophecy? You were concieved to be a prophet, and born to be a prophet. When your mother delivered you in that evergreen glen, she gave a prayer. She prayed to me to let you live, to save you even if she was to die.
"In her desperation, in her love of you she turned to the Moon for help, and I helped her. I sacrificed my blood, I cut my vein that I might save you, and save her." Here, her voice quieted, as the blinding light, brighter than any lgiht humans have set their eyes on, slowly dissapeared to be replaced by a loving glow. "With my blood I annointed and blessed you. You have been blessed in the blood of a g-ddess, there is no other better qualified to prophesise. Not only that, it is your duty to spread the Gospel." Here, Membertou lifted his face. "It was your father's duty to hunt, and you mother's duty farm; it is the duty of all men to know women, and all women to know men; but for you, the only duty you must concern yourself with is to spread the Gospel, to spread knolwedge of the Holy Trinity to all, and to lay the foundation for a new kingdom, a Kingdom of Heaven on Earth."
