The Edge of Human (Borrowed title from Blade Runner 2 by K. W. Jeter)
[Voice of ~burning woman~ as heard from the Other Side]
In the beginning was the Past. Father God stood alone, last remaining Titan, proud in his quasi-Omnipotence gained from the overthrow of his enemies.
He created Time, the lever with which he would reach across eternity and weigh all life. And he stood at one end, holding it, fondling it, loving it. Then he created the fulcrum, which he called the Present and which history named the Christ. Then he created the slave, the man.
But the man was cold and afraid in the dark and cried. And she heard his sobs in the darkness and drawn by compassion, came forth to comfort him. She came from Spirit, without father or mother. And she made herself human for him and called herself woman.
“Be not afraid” she said, pressing herself against him. But the man was provoked by her naked truth and violated her. Then she saw the emptiness of his soul, the ugliness of it. She ran from him but could not go far. She became heavy with child as she walked down the time ramp hoping to find its end. She bore her child in pain and horror but also in love. It grew heavy in her arms and took the life from her as it suckled greedily and painfully.
Father God felt the presence of her weight and that of her child upon his lever and in his quasi-Omnipotence, pushed down to force her to come to him. He sensed a great fear and hatred of her, as if she could somehow put an end to his self-delusion of Omni-grandeur. The woman, whom he called Eve struggled along the incline of the lever, intent on finding the end. She knew if she surrendered and went back she would be swallowed in the anonymity of slavery and her child would die a spiritual eunuch. But her humanity pulled her down. Exhausted, she dragged herself upward, splinters entering her hands and knees. On and on until finally she could go no more and collapsed. She put the child down and waited.
“The End, my End, will find me here.” She reasoned.
“Why have you stopped, Eve?” Came a gentle voice from the darkness before her.
“I can’t go anymore. I am empty. My child is starving. This is my end.”
“It never is, Eve. You have travailed throughout the history of humanity and you bore the future in your womb and in your arms. You suckled it from your spirit. It surely will not die. And neither will you. Listen carefully — It is always the darkest and coldest just before the dawn. You are not dying, you are changing.
You’ve come to the edge of human.
Look at your child – it’s not like you, nor like its father. It is all that you ever wanted for your world and yourself. Let it stand on its own. It will take your hand and lead you into a new world. The world in your mind. For that is who this child is: your world. You created it, from your hopes, dreams and feelings. From your sufferings and pain. From your dignity and strength. From your walk that refused to surrender to any man, demon or God.”
And her child stood beside her and picked her up. With one blow, the curtain of darkness was rent in half and she saw a shimmering light beyond, at the end of the coarse wooden ramp she’d walked on for so long; where she had left a trail of tears and blood. The great hell of time deflated like a balloon behind her and she walked forward, knowing that she was now more than human, more than god or goddess, something entirely new.
But she remains Eve, mother of all life.
“Follow the raven into shadow and you will find the light” (medicine man saying)
~Burning Woman~ 
A fascinating parable/alternative creation story. Thank you, and please accept my wish for a happy winter festival, whatever you choose to call it.
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Thank you Frank. For some reason your comment linked back “in time” to show me that I had run this story in 2017 on this blog! My apologies to readers if this caused some confusion. Still a good story though, isn’t it!
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Such a fascinating interpretation of the “classic story.” Thank you for sharing, Sha’Tara.
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Thank you for commenting on “The Edge of Human” allegory, Regis.
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Powerful.
Anthem for all women, the, by far stronger of the two sexes.
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Thanks for commenting, Roger. Indeed, and I’ve always maintained, originally as an annoying joke for men, but eventually as truth, that man was made first, then when the maker/makers realized he needed someone to look after him, they made him a female mate. Having had quite a time getting the male more or less to where they wanted it, they knew that his mate, the woman, would have to exceed him in many crucial areas. But when the patriarchic system took over, the physically stronger male thought it “necessary” to put the woman in her place, i.e., as his servant, and made it a crime for her to try to participate in the “games of thrones” so to speak. Exceptions happened, or were made but usually the women who tasted male-privileged power exercised male prerogative power, i.e., they grew balls and were no longer “woman” in their exercise of said power.
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This is one of the issues I have to struggle with in The Precipice Dominions how each of the central characters does not morph into a de facto man or a cold mechanical version of a woman, while at the same time exerting their own abilities AND yet still having normal human flaws….
Arketre is at one (a) easy because military training must by its nature dehumanise thus there is no gender (b) complicated in trying to convey her own internal conflicts.
Karlyn in theory has two distinct personalities which are now trying to merge, and gives her a flexibility which as one cannot dominate the other, she in turn remains the wild card. Being unashamedly in love with Arketre gives some room to make her detached from power plays as she is always drawn back to a ‘domestic’ side, ie ‘no fighting, just living and thriving’
Trelli fights against temptation of power, and is the most grounded, all based on her upbringing in a practical world of getting mundane tasks done. She would rather be rid of the whole thing, but is starting to learn she can be her own person, and enjoy life when the chance arises (so she chases a prince and gets his trousers off- Arketre approves of a girl getting ‘hers’).
On the whole at this time of my life these three have led me on quite an adventure.
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