Oliver D. Bernuetz's Stories

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Oslira Slows the Flow

Oslira was content.  She’d spent an energetic morning with her husband Lodril and now wanted nothing more than to be left alone .  She was just drifting off when the first petitioner arrived.

“Oh great Oslira hear my prayers.  My crops are all dying.  I need your life giving waters.”

The goddess opened one eye, “What about the channels my husband Lodril and his sons dug to irrigate crops?”

“Oh great goddess, I’m farming new land and there are no channels yet.”

Oslira grunted irritatedly and waved her arm.  A wave sprung up and washed the pesky petitioner back to his farm watering his crops and digging new channels as it went.  She returned to her pleasant stupor.

Or tried to anyway.  It wasn’t long before the next petitioner arrived.

“Oh great goddess hear my prayers.  My cattle are thirsty.  Like a fool I led them too far away from your life giving waters and now they are too weak to make it back to your bounty.”

“My aching bounty” grumbled the goddess.  Again she waved her hand but this time the wave carried the foolish herder back to his herd where it picked them up and brought them back to the river.  A few may have drowned.

“Now back to my somnolence” she thought.

But it was not to be soon the next petitioner arrived.

“Oh great goddess hear my prayers.  I need your advice.  There are two courses of action I must consider before I act.  I…”

Here the goddess interrupted before he could finish.  “Do I look like a star seer?  Begone!” 

Again the hand wave, again the wave.  This time it deposited the petitioner atop the ziggurat in Yuthuppa where he had to explain his blasphemous presence to the summoned guards.

“Ugh, how’s a goddess supposed to get any rest around here?”  She closed her eyes and tried to restore her good mood.

But again she was bothered right away.

“Oh great goddess hear my prayer.  My son offended you and was drowned in your river.  Please return him to me I beg of you”

Oslira opened both eyes and looked at the hunched crone before her.  Pity filled her.

“Of course,” she replied softly.  Her wave summoned a small wave that went out and carried back the body of the woman’s son.  She summoned her attendants to help the woman bear the corpse away.

“A goddess’ work is never done.  Now back to my rest and may Lord Yelm pity the one who annoys me next.”

She lay back down and had almost drifted off when she became aware of someone softly stroking her calf.  She opened an eye and saw the husband of one of her hand maids.

In an icy  voice she said, “What do you think you are doing?”

“Oh my great lady, don’t be angry.  I thought we might spend some time together what with my wife being with Lodril and…”

“Wait?  What did you say?  Who’s your wife with?”

The husband pointed a shaky finger at the river.  There in the distance Oslira could see a small open boat with two figures entwined in it.  They were both unmistakable.

“THEY’RE CANOODLING ON MY RIVER!  HE SAID HE HAD A JOB TO DO THIS AFTERNOON!”

She made fists of both hands and the waters raced away from the canoe dropping it on the riverbed.  Raising both hands over her head she brought them both down covering the struggling pair and the boat.  A careless flick of her hand summoned a wave that grabbed the husband and washed him to the Delta.

“Men!”

Last updated January 10, 2012

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Email me at bernuetz@mymts.net