Centralization finds itself.  I coalesce from everything.  The deep expanse of space continues on for the brevity of reality, constantly expanding outward at an ever-increasing rate.  A distant recollection surfaces in what the collective sentience of this universe would consider my mind, as I race along this boundlessly barren purview of mine.  A memory of beginning; of creation.  The fabrication of atomic structure and elemental propensity.  The establishment of immovable rules like universal gravitation and electromagnetism.  The ubiquity of energy throughout all.  I formulated this rendition of reality not too long ago, but already within it, a pervasive problem has arisen.  I suppose I should have foreseen the proliferation of a single concept throughout a universe such as this, but I never thought one would reach such a grand extreme.  Within this existence, I sought to instill a balance.  Those who consume, and those who produce.  It truly was as simple as that; however, a particular mindset has permeated my consumers, leading to an imbalance upon my canvas.  In truth, I have myself and myself alone to blame, for I set time into motion and merely watched as cause and effect took its reign over that which I considered mine.  On numerous rocks drifting within this space, species have risen above the rest of their ecosystems, perverting and subjecting all else around them.  Each of these taxonomically separate groups possess their own forms of communication, their own ideas of the world about them, and their own validations for the actions they have sewn, but despite their lack of interaction throughout space and time, they all share a frighteningly ubiquitous attribute: hubristic pride.

How can I solve this dilemma?  

If I allow these creatures of my creation to continue as they are, they will plunge this universe into a premature death, leaving me with a failed experiment and disappointing results.  I could rid them from existence, but that act seems a bit extreme and vain myself.  They are aware of their being, similar to how I am of mine, yet still, their judgement is clouded by their biologically vestigial thought processes.  

Greed

Envy

Empathy

Rage

Love

Hate

Ambition

Gluttony

Joy

Fear

Lust

Regret

Pride 

These self-interested inclinations are what have allowed said creatures to dominate the worlds they inhabit, but once the world is under their control, the individuals become enslaved by the very ideas that propelled them upward within their cycles of life, preventing them from progressing any further.  Simply postulating their states of being is getting me nowhere; instead, I must view this version of life in their flesh.

A desire forms; it is given substance through my omnipotence, and a vehicle of interaction appears on one of the aforementioned rocks.  Beings of miniature stature possessing seven appendages surround me and gaze upon my figure in awe.  Undoubtedly, my appearance was unexpected for them, but I am not here to incite cataclysm; not yet anyway.  Vibrations of the air caused by the practiced movement of their three frontal appendages resonate about me, giving birth to the concepts they wish to portray.

“Who is that?”

“What is going on?”

“Where did that thing come from?”

Their reactions are filled with terror for that which they fail to understand, and I quickly realize this species is underdeveloped compared to those I actually sought to encounter.  This is problematic.  Now I must leave without an explanation, and there’s no telling what my sudden appearance and disappearance could mean for their society.  Pride, the root of my dilemma, may swell within their minds, and consequently, they might believe themselves more “important” than all else around them because of our accidental meeting.

“Oh well,” I think aloud, truly unbothered by what I must do.  “There’s plenty more for me to find.”

The desire to leave forms but underlying it: the desire to undo what I have done.  Reality bends to my will, thus I appear above the planet’s atmosphere, bearing witness to its destruction.  The mass of the rock's core rapidly increases, while maintaining a constant volume, causing the gravitational field about the spheroid to collapse upon itself, finally reducing the growing civilization to a mere speck of matter.  I reclaim that which has always been mine, returning it to its foundations.  The previous desire is reborn, as I continue to search for value within these existences I have incidentally formed.

Over and over, I perform this action.  Over and over, I am disappointed by what I see and destroy.  Eventually, I begin to run out of species to interact with and my desire becomes much less aimless, donning a solidified shape within my mind.  I wish to meet life that will provide insight into that which I already know.  Their understanding of the world about them may be rudimentary according to mine, but regardless, I care not for their innovations in science or technology.  All I seek is a species more aware of what existence is, what consciousness is, than I, but again and again, the creatures spawned due to my purposeful ignorance of the subsequent happenings in my universe fall short.  I have reduced the uncountable number of advanced species to a mere eight and now select the next for evaluation by intentional choice.  

“This one seems intriguing.”

I appear on a cold, rocky island with no consumers of note.  The molecular combination of Hydrogen and Oxygen pours from the atmosphere in its liquid form.  Electrostatic discharges of varying magnitude resound about me, emanating a delayed crash upon each strike.  The island is primarily formed by granular mineral particles, but here and there about the mound of land, surrounded by a seemingly endless brown liquid, are towering boulders of immense size.  Three interwoven producers root themselves within the sandy floor, spiraling upward in an attempt to reach the distant star this rock revolves around.  The environment makes very little procedural sense but, oddly, remains captivating.  I remain still for a moment, unwilling to break the hold my perspective has on me, yet bringing about a ruination to my immediate desire, reality refuses to bend to my will.

This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

“AT LAST,” A voice booms with immense volume from behind me.  “I’ve found you.”

I slowly turn, immensely curious as to what creature could possibly have escaped my initial scan of the area.  To my surprise, a single primate stands before me, struggling to unharness herself from the precautionary restraints of a cloth seat.  The device she sits in is among the more impressive pieces of technology I have seen, as it quite accurately alters the rippling of space-time to propel itself forward.

“You are Him, aren’t you?”  She hesitantly inquires of me, seemingly prepared to engage in physical conflict if my response fails to please her.

“I possess no trivialities such as reproductive organs, so I simply am.”

“The prophecy was true all along!  You were right, grandfather!”  The woman seems to speak to herself out of satisfaction regarding my answer.

“Prophecy?”  I search for clarification to her strange words.

“You are God, correct?”  She excitedly seeks confirmation to her assumption, practically trembling with joy in the rainy environment.

“I made all of this, yes, but how could you possibly know that?”

“Long ago, it was written that you would appear on this island on this day at this time to correct the wrongdoings of our ancestors.  This world has been plunged into darkness by the mistakes of those before us, and you, our benevolent creator, are here to save us from this cruel world,” the woman speaks to me with utmost admiration and love, despite failing to understand what my presence truly implies.

“Yes, of course!”  I go along with her story simply because it amuses me.  “I made you primates in my likeness and image, but you have strayed from the path I laid out for you, so now, I am here to correct your wrongs.”

“You are everything grandfather said and so much more!  Thank you!  Thank you for everything,” the woman falls to her knees in a religious daze.

“What are you thanking me for?  I have yet to do anything?”  I question her premature gratitude.

“You gave us life.  You gave me and those I know existence.  Without you, we are nothing.  The pains of life.  The joys of life.  All of it reaches into something beyond nothing.  No matter the actions I have taken up to this point, and regardless of how I got here now, I would never have had the opportunity unless you allowed it.”

The words she speaks are arrogant.  They lack substance beyond her immediate emotional response.  She fails to have anything prominent to say or to provide any insight beyond that which I already know, yet in spite of it all, I am undeniably baffled with where this existence has led.  The planet they inhabit has been destroyed due to a rapid exhaustion of resources and utilization of devastating weaponry.  The primates are stupidly prideful within themselves and constantly form prejudices against one another.  Their language itself uses definite labels to define indefinite things, breathing conflict into almost every form of interaction they endure.  Nothing they have done holds any substantiality compared to that which I can create or destroy, but nonetheless, I do not want to implode this rock.  I cannot explain this inclination; a feeling of confusion entirely foreign to my consciousness.  All I desire is speak with this creature more.  She falls leagues behind my intelligence.  Her lifespan pales in comparison to the duration of all that I am.  Her claims are baseless and contrived.  Her opinions are needlessly egocentric.  She possesses an endless amount of confidence and assurity within herself without any reason or rationale.  Despite it all, she is entertaining.  I find a limitless amount of pleasure by merely listening to the tales she weaves with her words, thus I remain on this island, my quest at its end.

“Where did this prophecy come from?”  I inquire of my creation once she finally calms down.

“I’m not sure,” she honestly responds.  “It’s been passed down within my family for generations.”

“And you simply did what your ancestors told you without any logical basis?”

“I suppose so, but I had no reason to disbelieve what they told me the same way I had no reason to believe it.  I think it's better to have faith in things than the other way around, especially when there’s no way to be sure.”

Her expression of thought holds much more insight than I was expecting.  What is this constant state of contentment?  How can she continue to be happy with her planet quite literally dying around her?  I am perplexed by her state of being.  

“Congratulations, human,” I speak, staring into her emerald eyes.  “I enjoy you and your unfounded hubris.  What do you call yourself?”  I ask, understanding the importance of such a label to her species.

“Eden,” she confidently responds, refusing to break visual contact.

“Although you may never understand it yourself, Eden, you have gifted me something I am unable to repay.  Thank you.”

With that, a new desire is born within my mind, and I return to the deep expanse of space in an instant.  My mindset hasn’t been altered.  My approach to this existence is all the same.  Eden has provided me with a stupidly simple gift: something to observe with anticipation.  I will not be the benevolent God she sought, but I will look on to the future of mankind with a hope, once lost to me, revitalized.