As the evening approached the sun dipped lower in the sky, the bright midday sun dimming into afternoon. The village was prepared for the celebration at last. With the small size of the village it wasn't like such bombastic festivals that towns or cities would have, but it was still something special. The reason for the celebration also made the people of the village try even harder to make it a party worthy of their savior: the goddess Jenna.
Miya had finished with the potatoes long ago and had moved on to helping set all the tables. The men had moved the tables into place, huge pieces of wood that could seat several people each. Just looking at them imparted the feeling of great weight. With it being a village deep in the forest it made sense for such things to be made from heavy wood. The chairs as well were firm and thick, built to be stable and last for generations. There were only around a hundred people in the village so pretty much everyone would be in attendance, though such an amount of chairs was quite the feat.
"That looks like enough for this table" Miya said as she pushed another chair into place.
A man who was standing nearby finished putting down another two chairs on the opposite side of the table. He looked up at Miya and nodded.
"Thank you dear. You best be going along and help with the plates."
Miya nodded and turned around to leave. That's when the earthquakes started.
"The goddess is back!" she exclaimed.
Looking up to the sky Miya could see Jenna's head on the horizon over the trees. She would be here in mere moments due to how much distance her strides covered. Miya walked in the direction Jenna was coming from, quickly starting up a brisk jog. Being able to get the goddess's attention easily was still something she had yet to figure out. Miya figured that Jenna had some way to identify her though as she always seemed to know when she was around, at least when she was close enough.
"Hello everyone" Jenna said from a distance, her voice easily audible. "I'm back!"
As Miya approached the edge of the village she could see more of Jenna. Due to her immense size Jenna's upper body actually stood over the trees, with many trees barely reaching her waist. There were several more tablets in Jenna's arms as well and Miya wondered what could be written on them in that strange goddess language.
The constant earthquakes were starting to cause issues for standing with how close they were getting. Miya came to a halt at the edge of the village, leaning over to catch her breath as she had jogged over too fast. Once she had recovered she looked up to see that Jenna was already out of the trees and stepping over to the big dirt circle.
"Goddess I'm down here!" Miya said waving up.
Jenna leaned over and placed the tablets down on the ground next to the other small stacks of them, each one the size of a house and the weight of a castle tower. From this angle her eyes could be seen glancing around as if looking at something.
"I hear Miya" Jenna said. "I can see you I'll be there in a moment alright?"
Miya had started walking over towards the circle and stopped when Jenna spoke. It was a little confusing what she said because from this position surely Jenna couldn't see her. She was a goddess though so there had to be something doing on that a human couldn't understand.
Taking Jenna's words as a direct order Miya waited where she was standing patiently. Jenna seemed fixated on one of the tablets in particular and had rearranged several of them like a squirrel arranging its nuts. Once she was done she stood up and turned around, her vivid eyes brilliantly sparkling as they stared down directly at Miya.
"G-Goddess!" Miya said with a start.
Miya was taken aback, a pang of fear gripping her heart as those eyes looked down at her. It was like they were looking into her soul and through her body, a determination in them that made the wills of others buckle under its weight. They sparkled like the stars of the sky and even a glimpse into them challenged the bravery of the young woman.
Jenna took just one step and was directly in front of Miya. She crouched down and smiled at the young woman, her left hand brushing some hair out of her eye and behind her ear.
"So how is it going with the party?" Jenna asked. "I hope its going well."
Miya held her hand to her heart and did her best to settle its rapid beating. "O-Oh its nearly complete goddess." She then bowed. "Thank you for coming."
Jenna's eyes looked up and darted around the village. Miya was thankful for that gaze to be off her for a moment. Sure those eyes caused fear to grip around her heart, but it wasn't as if she was afraid really. She felt safe with Jenna and trusted her completely, but it was only a natural fear she supposed. It was like the feeling of awe you get when you look deep into the night sky.
"Looks like its not quite set up yet" Jenna said looking back down. "Should I just wait here?" She paused. "Am I able to help at all?"
That wasn't something Miya expected to hear, though she supposed she should be expecting it by now.
"We appreciate you offering to help Goddess" Miya said. "But this is a celebration of you, please just wait a little longer. I'll go help them finish."
Jenna nodded. "Alright. I'll just take a seat here."
With that Jenna swung one of her arms around to stabilize herself with a hand on the ground. She then lowered herself down as gently as she could into a sitting position. It caused a massive earthquake of course and almost knocked Miya off her feet. By now no one in the village kept anything breakable on a shelf.
Miya quickly turned and walked briskly into the village to help finish the preparations however she could. Some of the village children ran past her on their way to greet Jenna. They waved and called hello to Miya as they passed her. Miya envied them a little, being so young and carefree. Right now she just needed to focus on her duties as a priestess.
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It actually took another hour for the preparations to be fully complete. Jenna had been talking and playing with some of the village children the entire time and seemed to be adequately entertained which eased Miya's worry. Their goddess was so understanding and easy to please. It made her wonder if that was a good thing or bad thing. Or perhaps that they simply were getting it easy for now and that more demands would come in the future.
Miya's father came over to her and embraced her in a hug.
"How are you doing with all this?" Duncan asked.
Miya smiled up at him as they pulled apart. "I'm doing fine father. It is making me terribly nervous but I know that the goddess will accept what we can do. She's so understanding."
"I know she is" Duncan replied. "And I'm proud of you. The village is going to gather to officially start the celebration. Why don't you go tell the goddess?"
"Alright!" Miya said happily.
She turned and walked quickly towards where Jenna was still sitting. She had heard bits and pieces of what Jenna had been talking to the children about. She had been telling tales of great heroes of the distant past it seemed. Ones that fought monsters and sailed what were called the seven seas. Miya wished she could have been there to listen but she did have duties to preform. Another reason to be jealous of the youth of children she supposed.
When Miya looked over her shoulders she saw the villagers starting to gather together in the village square. Jenna must have noticed as Miya noticed her gaze flitting up once in a while. Steeling her nerves Miya took a deep breath as she approached where the goddess was sitting.
Miya stopped and took a deep bow. "Oh great goddess Jenna. We the people of the village humbly thank you for helping us with our lives and would like to invite you to a celebration of your grace and power."
There was a moment of silence which made Miya nervous. She lifted her head to look up afraid the goddess was disappointed. Jenna didn't look angry at all, however it almost looked like she was trying to hold back laughter as she looked down at Miya.
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"Thank you Miya" Jenna finally said, lowering the children she was holding in her hand down the ground. "Alright you little squirts, run off to your parents. All of you alright?"
The children all let out disappointed whines or groans but quickly obeyed. They ran off into the village towards the gathering people leaving Miya and Jenna relativity alone. As alone as they could be when one of them was the size of a small castle.
Jenna lowered her hand to the ground. "Do you want me to carry you over there?"
Miya blushed and wondered if that was a good idea or not. She was the high priestess after all. Her hesitation only lasted a moment however and she soon nodded and walked over to the waiting hand.
"Yes please goddess!"
With that Miya climbed up into the waiting palm. It was somehow comforting to be able to sit in the gigantic hand of a goddess. Even though it was a child's hand it was still so soft and spacious. She felt invincible tucked away here, nothing could hurt her with the goddess watching over her.
"Alright here we go" Jenna said.
Jenna stood up slowly, trying to keep her hand as stable as possible as she did so. Now at full height once again it was a simple few steps to make it into the village where the crowd had gathered. She stood there over the buildings and houses, her towering form blocking out the sun and casting a long shadow over part of the crowd.
Miya looked up into Jenna's eyes for as long as she could bear. Seeing her looking down over the crowd made a thousand questions flood her mind. Just knowing what the goddess was thinking right now is all she wanted. Looking down at the crowd below she saw her family, friends, and neighbors. They all were like bugs before the feet of Jenna, and she wondered if they were looked at as she looked down at bugs at her own feet. She wouldn't go out of her way to hurt insects, but they were so far below her, even her notice. Jenna didn't seem to see humans that way at all though, and Miya hoped she was right in this assessment.
Jenna cleared her throat. "My high priestess has explained the situation to me and told me about your thankfulness to me. I am happy to accept this celebration in my honor and thank you for so rightfully recognizing my power."
Miya then walked close to the edge of Jenna's palms and reached out her arms to address the village. "As the high priestess of the goddess Jenna. I Miya officially call for this festival to begin!"
The crowed erupted into a cheer and words of praise as various people lifted up their hands or bowed in worship of their savior goddess. After their display of worship was over the people of the village dispersed into the village square and began the festivities. Miya pointed out the area in the center of the tables that had been set aside for Jenna to sit which she went over to.
After sitting down with a thunderous boom Jenna settled into her place in the center of the festivities, gently placing Miya down on the ground and letting her climb off her hand. Miya didn't wander far though and had a small table set up near the goddess's side along with the village leadership.
Miya's mother was sitting at the table near Jenna's feet alongside the other town leadership. Miya's father, Elphonse, and Butterhorns were all there.
"What do you think goddess?" Elentra asked. "I do pray its enough for a goddess of your status."
Jenna almost looked overwhelmed and uncomfortable being the center of attention in the festivities, but for the most part she looked quite happy. She looked down at the table and smiled at Elentra.
"Its a lot to take in at the moment. There's so much activity and food. Normally where I came from we thank our father in heaven before eating." She paused and seemed to think for a moment. "I suppose you all don't know about Elohim. That's who my father is. He lives well, in heaven. Its hard to explain at the moment."
"You'll have to tell us about him sometime goddess" Elentra replied. "He sounds quite wonderful."
Jenson was busy drinking out of a flagon of some kind. "We prepared all this for the goddess and she has yet to taste any of it." He seemed a bit passive aggressive to Miya. "Come now and have some."
"Oh its alright" Jenna replied down to them. "I don't actually need to eat or drink after all. Though it does smell and look nice."
Nice it was, for even though they were a simple village they managed to make their food as interesting as they could. There were no stuffed pigs or fabulous cakes with excessive decoration like a noble would have, but with what they had they made what they could.
There were small rolls with sparse butter and simple cakes stuffed with berries from the forest dripping with sweet juice. There were stews in simple wooden bowls filled with vegetables and venison. Fruits of many colors were offered on huge platters, their vibrancy contrasting with the simple colors of the potatoes that Miya had helped prepare. The plates were even made of bread themselves, all the easier to clean up and prevent the wasting of any fine food juices. There were all manner of other foodstuffs that would be too many to list in a timely manner, though they were all prepared by simple folk for a simple feast.
"Come on goddess try some!" Miya said up to Jenna. She had a plate filled with meat and vegetables and a flagon of ale.
"Alright fine" Jenna said with a sigh. "Give me a moment."
Jenna lowered her hand down to the ground and allowed Miya to climb up into her palm again. After she was settled she lifted it up to in front of her face. She looked down at Miya in her hand.
"You sure you want to? Really all you need to do is toss in in there, I'll have to hold you pretty close to my mouth."
Miya nodded and took a deep breath. This was the least she could do for her goddess. "I'll be fine."
"Ok here goes" Jenna said.
Slowly Jenna moved her hand closer and closer to her lips while Miya moved closer to the edge ot the giant hand. Then once the edge of the hand was right up against the lips Jenna began opening her mouth. Miya gasped in awe as the lips parted, teeth almost as big as her forming a wall of white as the darkness inside swallowed the light that entered. The tongue far below seemed to be a monster of its own, jittering about and slick with slime. It was the back of Jenna's mouth that made Miya almost faint in fear however. The gaping black pit that went down into an unknown abyss of wet pitch where even light vanished forever into the depths of the massive goddess.
Miya quickly looked away and threw the entire plate and flagon as hard as she could into the gaping maw before her. She didn't even want to look as she felt the warm air washing over her as her goddess breathed. It also didn't register with her that she had just thrown a flagon away and it would be gone forever.
There was a rush of warm air an Miya's curiosity overcame her. She opened her eyes and peeked just in time to see the teeth and lips closing with a soft boom before her. Whatever was going on inside that terrible nightmare pit it involved Jenna tasting what was thrown in as she was being very quiet at the moment.
"Hmmmm" Jenna said as she continued tasting.
The hand Miya was on then was lowered back to the ground where she quickly climbed down and held her heart with her hand. That entire experience was quite overwhelming and the distress on her face brought her mother over to her.
"Are you alright dear?" Elentra asked. "You look like you took quite the fright."
Miya collected herself and gave her mother a quick embrace. "I'm alright mother. Its just... I just saw into the goddess's mouth is all."
"Oh dear" Elentra said.
Jenna meanwhile had finished tasting the food inside her mouth and let off a loud swallow. It was unlikely there was much to taste but she seemed to enjoy it. She leaned over and smiled down at those gathered.
"It did taste wonderful, though it was a bit hard to taste fully." Jenna said. "Thank you everyone for making it for me. I'll avoid having any more. It would take all the food in the village to make a meal for me after all!"
The laughter of the goddess echoed through the village, its bright chiming like a church bell. It didn't drown out the music that was already being played as so much as it mingled in the air like a flowing gust of joy.
"I'm happy you liked it!" Miya said happily.
The festivities continued around them. There was the music of course that was being played by a small group of villagers that daylighted as minstrels. The area set aside for dancing was being well used by people who made merry to the sounds of the music. The food and drink was enjoyed by everyone in a leisurely manner as the people wandered to and from their seats at the tables. The banners and flags flew from the poles that had been set up around the square and there was even a large effigy of Jenna that had been created from wood and paint.
A wistful look could be seen in Jenna's eyes as she looked around at the gathered people celebrating. There was a sadness in her eyes that Miya could see plainly, as if the goddess's heart was hurting for something she couldn't say aloud.
"Is there something wrong goddess Jenna?" Miya asked, walking over to touch one of Jenna's toes.
Jenna looked down at her and sighed. "Its nothing really." She said softer then she normally spoke. "I was reminded of my mission here."
"What mission?" Miya asked.
Jenna lifted her head and looked into the sky. "I'm reminded of a great sage of heaven named Buddha. While no one is above my father Elohim this man was quite wise and powerful. He was an ascended man that taught any mortal could follow in his footsteps." She looked down at Miya and the people at the table. "A powerful figure some people are born to be is called a Bodhisattva. Someone who strives to guide and protect all sentient life. I believe me being such a person is why I was put in this world."
Those gathered at the table seemed to be deep in thought after hearing this, as was anyone in the village who had heard what she said. Miya herself was shocked and almost horrified at this revelation. It certainly explained why the goddess was the way she is, but the burden of such a task sounded so overwhelming that she couldn't even begin to imagine the weight of that responsibility.
"Oh goddess" Miya said, the weight of her words making them difficult to force out.
Everyone was quiet for a short while, none of the humans sure of what to say. Jenna herself quiet for her own private reasons that none could guess. Eventually it was Jenson himself that broke the silence, much to the surprise of all those gathered.
"If the mission you believe yourself to be on is so important and all encompassing" he said with his arms crossed. "That means soon you'll be expanding your realm into the rest of the kingdom does it not?"
Miya thought about that. It was something she didn't want to accept as a fact even though she knew it was an inevitability. Jenson just wanted to be rid of Jenna she knew for certain, but what would happen to the village when Jenna left? What would happen to her?
"That is an eventual and unavoidable future" Jenna said gently. "But that doesn't mean it'll be anytime soon, and it certainly doesn't mean I'll be abandoning this village." She smiled and looked around the festival. "For tonight lets just forget all that and focus on having a good time. It is a party for me after all isn't it?"
After saying that the people gathered took her advice and focused on the celebration at hand. The dancing and music filling the hearts and minds of the villagers with happy memories. Jenna couldn't do much dancing herself, opting to stay sitting where she was and gracing the village with a tale from her past world and a song as well, with the celebration going well until the sun went down.