The snow had stopped. Now the cold winter air was still as the world settled down into still silence. After the thundering footsteps of the goddess had finally faded the frozen streets were once again simple stones free of disturbances. Nothing would ever be the same after today and the city was full of activity. Everyone had just had their entire world radically altered for better or worse.

Timothy stood there looking up into the unchanging gray sky. Yes it was cold outside but he was warmed by inner fire. The excitement he was feeling was unlike anything he had ever experienced in his entire life. A goddess was real. Goddesses were real. He had met one, spoke to one. Even though it had been only seconds of interaction he had actually had living history interact with him personally.

Not to mention he had actually survived the event, something that history tells was less common than one would hope. This goddess seemed excitable sure, but there was an obvious kindness that permeated everything she did and said. At least that's the impression he got from Goddess Jenna. She spoke to humans as if they were almost equals. Though of course no one was.

The citizens were starting to come out of hiding inside the various buildings and back into the streets. Everyone was rapidly conversing about what had just transpired. Not everyone was taking the reality of at least one goddess existing as good news. In fact the implications of it were far reaching and potentially devastating. She had already announced she owned the king and there was no telling what else she would declare.

Suddenly Timothy was reminded of his workplace, the one he had so fervently abandoned to pursue meeting the goddess. He snapped back to reality and slapped his forehead.

"Damn it! What's happening back at the temple?"

Even though he was quite tired out from his previous run through the city he took off dashing back in the direction of the temple. This endeavor was quickly squashed as he had to stop and catch his breath after only a couple dozen feet. He really was tuckered out.

Slowing his pace to a brisk walk he continued through the city streets back towards his workplace. The Grand Temple of the Sisterhood. That title seemed like more than a fragment of history now. Would some of the goddesses remembered within its walls be returning sometime soon to claim dominion over the land? At this point who knew. There was no goddess named Jenna mentioned by history after all, nor one matching her description.

As he walked he continued pondering this revelation. A new goddess then? What was the originating factor behind such an occurrence he wondered. The goddesses had always seemed to spontaneously appear in the world with no known causation as far as history told. This was also extremely rare with goddesses being a special type of superior being rare around the world.

Thus he spent his time on the walk back to the temple lost in thought. By the time he arrived the scene was one of chaos. There was a mob of people gathered around the temple entrance angrily demanding answers.

"Tell us what you know!" yelled one man.

A woman shook her fists in the air. "What have you done to summon this terrible monster?"

It would be reasonable for the common-folk to assume the temple dedicated to goddesses would somehow play a part in recent events. This much Timothy could freely admit. However such a notion was truly ridiculous when you thought about it. They just enshrined history and didn't practice actual goddess worship. Though his devotion to history sometimes bordered on goddess worship it wasn't actual devotion. At least not like it was now.

Approaching the crowd Timothy pulled off his temple robe uniform. Being seen in it outside the temple could cause the mob to turn on him and do who knows what. Thankfully underneath they wore their normal clothes. Then with his outfit bundled up under his arm he began pushing through the crowd.

"Excuse me" he said softly.

With no issues he was able to get through the crowd and around to the edge of the main staircase. He could see a dozen city guards all standing at the base of the steps and keeping the crowd from forcing their way into the temple. Their swords were drawn and they meant business. This temple was government property after all. Tax money went into this place which made it an investment.

He wondered how long that would stay the case as he tried to sneak his way up the stairs. Thankfully the guards were too busy dealing with the mob to notice him and he was able to slip up and into the main doors.

Inside the temple was eerily quiet. There were no guests or staff wondering about and the air was very still. It was if the temple itself was recognizing the momentousness of the occasion. The halls themselves waiting in anticipation for another goddess to walk within them. Or maybe not.

Stopping to listen closely he heard the sound of voices coming from within the central worship hall, the sound bouncing off the stone walls and echoing to where he stood. It was the sound of his boss and coworkers talking, and sometimes shouting, at each other.

Quickly he dashed down the hall and through the large double doors of the worship hall. He came to a stop and bent over, panting for breath again after all the exertion he'd been through so far today.

"Timothy! Is that you?" a deep male voice said.

It was the primary caretaker of the temple Arlon Umbil. A tall man in his fifties that had greenish pink eyes and long light brown hair with a majestic beard. His skin was tan from the long life he had lived working in the sun. While he was stern he was fair and kind as well.

"Yes sir!" Timothy quickly replied.

Arlon frowned. "Get yer ass over here and sit down boy! Where the hell have you been?"

Timothy stood back up and speed walked over to the pews everyone was sitting in. There were only about a dozen employees working today and thankfully all of them were present and safely accounted for. Seeing Maisy he decided to head over near her as she could be considered his work friend.

"I-I met the goddess" he said as he reached the pew.

There were gasps of shock from everyone except their boss. Arlon's face looked like it wanted to be angry if it wasn't for the look of how impressed he was.

"She didn't kill you?" another young man shouted.

It was Keb, a young man with shoulder length black hair and orange eyes. He was around Timothy's age. He worked as a greeter and while mostly agreeable liked getting his way.

Timothy blushed slightly. "Well erm- No obviously."

Maisy punched him in the leg and then pulled him down into his seat. "So that's where you ran off too dumbass! No wonder you were gone for so long!"

The murmuring and questions were starting which prompted Arlon to clear his throat loudly.

"As much we'd love to hear Timothy's account that will have to wait for now. We all heard the goddess speaking from here and are aware she's strangely agreeable. Almost human."

There were comments both agreeing and disagreeing from those gathered.

Arlon raised his hands to silence them and then dropped them down again.

The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

"As you are also aware there is a commotion outside the temple. The people of the city are clearly as conflicted about this development as you lot. However the fact remains this is the truth now. There is an actual goddess walking the world, walking in our kingdom, as we speak. This new state of things surely puts the people working at this temple in conflict in their minds."

He crossed his arms as the employees adjusted themselves in their seats. He then continued.

"Anyone who wants to resign and quit working here is more than welcome to. As for anyone who remains: the future of this temple is currently unknown. In short order it might become a functioning temple once again. What happens then is anyone's guess. We might as well be real clergy at this point!"

In the following moments most of the people gathered in the pews gave up their employment status and left the room in various states of frustration or fear. Of course their old boss sent them off with wishes of health though no one knew what the future would hold. Timothy, Maisy, and Keb were the only ones to stay from those who worked today.

Arlon crossed his arms over his chest and frowned at them, though this frown was one of concentration not of anger.

"I see you've all decided to stick it out and see what awaits us. I'll be speaking to everyone else who works here whenever I get the chance. I wouldn't blame them for quitting. The plan for the time being is to continue operating as normal. The castle will likely be sending someone to speak to us and I'll handle that."

"And the goddess?" Maisy asked nervously.

Arlon exhaled deeply. "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. You all have the rest of the day off. I suggest you spend it in what peace you can. The future of our kingdom is shrouded in mystery."

The three remaining employees turned clergy stood up and gave a bow to their boss.

"We'll see you tomorrow Mr. Umbil" Keb said.

"Yes be safe!" Maisy added.

Timothy was last to speak. "Thank you sir for putting up with my... Enthusiasm with goddesses all this time."

Arlon shook his head and sighed at the young man. "It always seemed you secretly worshiped goddesses. I knew it was just a love of this part of our history and fascination with the mystical, though now it seems your devotion might serve you well in this new world. I wish you luck."

With the meeting adjourned the three left the worship hall and went into the corridor. The two still in their uniform took them off and bundled them up like Timothy had. All three of the young adults walked through the temple on their way to one of the back entrances. They wanted to avoid the crowd out front of course and slipping out the side was the smartest route into the city.

"Did you really meet the goddess?" Maisy asked punching Timothy on the arm.

Timothy flinched. "Yes I did. She- She was pretty scary. I almost got stepped on!"

This caused Keb to laugh, not out of mean spirit but of the irony.

"Imagine being crushed underfoot like a bug by the goddess you worked so hard to meet!"

"It's not like that!" Timothy replied defensively. He did blush though. "She would never have actually stepped on me. I just know it!"

Maisy then giggled and gave him a side hug with her right arm. "Well I'm glad she didn't. Who would I have to bully if you were a bootstain?"

The three laughed a little among themselves as they reached the temple exit. They were all taking this surprisingly well Timothy noticed. However this was likely just the nervous energy still keeping them from fully feeling the impact of recent events. He noticed himself not completely digesting this whole situation fully. Once the nerves calmed down who knows how they'd react. He hoped for safety for both his friend and co worker.

Once they were all at the door they stopped. Each of them lived in different areas of the city's housing district. Here is where they would go their separate ways. They all had families they lived with and the safety of their loved ones weighed on their minds. Though Timothy only lived with his father the well being of his old man concerned him.

Timothy huffed his cheeks. "Well I guess I'll see you two tomorrow. "

Maisy nodded. "Stay safe out there ok you two?"

"You guys too!" Keb said nodding.

The two friends and now third friend all waved and said their goodbyes before parting ways. Each walked home through a city that seemed to be on a razor's edge. The air itself was tense and filled with nervous energy. Civil unrest was already occurring with some areas in full panic. There was however some other strange phenomenon affecting the city Timothy noticed.

It was quite subtle, perhaps too much for the average person to notice, though he noticed it. For some reason the sun itself seemed to be brighter today. Not in the sense of brilliant light that hurt your eyes however, but more like the sun was not a winter sun but a summer sun. Its light was more yellow than white, its warmth more than a winter day would normally provide.

This was having a noticeable effect on the city. Perhaps the panic was more subdued than expected because of this summer sun lifting people's mood. Was this because of the goddess? Surely so. The thought of such widespread manifestation actually frightened Timothy a bit. Though his owns fears were tempered by the fact that this was obviously a benevolent effect.

As he neared his house he noticed several young children playing on the side of the street, several boys and a few girls. They were of lower class like he was and so were dressed in plain clothing. One of the girls was holding a stick aloft like a staff and stood in front of the other children.

"As goddess I smite you down!" she exclaimed pointing the stick at one of the other children.

"That's not fair!" the boy indicated said. "I wanna be a goddess too!"

Another girl crossed her arms and turned up her nose at him. "You can't be a goddess dummy! You're a boy!"

Timothy simply shook his head at the innocence of children. It was always the children that adapted to change the best. While this whole new world would possibly be traumatic for them their minds were most likely to weather the storm of uncertainty. To see children already at play after being exposed to a real goddess just proved how this Goddess Jenna was a positive influence on the world around her when she could easily be a force of terror.

Another another street his home came into view. He was lower class so he lived in an apartment complex that stood several stories high. Many families lived there, all stacked on top of each other in small but workable homes. While they were poor they kept the place clean and in good upkeep. He and his father Zachery lived on the second floor.

He hurried up inside and up the staircase. He father would normally still be at work but they had always promised to meet each other here should something dangerous happen. This would certainly qualify as such an occasion.

Timothy tried the door and it was unlocked. He quickly opened and called out inside.

"Father I'm home!"

The voice of a middle aged man came from inside.

"Son! You're alive!"

Zachery rushed to the door and embraced his son in a tight hug, knocking the wind out of his well loved victim.

Timothy gasped and returned the hug. "Father!"

Once their embrace was finished they stepped into the apartment and apart from each other. As expected from a low income family it wasn't much to look at. There was simple wooden furniture in the main room with a small stove fueled by wood. It doubled a their fireplace and was alight at the moment with a warm glow. There were two rooms, one on either side of this main room, and served as their bedrooms.

Zachery put his hands on his son's shoulders.

"Ever since your mother died I've feared losing you. I'm so happy you're safe! A real goddess just stomped through the city. Of course you felt it!"

This made Timothy nervously rub the back of his neck and blush embarrassed.

"Yes sir. I actually met her."

This prompted a light slug in the shoulder from his father and caused him to wince.

"You damn liar! I know that work of yours has caught your head up in the clouds but if you met that goddess she'd have killed you for sure!"

"But she didn't!" Timothy replied putting his hands out. "She's more reasonable than anyone could have every imagined! I think her being around will be a positive force on the world."

Zachery shook his head. "If you say so son. Nothing good will come from this mark my words. I won't tarnish your idealism, the young need it after all. If I was twenty years younger I'd share your views I'm sure."

Their greeting out of the way and their minds at ease for the safety of the other the fears they just had settled down and vanished. With both of their jobs closed for the day due to outrageous circumstances they had nothing else to do but spend the day together. Thus father and son decided to stay at home and enjoy each other's company, something they rarely had the time for with the need to work to support themselves.

Thus they wiled away the day and evening, discussing the recent events and what the future might hold. Of course Timothy had already prayed a silent prayer to his new goddess, though he didn't know if she had heard him at all or even how it all worked. Life itself had always been what people cursed or blessed in the happenings of their lives, higher powers outside of nature itself being quite foreign to them.

Now however an aspect of existence had come to life and presented itself to them. Perhaps there was more to this world than just pomp and circumstance. Goddess Jenna: the first of many or the sole proprietor of the divine? Only time would tell.

As night fell and Timothy went to bed he could only think about how much he wished to meet his goddess again. He was desperate to meet her again. However he had no idea from whence she came nor where she went hither. How would they ever meet?

Just when all hope was lost he remembered something particular about the temple. There was supposedly an item in its exhibits that would allow instant communication with a goddess. An artifact of great magical power that was kept in a sturdy locked case in the central exhibit. Of course it wasn't heavily guarded as no goddesses existed, at least until now.

Timothy's mind was filled with possibilities as he plotted to touch this item. It was a staff with a large silver star on each of its ends. Tomorrow at work he would get his hands on this Staff of Divine Message and beg Goddess Jenna to speak to him again.

So with such schemes in his head he drifted off to sleep.