Moving along the coast at a steady pace, it was then Solis’ journey took him to an even smaller town, a place called Faise Fatori. It was mostly farmland, with fields both flourishing and bare all pressed up against each other, bordered on some sides by tiny houses and even tinier barns. Solis spent his first afternoon there staring across the fence at a field of large animals, delighting in the way they chewed the grass and seemed perfectly content doing nothing else.

Cows… he thought, remembering what the folks in Churchton had called them. Miraculous creatures-

“Hey, mister?!”

Solis looked up. Coming down the path from one of the barns was a young man. Solis had a bad sense of age, however, so in fact, this child was only a boy.

“Hello!” The god waved, gesturing excitedly at the field in front of him. “Did you see? Cows!”

The man’s eyebrows raised and he blinked.

“You’re not from around here, are you?”

Solis shook his head.

“Well, it’s getting dark. I’m going back to my mother’s house after finishing up my chores.”

Solis was pleased for him.

“That is good!”

The man stared at him. Solis wondered if he could tempt the cows to come closer if he held out some blades of grass…

“Do you have a place to stay?” The man asked.

Solis shook his head.

“No, but I am glad you do.”

He wasn’t sure when he’d accepted the young man’s offer, but Solis ended up spending the night in a barn that evening, listening to the chickens roosting above his head on the rafters, and the nearby sounds of the rest of the farm sleeping restlessly.

In the morning, a woman came and seemed startled to find him among the hay bales, but then the young man from before appeared and explained Solis’ situation. He was given a few odd looks by the woman, but in the end, she agreed to let him stay in their barn as long as he helped her son, the young man, with his chores.

Solis had never heard of chores. He decided to study them closely under the watchful eye of the young man, a master of the art, certainly…

“But, this is excrement.”

Solis was dumbfounded. To think- the humans put this stuff back into their bodies?! The young only man huffed, taking the shovel from Solis’ hand and showing him again how to scoop, then tip the piles of waste into the wheelbarrow.

“Yes, it’s to help the plants grow. It’s like food to them. Here, try again-”

Solis was unconvinced. Since when did food need food? He’d never heard of such a thing! But, since he was no mortal and was being treated so kindly by these new friends, he decided to put aside his skepticism and do his best.

By the end of the night, the god had learned all manner of things; eggs, which tasted so good once you opened them, actually came from chickens! The farm cats were not only there to be gently petted and scratched, but they also helped catch mice, which were considered pests even though they were so tiny. Horses were an enormous help on a farm, and, if rewarded with a portion of the garden’s produce, could be convinced to let the humans sit astride their backs!

There was so much to be done, that by the time Solis stumbled back into the barn to take a rest, he felt physically sore and tired, the likes of which he’d never experienced before. Being mortal was truly exhausting, plus, he kept having to urinate, which, at the beginning of his journey seemed extremely diverting, but now felt like another chore among his list of many others.

How did humans do it?!

“Hey, Solis! Aren’t you coming?”

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

The young man poked his head into the barn. Kerick was his name. His mother was called Ema, and their horse was called Patti. Solis enjoyed all of their company but found Patti to be the supreme conversationalist.

“Where are we going?”

Kerick smiled, “It’s a full moon tonight. Everyone in town is gathering to celebrate and give thanks to the gods. Come on!”

Solis was intrigued but also deeply embarrassed. Here he was, a god in disguise among humans. Surely it was in poor taste to give praise to himself?

The Farmer’s Great Hall was very unlike the ones in the Heavens. At first, Solis was overwhelmed by the amount of people crammed into such a small space, but when he was shown to an empty seat on one of the many benches surrounding impressively well-stocked tables, he relaxed and immediately found himself included in the villagers’ conversations.

“You might not know, Solis, but the full moon is an important time for us farmers! It’s when the veil between us and the Heavens is thinnest. From the moonlight, us and our land receive prosperity and blessings from the gods!”

Solis was once again struck by how naive the humans were about certain things. It wasn’t their fault, they were just a new species, how could they be aware of things like lunar phases and Tstovin’s pull with the sea? They’d learn in time…

Solis himself was quite fond of the moon. It was largely unproblematic, which was nice, especially when other celestial bodies could be temperamental at best. Solis thought of the moon like a well-adapted child, able to look after itself without his interference. It wasn’t, however, a portal through which the Heavens bestowed any blessings, but the humans were free to think as they wished.

“May I ask…” Solis said, after his third helping of food, which was delicious despite the horrors he had seen the humans do with manure-

“What’s on your mind?” One of the elders of the village smiled at him warmly.

Solis was so grateful the mortals were kind…

“What gods do you worship?”

Solis was a little shy asking, but he just had to know! If they had holidays on the full moon and believed in the gods, surely they were his believers! He would have to return in his heavenly form and hand out actual blessings! Maybe some more cows were in order…

“Oh, well. We don’t really bother with particulars,” the elder said, waving his hand. “If the gods see us worshiping one over another they’ll get jealous and cause our crops to die, so we just pray to the collective.”

Solis wanted to cry.

That isn’t how it works! But he couldn’t say that. He couldn’t tell them that, unless they were direct, their prayers were not reaching the Heavens at all.

It was okay. Now that Solis knew, he could figure out a way to redirect their prayers to himself, without them having to change their beliefs. It should be simple. He was content as he listened to the rest of their conversations, knowing that he would be able to help them after all.

As folks began to trickle out of the Great Hall, Solis was finally introduced to Kerick’s sister, Ema’s other child. The young woman had recently been married to one of the elder’s grandsons, who had gone through the trouble to build her a little cottage behind one of the smaller pastures. Solis listened to their tale; how they met when they were young, how they’d fallen in love, and the dowry of seven pigs that was handed over once they’d been engaged.

Solis stared at the beautiful couple dreamily, his heart aching as he wondered if anyone would ever think he was worth a dowry of seven pigs…

“I keep rushing home early from the blacksmith,” the young husband chuckled, pressing a kiss to his wife’s cheek. “I’m more anxious than even you, darling.”

“For what?” Solis said.

The young woman giggled, smoothing her hands over her belly. Solis stared, utterly speechless, at the enormous bump under her clothes that he hadn’t noticed before. He had never seen a human like this and wasn’t sure what to say. Had she accidentally swallowed a planet?

“This baby better arrive soon is all I can say,” the woman sighed. “If I spend another day off my feet I think I will die of boredom.”

Solis was quiet as he put two and two together.

Children were extremely rare in the Heavens, so suddenly being in the human realm was literally an entirely new world. He was suddenly reminded of chickens and the eggs they laid. Apparently, human women were capable of doing the same, except with babies instead!

“You’re making one? A child? Right now?!” Solis couldn’t contain his excitement.

The woman laughed, “I’ve been making it for months. Here, come feel-”

Solis was hesitant as he gave over his hand, not wanting to cause any harm. The woman smiled, pressing his palm to the side of her swollen belly. He wondered if it hurt to be so full…

Suddenly, there was a gentle thrumming, like the heartbeat of a little bird, right under his hand! Solis gazed at the woman with wide eyes and she laughed again.

“Now, imagine feeling that every second of the day.” She shook her head, sighing.

Solis imagined it, but could only imagine it would be wonderful since it was a reminder of a child about to be born. He wondered if, when he was coming into the world, The Heavenly Realm ever shook slightly, or felt the beat of his own heart…

He fell asleep that night in the barn and spent hours dreaming of it; of birth, children clinging to their mothers, and what it might feel like to be born into a world already attached to something, something to call your own.

Solis woke up to a chicken roosting in his hair and felt like he was finally starting to learn what it meant to be human.