Kami Light

Everyone in Heaven makes something. An angel named Haruna felt that she had to do the same. The trouble was that she couldn’t think of anything to make. Humans and the whole realms were already created. Too many creatures ran throughout them as well. Heaven didn’t need any more helpers either. Haruna found herself at a loss. She didn’t want to feel useless in Heaven, but didn’t know what to do either.

“What’s the matter, Haruna-chan?” a voice asked in her room one night. The angel looked up and saw her pet owl flying through the open window. Haruna sighed as she lowered her shoulders.

“I don’t know what to create,” she said. Her pet landed on her shoulder.

“What do you mean?” he asked. His owner shook her head.

“Everyone in Heaven has created something,” she said. “I don’t know what to make.” The owl tilted his head.

“Why do you want to do that?” he asked.

“I just don’t want to feel useless, but I don’t know what to do.”

“Why don’t you just make something?”

Haruna turned to her owl with a puzzled look on her face. “But what?”

“Just create something!”

Haruna sighed. “Fine, I will give it a shot.”

“Follow me!” The owl flew back out the open window. Curious, his master followed him out through the bedroom door.

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The owl led her down to a secret abandoned laboratory. Haruna had to swat away at the dust flying around in front of her as she pushed back the heavy door. She coughed before taking a look around.

“What is this place?” she asked.

“One of the creation labs!” the owl said as he flew around. “Nobody has used this place in years.” Haruna tilted her head.

“Are you sure this is okay?” she asked.

“Of course! You wanted to create something, right? Here is a good place to start.” He noticed her frowning. “Come on! What are you so worried about?” Haruna pressed her lips together.

“And you are sure about this?” she asked.

“Yes!” her owl said. His master dropped her shoulders.

“Alright,” she said. The angel walked through the darkened lab and followed the big black pot. She looked down inside.

“Now what?” Haruna asked.

“What do you think you should add?” her owl asked.

“I don’t know.”

“Well, think of something!”

“Okay...” The angel began looking around the room. She noticed big white crystals hanging in the tiny window overhead. “Those look pretty.”

“Do you want them?” her owl asked.

“I’m sure.”

“Oh come on.” The owl flew up and grabbed the crystals with its beak. Haruna covered her mouth as she gasped.

“Sho!” she said. The little white owl dragged the crystals into the pot.

“Now what?” he asked.

“Uh… Uh… Do we have any stars?”

“I can check.” The owl flew up and circled the room. He came down with a small jar in his talons. “Will this be enough?”

Haruna squinted in the darkness. “I can’t tell. I can barely see anything.”

“Hang on, let me get the light for you.” The owl flew up and blew a small string of fire in a circle. The blaze lit up the candles overhead. Haruna’s face lit up with each light.

“Much better,” she said. She got a better look at the jar of stars and frowned. “We’re going to need a little bit more.”

“You got it!” the owl said. Three small jars later, they had enough stars in the pot.

“What next?” her pet asked. Haruna tilted her head.

“Don’t we need to light the pot?” she asked. The owl flew down and let the wood until the cold, heavy pot. The crystals and stars gave the room a soft blue glow.

“What comes next?” her owl asked. Haruna’s lips curved into a smile as she got to thinking.

“I have just the thing,” she said. In two hours, angel and owl gathered together moss, beads, water, spider webs, clouds, coal dust, and tiny fish into the pot. Still something was missing. Haruna bit on her lower lip as she began thinking.

“What are you thinking?” the owl asked. The angel was so lost in her thoughts that she made her lip bleed. Her own blood lit up a spark in her mind. At first, she hesitated at the notion. Could I actually do this? Her idea had worked for the tenshi-chi in the past, but what about for… whatever she was making? Haruna clenched her fists by her sides.

“Get me a knife,” she said. The owl turned and tilted his head.

“What for?” he asked.

“Just do it,” his master said. He noted the excited shaking in her voice.

“Yes, mistress,” the owl said. He flew over the tool area and drew out the sharpest knife from the rack. The angel took hold of it by the handle.

“Thank you,” she said. Haruna winced as she ran the blade across her open left hand.

“Haruna!” her owl said.

“It’s fine,” she said. The angel held her bleeding hand over the bubbling pot. Her blood made the solution flare up in a jump. She leapt back once the pot had enough. Haruna’s heart raced as an excited smile came across her face. Her owl glided next to her.

“Now what?” he asked.

“We wait,” the angel said in pride. Her pet landed on her shoulder. She patted him on the head, smiling. Haruna and her owl spent the night in the laboratory and even fell asleep near the boiling pot. By morning, they looked inside and saw tiny faces inside a mass of pink goo. Haruna gasped as she put her hand to her chest.

“It’s so beautiful,” she said in a whisper.

“Yeah,” the owl agreed, “But what is it?” Only one word came to his master’s mind.

“Kami… mortal…” she murmured.

“What?”

Haruna turned to her pet. “Kamimortal.”

“Why do you call it that?”

She turned back to the faces in the goo. “Honestly, I have no idea.” However, it would take about fifty years before Haruna’s creation saw the light of day. Before then, a couple more events happened to shape Japan in all of the realms.

Mother of God