Molly snacked on her fruity tootsirolls. They had been on sale, and she had forgotten how much she liked the chewy candy! Molly wasn’t one for hikes or walking, and yet today she had been struck with an adventurous spirit. Besides, it was a chilly fall day; her favorite kind. She wore a cozy sweater and boots as she explored the woods beyond the park.
Molly had expected them to lead to a highway past the town or something, she did not expect an abandoned shrine. How had she never heard of this place? She had done much research of interesting places when she decided to move to this town, and it never mentioned a mythical shrine to a ancient god!
Molly excitedly rushed across the cobblestone path into the temple. Inside, the forest had claimed the building for itself as it grew all over. Dirt covered what was left of the stone furtinure, and vines covered what seemed to be the god’s statue.
Molly climbed onto the platform, and reached up to the statue. She wiped away the nature and dirt, to reveal its face.
The statue looked at her with empty eyes. And yet, those eyes held a passion she couldn’t place. Was it a merciful one, or menacing? She wasn’t sure she would want to find out. She traced her fingertips along the staue’s cheeks, and led them down to his chest.
“Who were you…” Molly whispered to herself. “Were you forgotten?”
Molly stepped down from the statue. She could stay in this mysterious shrine forever, explore its secrets for days. However the darkness of the forest made the chilly day into a frigid one. She would have to come back another time with a warmer jacket. Molly began to walk out of the shrine, but just as she began to pass the pillars at the enrtrence, she ran back inside. She stopped and looked back up at the statue. She took a peice of her candy out of its bag and left it at the base of the statue. The God probably got offerings a long time ago after all! She didn’t know if a silly candy meant anything or would count, but it couldn’t hurt. She looked back up at the statue. She silently hoped the God accepted the offering. She silently hoped the God know that….that it wasn’t entirely lost to history. At least, not anymore.
Rikido Sato’s eyes opened. He had not seen lights for eons, and yet it was simply like awaking to the morning sunrise. His bones didn’t ache, his head wasn’t dizzy, it was as if he had only taken a nap. Sato stretched and looked around.
His shrine had fallen into much disarray. Dead plants and blushes covered the walls and their leaves littered the floor. Any furniture he had once had had either rotted to dust, or was covered in dirt. Hardly any sun entered the shrine due to the moss covering any window. His shrine was obviously abandoned. So what had awoken him?
There was no summoning circle painted on the dirty floor. No ritual candles were lit. Nothing had been offered to him— wait, something new laid at the base of his statue. He made his way over to it. It was a tiny orange brick, wrapped in shiny pink foil. He unwrapped it. It was slightly squishy. Sato ate the brick. It had a citurus taste, and was very sugary. It was an offering! While it wasn’t the traditional sugarcane root, it did contain sugar! Someone had gave the long gone god an offering! Sato smiled, as he tasted the candy. Goodness, he had never tasted anything like it! Whoever offered him such a unique sacrifice, may they return, would be honored with the title of high priest of his shrine.
Sato cracked his knuckles. He was awake and refreshed with his offering, and with that energy he would clean. He hadn’t had to lift a finger in supereons, however it didn’t seem any other servant would arrive to tidy up the forgotten shrine.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Molly had intended to return to the shrine sooner. It had been three or four days since she had discovered it. She really wanted too go back earlier! Maybe she could tidy it up, make it into a special place! A place for her to…escape a bit. N-No disrespect to the unknown God of course! After all, it was his place. She would just…chill in it. Speaking of unknown God, she had done research that night after her first visit. She searched all over the web. Not only did she go to page two of google, but she went to Bing. BING! And yet, there wasn’t anything. Nothing about a shrine being in this area, nor any local mythology! She had no clue what the shrine was. From any mythology or religion! She admits, it spooked her a bit. Maybe thats why she was returning so much later. But she was here now! Armed with a warmer sweater and another bag of fruity candy, she began to make her way back to the shrine.
However, she was beginning to think she imagined it. Because when she arrived the shrine looked completely different. The pillars and cobblestone was no longer falling apart. It was no longer dirty, covered in nature. Instead everything was repaired, and the stone shined. She realized it wasn’t stone, it was marble! Oh no, had she wandered into a rich person’s secret side project?! She took a step back to leave, however the stone vases that lined the pathway ignited with fire. As if the temple knew a guest had arrived. Molly took a deep breaths and began to walk upon the cobblestone path again. She held her plastic candy bag close to her, and stepped inside the shrine.
The inside of the Shrine had also been given a glow-up. The floors were shined, and she could almost see her reflection in them. The stone furniture was free of dirt, and now had old(but clean)cloths draped on them. Candles were lit, and there was sweet fruit on each table. Where had the fresh fruit come from?! And the statue? Oh goodness the statue! The statue was cleaned a polished, revealing a glorious God. He held a stalk of sugarcane like a septar, and wore a soft smile. He had spiky hair and large lips. He was a very handsome statue. Molly looked at his base, and saw that the wrapper off the candy she had left was there. That meant whoever cleaned this place, did it recently. And knew she had been there!
She was about to run, when suddenly someone entered from the back end of the shrine. Shit Shit Shit Shit she had to run! And yet, she was frozen in place! The Person, if you could even call them that…they looked just like the statue! That….that was a god. A God was standing in front of her! What does she do? Curtsy? Bow? Run? Fall to her knees? Why wasn’t she moving?!
The God noticed her, and smiled a wide smile. He had a relaxed deminar and he excitedly walked up to her. Molly just cowered before him.
“Is it you?” The God asked. His voice was low and sturdy. And yet, it was an excited question, not an accusation.
“Wh-What do you mean?” Molly whispered.
The God walked to the statue, and plucked the candy wrapper off of it.
Oh shit, she had vandalized a GODS TEMPLE! Here it was, she was gonna get smited by a god and die—
_______________________
Rikido Sato had just finished reviving his garden when he saw someone entering the his shrine. He quickly began to rush back inside. Was this it? The person whom had left him his awakening offering? The one who would become his priestess? He walked inside to see a young mortal women. She was a plump women, with blonde hair faded from purple. Her brown eyes shined when he was noticed.
He happily approached the mortal women.
“Is it you?” He asked.
The women cowered in fear. Oh goodness, why? He was mearciful God, one whom brought happiness through taste! He hoped this future world hadn’t forgotten that.
“Wh-What do you mean?” The women whispered, too scared to even speak.
Sato quickly retrieved the remains of the offering, and showed it to the women. She was trembling. She slowly nodded.
“I-I felt that here for you…” she began to sob. “I-I swear I meant well! I’m so sorry! I’m so so so sorry! Please, if your going to kill me just do it!”
“Wait why would I kill you?” Sato asked.
The women sniffled. “W-Well…I…I don’t know…”
Sato lifted the women’s chin and wipped her tears. “Mortal, you awoke me!”
“I what?”
“I had been dormant for eons, but with your offering I was awoken!” Sato smiled. “For this act, I bless you with the honor of being my high priestess!”
The women looked less scared, but still shocked.
“S-Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you. I guess times have changed.”
“Y-Yeah…can you go slower for me?”
“Of course!” Sato smiled.
Sato took the mortal and led her to a chair. Well, more of a brick with a cushion on it. He offered her some water from his water spring, and she gladly took it. Yes, he was a God. But what was a God without offerings? Unlike other gods, he saw no point in getting offerings through fear. Thats why he treated the mortals with kindness and mercy.
As Sato gave the mortal women water and rubbed her hand, she began to calm down.
“Thank you,” the women said. “I came across this shrine while wandering the woods a few days ago. It looked a lot older than now. Abandoned. I left you a peice of candy because I thought…well, I didn’t know how old you were but maybe you would want a treat? I thought it was silly, but still. I tried to research you later but I couldn’t find anything about you or this place!”
“Oh…” Sato sighed. “I really am still forgotten…”
“I-I’m so sorry!” The mortal cried. She looked down at her hands, and offered him a bag. It was of more of the offerings!
“Thanks!” Sato smiled a little as he took them.
“O-Of course!” the women said.
“If your a god…” the women asked. “What are you God of?”
Sato smiled brighter. “I am Rikido Sato, the God of Succulence!”
“…Huh?”
“Back in my time, nothing tasted good. It was my job to make sure things like Sugarcane, Vanilla, Cocoa, and other yummy things grew! That way people could finally be happy to eat! But soon tasty food became more common and accessible and— And there was no need for me anymore…”
“S-Sato…I—“ The women stopped herself. “W-What do I call you?”
“Please, you can call me Sato or Your God.”
“Good to know.” The women finally smiled. “M-My name is Molly.”
“Nice to meet you Molly!”
Sato smirked. “Or, High Priestess Molly?”
“What does that mean?” Molly asked.
“Well, you look after my shrine and spread the word of my glory. In return, I give you protection and the blessings of Suculence.”
Molly seemed to be thinking. “Gosh darn it!” She yelled. “Your lucky I’m lonely and like food!” She shook Sato’s hand. “You have yourself a High Preistess.”
“Great!” Sato gave Molly a hug, and she blushed.
___________________________
When Molly agreed to be High Preistess, she wasn’t expecting anything good in return. She agreed because she was scared of what would happen if she said no. As friendly as Sato was, he was a GOD! And yet, Molly did receive blessings like Sato said. She would get the tastiest of free samples at grocery stores, and her favorite foods were always on sale! Bake sales would be held more often than before, and always in her neighboorhood. Even the cafeteria food started tasting better! At least to her, to everyone else it was still crap.
In all honesty, Molly had just wanted company when she accepted this role. She didn’t have many friends at school, and the shrine had become a safe place for her. From homework, bullying, and stress of the outside of the world. She would go everyday after doing her homework. She would grab some sweet treat as an offering, and then get to work. She would clean the shrine and keep the gardens well kept. It was good cardio, she needed it anyway. Along with that she would ‘pray’ to Sato.
Sato was a friendly and ironically ‘down to earth’ God. However the majority of the time he did not spend in the Mortal realm. He would be more omniscient if anything. However Molly could feel his cheerful spirit all around her when he wasn’t there physically. So she would ‘pray’ to him, which was more like talking to him in her head. Sometimes he would respond. More often than not by putting a sugaring taste in her mouth from nowhere.
When he was there in the mortal realm her her, he was quite the….average God. When he said he was in charge of the growth of good taste it crops, she believed him. However he spent most of his time using those crops to bake. Where the oven or kitchen was, she was never able to find it. Unsurprisingly he was a amazing baker. He would even share his creations with Molly, claiming that the High Priestess deserved a few offerings too. He would also spend his time in the gardens. He would strategically lay cocoa beans in an odd circle and pattern and do rituals in them. Molly wasn’t sure she wanted to disturb him or not, and would keep to sweeping.
And oddly enough, he would watch her. She would just be sweeping the floors or tidying up the candles, and he would just stare at her. Intently, as if there were things he was planning to say yet never did. Sometimes it seemed he didn’t want to say anything at all. She assumed he was trying to learn more about Mortals of today. But if she was honest she wasn’t a good example at all.
…
Molly glance back at Sato a few times. Every time he was still in the same place. Lounging on a couch, snacking on the candy she had given him. He would look at her, with a lazy smile.
“Will you stop that!” Molly cried. She was the High Preistess, and at this point she was used to causally speaking to Sato like that.
“Stop what?” Sato rose an eyebrow.
“Your staring at me! Its…creepy!”
“Oh, I’m sorry.” Sato said. “Do Mortals no longer looks at pretty things for long periods of time?”
Molly froze and blushed. “Wh-What?”
“I was under the impression Mortals enjoyed looking at beautiful things. I remember there were things called museums, where mortals would stare for hours at things they found entrancing.”
“W-We still have museums.” Molly mumbled.
“Oh! So they do still look at pretty things! Good, Good…” Sato trailed off, and stared at Molly again.
Molly tried to ignore Sato’s staring as she tried to continue to clean. But she couldn’t forget what Sato had said.
“Well why are you staring at me?” She put her hands on her hips.
“Hm?” Sato asked.
“I’m not beautiful, so why are you looking at me?” Molly demanded to know.
“What do you mean? Your really pretty!” Sato sat up.
“yeah right, there are a lot more pretty people out there. And you’ve been around for…eons you said! You’ve clearly seen prettier people.”
“I have seen many beautiful people in my time. But they don’t look like you.”
Molly stutterd. “But-Well-YEAH! That’s the point!”
“I don’t understand?”
“I’m. Not. BEAUTIFUL! So why are you looking at me when you say your looking at something pretty?!” Molly yelled.
“Do…Do you not think your pretty?”
Molly huffed. “No, I don’t. I uhm…”
Sato stood from his couch. He began to walk forward to Molly. He walked with Godly Power, no longer relaxed. He walked like a man on a mission. A mission Molly simply couldn’t understand. While she tried to stand firm for her God, her legs became weak as her heart began to hammer in her chest. The God towered above her, and neither moved forward nor back. Sato lifted his large hand and ran it across Molly’s cheek.
“High Preistess, you are beautiful.” Sato said.
Molly’s breath hitched, but she turned her head away. “N-No I’m not—“
“You dare defy your Gods word?” Sato asked. He was serious.
“N-No! I just—!” She turned back to Sato, and he had somehow gotten closer. He was so close, if he just moved an inch closer…
“Belive in your God.” He whispered. “Belive in yourself.” He left the warm breath of his whisper upon Molly’s lips as he leaned away.
He took a step back. “It’s getting dark. Get yourself home Molly. And don’t get lost.” He smiled.
Molly slowly nodded.
___________________________
Molly began to type into her phone’s search bar.
Search: Can a High Priestess date their God?
Google: No, why the fuck are you asking?
Molly sighed. Google didn’t actually say that, but still. Why was she asking? There’s no way she could date an all powerful immortal God. And even if he said she was pretty why would he want her anyway! She was basically a servant to him, nothing more. Her dinner should have tasted good, and yet she tasted nothing special. She sighed. She was serving a fricking TASTE GOD and yet she couldn’t accept his blessings. Molly put her food away and fell onto her bed. She sighed and closed her eyes.
“High Preistess, you are beautiful.” Sato said.
Molly groaned and screamed into her Pillow. Her face was hot with blush. Why did she have to love things she knew she could never have?!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Molly was very pleased. No teacher had given homework today, so that meant she could go right to the shrine! With Sato’s blessing, she was able to make a treat for his offering today. She had worked really hard on it and was looking forward to giving it to him. She pulled it out of her locker and began to start leaving school when some bullies cornered her.
“Don’ you eat enough junk?” The bullies said.
“Excuse me?” Molly asked.
“We see you go to the store every afternoon, and come out with junk! You’re such a pig!”
“Stop!” Molly cried. “Its not for me! Not even this is for me!”
“Yeah right. Then how come your such a fatass?”
“S-Shut up!”
“I don’t know why you bother to wear those dresses.” The bully pointed to Molly’s outfit.
While Molly spends most of her time cleaning, she spends the other half in class. So on good days she would wear cute dresses that could be cleaned easily. Today she wore one of her favorites. It was pink with teddy bears on it. She had never worn it in front of Sato, but she was hoping her would like it.
“You’re too big to look cute in those!” The bully pushed her to the concrete.
“You should just wear baggy clothes. Ugly clothes for an ugly girl!” The other laughed.
Molly began to tear up, and she gripped the dirt beneath her.
“Aw, is the little piggy gonna cry-“
Molly threw the dirt in their faces. She got up and began to run to the park.
“Get back here!” The bullies yelled. “We’re not through thanks to that!”
…
Molly raced through the woods. She was never a runner, after all she was a ‘pig’. But she was managing to catch her breath every time she lost the bullies in the woods. It was never long, because they would spot her behind the trees or bushes and the chase would begin again. Where does she go? Molly is too far away from home, and didn’t know anyone nearby. Well, except for Sato. But she couldn’t lead these mean people to the shrine, could she?
Molly felt a sweet taste in her mouth. It tasted like the orange candy she had left Sato as his first offering. “Well, you look after my shrine and spread the word of my glory. In return, I give you protection and the blessings of Suculence.”. Molly gasped, giving herself away. She quickly began to run again, to the safety of the shrine
______________________
Sato could feel his Priestess in Distress. She was often upset around this time, however she said nothing when asked about it. So he did what he does best, and blessed her with taste. He did so now as well. Sato sat inside the shrine, running his hands along the marble walls. He had fallen into the habit of awaiting his Preistess much earlier than any time she would come. And yet, he anxiously await her. He hoped she had taken what he had said about her beauty to heart.
Sato hear a bit of a commotion outside. Often it was wild animals like rabbits and dear. Molly would be the one often to get rid of them. Well, sorta. She would try to befriend them first like what she called a ‘Disney Princess’. Then they would scurry away in fear and Molly would huffily get back to work. Sato shrugged it off. As long as the job was getting done.
However this commotion was unlike anything he had heard recently. People were yelling, and stumbling around. Perhaps his High Preistess had been spreading word of his glory, and people had come to offer him offerings! Sato peaked outside, and was very disapointed. And soon, was worse: angered.
Outside was a group of people harassing his high Preistess. They surrounded her, yelling cruel things to her. They took a peice of cake and shoved it in Molly’s face.
“Go on!” The people laughed. “Eat it you Pig!”
Molly had tears streaming down her face as she coughed on the cake.
“She can’t do anything right,” they said. “Not even the fatass can be a fatass correctly!”
“S-Stop, please…” Molly wiped the chunks of cake off her face.
The people took the last of the cake from Molly. They each took a peice and rubbed in in the dirt. “Hey! Its just like you!” They threw her to the ground.
Sato had seen enough. Toga and all he stomped forward outside his shrine.
“What do you think you are doing, mortals?” Sato demanded to know.
“Oh shit, someone lives here.” One of the bullies said. “Sorry dude, didn’t mean to bother you!”
“You dare beg for my forgiveness when the mistreated is at your feet!”
“Who the hell are you anyway?”
“I am the god Rikido Sato. And you have just harassed my high Preistess.”
The people began to laugh. “Your just as weird as her!”
Sato chuckled along for a second and smirked. His eyes began to glow brighter than fire and he grew into an ominiacant being. The humans cowered in fear, and Molly still lay at the God’s base.
“I am the God of Suculence, a god of mercy and happiness.” Sato said.
The bullys smiled small smiles. That was good news-
“And you have managed to entice rage in this God.”
Aw shit.
“If you do not want me to strike you down this very instant, you shall bring offerings of high sacrifice to this shrine by noon tomorrow and beg my high presides for forgiveness. If you do not, you will never taste again in your life. Because I will disintegrate your touges!”
The bullys screamed and bowed before the God. “We Will! We Will God! Please! Please let us live!”
“Do as I have said, and you will live. Now leave!”
The bullys ran away.
Sato returned to Mortal Form. Molly coughed, as cake was shoved down her throat. Sato patted her back as she caught her breath.
“I-I’m sorry you had to do that…” Molly sighed. “I shouldn’t have led them here.”
“They will pay high Preistess. Every offering they bring is gonna be yours. And if they fail, they’re tounge will be nailed to the wall in your honor.”
Molly nodded, not sure what else to do.
“Lets get you cleaned up.”
…
The bullys had delivered well, and luckily not with their tounges. They had bought all the sugary food they could buy, and some even took out from their collage savings. Molly snacked on her third peice of cake, as Sato insisted she eat at least three after all she had gone through.
Sato cleaned as Molly ate.
“Wh-What are you doing?!” Molly stood. “Th-Thats my job Sato!”
Sato sighed and made Molly sit back down. He got down on his knees and held her hand. “You have served well as my high preistes. And you are returned with mockery and harassment by your peers. That is no reward for all you do. Today, I am your high preistess.”
“B-But that means….”
“Today you are my God, Molly.” Sato leaned in, and kissed his goddess softly. “How can I serve you?”
THE END
This was fun :D
