How the Earth was Born by Julieta Vera

How the Earth was Born by Julieta Vera is our Summer Reading Writing Contest Grand prize winner. 

Judge’s comments: 

*Our highest scoring story 

*Imaginative, well-organized and with a super sweet ending. 

How the Earth was Born By Julieta A. Vera

Before the Earth was even made, the gods lived in Anshi. It was a planet, far from the one we live in. In an entirely different universe. Anshi was the paradise of the gods and life was really simple without a single adventure. The streets were made of pure gold and silver. The houses were made of jewels the size of boulders. And that’s not all. The houses were the size of castles. No, take that out. They were double the size of castles! The cities and countries were so clean that even the cleanest country in the world would make their citizens want to move from their ‘beautiful place.’ Not that I have anything against it, of course.

Everyone there agreed to one thing. Life was as simple as moving your finger to the right and to the left. No one had to work to make a living. They just thought of what they wanted and it would appear in their hand. But a life that is that easy was not at all fun, at least not to one god. This god was named Cacambu. He was the most powerful god in Anshi. He had the power to create new universes and move stars. He also had the power to heal life, (which didn’t happen very often anymore) and to change forms into whatever he wanted. Every god and goddess of Anshi respected him as a father.

One day, Cacambu couldn’t resist it anymore. He was tired of such an easy life and would do anything to change it. But how? He thought. After several minutes, an idea fell on to Cacambu’s mind, like an apple falling to the ground. This was the greatest idea ever. This would be his greatest creation. The little detail he was missing (but not for long) was that he would need the help of the other gods. So he called a meeting at the great hall.

“Friends,” Cacambu started, “there is something I need to tell you. Life around here isn’t any fun nor is it adventurous anymore. This can’t keep going.” Everyone gasped. What was Cacambu talking about? What was he up to? How would this change their lives? Some people thought he was crazy. Some mothers in the distance grabbed their children and strangled them with a hug, like that would keep them safer. Some others started whispering about the god who would lead them to their doom. Cacambu noticed this and raised his hand. The room fell into a deafening silence.

“An idea triggered my mind a wee while ago,” said the god and he continued after several seconds of silence. “It will be my biggest project ever. But I can’t do it alone. I will be able to make a new universe, but I will need some volunteers to create this new world that I am thinking about. The conditions are that the world must have danger, be a little unstable, (like it could collapse any minute now), and have a species that would be superior to others. However, that species has to be as unstable as the planet. That way, if they take one wrong step, things could collapse and break so terribly, that there would be no way to repair it. Understood?”

The gods at the hall started to whisper among themselves again. Some children started crying. Other gods stared at the ones whispering and kept their thoughts to themselves. They thought that everything Cacambu was saying was just pure craziness. If he wouldn’t reason with them, who would lead them again?

The hall fell silent a second time and all eyes turned to look at the God of Elephants, Eminton. He had his hand raised and a confident smile was plastered on his face. The gods around him backed off a bit, creating a small circle of pure space, as if the craziness was as contagious as the plague.

“I am willing to help,” Eminton said. Cacambu smiled. Yes! He thought. “But,”  the God of Elephants continued, “I have conditions of my own.” Cacambu frowned.

“What are the conditions?” Cacambu asked. Uncertainty flashed all through his body.

“If anything goes wrong, even the slightest bit, I will quit”, said Eminton. “And trust me, it won’t be good. Is that understood?” He said the last word in a way that would give the creeps to anyone. It was creepy enough that he was crazy to volunteer. All eyes turned back to their father-like god.

Cacambu nodded. It was a deal.

The next morning, Cacambu started the new universe. While this was going on, Eminton was preparing his elephants for their life ahead. At an impossible speed, (which was only five minutes), Cacambu had the universe ready and a planet selected for Eminton. Cacambu created a path of stars and bowed to his only volunteer.

“Be careful out there,” said Cacambu. “ If you want to quit, just make sure your elephants make the loudest sound possible. That way I will know to create a path of  stars back to Anshi.” Cacambu looked at the bridge of stars and then back at Eminton. Behind him lay the biggest pack of elephants ever. Eminton was suddenly very interested in his own glittery boots. He looked very uncomfortable and unsure of himself. Soon he was brought back from his faraway thoughts by the sound of Cacambu’s voice. “ You okay, my friend?”

Eminton shook his head trying to force the thoughts out. Then he looked at Cacambu right in the eye and said, “You remember my conditions, right? One single thing goes wrong and I demand to be brought back immediately!” Cacambu nodded. “Good. Keep it that way.” Silence followed. A kind of silence that was most definitely awkward.

Eminton looked at the pack of elephants behind him and then at the path. He was going to be a hero when the new world was finished and that was one of his motivations. Everyone thought that he was tough like a rock, but he was soft on the inside. That was another reason why he volunteered. Eminton hated to see Cacambu, with all of his “cup-is-half-full” thoughts, being looked at like a crazy god. Eminton kept his stare intense, to look as tough as ever.

After a few more moments of silence, Eminton started walking towards the path that made way to the new-to-come planet. Before he stepped on the path, he looked at Cacambu and bowed. This was it. He was going to do it. He would finally be respected after making the new world. Eminton took the first step on the stars and shivered. The mix of blue and red stars was not the best combination. After all, one of those was extremely hot and the other one was super cold (the blue one was hot). From behind, he heard the most comforting words the God of Elephants had ever heard. Only a few sentences long, but enough to make him as soft as a fluffy animal. A tear formed in his eye. He thought about the ancient poem of May, which was written in May. That was  one of the most interesting facts about it. One that would always make him laugh. One of the oldest ones. The one he liked the most.

May your path be clear and stable. May your heart be on the right table.

May your body be well-rested. May you find what you requested.

May you and all of those who love you be safe.

And if that’s not the case,

May our ancestors give you all the luck they can find, And make you have a bright mind.

So until we meet again, may you always be kind. ”

Those were Cacambu’s last words before the God of Elephants walked away on the star path.

In only a few minutes, Eminton had stepped on the new world to be created. He looked to his right and then to his left and as far as the eye could see, there was only rocky, gray ground.

He sighed. This was the world he would create? It was too small for all of his elephants! That would be the only thing he would ever see? The only thing to live on this gray planet was going to be him and his elephants? He squeezed his way around until all of the elephants were able to fit. The gravity was barely strong enough for the elephants to not float away! When everyone was off the star path, it vanished. To make the star path disappear, there had to be at least one elephant on top of the other.

Eminton sighed again. He was exhausted. Maybe in the morning he would see how to make the planet suddenly get bigger, but for now, he had to rest. He got on top of the smallest pile of elephants and started to yawn. His head slightly touched one of the elephants as his eyes closed for the day.

The next day, Eminton found himself not wanting to open his eyes. It is too early to be awake, he thought. And this was true. Plus the sensation of feeling as light as a feather helped him want to go back to sleep. Wait. Light as a feather!? Eminton jerked his eyes open and there he was, floating not very far from his little planet. He gave the command to the elephants to make the loudest noise ever and he was rescued. He would never, ever volunteer for this crazy kind of stuff again!

Cacambu was a little stressed out after a week of hearing the rumors about how crazy he must be. He felt lucky enough to not be thrown out into space. His last experiment was not the best. I mean, you couldn’t blame poor Eminton for feeling some trauma after almost floating away from a planet that was barely big enough to hold a dozen elephants! But no matter how harsh the rumors were, he would find a new volunteer. Cacambu then made his way to the house of Williemy, the God of Wind.

Knock, knock, knock.

The gigantic door immediately swung open after Cacambu knocked. When Williemy saw who the god was, he took an elegant bow and without a single word, Williemy opened the door, barely wide enough, for the father-like figure to enter.

Williemy took Cacambu to the depths of his castle and up to the third floor. They entered into a room that was poorly lit which made the white walls look gray. Williemy made him sit at a small, round table with two small chairs pushed in. Too small for this castle, thought Cacambu. Williemy disappeared for a few moments and then came back with a tray. On the tray was a bottle of blue liquid and two cups.

“You brought Extract of Rigel. My favourite.” Cacambu said, after reading the label on the bottle. He grabbed the bottle and started pouring some into one of the cups. Cacambu grabbed the cup and started drinking. The extract was so refreshing! It was warm like a cup of hot chocolate, but there was always something at the very bottom that made it refreshing and cold, kind of like blood when it turns from blue to red, after being in contact with oxygen.

“I suppose you heard the rumors,” said Williemy. His gray hair matched the color of the poorly lit room. Cacambu nodded. “I suppose we both know why you came to my house. I never believe the rumors. Unless gods confirm to me that they are completely true.”

“And you believe them?” Cacambu had him cornered with that one. He smiled as the God of Wind didn’t say anything. “Here’s my offer, you try to do it and if you fail, I will never bother you again. Do we have a deal?”

“We will if you accept the same conditions as the ones that Eminton gave you,” responded Williemy.

“Then we have a deal.”

Okay, Williemy thought, This place may be a little grayish and dusty and full of garbage, but the wind will make it go away in no time.

Williemy had gone through the whole good-bye celebration process and had walked for a few minutes across the star path. The whole time, he hadn’t said a word. Williemy was the kind of god who wouldn’t say much. He liked hearing others more than hearing himself talk for an infinite amount of time. That’s why he knew what Cacambu’s favorite flavor of star extract was. Maybe he just liked hearing his thoughts and letting people guess what he wanted, better. Unfortunately, because of this, Williemy was a little lonely in his castle-like house. He wanted a family and many servants, so he wouldn't be alone all the time, but because he didn’t talk at all, gods never wanted to come around him. Perhaps if he didn’t hang around the back of the crowd so much, he would be noticed more. No, that would only make the gods create a bubble of space around him, like they did when Eminton had raised his hand. Maybe he needed to start using bright colors. No, nobody would care. Maybe if he proved to everyone what a brave, quiet guy could do, gods would want to spend more time around him. Maybe he would form a family and have them all move into the gigantic planet that Cacambu had found him, the one in the new universe that he had created for Eminton. Because of the massive amount of gravity that the new planet made, garbage started to accumulate. It was even hard to walk on it, but maybe if Williemy shrunk it a little, it would be easier. Maybe if he . . .

Williemy kept thinking about this and as he did, he started getting really excited about it. When he got excited about anything, (if he ever did) a mini tornado would start taking shape at his feet and soon he would be standing on it. The tornadoes were never more than ten feet tall, but they were still tornados. As he became more excited, the tornado under his feet started gaining height. The wind grabbed all the dust around him and lifted it up! Without realizing it, Williemy started sneezing. A lot. A LOT! It started to get unbearable, and soon Williemy sent a wave of wind to Cacambu so he would be rescued. This planet was way too dusty! This was exactly why he spent most of his life making sure that there wasn’t a single speck of dust. Soon he would get out of there and he hoped he would never be bothered by anyone ever again.

Cacambu started to freak out. Two failed attempts were getting a lot of attention and rumors. The rumors started to become unstoppable. He had to try one more time. This had to work. This was going to work. He needed to think of more than one god for the task. He had to find an entire family. Suddenly, an idea popped into his head. This was his last try!

Knock, knock, knock.

Here we go again, thought Cacambu as he knocked on the door of the family.

They were the ones. They were designed for this. Cacambu just knew it!

Cacambu looked to the right and to the left. There was no one on the streets. Or  at least on this street. All gods feared him and they were afraid that if Cacambu was crazy, then they’d have to find a new leader. Most were afraid that they might become just as crazy by only standing near him.

The door suddenly opened just a bit, and a green eye looked out at Cacambu. It was Earth’s eye. Earth was the Goddess of Nature and Life. The eye widened ever so slightly in surprise and then the door closed just a bit more. “What are you doing here?” she asked.

“I need your help, Earth.” Cacambu responded pleading with his eyes. His eyes scanned Earth’s and made their way into her head, filling it with pleas. Earth sighed and let him in. Earth looked  at the green entrance room from the palace to make sure that no one was watching. It was like she didn’t want her family to know that Cacambu was there. Then they made their way to the desk room.

Earth closed the door and offered the father-like god a seat. “Would you like a  cup of Extract of Zeta Puppis, Van Maanen 2, or Arcturus?”

“I personally like Rigel better, if that would be okay,” Cacambu said. Earth nodded and went out of the room. Before leaving, she added, “I don’t have much supply of that one because it’s my daughters’ favorite too. Also, don’t move from here. If anyone knew you were here and that I let you in, then they would probably expel me from my own family, and please don’t make any noise!”

Cacambu obediently didn’t move from his seat. While Earth was gone, Cacambu wondered if making the new world was actually worth it. Gods started fearing him and he was not as respected as before. But he knew that this was the family. He couldn’t retreat now. No one would ever follow him again. Earth suddenly opened the door, interrupting Cacambu’s thoughts. In her hands, Earth had a silver tray. On the tray laid two bottles. One of the bottles was a shiny kind of blue, the same one that Williemy had offered him, and the other one was white. “I see that you brought Rigel and Van Maanen

2. Good options.” There was a pause and neither of them knew what to do, so Earth stood, and Cacambu sat. “So,” said Cacambu, interrupting the silence, “You probably know why I’m here.”

“Everyone thinks you're going crazy, but you look totally fine to me.”

“I am not going crazy! Why can’t gods get that? Why is it not normal to suddenly invent a world that’s dangerous and exciting?” Cacambu yelled, getting out of his seat.

“It is quite unusual! So you want me to make that new world for you?” Earth asked, calmly. She took a seat on the other side of the desk.

“No.” Said Cacambu. Earth let out the breath that she’d been holding. Relief washed all over her. “I want your entire family to help me out with this!”

What!?” Earth yelled, getting out of her seat. “This is what gods fear about you, Cacambu. Gods are worried that you will ask their entire family, children included, to do something that has failed twice already! I can’t do it. I have to care for my two daughters, one son and my husband. Why would I ever help you?”

“Because in that new world of yours, you can have all the peace you want for your children.” Cacambu fought back. “They have to grow up sometime or another, you know. I need you, Earth, more than you realize. You have the power to make your planet come to life. Your whole family does. Please. Just this one time.”

At that moment, while the two were talking, Earth’s two daughters and one son burst into the room. Their names were Water, Moon, and Sun. Water was carrying Moon around the room with her watery powers so fast, it was almost impossible to see Moon. Sun was behind them. They were all giggling and laughing out loud.

“My turn! My turn!” yelled Sun. Water put Moon down and, suddenly, all the liquid that Water was using soaked up into her. It was like seeing a sponge or a towel dry the whole place all by itself. Then Water closed her eyes and concentrated on lifting her brother. Soon, part of the water that built her up was suddenly wrapped around Sun’s hot skin and carried him around the same way Water did with Moon.

“Kids!!!” shouted a new figure at the entrance of the desk room. “What have we told you about using your powers, Water!? It is very dangerous! You can disintegrate to become only water. So no more of it, do you understand? Remember what happened last time? Not only did the house become all wet, but we also had to carry all the pieces of Water to Cacambu . . .” Suddenly he stopped his lecture when he realized that it was Cacambu himself, right there in the room! He looked like he was about to explode with questions, but then the kids interrupted and yelled in unison, “ Mr. Cacambu! What a nice surprise to see you around here. Want to play with us?”

“Not now, kids,” Earth said and she looked at Cacambu. He nodded back at her. Soon after that, Earth told Land, Earth’s husband, and their children, what was happening.

“I am so sorry to startle you, Land. I didn’t mean to.” Cacambu apologized. He took a sip from the extract of Ringel. “You want some? It is really good.” “No thanks.” Land responded. “I personally like Zeta Puppis better.” “Well, we like Rigel better,” interrupted Water and Moon in unison. “Rigel makes me too hot. I like Arcturus better. It’s cold and smooth.” Added Sun.

“Okay. Enough talk about star extract,” Earth interrupted, “Let’s get down to business. No we are not participating in your little, unstable project. And that’s our last word on this.” Earth said.

“Why not?” asked everyone at the same time. Cacambu looked at Land, Land looked at Water, Water looked at Moon, Moon looked at Sun, and Sun looked back at her mother. All of them were surprised by the two worded question that had been asked at the same time.

“Because with as much peace as we want, it will take a great deal of sacrifice and loneliness that I am not willing to do. And another thing that I am not willing to do, is to risk it all to help you do something that is crazy and impossible to create.” Earth responded after a few minutes of startling silence.

“I can assure you that it will be totally safe this time. Besides, if it makes you feel any better, I can send Sky, the God of the Sky, with you. Of course you are more than welcome to say no and make me look like a fool in front of everyone, once again. It will be just a matter of weeks till my ruling days are over.” Cacambu didn’t even try to hide the bitterness in his voice. This was the last straw. If she didn’t say yes, he would give  up. No more making a fool of himself with something that nobody cared about anyway.

Earth took a deep breath and said slowly, “We will need a second to think about it, in private.” As Earth and the family left the room, the father-like god let out the breath that he’d been holding. This was his last chance. This was it. The moment of failure. The moment that he would know that his fellow gods didn’t trust him in the slightest bit.

The door suddenly burst open and Sun, Moon and Water were all cheering. Land was hugging Earth and Earth had tears in her eyes. She said, “Do you have the planet ready?” Cacambu nodded with a tiny bit of hope rising in his chest. Earth looked at Land and then at the children. Land nodded and so did Sun, Moon, and Water. “One last thing,” said Earth, “The conditions are the same as Eminton’s and Williemy’s. If we fail, you won’t bother us with silly things like this, ever again. Deal?”

Cacambu rose from his seat. His hopes rose with him to a whole new level of intensity and then he said, “Deal.”

The next morning, Cacambu was adjusting the last bits of the new star path. He was making sure it was cold enough for Sun to walk across it without feeling fire under his feet. Cacambu took a tiny step on the star path, and it was not really hot at all. It was like walking on pavement. He looked up to the sky, the blue sky, and a tiny cloud started forming. That was his signal. The God of the Sky made his way with his blue, shimmery suit across the sky and landed right behind Cacambu.

They were there. The father-like god turned around and the family was there! Sun had this white cloth that wasn't shimmery at all because Sun himself was shinier than all of the family together! He was the first to run to the path star, followed by Moon and Water. At first, Earth’s son hesitated for a while, but then he swallowed all his pride and took the first step on the star path. It was good enough for him! When Sun started running across the path, Moon and Water followed him with joy.

“They sure are brave children,” said Sky admiring them as they faded into the distance. “You sure it’s going to work this time, Cacambu?”

Cacambu nodded. “Third time’s the charm, they say.” Sky looked at him with sympathy and walked a few steps to hug his friend. Cacumbu said, “I’ll be okay. I trust you all. Always remember that if you ever need me, just make sure you send a tiny bit of cloud fluff into my house, Sky. I will come to visit as soon as the new place is done.”

Earth wiped a tiny tear off her cheek and hugged Land. “What happens if it does work? What will we do?”

Cacambu wiped away a tear of his own and also one that was running down Earth’s face. This was harder than he thought. “You stay there and hope your children will not destroy anything around the place, although I have a feeling that that will be complicated,” Cacambu jokingly said, “And if it does work out in the end, the world will be named after you, my old friend. All of it. The land will be named land. The water will be water, although it may turn out to have various names. The sky will always be sky. Sun will be a star, but I will make sure no one makes any delicious extracts out of him! Moon will be a friend to you, Earth. She will orbit around your planet all the time, just make sure she doesn’t float away. The life and nature that will be given from you will never be forgotten, but make sure that that unstable species always appreciate your work.”

They stayed in silence for five or so minutes. Then Cacambu hugged each god and signaled for them to go. While they walked across the star path, a faint, but loud enough voice gave them the courage to fight for this world.

“Let the stars shine, And take you to a line, Where life and soul mix, And hope that it will fix, All the wrong things.

Let the rain fall,

And make you want to call, To us up here,

I’ll visit every year,

So don’t worry, my little dear.

Let the wind blow soft upon your face, And remind you of a place, Where things were easy,

And probably a little breezy, With us right across a star path.”

Earth looked back and saw the hope in Cacambu’s eyes. She had never heard of that poem before. It was strange. Still, she focused on Cacambu’s eyes. Those eyes which had seen her as the someone he could rely on. Earth wasn’t going to let him down. Not now, not ever. She would make him proud.

“This is the poem of the lost planet, Anshi.” Cacambu called out“I wrote the poem just for the occasion. I hope you will remember it”. Earth wiped a tear from her eye. She knew she had to face her fears if she was going to make him proud.

“I will always remember you. And this place. I will never forget. Never.” Earth took an elegant curtsy in respect for him and with that, Sky, Land, Sun, Moon, Water, and Earth made their way across the star path into the unknown.

You may already know what happened next. Earth and her gang were successful at making the planet. Planet Earth was named after Earth, our lovely Goddess of Life and Nature. Cacambu came visiting every year as he promised, but he came unnoticed, as he was transformed into something insignificant, a mouse or a lizard. The three children were very close, even when they were transformed into what we know they are now. This time, Moon was the one to control how Water moved, as you might know. Cacambu kept his promise to make sure no one ever made extract out of Sun. Sky stayed near every time he was needed and became good friends with the children. There were also some contributions that Eminton decided to do, as well as Williemy. Now there was a little bit of both in the new planet and they were really respected. Williemy did at last find a wife, Vika, the Goddess of Volcanoes, and they had two children. One was Earthquake and the other was the little God of Fire, Flume. Earth never approved of being tickled by Earthquake, but she couldn’t help it.

Back in Anshi things were different. Gods came together to make new habitable planets but failed every time. It wasn’t the same without the help of Earth and her gang. Although now, I must say, Cacambu was respected more than ever. He had a new job now. Since people were trying to make this new world there had to be lots of lives to be saved. Although, Cacambu makes new universes from time to time, and they can only be reached with his star path. That’s why we can’t escape from ours. Maybe, now that I’m thinking about it, if the father-like god hadn’t stood up for what he believed in, maybe we wouldn’t be here, you know, me, writing this and you reading it!

In conclusion, how we escape from our universe is a whole different story that I don’t even know about yet. So until we do, this is my story. The story of how the Earth was born.