Becoming God

I signed up for BECOMING GOD because I needed some filler for second semester. It came down to BC or GALACTIC EQUATIONS, so, it was kind of a given.

Our Professor was an ancient Clyborb with graying scales and a crusty tail that swept along the floor when he lectured.. But Professor Rip turned out to be pretty chill, even as he liked to badger us about how half of our grade was riding on our planet creation.

Planet Creation. Ugh. We plotted for weeks, and admittedly I slept through most of the lessons, but on the day of reckoning I looked over to my bare bones planet, pulsing with life and waiting to be designed. Something came over me.

I looked over my shoulder, at the other pupils and their spheres.

“Hey what are you doing with yours?” I asked my best friend, Vendir. He shrugged. “Fucking Dragons man. Gonna be awesome.”

“Dragons.” I nodded. “Rock on.”

I’d give his world a day or two. Meanwhile Chakir,  the hot chick I’d been checking out all semester, looked to be contemplating something deep. “What are you considering?”

“I don’t know yet,” she said, her large yellow eye flashing. “Maybe Slayshas?”

Vendir groaned. “Oh please, just a bunch of flying girlie crap.” On cue a fourth of his orb went up in flames. “Shit!”

“Smaller, Vendir,” Professor Rip bellowed. “And watch your beak.”

I turned to my orb with a sigh. “I guess I’ll go with humans.”

The entire class gasped. Something crashed in the back.

“What?”

“Humans?” Vendir said, crafting a new set of dragons. “Dude, are you like, mental?”

“Why?”

The class was still staring at me like I had two eyes or something. Vendir sprang towards my workstation.

“Because humans suck, dude.”

Chakir joined in, rolled her eye. “Have you paid any attention this year?”

“Huh?”

“It’s like this,” Vlendir began his lesson. “It’s cool at first. They worship you and stuff, but then they like, do stuff to each other. Fighting—I think it’s called—about how you look. What to call you. They fight over land and names,” he sighed, continuing.. “They’re a prideful lot, and more trouble then they’re worth. They even fight about the pigment of their own skin. LIke one is better or something. Trust me, humans wreak havoc on a planet.”

“Kind of like Dragons,” I said, nodding to the smoke tendrils leaking from his workstation.

“Shit.”

“Language.” Professor Rip moaned, standing to the side, his tail sweeping along the floor as he flipped through a medical journal.

Chakir leaned closer, dropping her ears, her scales dulling. “Kerto please, it’s hopeless.”

I studied her planet, swimming with life. Her Slayshas glided along the craters, sand drifting from their swooping strides. Others whistled melodious mating calls as they all seemed to bask in unity. It was great, but something was missing. I looked back to my orb, thinking again about the mysterious humans.

“Screw it. I’m doing it.”

Professor Rip slithered up behind my wing. “Well Kerto, I do dmire your ambition. It’s not often that a student attempts such an undertaking. But just remember, with humans, there’s no going back.”

So I did it. I mixed the water and land and trees and plants and animals. It was exhausting work, because humans are fragile and I had to provide the perfect atmosphere. The whole class watched on with intensity as the slacker found his muse.

My labor paid off. My planet was unworldly. It was hard to believe that I came up with it on my own. With its crazy green and blue, swirls of cloud cover, it was epic. The class gathered around it with fangs out, adoring my breathtaking creation. Even Professor Rip seemed to be impressed.

I was so getting an A.

Then came my humans. The class huddled around and we watched as they roamed the lush habitat, taking in their surroundings. Their spindly necks craned and they’re skin was so smooth and magical and their multiple eyes were glazed and bewildered—innocent. Everything was calm.

I’d done it.

“They’re beautiful,” Chakir whispered. And they were. The class gathered and I beamed with pride. But Professor Rip only swished his tail as though something amazing wasn’t taking place.

Then disaster stuck. I came in the next morning to find my wonderful planet in ruins. I could hardly move it was so gruesome It was the first time I ever saw death.

“What is it?” I asked.

“Disease,” The Professor said. Something about the prof was different. Grayer. I worked to through the night to fix it but then came the flooding. After that starvation. While the other planets grew stronger and populated, mine hovered in turmoil.

Then the wars started.

“They won’t share?”

“No.” Professor Rip said without looking up.

“Should I start over?”

“There’s no time.”

Chakir shrieked. We all watched in horror, having never seen such acts. “Why are they….fighting?”

“Religion.”

“What’s that?”

“They’re fighting over what to call you,” Chakir said, turning away and covering her face.

One group overtook another, then that group overtook their captors. The world tipped one way then the next. All the while the class screamed and pleaded for the humans to stop. I was devastated. Why didn’t I do like everyone else and just go with a boring red sphere with a bunch of Clybs? Just mimic our planet? Ugh.

Just as I was going to kick my planet to mind waste, Professor Rip stepped in. He looked old and tired, his scales wilted. He sat a hand on my spikes. “It’s okay, Kerto, no one can help them.”

“I failed.” I said to the Professor.

“No, you didn’t. We can all learn from this project.”

“It was so beautiful,” I said, slumped.

“I know. I’ve seen it too many times.”