Beyond the Valley of Mist Read Online Free Page A

God.”
    ***
     
    Time passed, and Zor waited
until the moon had gone through several changes, but he still
couldn’t rid his mind of the idea that they were worshiping a false
God. Then one night, another young girl was put to death because
she could not bear a child. That was just too much. He had to think
this out, so he went into the forest and started a fire. After the
fire was burning strongly, he took a burning stick and began
another fire. Then he turned to the first fire and kicked dirt on
it. Sure enough, it went out. He turned his attention to the second
fire, but he didn’t give it wood, and it slowly died.
    It was obvious that he had
power over the fire. He had given the fire life, and he could deny
life to the fire. The fire, in truth, needed him. Zor was sure the
townspeople were worshipping a false god, but should he tell them?
Surely the men would want to know that they were allowing the
priests to sacrifice innocent girls for no reason.
    Zor couldn’t sleep; still,
it took him several more changes of the moon to get up enough
courage to tell them. Then one night during the ceremony, he jumped
to his feet and told the men of his experiment with the fire. The
men were bewildered, confused, and terrified. They did not want to
know that Fire was not God. If what he was saying were true, they
had no God, and that was intolerable.
    The zealots, who had been
waiting for Zor to do something like this, told the priests right
away.
    The priests called all the
Lalocks together and predicted that Fire God would be offended and
would rain destruction down upon them. They had to do something to
make peace with God. The priests wanted to sacrifice Zor, but Arber
spoke in Zor’s behalf and reminded the Lalocks that Zor had helped
them many times.
    The priests had a good
reason to sacrifice Zor, but they still had to handle it very
carefully, so they agreed to banish Zor into the Valley of Mist,
knowing that no one had ever returned from that terrible valley.
They tied four logs together, placed Zor on them, and floated him
down the river. His wife and sons and many Lalocks mourned
him.
    After they had banished Zor
to what they believed would be certain death, the men sat around
thinking about what they had done. One of the men asked the
priests, “How will we know when to plant our crops?”
    Another asked, “How will we
know what to do when our children get sick?”
    “ Oh, ye of little faith,”
one of the priests replied. “All you have to do is ask Fire God.
God knows all, and He will tell you if you will only ask in good
faith.”
    “ You tell us that you talk
to God,” the man responded, “but God has never spoken to
me.”
    “ That’s because you don’t
have enough faith,” the priest scolded. “Why should God talk to you
when your faith in Him is so limited? You are denying God, but you
want God to answer your prayers. Don’t blame God. Look into your
own heart. Who would know more about when to plant than God?
Perhaps we should report your lack of faith to the High Priest. He
has a way of settling these things.” Then he looked at the others
threateningly. “Now, is there anyone else who is having trouble
communicating with God?”
    Not a word was
spoken.
    The priest continued, “You
see, you are the only one having trouble. Remember, if you deny
God, then God will deny you. Get right with your God, or we will
have to deal with you also.”
    The men walked away, each
trying to understand his inability to believe, and wondering if it
truly was his fault. If only he could believe more strongly, he
would then be in communion with God.
    No one got sick for several
days, so they knew that God was pleased; they had done the right
thing.
     
    ***

Chapter 5
    Lalock, Village near Valley
of Mist
     
    Many more generations
passed, and the Lalocks still live in the caves near the mysterious
Valley of Mist. The valley is still a barrier to any movement
south, and in all of history, no one has found an end to