The Cycle

“And the world became a better place.”

This was the last entry in the librarian Seshat’s audio archive. It was recorded just before she died. Well, I am using the familiar vernacular. No one has died in over 1,000 years here. Seshat transformed into a serpent.

My name is Teta and I am here to investigate her transformation and write her eulogy. I would like to tell you the story, so I should probably start from the beginning. I wish I could just play the recording Seshat made for you instead. She was the queen of the written word and creating the archive for posterity was her idea. I digress.

Transformation day was the end of the big war of Environment vs. Humans. The Environment grew tired of humans’ abuse of her and decided one day enough was enough. One day, the air became toxic, and the bodies of humans piled up high. Everyone suffocated and died except for one.

A witch was the only one to survive this cataclysmic event. She wore a protection pin and that's probably how she survived. The witch knew how to cast the spell and summon the guardians. Humans were not aware that there were four guardians living among them. They were Egyptian supernatural beings: Two were visible to humans, Jeb and Hathor, and two were invisible, Heka and Sekhmet. These supernatural beings were the original possessors of the divine power. They devoted their lives to the practice of religious magic. Magic was always around humans. Some forgot the legitimate use of magical power, and some thought the belief in magic is a simple childish superstition.

Jeb lived among humans under the disguise of a homeless man. He was tall. He had blue eyes and curly hair. He was handsome but used a foul stench to deter any human from getting too close to him. Jeb wore a malachite amulet that looked like a heart shaped locket. On the last day of the war, he rubbed his amulet and called on Hathor.

Hathor lived for centuries among humans as a heavyset, forty-something dark woman and that's how she went unoticed. When Jeb rubbed the amulet and summoned her, she raised her arms around a corner of the world and sealed it off. Hathor was the only one who knew the secret name, or magical formula if you will, to call on the two invisible supernatural beings.

Heka and Sekhmet restored life and took care of all the details. Heka was the god of magic and healing. He spoke the words of power.

“Humans, you are the corruptible bodies. In the name of Osiris, transform!”

Once the words of power are spoken by an Egyptian god, no one could resist. Heka blew his whistle. Then all the bodies of the dead turned into flowers, birds and animals. The transformation was immediate. Once the souls of the dead projected themselves into flowers, birds and animals, they regained their health and wisdom. Humans were finally freed from themselves. They even regained their innocence that they lost centuries ago.

Sekhmet was the goddess of cosmic balance. She spoke the words of power and gave the command that changed my life forever. “Inanimate objects, you are the witnesses. In the name of Osiris, transform!” Sekhmet blew her whistle. Then all inanimate objects transformed into humans. Some of us chose to retain memories of our prior lives as objects. Some of us chose to start with a clean slate. Some of us loved becoming the upgraded image of our prior owners and all of us loved that there was no oxygen dependency. Life went on. We got our weekly updates, and no one died or transformed until today. I thought telling you the story would help me brainstorm ideas and write her eulogy, but look at me now. I am still puzzled and do not know where to start.

“Teta, are you done with the eulogy?” The event coordinator interrupted me.

“Yes, I am, and I will be out in a minute,” I replied.

“Exit program!” I gave the command and left the room. I saw Seshat slithering around. I smiled. Seshat was a staff before she became human. She did have a great sense of humor and love of history. I do not know if her transformation was due to a corrupt file or if she chose it. In any case, it was time to address the crowd. I went outside and faced a million attendees of the funeral/transformation.

“Seshat was a valuable member in our community, and she will be missed. Her transformation is causing a lot of unrest. We are all wondering if we will transform into insects and reptiles. However, today is about Seshat and a celebration of her transformation. Fellow New Humans, remember the power of magic will always protect life and start a new cycle.”