Heavenly Creatures

Sun was waiting for us in the hotel lobby the next morning, holding a bouquet of roses.

“Pantheon, ice cream and coffee?” he asked, looking me over. As if satisfied, he held out the flowers, which I gratefully took, and ignored my sister. I was suddenly overcome by the depth of his goodness and tried to play off the tears in my eyes with a yawn.

“Heavenly creatures have a habit of being reliable,” Sun said. “But uneven drunks. Did you talk to your sister yesterday?”

“Yes,” I said shortly.

As if sensing that he would get no more answers from me, Sun went on. “Funny story about heavenly drunks, though. In the old days, some old men would come down to drink and play a game called go, and humans would be able to play tricks on them. A human man who was cursed to live until twenty was able to use his cunning to get a heavenly man to extend his life to eighty years old.”

“Funny but true,” my sister said, coming up behind us. “That’s why they recently had to change the laws of heaven to prevent things like that. A curse is a curse after all.”

Mother stiffened.

Sister hastily added, “I mean, the laws were changed to reduce inefficiencies, not to eliminate compassion.”

“Is there a difference?” mother asked.

“Slight difference,” Sun said. “I did appreciate stories about human cunning, though. They seem to be fewer and far between as technology advances.”

“Are you a Luddite?” I asked.

“No,” Sun said, tapping his smartphone for emphasis. “But you have to admit, we miss out on a lot of conversations and nature by going so fast.”

“You’re the one who teleports us everywhere,” I said.

“That is heavenly power, not technology. And I’m only cutting out the most boring part of the day.”

“Fresh air and exercise?” I asked.

Sun laughed. “Okay, Know-It-All. How about I teleport us nowhere today, and you can tell me how you like it tomorrow?”

I paused, realizing that I was trapped. I looked over at my sister and mother for help.

“That’s okay,” my sister said. “We don’t need that much exercise. Besides, it’s so hot!”

Sun smirked. “I thought so.”

At the Pantheon, all of us dispersed. We started at Raphael’s tomb and circled the circumference. I wasn’t looking where I was going and bumped into my sister. After laughing it off, we began walking slowly around together. I tried to break the awkward silence.

“What are the six realms anyway?” I asked.

My sister ticked off her fingers. “The realm of heavenly beings, which is where Sun and I are supposed to reside. Then the realm of Asura, of Titans and warring Gods. The human realm or in-between, which you know. Then the realms of animals, hungry ghosts, and hell.”

“Hm,” I said, taking this in. “So why aren’t you two in the realm of heavenly beings?”

“Imagine a multifaceted jewel held up to the light,” my sister said. “The refraction of light is what you see, not the jewel itself. You see me here, but I am simultaneously there.

“But to answer your question plainly, Sun was sent to learn something,” my sister said. “And I am here for you.”

“Don’t you get tired?” I asked. “Taking care of all of the six realms?”

My sister smiled. “You misunderstand, Tara. I don’t take care of the realms. I vowed to be there for any creature that called Avalokitesvara’s name. But that’s a good question.”

My sister stopped in front of the entrance to the Pantheon. “Something I wish people would understand is, when they go through difficult times, the whole host of heaven—including their ancestors—are there to guide them. But many of them fall into despair and choose a dark path.”

My sister pointed outside. I looked out to see Sun holding two ice cream cones. Mother looked happy, licking her own cone and looking around the piazza.

My sister continued, “You see, we are never truly alone, but we believe in appearances and think we are. Which is why I feel the motivation to keep going. We all need that silent push of encouragement when we feel weak and alone.

“But in another sense, we are all alone. Every single being has to make the choice as to what kind of creature they are going to be and what path they are going to walk. You can’t shuffle that responsibility off to someone else.”

“Hey you two!” Sun said. “Stop looking so serious!” Sun pulled the corner of his lips down in an overdone imitation of our expressions. My sister and I laughed at his antics and walked out into the sun.