A short story a friend suggest I write, the challenge was to write as much as I could in an hour. I wrote three in total and if people like this one I might post the other two. Or do it anyway.

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Seated high in mountains of Mitera, where land can touches the clouds, lays the fortress city of Mitera. Here is where the living-goddess lives. The young and beautiful Galaxia: Goddess of the bovine people. Behind her walls of stone and row of soldiers ready to die for her, she is safe. Every day she is bathed with praise and good wishes, admirers to gawk at her all day and servants to tend to her every need, want and desire. A life of luxury lived every day since birth and not one true hardship known, only petty worries and grievances for her. She has to lead her people to a better tomorrow, to recover the gold age which their civilization had enjoyed for centuries. Snatched out of their hands from monsters who no one knows where they came from. Though she does not know the means to do this, the thought of taking back that glory from of the claws of those creatures is always on her mind. These monsters took everything from her and her people; the land they lived on, the air they breathed and the ones they loved. People were slaughtered by the thousands, a booming population of 20 million followers, 20 million people who loved their goddess, 20 million people who devoted their lives to her, 20 million devoured by them, 20 million cut down to just a few hundred. A few hundred who are safe, along with the goddess, behind these stonewalls high in the mountains where land can touch the sky.

Galaxia’s mother, Gala, ruled Mitera during this crisis. She knew when it first started and watched as all the events unfolded before her. Isolated incidents became raids on villages, town and finally cities. Gala did all she could do to save her people, but in her most desperate moment she realized that she couldn’t save them all. If she were to try to save every last person who devoted themselves to her, then all of her people would perish. Even her husband, the father of her child, could not be saved. He perished along with the millions of others, even though he knew where death awaited, he went there to try and save them. She last saw him storming out of the temple with hate and disgust in his eyes, Gala hopes that he thought fondly of her in his final moments.

Gala’s wonders if she is to blame for her people’s hardships.

Their broken hearts.
Their shattered dreams.
Their destroyed families.
Their lost hope.

These thoughts weighed heavily on Gala as she struggled to fight back. To take everything that was lost to them, to rally her people and destroy these invaders. Bravery, honor, and wisdom were met with devastation. A mighty legion to squash these insects and light the flames of hope in the people. A legion went out and mentally broken survivors returned; barely a handful and barely men. Those who didn’t die later from their affliction are now doomsayers on the streets, chanting about the end times.


Gala tried to fight.
Gala tried to save them.
Gala tried it all and was met with failure at every turn.


She didn’t wait until her daughter was ready to take the throne, the burden and hardship of leading her people into a hopeless-bleak future was too much for her. Even though she smiled and laughed, her soul was numb to things like joy and happiness. She was lost in a fog of despair, barely able to care for those around. Day in and day out, Mitera moves and breathes. Its people forgetting about her, but she hasn’t forgotten about them and how she failed all of them. Sometimes she wonders if they will forgive, sometimes she wonders if she deserves to be forgiven. Maybe she deserves this, maybe she deserves more.


It has been a year since she stepped down from the throne; she now tends the sacred garden. It flourishes like the old empire did; filled with life and hope. At times she can forget about the past and look towards the future with some hope in her heart. Even if the task is impossible, if all is lost, if everything you done has been met with disaster. You can still hope and pray than one day something or someone will come and make those hopes real.


“Holy Mother Gala!” A guard runs into the garden and falls on one knees when he addresses Gala.

“Yes, my dear boy. What is it?”

“A woman from the outside has come to the temple. She says she has been living among the monsters for years!”

Just hope and pray, and one day they will be answered.