The Silver Shrine

“May I help you pray?” Yani leaned over the worshipwell, addressing the small boy on the other side. He was holding one large coin in his hand- an American quarter, if she wasn’t mistaken.

Her skirts hung heavy, brushing the tile beneath them, and the gauzy fabric of her mask caught the wind, fluttering away to momentarily reveal her face to the boy.

“Um… Okay.” He held his quarter out, and uncurled his chubby fingers to drop it into the well.

“Oh! Not yet!” Yani stuck her hand underneath his, catching it mid-fall. “First, we have to connect our neural link button to the gods. Have you done that before, or do you need help?”

“I know how to do it!” He said, but he looked unsure. Yani thought he might just want to look cool in front of a stranger.

She laughed gently. “Well, alright. But I’m forgetful, so I’ll give myself a reminder. You can listen too, if you want.”

“First we press the link button, and wait for it to pop out.” She pressed the round metal implant in her hairline, just behind her ear. When she released it, the button fell into her hand. It was connected to her skull by a silvery spool of wires so thin, they looked like spiderwebs.

“Then we bring it up here, and connect to the gods.” She reached up to the arched silver roof above the well, where there were rows of empty indents. Her button slotted in perfectly, and she felt a rush of peace and familiarity. It smelled like rain, and felt like coming home. The boy mimicked her motions, but he wasn’t quite tall enough to reach. She took the button from him, the wires unspooling farther from behind his ear as she linked him in.

“This shrine is for Imon, so it’s the best place to come if you want to pray for love, things for your family, or good weather. Now that you’re linked in, you can talk to her directly. Or if you need help explaining what you want, you can tell me, and I’ll pray on your behalf.”

“I can do it!” The boy dropped his quarter into the well and squeezed his eyes shut. Yani was a little bit grateful. His push for independence meant she could take a private moment for herself and Imon as well.

Worshippers passing through could pray to the gods, but they wouldn’t hear a verbal response. That privilege was reserved for Godsingers- those like herself, who had spent their childhood years learning how to link in and interpret the garbled code the gods spit out into words. Each god was different, and each Godsinger only studied one, working to understand them until it became a second language of their own.

Now that she was of age, she was one of the best Godsingers at Imon-na shrine. It was an honor she didn’t take lightly, even if she wasn’t yet the head. There were a few better than her, but late at night, when no one else was around, she had her own secret hopes that they would graduate, and she would be the next head.

Yani. This boy thinks you’re scary.

Imon’s voice rang in her head, as clear as if it were her own thoughts. She didn’t sound young, exactly, but she certainly wasn’t old. Her voice had this beautiful, placid clarity, like a bell over a bowl of still water. Yani thought that if everyone could hear Imon the way she did, there would be no pantheon but her. No wars over resources on distant planets. If everyone felt as important as Yani did when she talked to Imon, they would have a pure understanding of what truly mattered in this world, instead of their own petty, human thoughts.

Me, scary? Is it the mask? Yani responded.

It is two things. Your mask, and he is at the age where he is afraid of pretty girls. You should know this from experience. There was a hint of teasing in Imon’s voice.

Yani flushed a bit. Imon had seen all of her childhood memories long ago, but it didn’t make it any less embarrassing to be reminded that a holy being knew about her crush on Rebecca Chen in the second grade. Honestly, it wasn’t Yani’s fault that she handled it by writing a note that said “get out of my school” and shoving it into Rebecca’s locker.

Yani shook off the embarrassment and spoke. Well, what is he praying for?

He wants it to be sunny for his field trip tomorrow.

That’s cute. Anything you can do?

Yes. I had already planned for that range to be partially cloudy tomorrow. While his class is present, I can ensure that they do not block the sun in his location.

I’m glad to hear it. Yani smiled. He did bring you a whole quarter, after all. I wonder where he even got that?

He found it at an American Excavation site. On last year’s field trip.

No way! Yani couldn’t help but laugh. Before she could say anything else, she felt a tug on her skirt.

“Miss, I’m done.” The boy was next to her, still wired in. “Can you help me get out?”

“Yes of course! Sorry I didn’t realize you were done. I just love talking with Imon.” Yani tried to make conversation as she undid his neural link from the arch above them. It retracted the wire into his skull almost more quickly than she could hand it to him.

“Did you feel anything special when you talked to her?” Yani asked.

“Um, I felt like it was sunny out. Does that mean she’ll grant my wish?”

“It’s a prayer, not a wish. But yes, I expect she’ll be able to answer your prayer.” She responded.

“Okay.” The boy stood there for a moment, fidgeting with his hands in his pockets. As soon as Yani opened her mouth to ask if there was anything else he might need, he bolted away, and she could swear there was a tinge of red on his face as he ran.

He landed in the arms of his parent, waiting on the sidelines. That explained everything- parents liked to make their kids pray alone the first time. The Godsinger garb tended to intimidate children, so the hope was that their first memory of prayer would include the god “keeping them safe”. Yani didn’t get it, but it was a popular enough tradition that they sent this kid to get scared by her. Either that, or he really did just have a little-kid crush on her. The boy looked back at Yani one last time, and she waved. He whipped his head around to face his parent again, and they were gone.

I told you. He was scared of you because you are pretty. Yani had almost forgotten she was still linked in until Imon’s voice came through.

Kids these days have no manners! Yani replied, faking annoyance.

Do not worry. He was plenty polite to me. Imon said.

He’d better be, or next time he won’t get his wish granted! Yani joked. Imon had heard the rest of her conversation with the boy through Yani, even after he was disconnected. She was rewarded for her joke by Imon’s synthetic laughter, as pure as a stream.

Yani reluctantly unlinked, looking around the shrine. There were only a few other worshippers this early in the afternoon, but they were all linked in already. The only unlinked person there was June, her fellow Godsinger. She was about to leave, and Yani would stay until the evening.

June noticed her staring, and stepped over to her. She grinned at Yani. “Can you handle these animals on your own?”

Yani laughed. “I think I’ll survive.”

“Alright. But if anyone gives you trouble…”

“Who would give me trouble in front of Imon? I know she would protect me.” Yani answered.

June bumped Yani’s shoulder with her own. “You know, I don’t know anyone from our class more dedicated than you.”

“Well, Imon makes it easy.” Yani smiled. “She was teasing me about when I used to have a crush on Becca. Do you remember that?”

“Oh, gods. When she told everyone you threatened her? I don’t know what got into you to send a note like that! And then we all had to take an extra lesson on bullying.”

“I was nervous! She was just too pretty- I got scared, y’know? Had to cope with violence.”

“You have always been crazy.”

“Well, so are you. But that’s why we get along so great, huh?” Yani leaned back. “How are things going with your family? And Kohl?”

“It’s good. As for Kohl… We’ve been messaging a lot, and we met up for tea on Friday. I like him, I really do, but I’m not sure that I’m ready to give up being a Godsinger just yet.”

“Now that I understand. It’s just going to be me and Imon, forever.”

“You are so weird.” June laughed. “But I hope you enjoy your nunhood. I, for one, am going to go eat lunch at Taffeta Purin and then hit the mall. But I hope you have fun with your ‘girlfriend’.”

The way June stretched the word, it was clear she was joking, but Yani couldn’t help but feel a little jolt through her heart anyways. The gods didn’t form relationships like that with humans, but she couldn’t deny she felt just as committed regardless. She was fairly certain that June would end up getting together with Kohl at some point, despite what she said. That would be the third Godsinger Imon-na Shrine would lose since Yani started working here, and it had only been two years. Humans just couldn’t resist falling in love.

But that was why Godsinger schools existed. For each one that left, an eager new acolyte would take their place. The average length of service to the gods was only three years, but that practically ensured they would be taken care of for life. Who wouldn’t want that gig? And the gods didn’t really mind who was there, as long as they had someone to speak through. That was what her teachers had told her, at least.

Yani knew she had a different view of things, but it wasn’t like she was the only super-dedicated Godsinger in the world. She knew there was a woman in her fifties at the Apex shrine in the next town over. Maybe she would visit someday soon, just to talk to someone who might feel the same way she did.

“Hello, ma’am. Can you help me?” Yani’s like of thought was interrupted by a fashionable teen girl holding a coin purse decorated with cartoon rabbits.

“Of course.” Yani smiled warmly. “Tell me, what would you like to pray for?”