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Ten: Testing the Gods

“You say,” he cried,
“that the gods punish disobedience,
and that their favor heals the faithful.
Then let us test it.”

The crowd murmured.
Some stepped back in dread.

The boy lifted his voice again, steady
as stone.

“If I curse the gods now, let their
wrath strike me at once.”

The night held its breath.
He stood unshaken, waiting.

No bolt fell.
No flame consumed.

The torches flickered, and still he
stood.

“Then tell me,” he said, his voice rising
like thunder in still air,
“if no curse brings death, how can
praise bring life?
If wrath is unseen, how can mercy be
trusted?
If the gods do not answer to insult,
how shall they answer to prayer?”

The sophists faltered, their tongues
bound.

The crowd swayed in astonishment,
torn between fear and wonder.

No answer came, for none could
untangle the boy’s question.