Casey walked along the roof, as Ben followed him. Something about Casey made Ben defer to him, and Ben wasn’t sure what it was. “Dirt, and fertilizer, and seed,” Casey said. He turned around to face Ben. “What do you think? A garden?”
“What kind of garden?”
“A shrine. To touch the sky.”
As Casey said it, he reached up with both hands, his head cast back. Ben watched, thinking, He knows what it’s like.
When Casey brought his arms down, Ben said quietly, “You know the gods.”
“Some of them, yes. Soniac, the goddess of the Earth. I know Her well, and her husband Hino, Lord of Thunder.”
Ben sat down at Casey’s feet. “Teach me.”
Casey smiled, sat down with him on the roof. “You can only learn by doing, Ben. This is on-the-job training. Live as best you can, within what you think is right.”
“I do, but I stumble.”
“Ben, we’re human. We’re supposed to fuck up sometimes.”
Casey reached out and touched him. There was a shock, but Casey didn’t flinch or recoil. “The gods are not like us, but they learn from us. We teach them what it’s like to fuck up. The gods know that we’re not perfect.”
“Why do they choose us?”
Casey shrugged. “I think they like us.”
Ben still stared at Casey, as a man would stare at a teacher, awaiting instruction. Casey shook his head. “Come on, Ben, let’s go get some dirt and start this place growing.” He stood up, “We’ll make a garden patch, using our native vegetables…”