Image via Wikipedia

Image via Wikipedia

It happened suddenly.  Our ancestors had lived for generations in this city, and the mountain had been quiet.  There were stories that had been passed down to us of a great smoke and fire that had come down the mountain, but it had been so many, many years ago that no one feared that it would happen again.

Our house is made of blocks of stone.  I am a sculptor  as my father before me, and his father before him.  My son works beside me, fitting one block of clay and stone onto another, until it begins to take shape.    We are not rich but comfortable artisans and respected by the others.  Our work is done well, and I am satisfied that my son will carry on the tradition of the good work that has been set for him. He is a fine son and one day will take over as the master sculptor of the city.  Now he is content to work beside me in the hot sun.  It is a special time for us, these moments when I share my knowledge with him, the stories of our family, our traditions , and most of all the designs, the careful molding  that creates the beautiful statues and edifices for which we have become known.

We do not notice at first the sky as it begins to darken, perhaps because the time moves so swiftly when we are working.  It is only when the grey particles descend first gently and then with greater intensity as the wind comes, that we see the light from the sun has disappeared and a brilliant redness has exploded in the distance. The earth beneath us begins to shake as a sound louder than I have ever heard before comes from the mountain that lies just a few miles before us.

Ours is a great city.  People come here from many places to visit the splendid temples, carved statues and other creations of great  beauty.  I have been proud of the city and my place in it.   Now as I watch the sky turn to fire, and take my young son’s hand to run from it,  I wish for that immortality that the artist seeks when his creations are complete.  The statue bears the family name, carved lightly into its outstretched arms.

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An archaeologist carefully unearths each piece from the ruins piled under centuries of earth and stone.  He is impressed most by the unique statue of the armless woman which becomes one of the great symbols of artistic creation.