Eight years later
The sun began its rise again over the kingdom, the people's routine in which hadn't changed much since Meshara had returned the cuneiform piece to Namkuzu. People were selling and buying things, going to worship the gods and goddesses, finishing their early morning prayers, trading goods, and many more. While they were doing this, they were still looking for something exciting that would turn their lives upside down, eager to have new experiences and see more of the world both within and beyond Sumer and the supernatural realms, and record them in their writings and preserve them for future generations. But except a few unpredictable floods and other disasters here and there, progress was slow for a lot of the populace, except a few whose lives would forever be changed.
Meshara was in the courtyard of her house, studying the ancient scriptures and reading a few poems about Gilgamesh, Enkidu, and their exploits. She looked closely at the cuneiforms surrounding her, seeing herself in the shoes of many of the pantheon and other important beings in her culture's mythology and wondering what she would do in a given situation. Though she had all of them (and the poems of Gilgamesh) memorized by heart, she would still read them to prepare for her upcoming apprenticeship with Namkuzu, for which she'd been recommended by a visiting official of another ziggurat.
She also began to look at her reflection in Namluh's water clock, counting down the seconds, minutes, and hours before they were to leave. She was now fourteen years old, and time had certainly been kind to her. She had reached a height of 4'10'', her hair was much longer (extending toward her wrists), and her eyes had grown brighter and slightly more bluish. She had filled out her figure, achieved a slight hourglass shape (albeit with her stomach still bigger than her eyes), and picked up a pointy nose and slightly larger ears. That didn't matter to her as much, though-she still wanted to look her best for her upcoming apprenticeship, but what made her happier was finally going to the realms of the deities and being able to enter the sactuary she'd infiltrated to be kind to her mentor. She wanted to go and see her heroes in action, writing down their adventures and discovering new ones beyond, and using these adventures to help her people learn new lessons. The gods and goddesses would certainly be pleased to have their newest emissary give people these stories to impart upon future generations. Meshara began to smile at the thought of all this as she went to get some soap and wash her face. While she was doing this, she heard Namluh's voice:
"Meshara, are you ready to leave?"
"Almost! I need to finish a few things!"
"That's fine. But remember to stay focused! We don't want to be late!"
"I will!" she shouted back as she continued washing her face. When she finished, she packed a few things in her bag, grabbed a spare dress and sandals, straightened her veil, and ran her fingers through her hair to get any remaining lice and other things out. When this was finished, she went out the door to meet her guardian waiting for her. They walked across the route they had taken to get to the ziggurat when she had chased Namkuzu through the market and beyond, down the same streets with all their usual sights and sounds, up and down the hills with the sweet smells of soil and grass, across the bridges with the water's melodic hum and refreshing taste. All the while, they talked about the prospects of Meshara's new apprenticeship, the new journeys she would embark on beyond the physical realm, the magic she would soon wield, the beings she would encounter on her adventures, and the lessons she would impart on new generations, among other things related to their service. When they reached the ziggurat, they saw the high priest speaking with a younger man around Namluh's age, who was also wearing a similar kanauke and had a slightly longer beard than Namluh.
That man was giving the high priest a stone made of rock and lapis lazuli, which gave off a black and blue light and filled the air with the aroma of a freshly boiled steak at a barbecue (with a hint of the fires of sieges past). The smell traveled across the air above the ramp with Enlil's blessing, searching for anyone it could find to share in its smoky fantasies, and whispered tales both famous and long forgotten to the recipients of it scent, relating the world to them through the intensity of the inner flame. As it flowed through the air, it happened upon the noses of Meshara and Namluh, the former's mental gods and goddesses awakening and fluttering down from their heavens to go through her sanctuary and meet her and the others on Earth. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw the stone itself in the mineralized rocky flesh, her ears as open as ever to what it had to say, her mind ready to dive to the deepest depths of the sea just southeast of the Fertile Crescent for more adventures in mythology, and her eyes brighter and wider than the sun and the moon during a blinding eclipse, ready take a good look at it. She started to run toward it like a child to an ice cream store, but Namluh stopped her. "I know you're excited about this, but I think it's best if we let Namkuzu explain it before you start exploring it. The apprenticeship is just about to start."
"I understand," she responded, as they went up to where Namkuzu and the man holding the stone were standing. The stone spoke tempting words to her, but she resisted them with Namluh's words, albeit with some difficulty. That would have to wait until Namkuzu showed her its significance to the pantheon of the Sumerian region. For now, she and her guardian were walking up to meet the priest and talk about the terms of the apprenticeship.
"Hello, you two. Meshara, isn't it?" Namkuzu greeted them. "And Namluh, your guardian?"
"Yes, indeed," said Meshara. "How'd you know our names?"
"I know you two from somewhere, I just can't think of when. Refresh me about it, please."
"Do you know the girl who snuck into the sanctuary eight years before now and returned your cuneiform? The one who wanted to do good by the people of her country and was fascinated by Gilgamesh and his adventures? The one whom you told to get out of the sanctuary?"
"Yes, I do," the priest responded. He flashed back to the day that had unexpectedly brought them together, if only briefly and for a reason that wasn't exactly in accordance with the pantheon's rules. "I know she was running after me to return that thing I needed for the service when I dropped it in my rush to get there. And this man was running after her shouting for her to come back."
"That's right. That little girl...was me."
"I understand. I still think about that day sometimes, how you risked disrupting the communication of this kingdom and its people with the deities. I remember how I wanted you out of there as soon as possible, and I thought I'd never find you again, but here you are. Standing in the same place we met all those eight years before today." He hesitated for a few moments, thinking back on that day. "But, all that aside, I've heard good things about you and your commitment to the people and the pantheon alike-how you've given the clothes on your back to help the poor, reciting the poems of Gilgamesh to passersby, you and Namluh consistently attending worship services, and studying the ancient scriptures wherever you could among other things-from another official who noticed you. That truly earns you my respect, and I admire your kindness and altruism-for this, I think you are worthy of this position. This official spoke wisely."
Meshara beamed at this; thinking back to all the kind acts she'd done for other people, the pantheon, and herself as Namkuzu and Namluh went on talking about these acts. She'd found a poor family forced to sleep outside when she was eight and given them her headband and spare dress (which they needed more than she did), and tried to convince Namluh and the people around them to help buy more clothes for this poor family-she'd given a despairing old man on the street a picture of the deities to remind him there was hope in the world about ten months after that, which helped him feel youthful again for the first time in twenty-five years-she'd gotten Namluh to encourage their fellow people at the worship services to give to those in need over these eight years since she first met Namkuzu-she'd held a pretend religious service at age ten with other children (and some adults as well) that kept them remembering Gilgamesh's story and the lesson he'd learned to appreciate his mortal life-she'd snuck into a temple a few times to read the scripture and take in all the stories before the guards discovered her and politely told her to leave-she and Namluh had attentively stood before the statues of the deities and listened to their stories throughout these years too-the list went on and on, until Namkuzu broke these thoughts with:
"Meshara, Namluh, I'd like you to meet my former apprentice Tilmun. Tilmun, this is Meshara, my new apprentice, and Namluh, her guardian."
"Very nice to meet you," Tilmun said, stroking the stone with his fingers. "I assume you're excited for this time to finally come, Meshara, and you too, Namluh."
"We certainly are," Namluh responded. "My hardworking Meshara certainly is committed to our community and to us. She's memorized every one of the scriptures at our house like the back of her hand, read the poems of Gilgamesh and his tales hundreds of times, and she's ready to help anyone who needs it even when there's nothing to gain. It has brought us into conflict a few times, but we've always made up in the end."
"Right," Tilmun said. "You can go through a lot of conflicts with someone and they'll still have you back, because your reputation with them won't suffer a dent."
"Not exactly, my friend," Namkuzu corrected his former apprentice. "The strongest and best relationships are built on managing conflicts well and finding common ground. Have you forgotten what you learned in the day?"
"I have...I just don't remember," Tilmun said with a sheepish grin painted across his face.
"That's all right," Meshara reassured him. "It takes time to learn things. I remember when Namluh and I were outside the sanctuary, and he told me about the importance of being your best self and staying committed to that goal. It's hard to memorize at times, and you might lose sight, but you shouldn't give up, just like Gilgamesh realized when he found out it wasn't worth it to get immortality."
"Right you are, Meshara," Namluh said. "This will definitely be useful here since you'll encounter the challenges we talked about earlier."
"Correct, Namluh," Namkuzu responded. He motioned the others to follow him toward the sanctuary. "This is the home of our deities, where the emissaries ensure our livelihood and provide all the necessities for our lives. Inside this one, there will be a pathway to the heavens above, which will allow us to build strong connections with the pantheon and keep it alive for future generations." He entered the sanctuary, followed by Meshara and Tilmun, while Namluh stayed behind.
"Here are retellings of some stories of many generations past," the priest continued as they continued down their path inside the sanctuary; indicating a wall with paintings of battles, sacrifices, great givings, people working with oxen pulling carts, trade, tributes, rulers receiving visitors, and more; "these are meant to inspire others to follow in the footsteps of those generations, and those to follow. Meshara, which of these stories do you remember studying back at your house?"
Meshara, who was admiring the story of one particular battle between the Sumerians and the Elamites that had taken place 300 years before (which the Sumerians had won despite having over 4,300 casualties), turned her attention to her mentor. "I remember this battle with Elam over water-our people and the Elamites both thought they owned a deposit of water near the southeastern sea." She closed her eyes as she pictured the event in her mind-swords clashing; hoofs and footprints pounding the ground; winds howling; wheels turning; whips cracking; shouts filling the sour air; blood staining the air, ground, and water in more ways than one; dust obscuring the outcome and stinging eyes; and the moon illuminating the way to victory-and continued, "The deities took pity upon us and gave us power to stay awake and on guard throughout the night, for which Nanna provided moonlight to anyone who needed it. Those who didn't need it were granted the power not to see it, and with that in mind, we got the advantage in the final stages and overwhelmed the huge Elamite army. It began to fall in disarray."
"That is correct. This tale shows part of why the moon is vital to our world, and the hope in this battle is the kind of hope that will pass our wisdom down to future generations, like Nanna wishes to see throughout the years to come."
"He certainly does," said Tilmun, who had appeared right by Meshara. "His great exploits are heard of far and wide, but none more so than those of another being, whose name I must not share." Namkuzu shot him a quick glare, which made him smile sheepishly again. "My bad. Nanna's exploits are heard of far and wide, just so we remember."
"Remember that," Namkuzu said. The three of them went to another wall with these paintings, one of which detailed the descent of Inanna into the underworld, and another of which (located right next to the aforementioned one) showed Ereshkigal and her souls fighting against an army of corrupted souls. Namkuzu explained the stories' significance in the worship services, going over the perseverance of Ereshkigal and her army and how the release of Inanna illustrated the importance of empathy to others, and stressing how the food and water of life that the galla gave Inanna showed the spirit of the people returning to the surface to remind them to continue on their journeys to be their best selves by reexamining their shattered identities and creating empowering ones with the help of the shards surrounding them. Meshara's eyes widened at this as she listened attentively and shared her relevant experiences, to which Namkuzu replied with how the lessons applied to both the supernatural and mortal realms. Tilmun, by contrast, had his head pressed to a few of the corrupted souls, drooling a little as he marveled at the action and destruction their story showed. After a while, Namkuzu motioned both of the others to come with him to a vacuous room with a few benches surrounding a central fire pit without a flame. "What did you take away from these stories, Meshara?" the priest asked as they all sat down.
"We must continue on our journeys to be our best selves, no matter what stands in our ways. It shapes our identities, which will be passed down to future generations waiting to be inspired by our work and determination. Like Inanna's descent and her ascent after that reshaped her identity, we must take to heart what our guides and allies tell us about the challenges to await us and use it to our advantage as we reform ourselves continually," Meshara responded. "Empathy is a key ingredient in doing this, like that which Ereshkigal was shown by Inanna's allies, which secured Inanna's release."
"Correct you are," Namkuzu replied, "and these qualities will show more prominently as your life goes on-let me demonstrate this." He motioned to Tilmun. "I'll have that stone, Tilmun."
"Got it," the former apprentice said as he handed it over. Namkuzu took a small wood stick out from inside his kanauke and moved it across the stone as if striking a match to light it. The stick found a brilliant blue flame, which stood atop it, awaiting friendship and happiness like a birthday candle ready to be blown out as it gave off the same barbecue-battle smell from the stone. Namkuzu and his new apprentice stared into it as the former moved it toward the central flame and tossed it inside.
The flame hit the pit, growing bigger as it rapidly flew upward and reached a height of eleven feet (albeit with the spread confined by the pit), roaring like a lion (albeit five times louder and much breathier), radiating its fiery scent around the room, whispering faster and louder to its three recipients, freshening the stale air with the sound of howling wind and a touch of the taste of a mouthwatering steak right off the grill, and illuminating the whole room with a bright electric blue glow that extended all the way down the hall. Tilmun shielded his eyes from the blast as the other two continued looking inside the fire as the air caressed their skin. Their heartstrings were lifted upward as they watched the flame birth pale whitish blue ghost-like beings, which floated upward and congregated around the center. Two arose toward the three humans, who saw them demonstrate one helping the other go through an emotionally difficult time, speaking comforting words as the other vented its sadness, both in indistinct and barely audible words. Meshara looked at them and saw one of them shape itself like her six-year-old self while the other shaped itself like Namkuzu. They ran in place as a third being, shaping itself like Namluh, followed them. "This is from when I was running after you and returning your cuneiform for the service. I think that's an example of showing empathy to others and growing from one's past experiences."
"That is right, Meshara," said Namkuzu. He moved his fingers to scramble the ghostly forms into another scene, which showed Namluh talking to Meshara about Gilgamesh's story and how the people must do the best they could with their limited time on Earth. Several more forms appeared above them in the shapes of Gilgamesh, Enkidu, Utnapishnim and his wife, and a few elders and townspeople, all of which did the actions of their story. When that was finished, Gilgamesh descended upon the six-year-old Meshara and gave her a piece of the same cuneiform she had returned to the high priest eight years earlier, talking to her in the same indistinct language the others spoke. The present Meshara observed this and took note of the forms' interactions, stating, "This is what Namluh was telling me about Gilgamesh being here and giving me advice about living life to the fullest."
"True," Namkuzu said. "The tale of Gilgamesh also tells of our essentiality to see ourselves beyond our exploits and remain true to our humble selves despite whatever people might heap upon us."
"That's right," Tilmun added. "The people will give you their love and want to marry you, and you'd be really happy for their praise."
"Tilmun," Namkuzu said sharply. The former apprentice recoiled and gave an embarrassed smile. "That's a good point, but it's also missing the point of this."
"My bad."
"Anyway, what I was saying about this, Meshara," he continued in his calm erudite voice, "is that you shouldn't let the praise make you pompous, and you also shouldn't let any insults or criticism tear down your emotional defenses. Whatever the case, you must remain emotionally strong, and be a good leader in this community, and help them be emotionally strong as well. There are also times where you will need to turn to others for help with this duty, because it is a very important job that can't be accomplished without the support of the public, and when you do, treat them as your equal. Although you and the people may be on different societal levels; we will need to transcend these boundaries to spread the stories through generations; and keep their meanings alive throughout the many years, decades, and centuries to come. The best way to do this is to form meaningful connections and help them live on, which will help lessen the impact of others' words on you-stay strong and humble, and lead with truth and kindness."
"I'll remember that," Meshara said, nodding in agreement. "Just like Namluh taught me and Gilgamesh learned in his tale, I must strive to be my best self."
"Indeed, Meshara, that is right; it's paramount to being a good leader," Namkuzu responded, dissipating the ghostly forms with his fingers. The flame went down a few feet as the forms went back into the fire, awaiting the next command. "If you ever lose sight of this, just remember the tale of Gilgamesh and your guardian's advice."
After a while, Tilmun got up and began walking toward the hall. "I must be on my way. There's some business I have to take care of, but I'll be back here when that is finished, however long it takes. I hope to see you both, and Namluh, very soon!"
"Likewise. I hope you come back with exciting new stories that you can share with us!"
"And also that you learn new things and remember what you were taught during your apprenticeship!"
"I hope so too, both of you. And I hope that will come sooner than you think..." Tilmun said with a dark and mysterious air about his voice as he disappeared into the darker light outside the room, "but for now, I'll see you later, and I'll be sure to get back as soon as I can!" He ran outside the sanctuary as soon as he was out of their sight and rushed down the ramp to the bottom of the ziggurat, looking up at the sky and moving his hands in quick controlled motions. "Traveler of Inanna's route...floating in the heavens above...I summon your force...to guide me down below!"
The sky seemed to have heard his command, as it began to change at the last word. The clouds flew toward where he was and began to converge into a slightly gray ball with bumps similar to a miniature Earth. The small condensated planet began to rotate on its axis at a rate about eight times slower than the actual Earth, picking up more water in the sky as it continued, then it began to speed up slowly and grow bigger as it rotated, thundering from inside its core and blasting its message throughout the sky for all to hear. Lightning also pounded from inside the cloudy core as the thunder grew louder, exposing cirrus vertebratus wisps that looked similar to the skeletal structure of an armadillo curled into a ball and gleamed dangerously in the light of the sun and lightning, and heating the air in a five-foot radius of a spot in front of Tilmun while the rest of the air cooled. The sky also grew darker and slightly duller while the air around the spot formed a small tornado, which also bristled with lightning, and started spinning three times as fast as the planet in the sky (which was already spinning 300 times faster than the Earth)-so fast that Tilmun held onto his kanauke and wrapped it tightly around himself to prevent it from flying off. Then the lightning inside the cloud Earth moved inward and coalesced at the core, forming a ball that grew bigger and bigger, jostling the cingulatan vertebratus clouds aside and pushing them around, disintegrating any white that remained in the planet, scratching its crust, and...
BOOM! A giant flash exposed itself to the outside world, prompting the ball to unleash a huge blast of electric blue lighting that furiously pounded the hot spot in the center of the tornado. The air around Tilmun grew hotter and the winds blew faster (albeit slightly softer) as a spot of red and black formed in the center. Orange speckles appeared in the center as many smaller secondary bolts struck the perimeter of the circle and a few more the area, prompting fiery orange sparks to come out and threaten to burn whomever got into the blast. Tilmun backed away slightly as the sparks flew higher, flying around in all directions and joining the lightning surrounding the tornado, which became more purplish as it grew hotter and gave off the smell of burning flesh that turned up his nose. Additionally, rings of orange fire started shooting upward from the spot, lighting the whole area the same color as Tilmun recoiled at the burning feeling on his face and shielded his eyes from the blasts. While this was happening, he talked to himself about this business that awaited him and expressed hope he wouldn't be late to a meeting. He called out a name: "Garęihnȉh...I hope you won't be displeased at what I have to say...even if I'm late..."
And then...the fire blasted itself into the sky one last time in a four-foot-tall ring, the tornado receded, the lightning stopped, and the wind calmed down, revealing the spot underneath again, this time with a faint white light emanating from inside, and sand-colored dust surrounding it. The sky returned to normal, the miniature planet separated, and the clouds returned to their proper places and colors in the sky as he walked toward the spot and stepped inside. The spot engulfed him, creating a border of white light around him as he descended further inside, until the top of his head was gone, and then it shrunk smaller and smaller in diameter until it disappeared. Tilmun knew what was planned to happen next, but little did Meshara, Namluh, and most of the others of Sumer know this was going to be the start of an unusual and fateful apprenticeship for the ages (and the upcoming ceremony would see some equally unusual and fateful events happen that none of the parties had planned).