By Arlo L. Hagler
The air shimmered with a golden silence, and for that moment Ganesha stood at the center of the Universe.
This was not at all an unusual place for him to be, so it should be no surprise that he seemed perfectly comfortable in the role. Breathing deeply, he lifted the heavy ebon object in his left hand. He held his breath a moment as he contemplated the perfection of its spherical form.
From his seat Coyote taunted. "Hey Packy, you gonna throw that thing, or what?"
Pausing to regard his tormentor through narrowed eyes, Ganesha turned back to his task. Exhaling slowly, he lowered his projectile and drew it back in a slow backward arc. Moving his body with a grace that belied his massive form, he made his approach, dropping to his left knee as the arc concluded and the object was released. Spinning slightly, the projectile moved first to the right, then curved gracefully to the left, reaching its target nearly head-on. Ganesha turned around, grinning. He didn't need to see the result. The distinctive sound of multiple impacts was enough.
A great, red X appeared on the score sheet, projected on the wall where all could see, and bask in his glorious triumph. Another strike. Of course.
Krishna rose from the bench, laughing. "That's my boy! Good throw, kid!"
"Yeah," Ganesha replied casually as he reclaimed his place on the bench, "It was, wasn't it?" He seated himself between his father and Coyote. "This thing you call 'English' has real potential. Though it's really just a simple exercise in geometry…"
Coyote jeered in a good-natured way. "Beginner's luck, Elephant Boy!"
Hephaestus looked up from the score sheet (Despite the automatic scoring machines he had installed, he insisted on keeping score 'the old-fashion way', with a grease pencil). "I could accept 'beginners luck'" he said, "The first time, the second time, possibly the third…"
JC, who wasn't doing quite as well, piped in, grinning, "Face it, Coyote, you're a better coach than you think." He paused to sip his cappuccino. "Hey, Artie, you're up!"
Artemis put her coffee mug down and rose from the bench. As she picked up her ball she regarded Ganesha with a mock snarl. "Don't let it get to your head, boy." Taking her place on the lane, she made her approach with near-feline fluidity. Sighting her quarry with practiced ease, she wound up and released the ball in a power throw. The pins fell like leaves in the wind. Artemis laughed. "The direct approach works too!"
Heph dispassionately marked another 'X' on the sheet. Then he looked around. "Yahweh, you're next."
JC got up. "Uh, Dad had to bail. A lunch date, or something."
With a sigh Heph crossed the name off the score sheet. "Okay, kid. You're up."
JC got his ball and took his place. His first throw was a gutter ball, which made him concentrate harder on the second. It paid off; the ball sailed right into the strike zone, knocking all the pins down. He smiled. A spare. Better than nothing…
As Krishna got up to take his turn, JC returned to the bench. Coyote thumped him on the back. "Not bad, Jaysee. Just keep working on controlling that hook of yours."
"Thanks, Coach." JC picked up his cappuccino.
Coyote laughed and sat back. "Any time, Li'l Bro'. He reached for the beer tap, which had followed him downstairs, and refilled his glass. "Where you headed, after the game?"
JC looked up. "I thought I'd catch a bus and head uptown." Marduk's new film is showing over at-"
"Marduk?" In an instant JC found all the others turned in his direction. And the expressions some of them wore could curdle molten lava.
JC shrugged. "Uh, yeah."
Marduk was that kind of deity; one either loved him or hated him (or both, in equal measure). At the moment, he also happened to be one of the top movie directors in Hollywood. And such was his nature that he would be the first to tell you that. He also had the sort of 'lady killer' rep that had served to burn many a pantheonic bridge. The look on Artemis' face, for example, would curdle molten steel.
JC held up his hands. "He's not here. False alarm."
Fortunately the rest of the group was in good spirits, as it were, and all turned back to the game. Coyote shrugged. "Marty's not real popular 'round these parts."
"So I noticed." JC shook his head. "I guess there's no sense inviting any of them to the show." He held out his cup. "Refill?"
Coyote held the cup under the tap, which produced cappuccino, complete with frothed milk and a sprinkle of cinnamon.
"I might tag along" Coyote said as he refilled his own glass. "I haven't seen one o' Marty's films in a while."
"Cool. We'll have to swing by the apartment, and pick up Maggie."
"Still out by the beach?"
"Yeah."
"I'll race ya..."
* * *
Larry was waiting at the dock when God showed up, with a friend in tow. Larry looked at his watch. "Well, now. Ten minutes early. I am impressed."
God laughed, holding up His left arm. "This old watch you got me actually tells time, you know what?"
It was Larry's turn to laugh. "Who's your buddy? "
God's friend was checking out the rigging on the fishing boat. God called to him. "Hey! Pete! Come over here and meet my buddy." The tall stranger turned and aproached, hand out.
"Larry," God said, "This is Pete Stone. He works for me."
Larry took the hand. "Glad to meet you, Pete. Any friend of Joe's... Well, I won't hold it against you." He winked, and grinned.
God feigned offense.
Around them people were lining up. Larry looked at the gathering queue and said, "Good thing we got here early. Looks like the boat's going to be pretty full."
God shrugged. "That's why you call 'em 'cattle boats', I take it?"
Larry grimaced. "It's part of the experience."
Pete smiled bravely.
* * *
Quexalcote found Greg at work at the kitchen table, touching up on a sketch. Looking at the artwork over Greg's shoulder, he whistled approvingly (he had heard humans doing it, and wanted to practice).
Greg turned around. "Oh, hey Quail." He held the picture up. "Like it, huh?
I didn't think it was all that good, but Robin showed it to Sam, and he wants to use it for the album cover."
'Quail' nodded. "It is pretty cool. Did she come up with a name yet?"
"For the album?" Greg smiled. "She wants to call it 'Marble Eye Scream."
Quexalcote laughed. "I like it." Sure wish I could've stuck around for the tour, but the job and all..."
"Would've been fun to have ya along."
* * *
The laughter stopped abruptly when God walked into the barroom. Most of the gods found other things to look at. Marduk looked up, smiled, and shouted a greeting. "Yahweh! It's been awhile, hasn't it?" He got up and held his hand out. God stared at it, then at Marduk. Presently 'Marty' put his hand down. "Well, now, you do hold a grudge, don't you?"
"It wasn't?" Now Marduk appeared perplexed. "So if it wasn't ---, what was it?"
"God glared. "You know blasted well what! This-" He waved His hand around, "-This was supposed to be a dinosaur planet. We all agreed-"
"Not all," Marduk interjected. "No one asked me."
"Well, we couldn't exactly put out a newsletter, now could we?" God was clearly vexed. "And whatever the case, there was no excuse. No excuse whatsoever-"
"Oh, now what was the big deal, anyway? All I did was throw a rock or two…"
"WHAT'S THE BIG DEAL!" Poseidon bellowed. "It took aeons to get the seas back in shape after your little tantrum"!
"Come, now" Marduk said calmly, I wouldn't call it a tantrum-"
"What else could you call it?" God rejoined. We all took a vote. You were there. 'Give the dino's another twenty, thirty million years, and see what happens.' Majority rules. Even Enke voted our way."
Marduk shrugged. "Dad and I don't always agree. Besides, the dinosaurs were boring! All they did was eat and sleep. Oh, walk around a bit, gossip, the occasional fight…" He gritted his teeth. "Boring! A total waste of time."
