The God Of Dover

Dover opened his eyes at the crack of dawn, looked around his outlandish room, and sighed. "I swear I can't with these dreams", he murmured.

He shook his head in a frail attempt to get the image out of his head, after which he closed his eyes and saw vivid images float around in his head- his wife on the patio beside him, giggling with him and watching their ten-year-old son, Jack play with the dog, surrounded by one glorious, pink hue of the setting sun. Dover then opened his eyes to the grey ceiling that painted his thoughts blue.

Pursing his lips, he took a deep breath and finally climbed out of bed. As he made his way to the barn outside, he paused in the hallway and smiled at Dianne's and Jack's portrait that hung there, holding back tears and lightly tapping his chest. It had only been three months since he had lost them.

He was out working in the field when he heard the news from the neighbors. A market stall they were in had caught on fire and a bunch of people was trapped- Dianne and Jack too.

Dover walked outside to be greeted by Ginger, his Golden Retriever who wagged its tail in joy. He chuckled and got to the end of the field to his make-shift temple, a humble thing- just a couple of stones stacked together- and lay an offering as he prayed for a god to move in. He could use some help, he thought.

It had been a week since he had built the temple back when he felt extremely low. After a hard day's work, he prayed again before retiring to bed.

The next morning, he woke up to the sound of Ginger barking in the distance. He looked at the temple where Ginger was, scratched his beard, and furrowed his eyebrows. A god had finally moved in.

He rushed there in excitement and heard a shuffling noise arise from inside. "Please be a harvest god," he said nervously as he looked down at the feeble structure. "It's not much, I understand but I'll do my best to keep you happy. I..uh..-I think I need you around 'cuz things have been rough since the past couple of months. Lost my wife and kid. I guess you're not up for talking right now, and I totally understand." He began to walk away and turned abruptly to say, "One more thing- thank you. I bet having a god watching over will do me good. So thanks for..y'know..coming here". He walked away, smiling.

The next day, he left some apples for the god and this went on for another week. He would leave some fruit, pray for a while and go on about the rest of his day. One fine day, the god finally spoke up "You're wasting your time, you know. I'm not the kind of god you were expecting. You'd be better off praying to the powerful ones. I know I sound rude and don't get me wrong- I really appreciate the food and everything. The place is cozy enough and the worship’s been nice. I'm only trying to help." it said coyly, plucking a blade of grass. Its voice sounded like the rustling of leaves, the crashing of waves against the shore, and the soft whistle of the wind- all at once.

"Well, I'm just glad you showed up if I'm being honest. What I’ve got right now is more than I ever expected," Dover said, the gentle hint of a smile creeping on his face. "D'you mind telling me what kind of god you are anyway?" he asked, sitting outside the temple with crossed legs.

A sound, which he assumed to be a deep sigh emerged from inside. "I'm a god of small things- a momentary shift in the wind, the first hint of frost, sweet nothings that escape your notice but happen all around you- the rustle of leaves in the wind, the song of the birds, the dance of the bees, the growl of a tiger and the curve of a worm. Just a bunch of nothings that don't last too long. The rise of an eyebrow, the trace of a tear- and it's gone"

"Beautiful", Dover whispered under his breath and shook his head in disbelief.

"You're only a glimpse yourself, human- so defenseless. Trust me, you'd be better off praying to a greater thing" it said.

Dover plucked a strand of corn and flattened it between his teeth. "I think I like this arrangement just fine. So, if you don't mind, I think I'll continue. Also, I know my family would've loved to meet you"

"Suit yourself. But don't say that I didn't warn you" the god shrugged.

Dover swished his hand in the air in a dismissive motion and walked away happily.

This continued for months. He would pray, leave offerings and talk to god about things. He liked being around it. A wave of tranquility would spread over him and he found comfort in god's somewhat dismissive words. Even Ginger liked being around the temple. Ginger would bark happily as leaves from trees would fall around it for hours and would later curl up beside the temple entrance.

The neighbors would often watch from their own field and laugh. Occasionally, they would leave some fruit for the new god as well. Dover's life was improving and he was grateful for the much-needed stability. He would tell the god about his family and they would sometimes talk for hours. However, the god mostly contemplated beneath the rocks in silence.

There would come an occasional storm and Dover would discover the rocks strewn around, along with the leaves and twigs that sheltered it. He would apologize and rebuild the temple which the god had become quite fond of, much to the farmer’s delight.

Dover's crop would be destroyed over the course of a storm and he would be left to starve. "I warned you. Don't waste your time. I’m weak. I won't be able to do anything when it gets worse. Oh, and believe me, it will get worse. Reach out to better gods. If you want me to, I could maybe put in a good word for you?" Dover would shake his head every time and say, "So it's a bad time. It's nothing. We've got each other, haven't we? We'll get through this like we always do. I don't want to pray to other gods. I’ve seen plenty of folks do that and that hasn’t gotten them anywhere now, has it? No, I think I like this arrangement just fine"

Years passed and Dover stood firm in his agreement. During that time, Ginger passed away due to old age. He went to the god for comfort and cried his heart away. He was happy to talk to god and thanked it for aligning the weather perfectly, just as he liked it- with a slightly cold breeze grazing his skin, soft rays of the sun caressing his face, the sweet chirping of the birds, and fresh grass beneath him. The day was perfect for saying goodbye to an old friend.

Another year passed by and they had their ups and downs. Sometimes harvest would be bad and there wouldn't be enough for an offering. But everything worked out fine.

Then, as sudden as a shift in the breeze, from across the heights of the daunting mountains, came the Plague.

People starved, fields were destroyed and there was sickness in the air. Other farmers wailed, slaughtered cattle, and spilled blood. Dover approached the temple, doubled over with sickness, ribs poking out of his chest. He looked at the ground with haunted eyes and wept. The god rushed out to meet him and cried with him. "There was nothing that I could do. I couldn't save your crops. I'm useless. I'm sorry, Dover. I'm sorry for not being able to help."

Dover raised his eyes from the ground and asked, "tell me, what kind of god are you?"

The god sighed in frustration.

"I'm a god of small things- a momentary shift in the wind, the first hint of frost, sweet nothings that escape your notice but happen all around you. The rustle of leaves in the wind, the song of the birds, the dance of the bees, the growl of a tiger, and the curve of a worm. Just a bunch of nothings that don't last too long. The rise of an eyebrow, the trace of a tear- and it's gone"

"Beautiful. All of them", he said and slowly shook his head. "Thank you. It’s time. I-I’m going to meet my fa-fam-"

As the heavens unleashed their wrath onto Earth, lives crumbled and bodies lay askew on the ground. The body of Dover hugged the ground beneath him and his head lay sheltered by the rocks. Dover the farmer had finally returned to his god.

Weeks later, everything returned to its normal state. The god had Dover buried right beside it. It never talked to another human. Many passed by. Dover's land remained empty. That's where the god would continue to live, it had decided. In honor of its good friend, a man whose kindness astounded even a god, who praised god's work in his dying breath, every day it would paint the sunset beautiful colors, make the leaves dance on branches, and make the flowers bloom, their scent too delightful to ignore. It would make twigs shimmy in the wind, let the song of the birds spread, let the bees dance in joy, make the tigers’ growl boom and make the worms flourish in the soil.

After a long time had passed, a faraway voice reached out to the god out of nowhere,

"The god of small things- of every form of beauty that exists, how have you been?"

"D-Dover?" the god asked, clearly astonished.

"Yes. It is me, old friend"

"Bu-but how?"

The voice chuckled softly, "I am the god of everlasting bond and friendship"

"That's incredible! You're one of the important ones. Where will you live? Probably upstate, or perhaps even farther away?" the god asked meekly.

"No, I'm going to live right here alongside you"

"Why? Why live here when you could be anywhere you wanted to be? You could be with your family" the god asked.

"This is where I want to be. Would you really like to know why?" Dover asked.

"Yes, tell me, friend"

"Because I am Dover- the god of everlasting bond and friendship- and you are the god of Dover"