I looked around for Shankar, but he seemed to have disappeared. At least, I thought as much until he arose from the grass with a yawn while I was searching the grove.

“Hello, Shankar,” I greeted him. “May we…”

He crossed his arms and cleared his throat. “Ahem.”

I rolled my eyes. “Great Shankar, might I stay here for the night?” I bowed.

“Laying it on a little thick-- but yes--You may be graced with the Great Shankar’s presence and paradise for the night.”

I looked around, taken in by the beauty. The sun was setting, and this paradise was even more beautiful in the pale red sunset. “…just where is your paradise Shankar? I have never seen it before…”

“It is hidden from your nosy, prying eyes. I’m glad your friend is okay,” he changed the subject, looking at Heidi with a smile.

“The Great Shankar honors me by letting me stay.” Heidi said graciously, doing a curtsy.

“He doesn’t deserve your company,” he glared at me. “You be careful, Heidi. You’re not invincible.”

“I will.” She assured him.

“Well, I’ll leave you two alone then..." Shankar began to say and then looked at me, aghast. "What are you doing!”

I was leaning against the largest tree in the grove that shot into the sky. “What?”

“That’s my Mom!” Shankar shot the earth up under my feet, tripping me. “Don’t touch my Mom.”

I stepped away, palms turned up non-threateningly. “Sorry… I didn’t know you had such powers.”

“You better be. Listen, I know you’re good, Heidi, but you talk to him… make sure he doesn’t make trouble.”

She laughed and then saluted. “Yessir.”

Shankar shot me one more warning glance before melting back into the grass.

We were both silent for a moment as the sun continued to wan. The world was wrapped in blue, and a sweet breeze blew by, catching Heidi’s lifting Heidi's thick, black hair in the breeze. She smiled, rubbing the back of her neck.

“You know something? I’m already happy to be away from that village.” She said, completely elated. She did a spin and looked up at the sky. “I feel… free.”

I simply watched her for a moment. Even though I never thought she was very pretty before, I did now. I was transfixed. 

And then I felt sick to my stomach at myself and looked away. She was a mortal, nothing more. And she would be dead in five years because she had given so much of her life to that dying boy.

After a moment, she walked over to me. “Joshua, if you really are a God…. I mean I--”

She dusted off her dirty dress uncomfortably. “I’m really sorry, Joshua. I don’t appreciate you enough… your job is… I wouldn’t be able to do it; and I understand the necessity of people dying. I mean, if everyone lived forever, bad people would live forever, too, and good people would go on living so long they might eventually go crazy… I just want to thank you for doing your job. It’s a job nobody else would want and I…”

I held up a hand, stopping her. “There’s no need.”

She smiled a little, glad I didn't require her to apologize. She cleared her throat. “I suppose I’ll go to sleep now."

“Go ahead. I shall watch over you.” I insisted.

She nodded and curled up under the stars. I sat down next to her. She was asleep in minutes, her black hair piled under her cheek, making a decent pillow.  I sighed and looked up at the sky. I felt so tired. Gods didn’t need to sleep because they got tired; they needed to sleep to restore their powers. What an awful feeling it was to be bone-weary from all that climbing.

Heidi was beginning to see my job was much harder than she gave it credit for, and, likewise, being a mortal was harder than I gave it credit for. I always thought that being a mortal would be the simplest thing. You treat others well, you find your station in the world; you get married to continue your family line… but this feeling of helplessness, of being tired, hungry, and close to death…. I was beginning to see just why mortals craved power over others, why they were never happy… they were so weak. Every moment might be their last. No wonder they were never content in life. 

But the people who suffered more than others.

I looked at Heidi. They were the people who would have been content with a normal life. The ones who deserved one.

I blinked tiredly, and I fell asleep sitting up.