Chapter 2: Gold Warning

Gold, I should have known better. I mean it’s one thing to mistakenly take it from one man’s claim, it is a far different thing from a god’s. Really, a god? You’d have thought that they would leave a warning or something.

First off, I am Ryan Clint, gold prospector. Well, pretty much. I was trying a new find I had developed with satellite imaging in India.

I had seen what looked like a chamber but dismissed it as a ghost image. Now? I wished I had paid more attention. After breaking into said chamber, I was shocked at the glowing gold lying around everywhere.

As I said, I should have known better. It was a good twenty-five feet to the bottom of the chamber. Ignoring everything, I went down, not once looking around, not feeling the eyes that were following my every move.

My god, I thought, what a find! Had I left it at that, I might have been fine, but the green monster raised its head, and before I knew it, I was stuffing my pockets with any gold small enough to fit.

Another problem, I didn’t stop when I felt the powerful presence that was peering over my shoulder.

“You know, it’s more than rude to take what isn’t yours. I mean really, you didn’t even ask,” a voice said quietly behind me.

I slowly turned to see a rather stern-looking, blue-skinned, being? Hell at this point I wasn’t sure. “I thought that this was just another burial crypt,” I told the blue being.

The blue male stared at me for a moment with a disbelieving smirk. “Please, I am, after all, a god, I can see the green monster of greed within you. Though I have to admit, it took far longer to affect you than I thought it would.”

I quickly dropped what I had in both my hands, my mouth having dropped open. “I’m sorry?” I stammered.

“Uh-huh, yeah, uh no, nope, sorry, not going to be enough,” the blue male said. “Oh yes, by the way, the name is Shiva.”

Again, my mouth dropped open. Holy shit, I thought. Shiva! The destroyer, I was dead for sure now. I stood tall, deciding that if I was going to die, I was not going to grovel or beg.

It was at that moment that I noticed Shiva smiling at me. So, I thought he was going to torture me after all. I tightened up and prepared for the extreme pain I knew was about to come.

I watched Shiva as his face went from anger, to pity, then a smile lit up his features. “So, you’re not afraid to die, interesting.”

“Not so much as not afraid as, if I know it’s coming, then I won’t die surprised,” I told the God before me.