The Offering

Onyx Jones
Feb 3, 2019
6 min read

I had lived in the small village of Eldham my whole life. I had never known the outside world. Never known cities or towns or even countries. We were not taught Math, English or Science but were taught how to work, how to harvest, grow and survive. Every year all the villagers got together in the autumn after reaping what they had sown in the spring. To take to an offering to the God in the forest to allow us a greater harvest the following year. All of the children get to dress up and play games but you weren’t allowed to go to the midnight offering until you reached 16.

This year I got to go. I dressed up the same as every year and helped people gather the crops to put into huge baskets to take to the forest. As it was a long time until midnight, mother insisted I got some sleep and she would wake me before we were to leave. I did not expect to be woken in the blackest of nights by villagers leaning on my chest, tying my hands and binding my feet, stuffing my mouth so I didn’t scream. I struggled so hard but there was just so many of them. I was picked up and put over someone’s shoulder. I tried to wiggle free but could immediately feel the grip of someone’s hands around my ankles. A burlap sack was placed over my head and I cried uncontrollably as I was carried for what seemed like an hour but was probably far less.

I was placed down somewhere cold and the sack removed from my head. It took a moment for my eyes to adjust to the night and the light of torches the villagers held. I squinted trying to see better as my mother approached. My fear began to dissipate until I saw the wideness of her eyes. She stroked my face silently and then sat in front of me.

'My child, I love you so much and if I could change places with you, I would. But you’re the only one of age in the village at the moment to do this and it is a great responsibility. You have been chosen as the one that will keep our harvest strong for the upcoming year. You my child, are our offering to the Gods'

I tried to scream no and shake from my bindings but all that could be herd were muffled noises. My own mother was leaving me here to die and walking away from me like I was nothing. Despite my muffled pleas, my tears and thrashing, I was left in what seemed to be a circle made from rocks. Underneath me was charred ashes. This place has been used many times before and my immediate reaction was they are going to burn me alive. I watched as the villagers took items from the baskets and placed them round me one by one like I was part of someone’s giant fruit basket. Once they had finished without so much as a word or chant they left. Tears rolled down my cheeks as I watched the flames from their torches flicker in the distance. I struggled to try and free myself for what seemed like hours. Eventually I gave up and lay down as best I could staring at the stars thinking about all those villagers that just disappeared with no explanation every year until I eventually drifted off to sleep.

I was woken abruptly by a huge grunting noise and someone tugging at my ropes. I sat bolt up as a huge hand undid them as if they were nothing and left me sitting there. A huge tall figure in a glow stood before me. Their features were plain and I was unable to determine if they were man or woman. What I could determine were that they were a God.

I shook from both cold and fear and was pretty sure I was about to physically soil myself when it spoke. Its voice was calm and soothing and I instantly felt hypnotised by it.

'I do not mean you any harm' it said 'I do not wish to kill you, sacrifice you or even eat you' it amused itself with a side-ward grin.

'What is it that you want?' I stuttered whilst thinking why on earth are you not running.

'To make you an offer. You are the offering are you not?'

'What kind of offer?' I asked which much confusion.

'An offer that ends this ridiculous practice. Each year I have to return to this twisted place to save a soul. They give up the lives of their own children to give to me and each year I untie them, tell them to grab whatever food they can and to head for the nearest city. I make a small fire in that silly little circle over there and tomorrow they will come see the damage and party like they have done a great deed. But you see, those that make it to the city, are so confused hungry and dehydrated that when they start babbling about gods and sacrifices they are thought to be mentally insane. They end up living on the streets or in a jail or asylum. They are no better off there than they are in the village and this practice continues regardless.

I nodded thoughtfully. 'What’s the offer?' I asked

‘There’s only so much I can do as a God. Certain things are frowned upon but encouraging a mortal to do them surprisingly is not. My offer is this. You serve me, put an end to this madness and I will help you travel the world. See amazing places, taste exotic foods and live for as long as you choose’

‘What do you need me to do?’

'I need you to set fire to the village'

'But everyone will die' I argue

'Exactly. If everyone who finds these sacrifices beneficial dies then they will be no more offerings. They themselves become an offering. For the greater good. No one even knows of the village. So no one will ever find out'.

'For a God, that’s pretty sick and twisted. There are children in that village. you can’t just burn innocent children' I ranted

'Well of course not. I’m a God not a monster. You need to bring them here to safety first. I will make sure they are safe. They’ll be placed in homes their memories erased, they will never remember what happened'

The God paused to look at my face scrunched up as I was running through so many different scenarios.

'Look at it from a different angle' it pursued 'you can say no and take your chances at finding the next city, good luck getting out of the forest alive, or you can try and head back to the village where they will probably kill you anyway because your still their sacrifice.

I stared at it intently. ‘Are they my only two options’ I joked. I sighed 'I don’t have much of a choice do I?' I stress. 'What’s the plan?'

The God gave that strange lopsided grin it tried to offer earlier and laid down the foundations of what was needed to be done.

I started by taking the children to safety which was not an easy task. Taking a child from its own bed in the early hours of the morning without them waking up and screaming is a difficult task indeed. Luckily I had a little help and only woke up one villager in the process. A pillow over the face quickly quieted her and I continued on this dark path for the greater good. Most of the children had woken up by the time we had reached the forest where I was left as a sacrifice and the calming nature of the God stopped them all from panicking. The figure scooped them up and ran with them through the trees and towards what I assume was the city at a frightening speed as I headed back towards the village. I needed to do this quickly.

I lit the torches that hung by everyone’s door, leaving them in their place until I had lit them all. Hesitating only once when I reached the home I shared with my so called mother. I thought about not lighting that one, I thought she probably had no choice but then I realised she could have told me to run away beforehand, there was always a choice. I’m making a choice right now. Now she is my offering. I then worked my way back taking them from their holders and placing them as close as possible to the houses so they very quickly they went up in flames. By the time I was done I stopped at the end of the village and watched the flames mesmerised. I expected to hear screams but many died of smoke inhalation long before the flames reached them. The warm of the fire on my face and crackling sounds were hypnotising