Chapter 2: Mer Loo

<p>It was a quiet afternoon. The purple-white tinge of the surrounding fauna was as striking as ever, and a slight breeze came in from the north-east ruffling the leaves in the surrounding area. The cyan-white dot in the sky gave off a brilliant aura which coupled with an indigo sky produced a mesmerizing backdrop. This was complimented by a robust mountain chain on the horizon to the west, and a vast ocean to the east. A young man of about 19 was travelling through the forest just outside of his village collecting rocks as he usually did. He had always deeply admired nature, and rocks were of a particular interest to him. He didn't quite know why he liked rocks so much, but that didn't stop him from collecting them. His name was Mer Loo. He was a common boy of the planet Ayana. He came from a small fishing village called Leege where he had spent his entire life. He worked with his uncle Roody as a fisherman and was coined as the village idiot due to his wandering personality. He cared little for convention and longed for adventure, and the simple people of his village had mistaken his inattentiveness for stupidity.<br/><br/> The truth of the matter was that Mer Loo was far sharper than anyone else in that village, but he was quite bored with his lifestyle. He'd always thought that there was so much more to his life than fishing, and he took every opportunity to venture outside of his village. Mer Loo had straight black hair, a caramel complexion, and blue eyes. His appearance was not out of the ordinary amongst his fellow villagers, but he was particularly thin, in addition to being slightly taller than average. He had the beginnings of a beard, and due to his adventurous nature coupled with his life as a fisherman, he was very fit. Mer Loo was thinking about the life his parents might have been living at that moment far away, when he noticed a small rock that grabbed his attention. This was no ordinary rock. It stood out from the surrounding environment, and had a jagged but roughly spherical shape. It was white and had an intricate grey pattern across it, but what really intrigued Mer Loo was that this rock had a faint glow to it! <br/><br/>Mer Loo, ever the rock enthusiast, did not hesitate to place this intriguing rock into the wooden box he was carrying, alongside all of the other rocks he'd collected that day. After closing the lid to his box he began the short trip back to his village. As he was walking a voice suddenly echoed in his mind. Hello mortal. My name is Win Doh, and it appears that I have manifested in the form of a rock on your planet. Mer Loo was obviously quite confused but quickly linked the words of that voice in his head to the intriguing rock he'd recently discovered. After all, all of the other rocks he'd collected were by no means out of the ordinary. Am I crazy? Mer Loo asked himself. He concluded that he should respond to this rock nevertheless. What if this rock really was talking to him? What are you? He asked the rock out loud. Boy, you need not speak to me out loud lest we attract attention to ourselves, said the rock. Right, thought Mer Loo. The rock can speak to me inside of my head, so perhaps I can do the same to the rock. The rock responded, I am a 5.4 million year old celestial being, and I have manifested myself within the confines of a mortal existence in order to gain the necessary wisdom to create my own universe. Mer Loo was wide-eyed at that statement, as he'd never thought that such a being existed, nor that it could create another universe!<br/><br/> This is madness, he thought. He was talking to a rock that claimed to be a celestial being capable of creating its own universe. He was starting to think he was crazy again. Nevertheless, he proceeded in the rest of the journey back to his village. If all of this is true, I have a way to escape this mundane life finally, concluded Mer Loo. He eventually arrived at his uncle's shack with an expression of shock on his face. A burly, middle-aged man greeted him at the entrance to the shack, but his normally dull expression turned to a concerned one when he saw Mer Loo's face. What is the matter boy? Asked Roody. Mer Loo responded. What if I told you that I have recently come into communication with a rock? His uncle laughed at that question. Boy, you truly are dumber than a box of rocks. But...responded Mer Loo. Only he knew that the rock he'd collected might greatly surpass the competence of both of them combined. He decided to detract the situation. I'm kidding uncle. Roody responded with a sigh and a slight chuckle. He couldn't get a break from the antics of this boy. <br/><br/>Mer Loo's parents convinced him to adopt their son when he was 6, and he grudgingly accepted after some convincing. He knew how his brother was, and his mind was purely set on adventure. His wife was of the same mind. They'd never be able to take care of a child given their lifestyles. He would be able to provide a stable upbringing for Mer Loo, and besides, he had always wanted the extra help around the fishery. With that, Mer Loo proceeded to his room. He needed to sort out everything that had happened today.<br/><br/> He had not quite come to terms with the fact that this rock he possessed was essentially a god. He had noticed that after collecting that rock, his desire to collect rocks had subsided completely. Win Doh spoke. Boy, you've noticed you're lacking interest in collecting rocks. That is because I planted this interest in your head. How else was I to begin my mortal adventure as a rock after all. I'm effectively inanimate. I must say that it took a great deal of patience to experience the passing of 9 years in one spot, as a rock. I did pick up a few tricks in my time though. At those words the door to the box opened and the rock flew to the other end of Mer Loo's room, only to land on his desk. Why did this rock wait for him then?</p>