The Story Of Time

I will tell you their story, for I am the only one who remembers. I am the only one left.

In the beginning there were four of us, as there should always have been. We were Powers that lived in concert with man. We took joy in his victories, and he in our graces.

When Life was in the world, mankind lived forever. She granted them eternal youth, and in her beauty and grace they need never fear death.

Magic was perhaps the most powerful of us. He let man walk in waking dreams and brought their every fantastic wish to fruition. If they imagined a world of living rainbows, or flowers where dragons dwelt, then Magic could make them real. And would. And did.

The power of Nature gave peace and bounty to the world of man. He stretched out sunny days that children might bask a little longer at their riverbanks. He brought a cooling breeze to men that toiled in their fields, and gentle rains to nurture their crops. He gave the brightest mornings to hunters and travelers, and the darkest nights to lovers.

And there was Time. I lent my strength to all the others that their raptures might last forever, and to man that he may bask in them. I would stretch out moments of joy for man to pleasure in them, and rush him through moments of suffering that he may quickly forget. When he hurt in his worst days, I would take him back to his happiest.

And this should have been our tale to tell to this day – Life and Magic, Nature and Time, laying all our gifts on the world of man. But Nature was a spirit too free and wild, and his blessings so glorious that they rivaled even Magic. And Life was intoxicated by him, and he by her unrivalled beauty. They loved more fiercely than God or Man was ever intended, and shook both Heaven and Earth with their passion.

The world of man rejoiced in their love, for could there be any finer coupling? But Magic, who always strove for more and greater, grew jealous of them. If there were no other beings our equal, then who was the love for Magic? He tried to woo her away, but Life and Nature were as one soul and she would never leave his side. Magic gave her such gifts as the world had never seen, nor would again. He crafted beasts of feather and bone to carry his messages of devotion, and entire lands for her to dwell in, filled with castles of flower and dance that stretched from sunrise to sunset. But only Nature could give her the sun itself, and there was no greater gift.

And his jealousy turned to frustration, turned to rage. He took Life in his hands and made her swear devotion to him, but she had no grace for Magic. When she would not cast eyes on him, he took them from her. When her body was cold to him, he destroyed it.

And the fury of Nature was unleashed. He felt the loss of half his soul and knew it had died at the hands of Magic. His scream rent such a hole through earth and sky that the land parted and hid from his gaze. His winds scoured down mountains that hid Magic from him, and his lightning burned down forests where Magic sought refuge. He threw earthquakes and whirlwinds at any place where Magic might find sanctuary, and when only waste was left Magic faced him. He threw armies of dragon and insect and steel at Nature, but they burned up in the face of the sun. And when this blaze cleared, of Magic there was nothing left.

When Nature saw the destruction he had wrought, he wept. For all his rage, there was no vengeance that could bring Life back to him. His tears fell heavy on the earth till there was no spot not covered in them.

From this sorrow I knew that he would never recover, and all the world would drown in his tears. Within my power there was only one way to heal his heart and the world. I made him forget.

I took him back to a time when all things were new, and his heart knew nothing of love or loss. And here I must keep him, though he will never grow, never change, never remember.

With the loss of Life, mankind has lost their immortality. I have some power left to grant them life, but it is fleeting and filled with sadness. I can give some magic to the world, but without Magic the dragons are mere tales told to frighten children, and rainbows are only a trick of the light. But my power is stretched too thin for more, and Nature must survive. For without him I would not have the strength to hold the sun in the sky.

So he feels his petty joys and sorrows to nourish the world. He loves when he can, and hurts when he must, but he must always forget lest his sorrow should swallow the world.

And only Time remembers.

I enjoy everything that was ever invented. Ever. So who cares what we do? We could plan our eventual global conquest, or maybe play frisbee. Either way i suspect we'll have beer or ice cream. Maybe even both, but i don't want to sound greedy. No date is that perfect.

I enjoy "first dates" because I don't see there really being any pressure to impress someone you haven't met before, you can just be yourself. So you go for a couple of drinks and get to know each other and if you don't seem compatible, no harm done. See ya later, and good luck out there!