A Scene from Lin's Childhood

While his father talked with the humans, Lin wandered off and found himself by the bonfire. He crept closer and closer, surrounding himself in as much heat as he could bear, until a gentle breeze blew smoke in his face. Lin wiped his stinging eyes and backed up. He bumped into his father's legs.

The God of All put his hands on Lin's shoulders. "Lin," he said softly, "you should play with the other children."

Lin tilted his head back and stared at him with wide eyes. "Why?" he asked.

"Don't you want to have friends like you?"

"Dunno," Lin said. He turned back to the fire.

Abruptly, he was picked up and placed on All's shoulders. The temperature dropped rapidly as they walked away from the fire. Lin buried his face in his father's thick red hair, hiding from the cold.

"Are you afraid?" All asked as he walked.

Lin shook his head. "Dunno."

"You don't have to be. You're human, too."

"I'm different," Lin mumbled.

"Only in how you were raised." The God of All sighed. "Which is why you need to be around other humans. I cannot replicate a human's care, not with the knowledge I have."

Lin lifted his head up. They were walking towards the village square, illuminated by streetlamps and filled with children running around and picking pink flowers off the ground. "You know everything," he said.

His father laughed. "I do," he said, "but not enough."

He took Lin off his shoulders and placed him beside a bench. Lin sat down and tucked his knees close to his chest. "I don't have to be human," he said. "You could change me."

All crouched next to him and kissed the top of his head. "Oh, Lin, being human is beautiful. I would never take that away, even if I could."

The children had come together in a group under one of the trees, holding out the flowers they collected. Lin saw one of them pointing at him. He squeezed his eyes shut.

"It's alright," his father said. "Here, I'll give you something to show them."

He looked up. The God of All pressed his hands together and opened them to reveal a pink flower, larger than the ones littering the square, brimming with hue and perfectly formed. "Give this to them," he said. "They'll treasure the memory, even if the flower wilts."

Lin unfolded his legs and stood, taking the flower in his small hands. His father pressed a hand against his shoulder and straightened up

"Will they like me?" he asked. "I'm–I'm different."

"I cannot guarantee it," his father said, "but humans aren't so much bothered by people who are different. They will love you for your differences. You love me, after all."

"But you're–" Lin struggled for words. "You're everything."

"And so are you."

The children were all staring, now. Lin took a deep breath and clasped the flower like a prayer. He could feel his father's eyes on him as he walked forward, warmed by his love just as the fire warmed his body.

"I'm Lin," he said. "Um… what's your name?"