The End of the World?

By Kayla E. Green

Still in coyote form, Huey’s paws landed on the grass of Tema’s garden. He turned back into a man and collapsed to the ground, panting heavily. The giant’s cries of “Stop, thief!” had echoed all the way up the Stairway to Heaven, but Huey was safe now.

Safe with his treasure.

“Ow!” Huey moaned. “Why are you kicking me?”

“Why are you so out of breath?” Tema kicked him again. “Have you been stealing the scarecrows from Que’s cornfields again? Or did you get caught making Oto think his feathers were falling out? Or—”

Huey laughed. “Oh, sweet, gullible Oto. You would think after seven times, he would catch on, but he always falls for it!”

Tema rolled her eyes. “Seriously, we’re going to be late.”

“I got you a present.” Huey jumped to his feet. He lifted the flap on the bag strapped across his torso and pulled out a golden acorn larger than his head.

Tema gasped. “How’d you get that?”

Huey tossed the acorn at her. Tema caught it with both hands and tipped forward. “Careful, it’s heavy,” he said with a crooked grin. “Patlee the giant wasn’t too happy when he failed to answer my riddle, but a deal is a deal.”

“I’m sure you didn’t do anything sneaky whatsoever.” Tema walked across her garden, knelt at a patch of dirt, and buried the acorn.

“Me? Sneaky? Tema, your words wound me.” Huey held his chest as if stabbed in the heart. When she looked up at him, he pretended to pull a knife out of the imaginary injury and fell to his knees.

“You ready for the council meeting?” Tema asked, ignoring Huey’s plight.

“I can’t go. Can’t you see I’m dead?” He threw himself fully on the ground.

“What a shame.” She stepped over him and strolled away.

After a moment, Huey abandoned his fictitious grave and ran to catch up. “Why do we have to go? It’s so boring.”

“As gods, we have responsibilities.”

Huey rubbed his face. “But why? Every week, it’s the same thing. Que beats his stupid gavel thingy, Tez gives an unnecessarily long report on the giants, Nana and Tecu interrupt everyone with a fight…”

“To be fair, you are the one who gets them riled up!” Tema shook her head disapprovingly, but a smile touched her lips.

Huey sighed. “I would literally die if something didn’t distract me! Then you would be without a best friend, and that simply won’t do.”

The pair soon entered the spacious Council Hall. Stars shone through the ceiling, illuminating the large conference tables where the gods gathered. As Huey and Tema took their assigned seats, Que called the meeting to order.

Leaning back in his chair, Huey ignored Que’s drivel about the day’s agenda. Instead of listening to the reports, he tried entertaining himself by making up stories. But without an audience to enrapture, Huey edged closer to death-by-boredom.

He turned to convince Nana that he needed to call out Tecu. His heart sank when he found Zilo, the god of war, sitting beside him instead.

Mindlessly, Huey tapped his fingers. Zilo shifted. Something shiny caught Huey’s eye. A silver key dangled from the formidable god’s belt.

“Zilo, I understand you have some news you need to share with the council?” Que said.

The god of war cleared his throat. “I wanted to make everyone aware that after working closely with the Creation Committee, the War Department now has jaguars—an entire prowl in fact—which have been weaponized. As we continue building up the earth and adding more giants and other creatures to Mesoamerica, it may be necessary to use the jaguars for our protection. For now, they are secured in a pasture by my training grounds.”

Huey sat straighter. The questions and answers among the council were nothing more than buzzing in his ears as he stared at the key.

With nimble fingers, Huey snatched his prize and slipped out quietly.

“Just where do you think you are going?” Tema stood in the hallway with her arms crossed.

“I can ask you the same question, missy. You should be in your seat conducting your godly responsibilities, but you’re out here? Shame, shame.” Huey side-stepped Tema, but she grabbed his arm.

“I saw you get up… You’re going to look at the jaguars, aren’t you? Well, I want to go too.”

Huey wiggled his eyebrows and transformed into a coyote. He then doubled his size so Tema could ride on his back.

Upon arriving at Zilo’s training grounds, Huey transformed back and stretched. After a moment, Tema called, “Look! This must be the jaguar pasture.”

Huey pulled the key out of his pocket and stepped toward the locked gate.

“That is a bad idea! Have you thought this through?” Tema sputtered.

“Tema, when do I ever think things through?” He turned the key and stepped in, calling, “Here, kitty-kitty!”

A wave of black fur crashed over the horizon. The jaguars gained ground unreasonably fast. Huey spun around but tripped.

“Get up! Close the gate. Hurry!” Tema shrieked.

Huey got up, but before he could close the gate, the jaguars flooded through.

“Giant golden acorns!” Huey cursed. He and Tema gave chase. The jungle cats ran through the Council Hall, sending the meeting into chaos.

Everyone leapt up and chased the prowl through Tema’s garden, down the Stairway, and into the giants’ domain—where the jaguars promptly devoured all the giants, even poor Patlee.

“It’s the end of the world as we know it,” Que mumbled.

“Well, I feel fine,” Huey replied.

Que rubbed his temples. “I’ll add world building to next meeting’s agenda. Huey, promise me you won’t destroy the second world, okay?”

“Scouts honor, I will!”

“He means he won’t destroy the second world,” Tema said, elbowing Huey in the ribs.

Huey grinned sheepishly. “Right, that’s what I mean,” he confirmed with a nonchalant shrug.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kayla E. Green is a school librarian and speculative fiction author living in eastern North Carolina with her husband and their furbabies. When she isn’t writing, reading, or taking photos for her bookstagram, she loves singing loudly and off-key to K-Love Radio, napping, and pretending she’s a unicorn. Her debut YA fantasy novella, Aivan: The One Truth, is now available through book retailers. Kayla also has stories and poems featured in various anthologies.

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