the gospel of judas

He told me that no one would remember our story, that no one would get it right.

At the time, I told him that it didn’t matter as long as we knew ourselves. Now, I’m not so sure. I’ve watched the millennia pass, the beliefs evolve, and so little of who he was has been carried into his story. No one knew him better than I did, knew the scent of the flowered oil that hung in his hair, knew the quirk of his lips before he began to laugh, knew the gentle dip of his lower back, the soft sound of his voice in the morning.

So much I’ve forgotten, all these years forced to wander the earth. But him, I could never forget.

chapter one—heaven is the place where i’m with you

“Where are we going?” He asked breathlessly, between laughter and gulps of air, “Where are you taking me?”

J’esu simply laughed and pulled him by the hand again, running through the golden city. They were in the market district as sellers closed down their shops and booths and tables, packed up their things and left. Other ennui* stared at them as they ran past, but quickly went back to their tasks when realizing they were just two young swali* enjoying their youth. Several older ennui smiled to themselves as if remembering their own swali time.

J’esu and J’da didn’t speak again as they ran, until they had passed through the market, through the lower levels, and stood near the river of time as it flowed out of the city gates. They stood panting, taking in gulps of basui* as they caught their breath.

“Why,” J’da asked between gasps, “Did you have us run to A’parh*?”

J’esu grinned, his smile wide across his face. “because I want to go in.”

J’da’s eyes widened in disbelief and fear, “We cannot go in! We would never find our way home to the golden spire!”

“You’re wrong! I figured it out. I figured out how the A’ennui* go through and come back!” His smile hadn’t faltered once.

“Fine then tell me how.”

J’esu shook his head.

“You won’t go if I tell you.”

“I won’t go anyways!!”

“You definitely will.”

His smile turned mischievous as he took a small step toward the river.

“What are you doing?! J’esu! Your adi* will have our heads and hides! We cannot go in the A’parh!” He was sure he looked terrified and angry but he didn’t care, he did not want to ride the A’parh through the gates and down to Tera’nuai* like J’esu. He was not interested in those primitive beings below them, did not care how they lived or what they thought.

J’da was happy here, living in the golden spire with the son of the Ka’liawa*, the future hope of their people. He was happy racing along the golden streets, tasting the food of the kaba*, training with the L’ennui* to protect the spire and the Ka’as*.

Looking back, he should have known this was what J’esu wanted. There were 23 places the river flowed past the gates, each to a different plane, but J’esu had always been preoccupied with Tera’nuai. He took another small step closer to the rushing of the A’parh.

“Please, J’esu let’s go back. We are forbidden from the A’parh until ediri!”

“That’s what makes it so fun, a’ori.” J’da blushed, felt warm in his embodiment.

“You can’t just call me that and get away with whatever you want.”

“Can’t I?” A bigger grin and another step toward the river.

“We cannot go. I will not follow you.” J’esu’s grin broke for just a moment, as he cocked his head sideways.

“I think you will. But I’m going either way.” and he launched himself backwards into the A’parh.

Without a thought, J’da followed him immediately.

reference:

*ennui- (pronounced in-we) a race of people who live in a realm near earth who are not constricted by corporeal delusions like embodiment, time, space, etc.

*swali- (pronounced swa-lee) the time of the young and reckless; all ennui are swali for a period of their existence

*basui- (pronounced bash-we) like air but has a sweet taste; ennui do not ‘breathe’ the way humans do, but when they are embodied (like in swali) they can take in basui

*A’parh- (pronounced A-parr) appears as a river to all who take it in with their vision, but is actually a time stream containing all moments of corporeal existence entangled together

*A’ennui- (pronounced ah-en-we) what humans would refer to as angels; they are the ennui that travel through the time stream and manage the existence of other beings on other planes

*adi- (pronounced ah-dee) father

*Tera’nuai- (pronounced t-air-new-eye) earth

*Ka’liawa- (pronounced kah-lee-ah-wah) similar to human concepts of kings/ emperors

*kaba- (pronounced kah-bah) specialized food vendors to the  golden spire (palace)

*L’ennui- (pronounced lay-in-we) kind of like royal guards; traditionally paired with a Ka’as during their swali and adopted as part of the Ka’asa for their whole existence

*Ka’as- those who are chosen at their inception to lead the whole ennui and are raised for their positions from their awali (childhood, kind of) to their swali (reckless youth) to their ediri (adulthood)