Judith And God

Original URL: http://www.livejournal.com/users/anenko/93884.html?thread=249276#t249276

Written for anenko's challenge to write a fic using the same first line as one of eir stories.

There were a lot of things that Judith didn't believe in. Santa Claus, to the dismay of her parents. The Tooth Fairy. Fairies in general, in fact. Ghosts. God. She didn't talk about that one much; at her age nobody would believe her.

So it was a suprise to her when God appeared before her one day while she was attempting to make a sandcastle on the lakeshore, while all the other children were playing frisbee. "Hello," God said, and crouched down next to her. She looked rather like Judith's Aunt Miriam, who had moved to California and who her parents only mentioned when they were fighting, but her face had more laugh lines and her tan wasn't so deep. Judith didn't have to ask who she was. She knew.

"Hello," she said politely, although inside she was freaking out. "What do you want?"

"I've got a job for you," God said. "Sort of. How would you like to be a prophet?"

Judith considered. She'd always wanted to be a marine biologist. "I don't know. What's it like?"

"Fair enough." God sat down and brushed the sand from her knees. "Not difficult, really. I'd just talk to you from time to time, and then you'd have to tell other people what I said."

"As long as I don't have to get burnt at stake or anything," Judith said. "And I can still be a marine biologist on the side."

"Oh, absolutely. That's sort of why I picked you, in fact. I should add the job has perks - you won't have any problems getting into college, that sort of thing. And you'll be able to do all your phopesizing on the side. It'll look like part of your regular job, in fact."

"Mmm," Judith said, warming to the idea. "So when do I start?"

"Not until you're twenty. I just wanted to let you know in plenty of time, so you could get ready. I have some long-term plans, see, to help bring everyone together." God smiled. "But it's no good, these days, standing on streetcorners yelling at passerby. I need a voice in respected scientific journals."

Judith nodded, an idea taking shape in her mind. "You want me to be a voice for the opressed peoples, right?"

"Not opressed as such. Neglected." God shrugged. "The people nobody even thinks of as people." She stood up again. "You've got a nice, subtle mind. You can write things that people will believe. And that's what I look for in a prophet these days."

Judith stared at the waves brushing the beach, and smiled.

God turned aside and began to walk away. Almost as an afterthought, she called over her shoulder, "So do we have a deal?"

"We do," Judith told her. "I'll take the job." She could get to like God, she thought, as long as the Tooth Fairy never showed up, and she returned to her sandcastle.