Martin and the City God

One day, Martin the B Keeper and his good friend Rubber the E Raiser were in the city.

“Let’s go and visit the City God!” said Rubber.

“Really?” asked Martin, his voice muffled by a mouthful of hot jam donut.  “You can really visit a god here?”

“Yes, you can.” Said Rubber.  “He lives in that building at the end of the street.”

The building at the end of the street was the tallest in the whole city.  Martin was sure the top of it touched the clouds.

 

They walked together to the end of the street.  Martin stood at the base of the huge building and looked straight up.

“It looks like it is falling over!”  He cried.

“That is just an optical illusion.” Rubber reassured him.  “All tall buildings do that.”

“Oh.” Said Martin.

 

They walked through the enormous glass doors that opened all by themselves.  Inside it was very quiet.

“What is this god’s name?” whispered Martin as they walked on a white marble floor between rows of tall pink marble columns.  Their footsteps ticked and echoed in the quiet.

“His name is Share X. Change.” Rubber whispered back. 

“What’s the ‘X’ stand for?”

“Shhh.  We are coming to the Inner Sanctum.  You will see him speak.”

They went on in awed silence, and entered the Inner Sanctum.

 

Many people were there, but all you could hear was the occasional shuffling of feet.  Everyone stood.  There were no chairs or seats.  They were staring at a huge screen.  Martin stared too, watching the great god Share X Change speak.

 

Share made no sound when he spoke.  His words flowed across the big black screen in glowing red letters and numbers.  Martin could not understand any of it but he watched all the same, fascinated to see what a god might say.

 

After a time, Rubber tapped Martin on the elbow, and they turned and strolled quietly back down the colonnade.  Both seemed sunk in their own thoughts.

 

 

“Rubber…” Martin began, after they had found a café and bought hot coffee and iced donuts (for there is nothing in the world Martin loved more than donuts).

“Mmm?” said Rubber, sipping coffee through a mouthful.

“What does the god Share X Change do?  Is it like his name?  Does he share?”

Rubber thought for some time.  “Sort of.” He said finally.

 

“People bring to the god their money.  They will sell their belongings and bring the god the money they make.  They bring to him their hopes and their dreams and their families and they ask him to make them rich with things.”

 

“And is that what he does?” asked Martin.

“Sort of.  It is not that simple.” Rubber answered.

“Why not?”

“Well.” began Rubber “First you must learn the language Share speaks.  It is a code.  If you do not know how to read what he says, Share will take all you give him.

“Then you must learn to interpret what Share has said.  If you do not know exactly how and when to give him your money, Share will take all you give him.”

 

“Oh.” Said Martin.  “Is he always like that?”

“Oh no” said Rubber.  “Sometimes, when he is Riding the Bull, Share is generous with everyone, and gives to everyone who comes to him.  But sometimes he is Riding the Bull and it Crashes, and he must Ride the Bear.  Then he takes from everyone who comes anywhere near him.”

“Then why doesn’t everyone come to him when they see him on the bull?” Martin asked.

“Ah!  That is because no-one can actually see the great god Share riding the bull.  They can only tell if he is riding the Bull when he begins giving money to everyone.  They can only tell if he has crashed the Bull and is Riding the Bear when he takes money away from everyone.”

 

“So, you could bring everything you have to this god and give it to him and he might just take it all away or he might be very generous and you can never really know what he will do even if you learn the language he speaks and learn what he means when he speaks it?

“Doesn’t sound like a very fair god to me.” Martin decided.  “I do not think I will offer any of my money to this god.”

 

“No, nor will I.” said Rubber before muttering quietly “…ever again…”

 

And the two old friends ate their donuts and sipped their coffee, comfortably sunk in their own thoughts...