He had waited long enough. After all, no one should be kept from their supper, and he would hate to run too late.
"For anyone who's present today for my storytelling," Aziraphale began, touching his glasses nervously despite the steadiness and clarity of his voice, "I'm ready to begin. Thank you for coming," he added, nearly forgetting his manners.
He glanced down at the cover, smiling faintly. "I chose a book of folk and fairytales, and from that book I found a story called, The Aztec Sun. And without further delay - are you certain you're all comfortable? - I'll launch right in."
The angel assumed his storytelling voice as he spoke, measured and thoughtful words, gentle and strong by turns. He loved reading books (albeit it was usually quite silently) and he loved listening to himself, although he'd never admit that to Crowley.
"Before the Sun that now shines brightly over Mexico came into being, there had been other suns; four in all. Each died away in turn before our present Sun appeared." A beat.
"The fourth Sun, Chalchuitlicu, had been a water goddess, copper-coloured and dressed in emerald green. For hundreds of years she provided light and warmth; and in that time the first men and women appeared on Earth. But other gods grew jealous of the Sun God; some reproached her for giving fire to humans - for they did not always use it wisely." (Prometheus, the Inquisition, and my bookshop, Aziraphale agreed silently.)
"One night, the black God of Darkness," he continued, "began to torment the gentle copper Sun, saying that she had grown too vain and selfish. At this, Chalchuitlicu burst into tears and lost control of the waters thus released. The tears put our her light and then the sky rained down upon the earth in torrents.
"The land vanished into darkness beneath a mighty flood which drowned all human life: every man and woman turned into fish; all, that is, save one lone family which survived to start the human race again."
Aziraphale peered over the tops of his glasses to see who was smirking at the similarity of the story.
no subject
"For anyone who's present today for my storytelling," Aziraphale began, touching his glasses nervously despite the steadiness and clarity of his voice, "I'm ready to begin. Thank you for coming," he added, nearly forgetting his manners.
He glanced down at the cover, smiling faintly. "I chose a book of folk and fairytales, and from that book I found a story called, The Aztec Sun. And without further delay - are you certain you're all comfortable? - I'll launch right in."
The angel assumed his storytelling voice as he spoke, measured and thoughtful words, gentle and strong by turns. He loved reading books (albeit it was usually quite silently) and he loved listening to himself, although he'd never admit that to Crowley.
"Before the Sun that now shines brightly over Mexico came into being, there had been other suns; four in all. Each died away in turn before our present Sun appeared." A beat.
"The fourth Sun, Chalchuitlicu, had been a water goddess, copper-coloured and dressed in emerald green. For hundreds of years she provided light and warmth; and in that time the first men and women appeared on Earth. But other gods grew jealous of the Sun God; some reproached her for giving fire to humans - for they did not always use it wisely." (Prometheus, the Inquisition, and my bookshop, Aziraphale agreed silently.)
"One night, the black God of Darkness," he continued, "began to torment the gentle copper Sun, saying that she had grown too vain and selfish. At this, Chalchuitlicu burst into tears and lost control of the waters thus released. The tears put our her light and then the sky rained down upon the earth in torrents.
"The land vanished into darkness beneath a mighty flood which drowned all human life: every man and woman turned into fish; all, that is, save one lone family which survived to start the human race again."
Aziraphale peered over the tops of his glasses to see who was smirking at the similarity of the story.