The Dark Design by Phillip Jose Farmer

“After many years, perhaps several generations as we knew generations on Earth, we would come to the end of The River, where it empties into a hole in the base of the mountains that ring the top of this world.

“There, we would go through the underworld, a great dark cavern, and then we would come out into a bright sea surrounding a land where we would live forever in peace and happiness with the gods and goddesses themselves.

“But before the raft was launched we must make a statue of the god Rushhub and set it upon the raft and worship it as the symbol of Rushhub. So do not say, as so many have said, that we are idolaters who mistake the physical symbol for the body of the god itself.”

Burton thought the man was crazy, though he was discreet enough not to say so. He and his crew had fallen into the hands of fanatics. Fortunately, the god had told Metusael that his worship­pers must harm no one unless it was in self-defense. However, he knew from experience that “self-defense” could mean whatever a person or group wanted it to mean.

“Rushhub himself told me that just before we enter the under­world, we must break the idol into little bits and cast them into The River. He did not say why we should do so. He merely said that by the time we reach the cavern, we will understand.”

“That is all very well for you,” Burton said. “But you are responsible for destroying our boat. Also, we have lost our grails.”

“I am indeed sorry, but there is little I can do for you. What happened to you is the will of Rushhub.”

Burton felt like striking the man in his face. Mastering himself, he said, “Three of my people are too injured at the moment to move them very far. Could you at least give us a boat so we could get to shore?”

Metusael glared with fierce black eyes, and. he pointed at the island..

“There is the shore, and there is a foodstone. I will see that your injured are placed there, and we will give you some dried fish and acorn bread. In the meantime, please do not trouble me with any more requests. I have work to do. We must get our raft back into The River. Rushhub told me that we should not delay our journey for any reason whatsoever.

“If we take too long, we may find the gates to the land of the gods forever shut. Then we will be left to howl at the gates and repent in vain for our lack of faith and determination.”

At that moment Burton decided that anything he did would be justified. These people owed him much, and he owed them nothing.

Metusael had walked away. Now he stopped suddenly, pointing at Monat, who had just come out of the building.

“What is that?”

Burton walked up to him and said,’ “That is a man from another world. He and some of his kind traveled from a distant star to Earth. This was over a hundred years after I died, perhaps four thousand years after you died. He came in peace, but the people of Earth discovered that he had a… drug which could keep people from aging. They demanded that he tell them its secret, but he refused. He said that Earth people had enough problems as it was with overpopulation. Besides, a person should not be given the chance to live forever unless that person was worthy of it.”

”He was wrong then,” Metusael said. “The gods have given us a chance to live forever.” ‘

“Yes, in a way. Though, according to your religion, only a very small group, just those on this raft, will become truly immortal. Am I right?”

“It seems hard,” Metusael said. “But that is the way it is, and who are we to question the motives and methods of the gods?”

“It is, however, a fact that we only know what the gods desire through human beings who speak for them. I have never met a person yet whose motives and methods I would not question.”