Shar-lil: World killer or world maker?
Unpublished draft, July 24, 2084
What can I say about the shar-lil? I found this creature when it was still an egg. Her shell was saturated in blood from a dark opji rite I still don’t understand.
I brought her home and named her Shar.
Months later, she hatched, but never discarded the entire shell. Instead, she wears it like armor. Soulful eyes peer through a lattice-work of smooth plating. Her liver-colored, three-pronged nose never stops snuffling. Fat feet let her pad around, when she’s not tumbling like a bowling ball. In short, Shar is insanely cute.
That’s what makes the reality of her purpose so mind-boggling. Shar is a Great Spirit. Some might call her a manitou or a deity. To me, she’s a baby who likes to roll on the floor and play with her toes.
But I must face the future. One day, Shar’s magic will grow to immense proportions. It will clash with the magic of our world and break this reality.
Before that happens, I must put aside my love for her and do the right thing. A barren world has been set aside to be filled by the shar-lil. There, her magic can blossom unrestrained. But I must be the one to exile her to this place. Only time will tell if I am strong enough.
For now, I will keep her safe from the powers that seek to use her for their nefarious ends. Because of these enemies, I may never publish this journal. I write it only for me. Maybe one day, when the danger has passed and Shar has grown into her vast potential, I will show the world this little bible about the first days of a new god.
Until then, I will keep my baby safe and hidden.