In the beginning, The Creator, Atua, made Le Lagi—heaven, and Lalo Lagi—earth. The
world was a vast and empty place, barely alive. There was no land, water, or life of any kind, but
Atua was not alone. Four young spirits helped The Creator make the earth; Afi: Spirit of Fire;
Suavai: Spirit of Water; Meaai: Spirit of the Garden; and Ao: Spirit of the Clouds. Atua gathered
them together and said, “My work is done. Yours can now begin.”

“Our work?” asked Ao.
“We created earth together, but it is yours to complete.”
“But how do we complete it?” Suavai asked.
“You can give your power to earth so it may survive and prepare for the coming of The
Tagata. If you choose to stay, they and the earth will live as you live.”
All the spirits of Le Lagi had heard of the coming of The Tagata—the humans—but did
not know when or where Atua would bring them forth.
“What if we wish to return to Le Lagi with you?” Afi asked.
“Then you will be granted the gift of forgetting. You will not remember earth.”
Meaai was confused. “Why would you not want us to remember our work here?”
“To remember a world unfinished, your heart would be restless and you would find no
happiness, even in Le Lagi.”
“What will happen to the earth if we leave?” asked Afi.
Atua’s arm swept across the sky and pointed to Mercury, Venus, and Mars. “The moment of
choice will soon be upon you, and once the work has begun, you must finish it.” Then, Atua
departed and returned to Le Lagi.

The Four stood alone on the barren surface of the earth.

“Do you feel that?” Afi asked. The Four quieted themselves as they all felt it, a beating
like a heart.
“What is it?” Meaai asked.
“I don’t know,” Afi replied, but it’s coming from beneath us, from the center of the earth.
“All life that Atua creates has The Light within,” explained Suavai. “It’s the beating heart
of the soul. The earth is alive so it must have The Light too, but Atua is no longer here. Do you
think The Light will go out without him present?”
“We need to travel to the center of the earth and see if that is true,” Afi said.

THE GRAY CLOUDS will be released 2030

©2021 All Rights Reserved