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He hoed the bean rows for the look of the thing The Great God Ood Oht, I've known that the Great God On in a fairly half-hearted as aagreat big beard in the sky, or soe bull or a lion orso you could look up to

So hardbut it isn't the sa him talk about the SeptArchs as if they were justjust some mad old menit's like a dream

In the rain-forests of Brutha's subconscious the butterfly of doubt e, all unaware of what chaos theory has to say about this sort of thing

"I feel a lot better now," said the tortoise "Better than I have forhave you beenill?"

The tortoise put its foot on a leaf

"What day is it?" it said

"Tenth of Grune," said Brutha

"Yes? What year?"

"ErNotional Serpentwhat do you mean, what year?"

"Thenthree years," said the tortoise "This is good lettuce And it's et lettuce up in the hills A bit of plantain, a thorn bush or two Let there be another leaf:"

Brutha pulled one off the nearest plant And lo, he thought, there was another leaf

"And you were going to be a bull?" he said

"Opened my eyesmy eyeand I was a tortoise"

"Why?"

"How should I know? I don't know!" lied the tortoise

"But youyou're onisant," said Brutha

"That doesn't "

Brutha bit his lip "Um Yes It does"

"You sure?"

"Yes"

"Thought that was omnipotent"

"No That means you're all-powerful And you are That's what it says in the Book of Ossory He was one of the Great Prophets, you know I hope," Brutha added

"Who told him I was omnipotent?"

"You did"

"No I didn't"

"Well, he said you did"

"Don't even remember anyone called Ossory," the tortoise muttered

"You spoke to hiht feet tall? With a very long beard? And a huge staff? And the glow of the holy horns shining out of his head?" He hesitated But he'd seen the statues and the holy icons They couldn't be wrong

"Never od Om

"Maybe he was a bit shorter," Brutha conceded

"Ossory Ossory," said the tortoise "Nonocan't say I-

"He said that you spoke unto him from out of a pillar of flame," said Brutha

"Oh, that Ossory," said the tortoise "Pillar of flame Yes"

"And you dictated to him the Book of Ossory," said Brutha "Which contains the Directions, the Gateways, the Abjurations, and the Precepts One hundred and ninety?three chapters"

"I don't think I did all that," said Om doubtfully "I'm sure I would have remembered one hundred and ninety-three chapters"

"What did you say to him, then?"

"As far as I can remember it was 'Hey, see what I can do!' " said the tortoise

Brutha stared at it It looked embarrassed, insofar as that's possible for a tortoise

"Even gods like to relax," it said

"Hundreds of thousands of people live their lives by the Abjurations and the Precepts!" Brutha snarled

"Well? I' them," said Om

"If you didn't dictate thenisant!"

Brutha was shaking with anger

"And the Prophet Abbys? I suppose soive him the Codicils, did they?"

"It wasn't me-

"They're written on slabs of lead ten feet tall!"

"Oh, well, it must have been me, yes? I always have a ton of lead slabs around in case I meet soive them to him, who did?" "I don't know Why should I know? I can't be everywhere at once!"

"You're omnipresent!"

"What says so?"

"The Prophet Hashimi!"

"Never ive him the Book of Creation, then?"

"What Book of Creation?"