The Glowing Stone

It was a phenomenal discovery. Liquid that glowed!

Mayapuri, a natural habitat that sheltered humans, animals and supernatural powers. It existed deep inside a forest nearby a river far away from cities and urbanisation And beyond time and tide.

This city was happily living a simple normal life. Some of them preferred family life, some of them preferred living in groups of like minded, and some of them had no choice but to stay put. Nobody ever felt the need for more, neither any absence nor any insufficiency . It was a content and self-sufficient town.

People started noticing a difference in potential of few youngsters among them. They were spread here and there, their powers was that, they could create an entirely new artefact using various elements or things, and give it a form, name, use etc.

They were identified and appreciated.

Slowly every one of them came together made an association, started their inventions and called their functional group as "Artizans"  

These were a group of people who practised supernatural powers.

This was a new evolution among human intellect. It passed through twists & turns and ups & downs before it was recognised as a profession just like, Farmers, Carpenters, Priests, Statecraft leaders (gov and politicians), Shield guards (police and army), Architects, Labourers, Accountants etc. Like wise Artizans  

But they were not given significant position in society because their products and services were so different and illusionistic that it was of no significant use to common people. Like a glowing ball.

The discovery of a shining liquid was not very popular until it was put to use especially to help common man.

This was a city where Magic was banished. Magicians were outcast. They were Sad and Angry for they could help people live better but in turn they were condemned.

Somehow these 2 independent professions worked and hardly survived until they met each other and were left wondering about each other's work.

Magicians wanted their never-ending exile to end and gain respect in their locale (Mayapuri) they called it their home and Artizans wanted their work to be as significant as others in the village. So both of them wanted to contribute something to public and earn their respective positions.

One day it happened, a couple of magicians visited the workshop of Artizans to learn what artizans were upto and see if they could buy anything of their use. Magicians met many artisans and watched what everyone of them did for a long time and reached a corner, where a couple of artisans were discussing something very deep. Magicians thought not to disturb them for a moment but then anyway artizans could discuss after magicians were gone (little did they know of what it offered them) and so magicians approached them. Magicians noticed everyone sitting there, was vibrant and high in capacity for finding a solution for whatever their problem was, but they [artizans] were not in present, magicians knew artizans were all busy imagining that which is neither past nor present or future,! It was just the made up scenes. And they were communicating it to each other.

(Basically discussing we will do that we will do this ... tass puss etc)

When artizans saw the magicians approaching they became alert and ready to greet. For some time both the group's discussed on how and what their role or work was and how they were useful. After sometime topic slipped on how villagers treated both the groups and slowly on their goal and future plans etc.

Artizans said they produced wonderful objects which helped them do work by making the "object" do their work, thus their work is reduced and all they had to do is handle the object. Their goal was to secure a position in village and prove they are worth some respect. Objects like Calculator.

Magicians explained that they chanted some spells and they could know things that are not expressed or said and also they could compel people to do what's good for themselves and thus protect and save people from dangers caused by their own deeds. Their goal was also to earn respect for their special talent and given their place in their home.

Artizans and magicians very much liked each other's company and promised each other to meet often here and there and exchange goods and services.

This went on for some time. They were now a group of 6 with 3 magicians and 3 artisans.

One day while just chilling on chilly evening all of them started boasting about their work and the best piece they had ever made, the list went on and on and on.

During the discussion a magician explained about how he could see and feel what the villagers were doing and that he could help them do better or work better for themselves. He said he could create a Wave of Light by using his special recipe potion (Glowing Liquid) which would last for a few seconds and he saw all he wished to see about the villagers through it. But the liquid was scarce and not available easily but had to be prepared using various elements which were also found in scarce.

Right then an artisan cried out loud in surprise and said he found a diamond like material on peaks of the mountain. At first he thought it was diamond but then it broke when hit the ground hard so he made small containers out of it and stored all the liquid grease he uses on his artefacts. When observed he found that liquids don't get over, or did not reduce  in quantity even after using several times.

So it clicked! Individually they were failing to achieve their goals, now they found a way together to make their dreams come true.

Everyone of them started working hard, days and nights to form an object combining both best of the best discoveries and make it work.

After 4 long months of hard work, they came up with an object which was circle shaped hollow inside and it glowed bright wen the magic potion was poured in.

Magicians started explaining how their magic works on this device. Once a person holds the glowing ball it collects all information from him , stores aside and displays whatever the person is willing to see. Like a Witch/Warlock Ball.

They all looked at it and saw, some people ploughing land, few sitting and chattering beside a tea stall, some of them gossiping about other villagers, children playing and fighting, some of them lost in deep thoughts on how life should be lived and rest others just carry on daily chores.

It was a wonderful instrument to introduce it to the villagers and become a part of it officially.

So they called for a gathering on a new moon evening. All villagers came with too little enthusiasm than they expected. The presentation started, Magicians and artisans gave their full capacity and were successful in obtaining everybody's undivided attention on the glowing ball, then heads of the village made a private discussion and decided that each of the head of village will buy the object for better judgement and as proof of acts.

This helped a lot in spreading justice and giving proper punishments to real culprits.

It was a win win to both villagers and magicians+artisans, they were looked at with wonder now and were most intelligent of all.

Easily youngsters were drawn towards magicians and artisans and started taking interest in learning it and making it a profession. So the shift began, eventually magicians were the most wanted profession, all other professions started losing strength and demand.

So when there were more than required magicians and artisans, it was decided that every head of each profession will hold each of the glowing ball and started manufacturing them in large quantities.

Slowly it shifted to head of every family (a cluster of 5 houses and min 30 ppl) and then over to each house in the neighbourhood.

It became a culture to sit together and watch the glowing ball for an hour or two in every house. Where everyone had consensus on what and who to watch. Some of them watched their distant neighbours! Some of them their relatives and friends and competitors etc

This continued for some time and conflicts started when each one of them wanted to see different set of people as they all had their own lives outside the house. This divided everyone in the house.

So wen this increase in demand was witnessed,

Artisans proposed to design smaller objects and distribute to each one of them in village. It took long time to reach but eventually everyone had a Glowing Stone including small children.

Everybody watched what their friends family colleagues partners were doing and felt like the controller/Lord of all. When in reality everyone was living in fear of being watched, hence no one ever lived for living but for fear of not being good enough when watched!

The Glowing stone would break wen dropped and the potion would lose its power after certain time say a year. Either way they had to buy new.

Magicians and artisans were now jobless. Though they had to manufacture balls and stones once in a while they were bored and jobless, so they started showing people once in a week, where people were going wrong and how they could make a better living.

This was through the glowing ball every house had and not by directly interacting with villagers. After some time this became a full time job of magicians.

Now people had 2 things, what the magicians would show and watching over others. It became so intense and addictive that people spent hours and hours looking at it. There was drastic decrease in activities people conducted, and spent more and more time on watching. This went on for a long time.

So magicians were busy and artisans had to do something. So they started manufacturing objects that made their work easy. They built objects that would do everything that a human being does. Ploughing, cooking, cleaning, carpentry and etc and etc. They also built objects which served humans on spot without moving. Eating bathing etc was done with help of objects without moving.

Imagine people not moving yet things happened and lost in the world of Glowing Stone.

It was a mystery to the world where the mayapuri was lost. There was no sign of people of mayapuri. Had it all burned off in wildfire.!? Or did it lose unity and people left off to other cities.!? Or did everyone die with a disease.!? Or what happened.!?

It was this. The whole village was lost in the world of glowing stone. Where no one actually did anything or lived but lost in stone.

Then who were they watching upon.!?

No one, Maya.

Now they saw what magicians showed them, but disguised as actual people working on something.

Magicians took over and managed to show both their magic and what people wanted to see of other people. Everything was Maya. There were no people living but only Maya broadcasted by magicians as if people lived lives when in reality there was no one living. And they dint even know if they were actually watching people or Maya.

And that's how Mayapuri became a Maya itself as if it never existed...