September 23, 2025 • 29 mins
Hello fellow Mortals!
In this episode, I read-aloud my first ever publication, a short story called "Before Gods". This is a Cronos and Rhea Greek myth retelling envisioned in a way that 'might' have actually happened in humanity's pre-historical past.
"Before Gods" was first published by Brigids Gate Press in their anthology Musings of the Muses, along with 64 other short stories and poems by amazing authors.
Visit my Book List on Bookshop.org through the following link to purchase this anthology and read the other awesome stories on your own.
(purchasing through this link may provide me with a small commission).
https://bookshop.org/a/117273/9781957537030
If you would like to support this podcast, you can buy me a coffee through my ko-fi page:
https://ko-fi.com/authormjpankey
Learn more about me and my other published works at:
https://mjpankey.com
MJ Pankey retains all rights to her work. Any works created by other authors that feature on MJ Pankey Reads have been granted express permission by the author and publisher to be read on the podcast.
For ad-free episodes, join a membership tier on her Ko-Fi page at: https://ko-fi.com/authormjpankey/tiers
Subscribe to MJ Pankey's website at https://mjpankey.com
You can purchase MJ Pankey's novels at https://books.by/muse-and-quill-press
Purchase all MJ's recommended titles at https://bookshop.org/shop/MJPankeyReads
In this episode, I read-aloud my first ever publication, a short story called "Before Gods". This is a Cronos and Rhea Greek myth retelling envisioned in a way that 'might' have actually happened in humanity's pre-historical past.
"Before Gods" was first published by Brigids Gate Press in their anthology Musings of the Muses, along with 64 other short stories and poems by amazing authors.
Visit my Book List on Bookshop.org through the following link to purchase this anthology and read the other awesome stories on your own.
(purchasing through this link may provide me with a small commission).
https://bookshop.org/a/117273/9781957537030
If you would like to support this podcast, you can buy me a coffee through my ko-fi page:
https://ko-fi.com/authormjpankey
Learn more about me and my other published works at:
https://mjpankey.com
MJ Pankey retains all rights to her work. Any works created by other authors that feature on MJ Pankey Reads have been granted express permission by the author and publisher to be read on the podcast.
For ad-free episodes, join a membership tier on her Ko-Fi page at: https://ko-fi.com/authormjpankey/tiers
Subscribe to MJ Pankey's website at https://mjpankey.com
You can purchase MJ Pankey's novels at https://books.by/muse-and-quill-press
Purchase all MJ's recommended titles at https://bookshop.org/shop/MJPankeyReads
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:10):
Welcome fellow Mortals to MJ. Pankey Read's podcast. This podcast
exists for me to read aloud my books. If you
enjoy listening to audiobooks, you can listen along for free.
So thank you so much again for your time and attention,
and I hope you enjoy the show. We are reading
(00:40):
Before God's Today. This work was first published by Verges
Skate Press and the anthology Musings of the Muses. I
wrote this during the pandemic, and this was my first
completed story. I did not really have the confidence that
(01:01):
I needed to finish the novel that I was working
on at the time, and several of my friends were
writing short stories and so I decided to give it
a shot. And Before God's is what came of it,
and it got published. So that was a super confidence boost.
And I'm still really proud of this story five years on.
(01:26):
So I'm going to read it for you and I
hope that you enjoy it as well. It's cold down there, CRANEU,
they'll freeze. Ray wrung her hands, her chest tightening as
(01:47):
she stared at the hole in the ground, like the
mouth of a great monster opening to swallow her children. Ray,
we can't risk them sneaking off in the middle of
the night again. It's too dangerous. Ray shivered, watching helplessly
as Cronus snatched up their children and fed them one
by one into the cavern. First, Esta, then Demet Harry.
(02:08):
Heedy sighed on their little faces scrunched up in confusion,
as if unsure whether the dark hole was more frightening
or their father's mood. Ray didn't know either. Croneu reached
for cess, grabbing the boy under the arms and lifting
him so they could see each other eye to eye.
Cronou's gaze was fierce, yet gentle. This one is going
to get me killed. I won't do it again, father,
(02:30):
I promise, Sas said, his eyes sharp and resolute. He
had only seen six migrations, but his determination already rivaled Cronus's. No,
you won't. Croneu lowered him down, then dropped in the
mammoth skin they had slept under as a family just yesterday.
Ray knelt, looking one final time into their terrified eyes.
(02:51):
Cronus squatted beside her, his head bobbing methodically as he
counted to make sure all six of their children were
there safe. Satisfied, he relaxed back on his heels and
smiled warmly at them. Good night, little ones. Six pairs
of big, wide eyes peered back, echoing calls of good night.
(03:11):
Ray could see they were trying to be brave. Her
children had never been separated from her before ever. Croneu
motioned her back, then rolled a giant stone over the opening.
The tiny faces disappeared, swallowed up into the earth's gaping jaws.
Ray stifled a gasp, clenching her fists tight, her insides
(03:32):
twisting at the sudden emptiness, the cold void that surrounded her.
Instead of her smiling children, crone turned to her and
rubbed her shoulders comfortingly. They'll have each other and the
furs for warmth, and there's a stream down there for
them to drink from. They'll be safe. Ray peered around
him at the giant rock. Doubtfully, they don't have me.
(03:54):
As if in answer, a muffled cry vibrated up from
beneath the earth. Her heart leaped into her throat. She
rushed forward, desperate to get to them, but Cronell's grip
clenched painfully around her arm, stopping her no. Ray His
angry tones startled her. She studied the dangerous flicker in
his eyes, deciding if she was more afraid of being
(04:15):
without her children or of Croneu's rage if she fought back,
but she knew he wouldn't relent, and the stone was
much too heavy for her to move on her own.
I don't like this. There must be another way, she said, tears, finally,
pushing over the rims of her eyes. We've considered everything, Ray,
you know there isn't. She trained her gaze on his,
(04:37):
grasping for anything to contradict him. But before she could speak,
a loud howl broke through the calm dusk. Both instinctively
crouched their eyes, darting to locate the danger. Ray looked
again at the giant rock cut a wild beast. Nothing
will be able to move it, Cronall assured, as though
reading her mind. He tugged on her elbow. Come reluctantly.
(05:00):
Ray hurried after him up the rocky slope to the
safety of their own cave, a hole in the side
of the mountain which was only accessible by scaling down
the steep cliff side and shuffling sideways underneath a sharp
protective overhang. It had kept Cronuwan Ray safe from wild
beasts for many years, and their children too. Ray had
berthed and nursed each baby, watched them grow until they
(05:23):
were old enough to climb out on their own to
help Cronu collect food. Cronaw and Ray had thought it
was the safest place on earth. That is, until Cess
and hery had climbed out one night on their own.
A poke to the shoulder coaxed Khirrie's eyes open. Cess
(05:47):
brown orbs crinkled at the edges. A big grin spread
across his face as he pressed his finger against his lips.
Herry sat up and rubbed a sleep from her eyes.
Half of her wanted to flop back down on her
warm wolf skin and drift off again, the other half
piqued with curiosity and excitement at the bold plan they
devised earlier. She followed Cess gaze over the forms of
(06:07):
their siblings, snuggled together and snoring softly. Their parents sleeping
near the entrance of the cave made her wriggle from
a sudden chill. They would be furious if they woke up.
Harry slinked up into a crouch and nodded at Cess,
Whatever the consequences if they were caught, She was sure
a few tears and a poudy lip would soften the punishment.
It always did. Cess smiled back and took the first
(06:30):
tiptoe across the granite floor. Harry followed, stepping carefully in
between Esta and Sidon's feet, around the stack of reeds
gathered for a new basket, and over the pile of
stones collected to make spear points. Knocking one of those
would be the end of their adventure. Obstacles behind them.
Herry glanced back and slowly released the breath she had
been holding. No one in the cave stirred. She shared
(06:52):
a triumphant grin with Cess, then peeked over the edge
to the wide world. Stars sparkled outside, and light from
the moon illuminated the empty plains hundreds of feet below,
casting scraggly shadows from the sparse trees. Cess reached around
the left side of the cave opening and grasped the
first rock hold. Another chill raced down her spine as
(07:13):
a new thought struck her, how much noise did climbing make.
She hadn't paid attention before the morning climb was always
one of excitement and bustle, but now Harry flinched as
Cess swung away and began to climb out of sight,
sending a few grains of sand skittering downward. Herry glanced
nervously at their parents to make sure they were still asleep,
(07:34):
before carefully following her little brother's path out and up.
The plan to sneak out and get a real look
at the world had seemed so exciting this morning, But
as she climbed in the cold dark, placing her hands
and feet by sheer memory, anxiety threatened to chase her
back down to her warm wolf skin Harry. The dark
silhouette of Cess face against the backdrop of a billion
(07:56):
stars erased all doubts she had of returning. Cess grabbed
her arm and helped her up on to the flat
plateau at the top of their mountain. Herry was stunned
at the beautiful world before her. She had never seen
the whole night sky from outside the cave. She felt
unsteady looking at it, disoriented, mesmerized, swallowed by it, awed
(08:18):
by how powerful she felt suspended between earth and sky.
Cs interlaced his fingers with hers and gave her a
gentle squeeze, bringing her awareness to the earth, where the
crickets chirped. His breathing was fast and steady. Beside her.
One sparkle straight above dislodged from his place and sped
across the sky, leaving a bright trail behind it. Here,
(08:38):
he gasped and squeezed Cess back. Come on. She tugged
him further away from the edge to stretch out on
the ground. Snuggling into the crook of his arm, she
pointed and giggled. Its More stars soared across the sky.
I can't believe father and mother never let us see
this before, Cess whispered, hugging her close. It's so beautiful.
Look at that one. Here, he whispered, shooting her hand
(09:01):
up at a long streak that trailed almost to the
edge of the earth. Cess's fingers clamped suddenly around her shoulder,
jolting her out of her joy. Herey, he hissed. A
rebuke was on her tongue, but ces shiver beneath her
hands stopped her short. The crickets weren't chirping any more.
They sat up. A shuffling noise flooded Harry's senses. Every
(09:23):
muscle suddenly tensed. Something was coming from the winding path
down the side of the mountain. In front of them,
a rock dislodged and plummeted down the slope. Cess grasped
Harry's arm as he scrambled to his feet, pulling her
up with him. They hurried over to the ledge to
begin their descent back to the safety of the cave,
but they didn't reach it before the shoulders of a
(09:43):
monstrous beast rose above the plateau's edge. In front of them.
A large razor laden paw stamped onto the flat earth.
Heree come on Cese tugged at her wrist, but she
was frozen in place. A snarling snout and gleaming green
eyes appeared. He set onto a large bristly head with
spiked ears. Soliva dripped from fangs longer than her arm.
(10:07):
Droplets glittered in the moonlight and made tiny mudcakes. For
they fell. Hereee. The great creature growled at her, flexing
its claws out and scarring the ground. Its jaws opened
and turned to the heavens, releasing an earth shaking roar.
Here he felt the warm wet down her legs. Paralysis
scripped her, squeezing a whimper from her lungs. Cess scrambled
(10:29):
behind her as The beast reared back, tensing to pounce.
A stone sailed over Herry's shoulder, lifting a strand of
her hair. It hit the monster in the eye. A
high pitched shriek of anger and pain resounded from its throat.
It stepped back down the path and shook its head
roared again. Cess threw another stone, a larger one. It
hit the beast in the shoulder. Another shriek. Hereee climb.
(10:53):
Cess hurled another rock. The creature lunged, half blinded. Its
paw swiped through the air. The moon lit claws painted
an arc across the sky. Cess leaped back, narrowly dodging
the attack. Something heavy rammed against Harry from behind, knocking
her feet out from under her. She pitched forward and
caught herself on her hands. Dust plumed up into her
(11:14):
eyes and mouth. She spit and shook her head, eyes burning,
skin crawling in anticipation of unseen claws ripping her to shreds.
Another shriek from the monster was met by a loud,
thunderous cry. A new beast of prey on the scene,
cronew Harry flipped over Croneu's feet were wide before the monster.
His long spear raised in one hand and his club
(11:35):
in the other. Their mother appeared beside him, club in hand,
panting from her frenzied climb. The monster roared and lunged
for Croneu. Its jaws clamped around Croneu's spear and snapped
the shaft like a twig. Weapons and arms descended in
a blur of strikes, yells and shrieks blared, Blood splattered
on the loose dirt. The monster shouldered its way out
(11:57):
from between her parents and pounced closer to set. Its
long thick tail swung, knocking Ray off balance. Croneu lunged
at it with a loud cry, swinging his club at
its head. The monster whipped around, crashing its rump into
Ray and slinging her across the plateau, nearly over the edge.
Paws slashed at Croneu, who dodged the fatal blows, but
twisted his foot on a stone and stumbled. The beast leapt,
(12:21):
opening its jaws to devour her father's whole head. Harry
screamed and covered her face. There was a startled yelp.
Unexpectedly non human. Harry lowered her hands from her eyes.
Cess stood over their father his arm was inside the
beast's mouth all the way to his spindly elbow. Wicked
fangs pressed up against Cess torso blood gushed onto Kroneu
(12:43):
and Cess's legs. Had it eaten Ces's arm? Why had
everything suddenly stopped? The monster slumped to the earth, sliding
off Ce's arm to reveal the broken spear point in
his hand. For a moment, everything was still and quiet.
Then Cronu kicked the dead beast away and stood. Blood
dripped from his body and pulled on the ground. He
(13:05):
glanced at their mother, then at Harry. The look in
his eyes sapped every shred of relief that they had
survived this. Their father grasped Cess by the neck and
threw him down, growling in rage. Ceses yelpt, crawling in
retreat toward Harry. He grasped her hand, renewed fear, shaking
them both. Cronu no Crona's finger raised to their mother,
(13:26):
commanding her silence, then pointed at Cess and hery you
you will be the death of me, of all of us.
This cannot stand, This cannot go unpunished. Harry squeezed Ces's hand,
remembering their earlier joy under the brilliant stars. But father,
I killed it. You will not challenge me, Crono bellowed.
(13:47):
Herry wrapped her arms around Sess. Even in the face
of Cronu's rage and disappointment, she wasn't sorry. The joyless
eyes of her children as they crawled out of the
pit sharpened the ache and raised chest. One by one,
(14:09):
they emerged and trudged toward the basket of fruits and
cooked meat. The seasons had cycled twice since the incident.
What was supposed to be a temporary punishment had turned
into something. Krono became increasingly reluctant to end, despite Ray
and the children's constant Please, they haven't learned their lesson yet,
he said at first. As time went on, predators are migrating.
(14:31):
Now let's wait more recently. Keeping them down there protects
us too. Though his words made some sense, Ray began
to notice a change in the children that made her
heart heavy. They had grown taller but thinner. Their muscles
were withered, and their shoulders hunched. In the gathering dusk,
they appeared even more ghastly than usual. A new realization
struck her. They're dying. Krono scanned the landscape for wild beasts,
(14:56):
barely noticing that his children were even there. He's killing them, Croneu.
He continued to watch for danger, as though he hadn't
heard her. She grasped his hand in a sudden burst
of desperation and anger, digging her nails into his palm. Croneu.
He wrenched his hand away and pulled her back, his
features pinching together in a scowl. What we can't make
(15:17):
them go back down there? Look at them? No? Defiance
swelled within her, Croneu. They go back. The loud bellows
stirred a few nesting crows to flight from the cliff
above them. Cronuv's chest heaved angrily as he leaned toward her.
She stayed silent, and he waved his hand dismissively at
the children. Hurry up and eat and get back down there.
(15:37):
The vagadons will be coming out soon. He turned back
to his watch, clenching his club with white knuckles. Indignant
rage and resentment, heeded her body, the loving father she
had trusted with the well being of their children. Could
he be so blind to the harm he was causing them?
The real threat isn't a beast, it's you. Guilt and
grief nodded inside of her. She clinched her jaw, biting
(16:00):
back tears that threatened to consume her. If she let
even one fall, she would crumple to the ground. Ray's
sight lighted on Cess, the last to climb out of
the pit. His shriveled muscles were tensed, his eyes bright
and alert. The other children sat sullen around the baskets
of food. But Cess Cess had a defiant spirit that
was not broken, A true leader. A wistful smile tugged
(16:23):
at her lips. Crono had been like him once. Crono,
he hadn't seen their youngest child yet. Maybe she caught
cess gaze and flicked her chin to the large boulders
at the base of the mountain. Confusion creased cess forehead
for just a moment before he bolted into a soft
footed sprint to hide. She watched until he was out
(16:43):
of sight. She could save one child to day tomorrow,
she would save them all somehow. She turned back around
and froze. Here he was watching them, A piece of
meat dangling in her hand on its way to her
open mouth. Ray waited for her daughter to alert Croneu,
but she returned to eating like nothing had happened. Renewed
(17:04):
confidence surged within Ray. Cronew no longer understood what was
needed to protect their children, and hearing knew it too.
She examined the faces of her other children, catching the
dark looks they tossed at their father's back. They all
knew it. Do they feel the same about me? She
suddenly felt sick. How could they not? What had she
done to protect them from this monster? Enough? Get back inside.
(17:28):
Croneu's gruff voice made Ray jump. The children shuffled to
their feet and trudged back, sliding one by one down
the throat of their slow, devouring doom. Croneu's gaze followed
them from where he stood watch head bobbing methodically as
he counted. He frowned, where is cess? Ray swallowed down
her panic and leaned over the opening. He's already down there, Croneu.
(17:49):
There was a pause, and for a moment she thought
he would trust her, But then she heard his footsteps approaching.
The children looked around for sess, confused looks passing between them,
Croneu almost beside her. Her attention darted to the dark
corner of the sleeping area, where an elongated boulder sat
Herey followed her gaze and strode forward, grabbing her wolf
skin from the ground and throwing it over the boulder.
(18:12):
She knelt beside it, firing a warning glare at her
bewildered siblings to keep silent. Croneu reached Ray and squatted
beside her. His hot breath raised the bumps on her
shoulder as he peered down. Terror and excitement danced wildly
through Ray's veins as she extended a long finger. He's
over there, his eyes narrowed. Where right here? Father? Don't
(18:33):
you see him? Hery interjected, rubbing her hand over the
fur covered boulder with soothing strokes. She inclined her head
toward the rock. What's that, says? Oh, he says he's unwell.
There there, says just rest. I'll make sure side On
leaves you something to eat. Cronu didn't move for a
long time. No one did, except for Harry, who still
(18:54):
smoothed her bony hand lovingly over the stone. Ray swallowed,
too afraid to look at kronut hiss see if he
believed them, could he hear her pounding heart. Finally, Cronus
stood and nodded to Herry take care of him daughter.
He braced himself against the great stone to shut them in.
Ray released her breath, smiling down at herri They'd done it, father,
(19:16):
Ray and Cronu both whirled around. There stood Cess. Panic
fluttered and raised chest. Beads of sweat ran down Cess
torso as though he'd been running all this time. His
hand was hiding something behind his back. Ray glinpsed the
tip of Cronu's broken spear point he'd bend to the
mountain cave. Cess Cronus's surprised face crumpled into a beastly scowl.
(19:38):
He pushed himself off the boulder and charged toward his
youngest son. You will never learn your lesson. Cronus stretched
out his hand to grab Cess and throw him into
the pit. Ces Duck left, lunged forward, plunged his weapon
into Cronus's side, and wrenched it free in three fluid movements.
Ray watched petrified as Cronus stumbled, grasping the wound in
(19:59):
pain and shock. Was it enough? Croneu's eyes raised to Cess,
raised blood froze in her veins. She recognized that look.
She had seen it when the beast had cornered Cess
and heiy on the plateau. A predator had come to
devour their family, and Croneu was going to kill it.
Cronu lurched forward, capturing Cess by the neck and raising
(20:20):
him up with a monstrous growl. Cess dangled and kicked,
driving the knife down into Cronou's arm, but his blows
merely glanced off the hard sinews. Cronus slapped the knife
away with his other hand, sending it flying through the air.
It landed near Ray Cronoeu no. Ray screamed. Cronu ignored her,
gnashing his teeth and squeezing even harder. Cess began to choke.
(20:43):
She grabbed the broken spearhead and buried it in Croneu's belly,
driving downward through the flesh. Bowels and blood spilled onto
the dirt, slipping into the pit with a sickening splatter.
Screams resounded hauntingly from below. Croneu dropped Sess in a
heap and slumped onto the ground, gasping, choking, convulsing. His
bloodshot eyes locked on to Ray as they froze over
(21:05):
and death. Ray dropped to her knees beside Cess and
gathered him in her arms. She held him tight as
he coughed and spluttered, sobbing against her sh you're safe, now,
you're all safe. Come out, children, You're free. Sidon emerged
first from the belly of the earth, crawling through the
viscera of Crona with wide, disbelieving eyes. Next came Hey,
(21:26):
then Harry, who went immediately to ceess and threw her
arms around him. Then Demt and lastly Esta. Ray's children
huddled around her, crying and sobbing. She hugged and kissed
each one, stretching out her arms and pulling them all close.
Their expressions weren't visible through her tears, but she could
feel their warmth surrounding her. They were alive, they were free.
Speaker 2 (21:47):
You're safe now, my darlings, you're safe.
Speaker 1 (22:01):
The idea for this story first came to me. I
don't even remember when, but I started seeing similarities between
myths of different cultures around the world. For example, there
are countless numbers of cultures that have a flood story.
(22:26):
For example, nearly all of them have a creation story
of some kind. Some of them have you know, all
of them have heroes obviously of people who have done
you know, amazing things and legendary things, and have received
gifts from the gods and whatnot, and a lot of
(22:46):
them are very similar. And so I started to think, like,
what if these stories, you know, actually happened in real life.
And the reason why all these cultures have aversion is
because these are stories that came from the first group
(23:07):
of people that were kind of all together, you know,
before people disseminated into different tribes and scattered all over
the world. Maybe maybe some of these myths are from
our original ancestors, you know, and just through the telephone game,
and you know how things get passed along orally, details
(23:30):
change and names change and circumstances get tweaked a little bit,
but at the core, there's that original story, that that
truthful story that's there. And so I started to think
about that and tried to imagine what would that story
(23:51):
of Chronos and Rhea and Chronos eating his children, you know,
the original Greek myth he eats his children and then
Raya gives him a stone to eat disguised instead of Zeus,
and Kronos eats the stone, he just swallows it without
(24:13):
even really looking at it because he's so used to
it by now, because he's already swallowed all those other children,
and so he just swallows it without thinking. But Raya
hid Zeus away, and so Zeus grows up. And then
you know, there's a couple of different versions in the
myth where he either forces Kronos to eat something that
(24:34):
makes him throw up his siblings, or he you know,
cuts him open and they all come out of his stomach.
So there's a couple of different versions. I think the
most commonly accepted one is that Cronus throws them all up.
And so I started to think, like, how in the
world could that story have derived from something that actually happened.
(25:00):
And that's where I started to imagine this prehistoric family
living in the caves and they have found this cave
that they are, you know, they feel safe in. But
there's something obviously happens to where Kronos believes that Zeus
(25:20):
is going to get them all killed or that he's
going to be the death of him specifically, and you know,
and then of course, what's up with the swallowing thing,
like how does he eat his children? How did that verbiage?
How did that part of the story get so distorted
(25:40):
to where he you know, in ancient Greece times and
the bronze age, and you know, when those stories were
written down, how did that become he physically ate his children,
you know. So I those are the things that kind
of went through my head, and that's that's how this
story was derived. And some of the other elements that
(26:03):
I added in, I had added them in two set
up further stories of myths that I believed, you know,
could have happened in our very distant past, and like,
what are the the true pieces of those things that
might have actually happened that just got distorted and you know,
(26:26):
changed over time as the stories were passed from generation
to generation. So there are a few easter eggs in
here of things that could become other stories in this
same vein. I just I have not devoted a lot
of time to it because I ended up getting all
(26:46):
the confidence I needed to finish my first full length
novel and publish that. And I've also published a second
book in the series, and I have a children's book
coming out as well, and so like all of those
things have kind of, you know, consumed my attention among
other things, and I just I haven't gotten back around
to this, But this idea still lives in my head
(27:07):
and I would definitely love to continue writing stories about
this and exploring these myths in ways that are possible
to have actually happened in prehistory. So anyways, I hope
that you have enjoyed this reading. It's not perfect by
(27:31):
any means, so I hope you'll forgive the the little
hiccups here and there in the audio, but I also
hope that you've enjoyed it. If you have, please tell
your friends like share and get the word out, and
I will be reading more of my own works in
(27:52):
the future in future episodes, so please subscribe if you
want to hear me read more and you know, talk
about more why I'm writing Greek myth or whatever. I mean.
This is a brand new podcast. I'm not exactly sure
where this is going to go. I have lots of
ideas of things that I would love talk about on
my podcast and discuss. I have a lot of ideas
(28:15):
for inviting special guests and things on to have discussions.
So we'll just see what happens. We'll see what happens,
and I hope you will join me for the journey.
And if you would like to support me in this
podcast or in my writing, you can join my cofi page,
(28:36):
or you can buy me a coffee on my coffee
page and follow me on my website and all my
socials and all of that other stuff if you'd like.
So yeah, thank you so much and I will see
you next time. Mortals. Thank you so much for listening
to this episode of MJ Panky Reads. If the Muses
(28:57):
inspire you, always
Welcome fellow Mortals to MJ. Pankey Read's podcast. This podcast
exists for me to read aloud my books. If you
enjoy listening to audiobooks, you can listen along for free.
So thank you so much again for your time and attention,
and I hope you enjoy the show. We are reading
(00:40):
Before God's Today. This work was first published by Verges
Skate Press and the anthology Musings of the Muses. I
wrote this during the pandemic, and this was my first
completed story. I did not really have the confidence that
(01:01):
I needed to finish the novel that I was working
on at the time, and several of my friends were
writing short stories and so I decided to give it
a shot. And Before God's is what came of it,
and it got published. So that was a super confidence boost.
And I'm still really proud of this story five years on.
(01:26):
So I'm going to read it for you and I
hope that you enjoy it as well. It's cold down there, CRANEU,
they'll freeze. Ray wrung her hands, her chest tightening as
(01:47):
she stared at the hole in the ground, like the
mouth of a great monster opening to swallow her children. Ray,
we can't risk them sneaking off in the middle of
the night again. It's too dangerous. Ray shivered, watching helplessly
as Cronus snatched up their children and fed them one
by one into the cavern. First, Esta, then Demet Harry.
(02:08):
Heedy sighed on their little faces scrunched up in confusion,
as if unsure whether the dark hole was more frightening
or their father's mood. Ray didn't know either. Croneu reached
for cess, grabbing the boy under the arms and lifting
him so they could see each other eye to eye.
Cronou's gaze was fierce, yet gentle. This one is going
to get me killed. I won't do it again, father,
(02:30):
I promise, Sas said, his eyes sharp and resolute. He
had only seen six migrations, but his determination already rivaled Cronus's. No,
you won't. Croneu lowered him down, then dropped in the
mammoth skin they had slept under as a family just yesterday.
Ray knelt, looking one final time into their terrified eyes.
(02:51):
Cronus squatted beside her, his head bobbing methodically as he
counted to make sure all six of their children were
there safe. Satisfied, he relaxed back on his heels and
smiled warmly at them. Good night, little ones. Six pairs
of big, wide eyes peered back, echoing calls of good night.
(03:11):
Ray could see they were trying to be brave. Her
children had never been separated from her before ever. Croneu
motioned her back, then rolled a giant stone over the opening.
The tiny faces disappeared, swallowed up into the earth's gaping jaws.
Ray stifled a gasp, clenching her fists tight, her insides
(03:32):
twisting at the sudden emptiness, the cold void that surrounded her.
Instead of her smiling children, crone turned to her and
rubbed her shoulders comfortingly. They'll have each other and the
furs for warmth, and there's a stream down there for
them to drink from. They'll be safe. Ray peered around
him at the giant rock. Doubtfully, they don't have me.
(03:54):
As if in answer, a muffled cry vibrated up from
beneath the earth. Her heart leaped into her throat. She
rushed forward, desperate to get to them, but Cronell's grip
clenched painfully around her arm, stopping her no. Ray His
angry tones startled her. She studied the dangerous flicker in
his eyes, deciding if she was more afraid of being
(04:15):
without her children or of Croneu's rage if she fought back,
but she knew he wouldn't relent, and the stone was
much too heavy for her to move on her own.
I don't like this. There must be another way, she said, tears, finally,
pushing over the rims of her eyes. We've considered everything, Ray,
you know there isn't. She trained her gaze on his,
(04:37):
grasping for anything to contradict him. But before she could speak,
a loud howl broke through the calm dusk. Both instinctively
crouched their eyes, darting to locate the danger. Ray looked
again at the giant rock cut a wild beast. Nothing
will be able to move it, Cronall assured, as though
reading her mind. He tugged on her elbow. Come reluctantly.
(05:00):
Ray hurried after him up the rocky slope to the
safety of their own cave, a hole in the side
of the mountain which was only accessible by scaling down
the steep cliff side and shuffling sideways underneath a sharp
protective overhang. It had kept Cronuwan Ray safe from wild
beasts for many years, and their children too. Ray had
berthed and nursed each baby, watched them grow until they
(05:23):
were old enough to climb out on their own to
help Cronu collect food. Cronaw and Ray had thought it
was the safest place on earth. That is, until Cess
and hery had climbed out one night on their own.
A poke to the shoulder coaxed Khirrie's eyes open. Cess
(05:47):
brown orbs crinkled at the edges. A big grin spread
across his face as he pressed his finger against his lips.
Herry sat up and rubbed a sleep from her eyes.
Half of her wanted to flop back down on her
warm wolf skin and drift off again, the other half
piqued with curiosity and excitement at the bold plan they
devised earlier. She followed Cess gaze over the forms of
(06:07):
their siblings, snuggled together and snoring softly. Their parents sleeping
near the entrance of the cave made her wriggle from
a sudden chill. They would be furious if they woke up.
Harry slinked up into a crouch and nodded at Cess,
Whatever the consequences if they were caught, She was sure
a few tears and a poudy lip would soften the punishment.
It always did. Cess smiled back and took the first
(06:30):
tiptoe across the granite floor. Harry followed, stepping carefully in
between Esta and Sidon's feet, around the stack of reeds
gathered for a new basket, and over the pile of
stones collected to make spear points. Knocking one of those
would be the end of their adventure. Obstacles behind them.
Herry glanced back and slowly released the breath she had
been holding. No one in the cave stirred. She shared
(06:52):
a triumphant grin with Cess, then peeked over the edge
to the wide world. Stars sparkled outside, and light from
the moon illuminated the empty plains hundreds of feet below,
casting scraggly shadows from the sparse trees. Cess reached around
the left side of the cave opening and grasped the
first rock hold. Another chill raced down her spine as
(07:13):
a new thought struck her, how much noise did climbing make.
She hadn't paid attention before the morning climb was always
one of excitement and bustle, but now Harry flinched as
Cess swung away and began to climb out of sight,
sending a few grains of sand skittering downward. Herry glanced
nervously at their parents to make sure they were still asleep,
(07:34):
before carefully following her little brother's path out and up.
The plan to sneak out and get a real look
at the world had seemed so exciting this morning, But
as she climbed in the cold dark, placing her hands
and feet by sheer memory, anxiety threatened to chase her
back down to her warm wolf skin Harry. The dark
silhouette of Cess face against the backdrop of a billion
(07:56):
stars erased all doubts she had of returning. Cess grabbed
her arm and helped her up on to the flat
plateau at the top of their mountain. Herry was stunned
at the beautiful world before her. She had never seen
the whole night sky from outside the cave. She felt
unsteady looking at it, disoriented, mesmerized, swallowed by it, awed
(08:18):
by how powerful she felt suspended between earth and sky.
Cs interlaced his fingers with hers and gave her a
gentle squeeze, bringing her awareness to the earth, where the
crickets chirped. His breathing was fast and steady. Beside her.
One sparkle straight above dislodged from his place and sped
across the sky, leaving a bright trail behind it. Here,
(08:38):
he gasped and squeezed Cess back. Come on. She tugged
him further away from the edge to stretch out on
the ground. Snuggling into the crook of his arm, she
pointed and giggled. Its More stars soared across the sky.
I can't believe father and mother never let us see
this before, Cess whispered, hugging her close. It's so beautiful.
Look at that one. Here, he whispered, shooting her hand
(09:01):
up at a long streak that trailed almost to the
edge of the earth. Cess's fingers clamped suddenly around her shoulder,
jolting her out of her joy. Herey, he hissed. A
rebuke was on her tongue, but ces shiver beneath her
hands stopped her short. The crickets weren't chirping any more.
They sat up. A shuffling noise flooded Harry's senses. Every
(09:23):
muscle suddenly tensed. Something was coming from the winding path
down the side of the mountain. In front of them,
a rock dislodged and plummeted down the slope. Cess grasped
Harry's arm as he scrambled to his feet, pulling her
up with him. They hurried over to the ledge to
begin their descent back to the safety of the cave,
but they didn't reach it before the shoulders of a
(09:43):
monstrous beast rose above the plateau's edge. In front of them.
A large razor laden paw stamped onto the flat earth.
Heree come on Cese tugged at her wrist, but she
was frozen in place. A snarling snout and gleaming green
eyes appeared. He set onto a large bristly head with
spiked ears. Soliva dripped from fangs longer than her arm.
(10:07):
Droplets glittered in the moonlight and made tiny mudcakes. For
they fell. Hereee. The great creature growled at her, flexing
its claws out and scarring the ground. Its jaws opened
and turned to the heavens, releasing an earth shaking roar.
Here he felt the warm wet down her legs. Paralysis
scripped her, squeezing a whimper from her lungs. Cess scrambled
(10:29):
behind her as The beast reared back, tensing to pounce.
A stone sailed over Herry's shoulder, lifting a strand of
her hair. It hit the monster in the eye. A
high pitched shriek of anger and pain resounded from its throat.
It stepped back down the path and shook its head
roared again. Cess threw another stone, a larger one. It
hit the beast in the shoulder. Another shriek. Hereee climb.
(10:53):
Cess hurled another rock. The creature lunged, half blinded. Its
paw swiped through the air. The moon lit claws painted
an arc across the sky. Cess leaped back, narrowly dodging
the attack. Something heavy rammed against Harry from behind, knocking
her feet out from under her. She pitched forward and
caught herself on her hands. Dust plumed up into her
(11:14):
eyes and mouth. She spit and shook her head, eyes burning,
skin crawling in anticipation of unseen claws ripping her to shreds.
Another shriek from the monster was met by a loud,
thunderous cry. A new beast of prey on the scene,
cronew Harry flipped over Croneu's feet were wide before the monster.
His long spear raised in one hand and his club
(11:35):
in the other. Their mother appeared beside him, club in hand,
panting from her frenzied climb. The monster roared and lunged
for Croneu. Its jaws clamped around Croneu's spear and snapped
the shaft like a twig. Weapons and arms descended in
a blur of strikes, yells and shrieks blared, Blood splattered
on the loose dirt. The monster shouldered its way out
(11:57):
from between her parents and pounced closer to set. Its
long thick tail swung, knocking Ray off balance. Croneu lunged
at it with a loud cry, swinging his club at
its head. The monster whipped around, crashing its rump into
Ray and slinging her across the plateau, nearly over the edge.
Paws slashed at Croneu, who dodged the fatal blows, but
twisted his foot on a stone and stumbled. The beast leapt,
(12:21):
opening its jaws to devour her father's whole head. Harry
screamed and covered her face. There was a startled yelp.
Unexpectedly non human. Harry lowered her hands from her eyes.
Cess stood over their father his arm was inside the
beast's mouth all the way to his spindly elbow. Wicked
fangs pressed up against Cess torso blood gushed onto Kroneu
(12:43):
and Cess's legs. Had it eaten Ces's arm? Why had
everything suddenly stopped? The monster slumped to the earth, sliding
off Ce's arm to reveal the broken spear point in
his hand. For a moment, everything was still and quiet.
Then Cronu kicked the dead beast away and stood. Blood
dripped from his body and pulled on the ground. He
(13:05):
glanced at their mother, then at Harry. The look in
his eyes sapped every shred of relief that they had
survived this. Their father grasped Cess by the neck and
threw him down, growling in rage. Ceses yelpt, crawling in
retreat toward Harry. He grasped her hand, renewed fear, shaking
them both. Cronu no Crona's finger raised to their mother,
(13:26):
commanding her silence, then pointed at Cess and hery you
you will be the death of me, of all of us.
This cannot stand, This cannot go unpunished. Harry squeezed Ces's hand,
remembering their earlier joy under the brilliant stars. But father,
I killed it. You will not challenge me, Crono bellowed.
(13:47):
Herry wrapped her arms around Sess. Even in the face
of Cronu's rage and disappointment, she wasn't sorry. The joyless
eyes of her children as they crawled out of the
pit sharpened the ache and raised chest. One by one,
(14:09):
they emerged and trudged toward the basket of fruits and
cooked meat. The seasons had cycled twice since the incident.
What was supposed to be a temporary punishment had turned
into something. Krono became increasingly reluctant to end, despite Ray
and the children's constant Please, they haven't learned their lesson yet,
he said at first. As time went on, predators are migrating.
(14:31):
Now let's wait more recently. Keeping them down there protects
us too. Though his words made some sense, Ray began
to notice a change in the children that made her
heart heavy. They had grown taller but thinner. Their muscles
were withered, and their shoulders hunched. In the gathering dusk,
they appeared even more ghastly than usual. A new realization
struck her. They're dying. Krono scanned the landscape for wild beasts,
(14:56):
barely noticing that his children were even there. He's killing them, Croneu.
He continued to watch for danger, as though he hadn't
heard her. She grasped his hand in a sudden burst
of desperation and anger, digging her nails into his palm. Croneu.
He wrenched his hand away and pulled her back, his
features pinching together in a scowl. What we can't make
(15:17):
them go back down there? Look at them? No? Defiance
swelled within her, Croneu. They go back. The loud bellows
stirred a few nesting crows to flight from the cliff
above them. Cronuv's chest heaved angrily as he leaned toward her.
She stayed silent, and he waved his hand dismissively at
the children. Hurry up and eat and get back down there.
(15:37):
The vagadons will be coming out soon. He turned back
to his watch, clenching his club with white knuckles. Indignant
rage and resentment, heeded her body, the loving father she
had trusted with the well being of their children. Could
he be so blind to the harm he was causing them?
The real threat isn't a beast, it's you. Guilt and
grief nodded inside of her. She clinched her jaw, biting
(16:00):
back tears that threatened to consume her. If she let
even one fall, she would crumple to the ground. Ray's
sight lighted on Cess, the last to climb out of
the pit. His shriveled muscles were tensed, his eyes bright
and alert. The other children sat sullen around the baskets
of food. But Cess Cess had a defiant spirit that
was not broken, A true leader. A wistful smile tugged
(16:23):
at her lips. Crono had been like him once. Crono,
he hadn't seen their youngest child yet. Maybe she caught
cess gaze and flicked her chin to the large boulders
at the base of the mountain. Confusion creased cess forehead
for just a moment before he bolted into a soft
footed sprint to hide. She watched until he was out
(16:43):
of sight. She could save one child to day tomorrow,
she would save them all somehow. She turned back around
and froze. Here he was watching them, A piece of
meat dangling in her hand on its way to her
open mouth. Ray waited for her daughter to alert Croneu,
but she returned to eating like nothing had happened. Renewed
(17:04):
confidence surged within Ray. Cronew no longer understood what was
needed to protect their children, and hearing knew it too.
She examined the faces of her other children, catching the
dark looks they tossed at their father's back. They all
knew it. Do they feel the same about me? She
suddenly felt sick. How could they not? What had she
done to protect them from this monster? Enough? Get back inside.
(17:28):
Croneu's gruff voice made Ray jump. The children shuffled to
their feet and trudged back, sliding one by one down
the throat of their slow, devouring doom. Croneu's gaze followed
them from where he stood watch head bobbing methodically as
he counted. He frowned, where is cess? Ray swallowed down
her panic and leaned over the opening. He's already down there, Croneu.
(17:49):
There was a pause, and for a moment she thought
he would trust her, But then she heard his footsteps approaching.
The children looked around for sess, confused looks passing between them,
Croneu almost beside her. Her attention darted to the dark
corner of the sleeping area, where an elongated boulder sat
Herey followed her gaze and strode forward, grabbing her wolf
skin from the ground and throwing it over the boulder.
(18:12):
She knelt beside it, firing a warning glare at her
bewildered siblings to keep silent. Croneu reached Ray and squatted
beside her. His hot breath raised the bumps on her
shoulder as he peered down. Terror and excitement danced wildly
through Ray's veins as she extended a long finger. He's
over there, his eyes narrowed. Where right here? Father? Don't
(18:33):
you see him? Hery interjected, rubbing her hand over the
fur covered boulder with soothing strokes. She inclined her head
toward the rock. What's that, says? Oh, he says he's unwell.
There there, says just rest. I'll make sure side On
leaves you something to eat. Cronu didn't move for a
long time. No one did, except for Harry, who still
(18:54):
smoothed her bony hand lovingly over the stone. Ray swallowed,
too afraid to look at kronut hiss see if he
believed them, could he hear her pounding heart. Finally, Cronus
stood and nodded to Herry take care of him daughter.
He braced himself against the great stone to shut them in.
Ray released her breath, smiling down at herri They'd done it, father,
(19:16):
Ray and Cronu both whirled around. There stood Cess. Panic
fluttered and raised chest. Beads of sweat ran down Cess
torso as though he'd been running all this time. His
hand was hiding something behind his back. Ray glinpsed the
tip of Cronu's broken spear point he'd bend to the
mountain cave. Cess Cronus's surprised face crumpled into a beastly scowl.
(19:38):
He pushed himself off the boulder and charged toward his
youngest son. You will never learn your lesson. Cronus stretched
out his hand to grab Cess and throw him into
the pit. Ces Duck left, lunged forward, plunged his weapon
into Cronus's side, and wrenched it free in three fluid movements.
Ray watched petrified as Cronus stumbled, grasping the wound in
(19:59):
pain and shock. Was it enough? Croneu's eyes raised to Cess,
raised blood froze in her veins. She recognized that look.
She had seen it when the beast had cornered Cess
and heiy on the plateau. A predator had come to
devour their family, and Croneu was going to kill it.
Cronu lurched forward, capturing Cess by the neck and raising
(20:20):
him up with a monstrous growl. Cess dangled and kicked,
driving the knife down into Cronou's arm, but his blows
merely glanced off the hard sinews. Cronus slapped the knife
away with his other hand, sending it flying through the air.
It landed near Ray Cronoeu no. Ray screamed. Cronu ignored her,
gnashing his teeth and squeezing even harder. Cess began to choke.
(20:43):
She grabbed the broken spearhead and buried it in Croneu's belly,
driving downward through the flesh. Bowels and blood spilled onto
the dirt, slipping into the pit with a sickening splatter.
Screams resounded hauntingly from below. Croneu dropped Sess in a
heap and slumped onto the ground, gasping, choking, convulsing. His
bloodshot eyes locked on to Ray as they froze over
(21:05):
and death. Ray dropped to her knees beside Cess and
gathered him in her arms. She held him tight as
he coughed and spluttered, sobbing against her sh you're safe, now,
you're all safe. Come out, children, You're free. Sidon emerged
first from the belly of the earth, crawling through the
viscera of Crona with wide, disbelieving eyes. Next came Hey,
(21:26):
then Harry, who went immediately to ceess and threw her
arms around him. Then Demt and lastly Esta. Ray's children
huddled around her, crying and sobbing. She hugged and kissed
each one, stretching out her arms and pulling them all close.
Their expressions weren't visible through her tears, but she could
feel their warmth surrounding her. They were alive, they were free.
Speaker 2 (21:47):
You're safe now, my darlings, you're safe.
Speaker 1 (22:01):
The idea for this story first came to me. I
don't even remember when, but I started seeing similarities between
myths of different cultures around the world. For example, there
are countless numbers of cultures that have a flood story.
(22:26):
For example, nearly all of them have a creation story
of some kind. Some of them have you know, all
of them have heroes obviously of people who have done
you know, amazing things and legendary things, and have received
gifts from the gods and whatnot, and a lot of
(22:46):
them are very similar. And so I started to think, like,
what if these stories, you know, actually happened in real life.
And the reason why all these cultures have aversion is
because these are stories that came from the first group
(23:07):
of people that were kind of all together, you know,
before people disseminated into different tribes and scattered all over
the world. Maybe maybe some of these myths are from
our original ancestors, you know, and just through the telephone game,
and you know how things get passed along orally, details
(23:30):
change and names change and circumstances get tweaked a little bit,
but at the core, there's that original story, that that
truthful story that's there. And so I started to think
about that and tried to imagine what would that story
(23:51):
of Chronos and Rhea and Chronos eating his children, you know,
the original Greek myth he eats his children and then
Raya gives him a stone to eat disguised instead of Zeus,
and Kronos eats the stone, he just swallows it without
(24:13):
even really looking at it because he's so used to
it by now, because he's already swallowed all those other children,
and so he just swallows it without thinking. But Raya
hid Zeus away, and so Zeus grows up. And then
you know, there's a couple of different versions in the
myth where he either forces Kronos to eat something that
(24:34):
makes him throw up his siblings, or he you know,
cuts him open and they all come out of his stomach.
So there's a couple of different versions. I think the
most commonly accepted one is that Cronus throws them all up.
And so I started to think, like, how in the
world could that story have derived from something that actually happened.
(25:00):
And that's where I started to imagine this prehistoric family
living in the caves and they have found this cave
that they are, you know, they feel safe in. But
there's something obviously happens to where Kronos believes that Zeus
(25:20):
is going to get them all killed or that he's
going to be the death of him specifically, and you know,
and then of course, what's up with the swallowing thing,
like how does he eat his children? How did that verbiage?
How did that part of the story get so distorted
(25:40):
to where he you know, in ancient Greece times and
the bronze age, and you know, when those stories were
written down, how did that become he physically ate his children,
you know. So I those are the things that kind
of went through my head, and that's that's how this
story was derived. And some of the other elements that
(26:03):
I added in, I had added them in two set
up further stories of myths that I believed, you know,
could have happened in our very distant past, and like,
what are the the true pieces of those things that
might have actually happened that just got distorted and you know,
(26:26):
changed over time as the stories were passed from generation
to generation. So there are a few easter eggs in
here of things that could become other stories in this
same vein. I just I have not devoted a lot
of time to it because I ended up getting all
(26:46):
the confidence I needed to finish my first full length
novel and publish that. And I've also published a second
book in the series, and I have a children's book
coming out as well, and so like all of those
things have kind of, you know, consumed my attention among
other things, and I just I haven't gotten back around
to this, But this idea still lives in my head
(27:07):
and I would definitely love to continue writing stories about
this and exploring these myths in ways that are possible
to have actually happened in prehistory. So anyways, I hope
that you have enjoyed this reading. It's not perfect by
(27:31):
any means, so I hope you'll forgive the the little
hiccups here and there in the audio, but I also
hope that you've enjoyed it. If you have, please tell
your friends like share and get the word out, and
I will be reading more of my own works in
(27:52):
the future in future episodes, so please subscribe if you
want to hear me read more and you know, talk
about more why I'm writing Greek myth or whatever. I mean.
This is a brand new podcast. I'm not exactly sure
where this is going to go. I have lots of
ideas of things that I would love talk about on
my podcast and discuss. I have a lot of ideas
(28:15):
for inviting special guests and things on to have discussions.
So we'll just see what happens. We'll see what happens,
and I hope you will join me for the journey.
And if you would like to support me in this
podcast or in my writing, you can join my cofi page,
(28:36):
or you can buy me a coffee on my coffee
page and follow me on my website and all my
socials and all of that other stuff if you'd like.
So yeah, thank you so much and I will see
you next time. Mortals. Thank you so much for listening
to this episode of MJ Panky Reads. If the Muses
(28:57):
inspire you, always
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