Page 29 - Fables volume 3

The Supplicant

Mantis was famished. Blight was upon the land, inflicted by
unknown agents. Dying trees and shrubs provided scant opportunity
for him to strike from ambush, and the creatures he sought for
nourishment were rarely coming within reach.
He had, until recently, relied upon his own wits to make his way in
the world. But these were desperate times: only a greater power could
save him now. He had learned that other insects had faith in
supernatural entities capable of providing guidance—or even a
handout. Not one for such ethereal beliefs, Mantis had scoffed at
these poor fools and their superstitious hopes and fears. But here he
sat on the side of a branch, ignorant of any theology or religious
practice pertinent to his own species. Was there a mantis god who
would hear his pleas? His mind drew a blank.
So he would have to depend upon another deity. Would such an
exalted individual take pity on him and deliver a few of its less-
worthy followers to him as punishment for their sins? It was worth a
try. He racked his brain for the names of those gods. Meanwhile he
swayed slightly with the breeze, pretending to be just another leaf on
a twig.
The first that came to mind was Anansi, the god of spiders.
“Oh, Prodigious Eight-legged One, send me some of your errant
devotees, that I may show them your majesty and might!”
He waited. He repeated his prayer. No tasty morsels appeared.
Mantis pondered. Maybe Anansi was busy somewhere else and hadn’t
heard. Or there weren’t any qualifying spiders anywhere in walking
distance. He would try another: Malinalxochitl, goddess of scorpions
and sand-dwellers.
“I beg of you, O Wondrous Being: allow this unworthy supplicant
to serve your ends by ridding you of all false apostles and hypocrites.
I promise to show them the error of their ways.”
Again he crouched immobile, ready to strike. And again he was
frustrated. He did a few martial arts exercises to clear his mind of
images related to juicy abdomens and crunchy wings. Then he
remembered a third divinity: Tithonus, god of cicadas. Cicadas were
particularly scrumptious this time of year, he reflected.

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