作者原始份类型短篇电子期来源编写者petrapgregbear.pdfVIP

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Author:GregBear

Title:Petra

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Genre:shortstory

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PETRA

ByGregBear

Godisdead,Godisdead.

...Perdition!WhenGoddies,youllknowit.

-ConfessionsofSt.Argentine

AsnearasIcandiscover,Mortdieuoccurredseventy-sevenyearsago.Learnedsonsofpurefleshdeny

thatmagicwassetloose,oreventhattheAlternatehadgainedsupremepower.Butfewpeoplecould

denythatGod,assuch,haddied.

Allthehingesofouronce-greatuniversefellapart,theaxistilted,cosmicdoorsswungshut,andthe

rulesofexistencelosttheirfoundations.Ihaveheardwisemenspeakoftheslowdecline,haveheard

themspeculateonthereasons,theprocess.Wherehumanthoughtwasstrong,realityssuddenquaking

wasreducedtoatremor.Wherehumanthoughtwasweak,realitydisappearedcompletely,swallowed

bychaos.

WiththepassingofGodswatchfulgaze,humankindhadtoreachoutandgrabholdoftheunraveling

fabricoftheworld.Thoseconsciousbeingsleftalivethosewhohadhadthewitstokeeptheirbodies

fromfallingapartwithoftheusefulconstantsbecametheonlycohesiveforceinthechaos.

Imaginethattime,ifyouwill:

Wheneverydelusionbecameasrealassolidmatter.Blindingpain,flamingblood,bonesbreaking,flesh

powdering,steelflowinglikeliquid,theskyrainingamber.Crowdsintheshiftingstreets,gatheringat

intersections,notknowingwhattodo,trappedbytheirownignorance.Theirweakmindscouldnotgrab

hold.Andwherehumanthoughtgaveway,graduallytheancientorderofnaturereturned,withitsown

logic,itsownwayofadapting.Peoplewatched,horrified,ascityblocksbecamefore