1 The Inside

"Father," the son called out. "It's alive."

The Grand Weaver opens the door from their home and steps outside. Every step separates the clouds from his feet like smoke. His son grabs some of the clouds in the ground and molded them like their form. He then added wings to help them fly. The first few ones he made had six wings, the second group he shaped like beasts and had four wings. The others formed after were like the first ones but had only two wings. The son was glad with what he created, and he called them 'malaks'. They flew over him and treated him as their master.

One day, as the father was sitting inside the house, the malak in-charge of the whole malaks was intently looking at him. Being given higher authority than the other malaks, the thirst for more power in that leader's mind was a corruption waiting to spread, and the Grand Weaver is aware of everything.

While his son was observing the horizon, with the malaks flying around him, his father approached him and said: "I will make a garden filled with living beings for you to be friends and talk with."

The Weaver separated the clouds and brought forth soil where grasses, bushes, and trees sprouted. He separated some of the soil and melted some clouds with his hands to pour out water and place them on the gaps between the soil. No covering was made for the garden ceiling as the Weaver wants the beings to see them clearly. The father together with his son weaved different kinds of moving creatures that will live in the water, soil, and sky. They released the creatures into the garden and every one of them were situated into to their own environment. The Grand Weaver and his son both saw their creations as good, and they were happy to look at the garden with the malaks gathering around them enjoying the view with splendor and awe.

On the evening, the Weaver took his specially cared potted plant out of the house and planted it on the center of the garden for the creatures to see and appreciate. He also took out his special needle with a tied thread and pinned it on the soil beside the special plant. He saw that everything they created was good and he was glad. He called out his son and told him about the center of the garden.

"Is it okay to put your special plant there, father?" the son asked. The father smiled, nodded and tapped his son's shoulder, then he went back inside their home. The son changed his size in order to fit inside the garden and watch the creatures. He observed them and appreciated their behaviors and sounds while sitting by the special plant his father placed in the center of the garden. In his size, there were creatures a hundred times larger than him and a hundred times smaller. They made different sounds that were music to the ears. He saw that everything he created with his father was good and he was glad.

The next morning, the son woke up leaning by his father's plant. The malaks were hovering over him, watching and guarding. His father saw him inside the garden and sat by to watch everything. The son went back out the garden and into his original size. He grabbed some soil with his hand and molded it into their form. Knowing his son's thoughts, he went back inside their home and weaved skins made of silk and thread to sew over the molded soil his son created. The skin sewn was of light-pink silk with a white thread used to put together the edges. They stuffed the soil inside the skin and placed a drop of blood from the Weaver's pricked finger inside a hollow pearl case, then inserted the blood pearl inside the formed soil's chest. The father breathed into the doll and it began to open its eyes and move around.

The malaks were looking with awe and wonder as they hover around the top of the garden. The doll needed a name, so the Grand Weaver called him "Hish".

"Hello, Hish," the son said.

"Hi," Hish answered.

"Go and explore your home," the Grand Weaver said.

Hish started walking about and approached the creatures walking around. He holds one of them and thought of a name to call them all generally.

"Kayots," he said. "I will call you all as kayots. Different kinds of kayots."

"That's a nice name," the Weaver said. The son nodded and agreed.

They continued observing Hish as he explored the garden. Seeing all the creatures, he then sat down somewhere and looked up to the Weaver and his son.

"I saw all the kayots you have created," said Hish. "But I do not see even one who could speak my language and talk with me. Not one who looks like me."

The son looked at the father and thought of something. Night came and the son grabbed Hish while he was in deep sleep. They opened him up and removed a part of his living soil, then they inserted it into another doll's body which they have created. They divided the blood pearl and also placed half of it on the other body.

"We will call her Hishah," said the Weaver. "As she is part of Hish."

The morning after, Hish saw beside him someone who resembles his form. It was Hishah.

"I have blessed you with a wife," said the Grand Weaver. "You two will live in this garden and have the right to touch everything you see, except for my needle and thread that is in the middle of the garden. You must never touch it or you will cease to have life."

The night they were away from home, the malak leader secretly went up to the chair of the Grand Weaver and sat on it. He tried to imagine what it felt to be like his creator. Other malaks were astonished at what he was doing. He wanted to be in the same position with the Weaver himself and planned an act of rebellion against him.

"Listen everyone!" he exclaimed. "Bow down to your ruler here. Worship me and I will give you everything you desire."

The rest of the malaks came up to him to listen.

"Fight with me," continued the malak leader. "Let us kill the Weaver and his son and take their throne away from them."

One-third of all the malaks were convinced to fight with him. The leader and his army rushed out the door and unto the garden where the father and his son are. All of the leader's army tried to hit the Grand Weaver and his son, but to no avail, they were just clouds that vanished when they hit the two.

This angered the Weaver. He stopped the malak leader from moving, painted him and all those who rebelled in black, dark as the night, and threw them to the garden outside the boundary of its center, where the environment is harsh and unwelcoming. They were all turned to ice from the curse but could still move around and fly. The evil malak leader was given temporary rights and power to control the forces outside the boundary of the center of the garden.

On one of the nights, he disguised himself as a sludge-like creature and crept up inside the center of the garden. He hid under a hole by the thread and needle the Weaver placed near his special plant.

Hishah was about to return to where Hish is resting as she finished gathering some food for them, when the evil malak leader acted out his plan.

"Oh?" Hishah saw the creature smiling inside his hole. "I have never seen a kayot like you before."

"H-hi there," the creature said.

"You can talk?" replied Hishah.

"Why yeees."

"No kayot can talk like us, but you can. That's odd."

"Oh, be-because I was made speciaaal," he smiled all the more.

"Special kayot," Hishah smiled. "What's your name?"

"R-Rah."

"Then hello, Rah. Welcome to our home!"

He climbed up the stump where the needle was pinned and slithered through it.

"Isn't this gigantic needle and thread tempting to touch?" says the evil malak.

"It IS beautiful, yes," Hishah replied. "But we are not allowed to touch it."

"Oh, did the Wea-Weaver really said that?"

"Yes. We will die if we do."

"You m-misunderstood. You won't die for touching s-something. It doesn't even have p-poison."

"That's true, but-"

"But the t-truth is, you will actually be-benefit from it. Your eyes will be opened," Rah grinned.

Hishah approached the needle and saw it's shine and brilliance, along with the beauty of the thread attached to it. She touched the needle and closed her eyes expecting something to happen.

"S-see? Nothing happened," said Rah.

"Hishah," said Hish at the back. "What are you doing?"

"Hish," Hishah said, surprised. "Look! I touched the needle and nothing happened."

"Are you sure?" Hish said.

"Yes, give it a try," the woman answered.

Hish touched the sacred object too.

Instantly, both of their minds were opened. They saw that they were made of thread and silk. They were afraid and both of them hid behind the trees. The evil malak grinned and watched the two face their doom.