Arela greeted the saintly old man with a grin.

“Are you ready?” he asked.

“Yes” Arela answered simply.

He nodded and led her into the temple. The temple was another crude structure, but this one stone. No windows decorated its walls, as it was roofless, allowing light from the sky to illuminate the interior. a brace of ancient trees and the only stone floor in the village gave companionship to a magnificently carved marble statue of the Goddess of the earth, Terra. The broad leaves of the trees, well past spring’s bloom, gave shade into the warm interior of the building, and seemed to protect the idol from the erosion of wind or rain. This simple temple was said to have stood for hundreds of years, yet the lines and edges on the carving were as sharp and clear as if it had been finished just that day.