Earnest blinked a few times when the story was over. "That... that's messed up."

"A little bit," Narvis said with a cringe and a smile. The two continued to walk and talk. "But what is your take on things?"

"So- I-I mean I guess the magicians were gods." Earnest thought. "So I guess that was- some callous version of polytheism? Still- not sure I would even bother with anything like that."

"Save perhaps specifically including human sacrifice- that was all of polytheism."

Earnest sighed. "Let me see if I can wrap my head around the story. Um... fifty magicians means fifty gods- but I guess that stands in for any number of gods right?"

"The number could have been fifty thousand, the story would have gone much the same."

"Right... The magicians didn't seem to care about Edith directly- well the story said some did and some didn't... they were all so different."

"Yes they were." Narvis said, wanting to let Earnest think things through.

"I guess if you're gonna have fifty gods- they NEED to be different. Or else- what's the point? But why did they all have to disagree intellectually? What if they all agreed and just had different powers?"

Narvis repeated the problem back to him. "If you have fifty gods, all of whom agree, they only have different powers- what is the effective difference between that and one god?"

"I guess... that would just be fifty parts of a single whole in the end. No point again." Earnest hummed as he thought more. "So this story is about having fifty different gods. And they disagreed radically. I think some of them hated each other- though it was hard to tell from Edith's perspective." Earnest looked at the ground as he kept walking, "Course I guess if you only have minor disagreements, again, what's the point in having more than one god if all the gods want the same things for the same reasons when it counts?"

The boy stopped walking and bit his lip. "If they disagree in meaningful ways- they would eventually disagree so much, it would be hard to tell which was good and which was evil- wouldn't it?" Earnest asked.

Narvis took a seat on a nearby bench and patted next to himself for the boy to join him. "Let's think this through. Because you're missing something."

"What?"

"I'm not going to just TELL you. Let me- put it another way. What is a um..." the man thought, "What is a diet? Yes- what is a diet?"

"It's basically a meal plan."

"More specifically?"

"A mean plan meant to serve a specific purpose."

"Yes- and all diets are meant to give you good results yes?"

"I mean- yes."

"So then- why not follow a different diet plan every day?"

"Because that would be nuts! Your body would never get the results of any specific plan, you'd be all over the place and never pull anything... off... oh..."

"Moreover, what does a diet provide- starts with an n..."

"Nutrition?"

"Right. Now- which diet would be nutritious and which would not?"

"They're all meant to be nutritious... but you would have it all serving different purposes."

"What does a god provide? Starts with an m..."

"M... morality?"

"Yes. Now think back- you said you wouldn't know which god was good or evil right?"

"If all the gods disagree and the gods tell you, morality -right from wrong-... holy crap..." the boy's eyes went wide. "That must be what the contract symbolized- they had power over her life- the power to say what was right or wrong in the end... or maybe not... what do you think? Does god or "the gods" create morality itself or inform us about it?"

"What's the difference?"

"Well if it's multiple gods the difference is pure chaos that's what."

Narvis nodded. "Okay- so let's say your life was determined by fifty gods, some of them immoral, some of them moral- some of them all over the place. What could you do about it?"

"I mean- they're gods. I imagine not much." He put up a hand, "If they control my life- the very elements of nature themselves I suppose..." Narvis just nodded as the boy continued, "I'd be stuck. Best I could do if that were reality would be- try to escape."

"Escape reality itself?"

"Kill myself."

"Hmmm... I have a suggestion. How about we not pursue religions that we would rather die than have true?"

"Fair enough." 

Earnest with a puzzled face for a while.

"Isn't that enough?" Narvis asked.

"Well- I mean it would make polytheism pretty hard to make functional. But let's say you had just the perfect combination of personalities for the gods? They all disagreed and had different powers and everything, but they still worked together?"

"Good luck figuring out what that combination would be. I mean the gods reveal morality to us- or design it. So how would you even know how to make them moral and cooperative?"

"I guess I would have to make up the morality..."

"AND the gods that govern it?" Narvis asked, resting his arms on the side of the bench with an incredulous look.

"Why not?"

"Why not just sit here and invent morality and all the gods that govern the universe?" asked Narvis spreading his arms as he did.

"Well- could I get it right?"

Narvis sighed. "Oh, what am I going to do with you? Tell me, why would you even ask that?" The old man put his chin on his fist.

"There's no such thing as a stupid question?" the boy replied.

"Want to find out what gasoline tastes like- when it's on fire?"

"Okay..." The boy grumbled, "Maybe there are... stupid questions." Earnest hummed as he thought again and then blurted out, "Well- the Crying Doll story- it's about how different religions work when they're boiled down- I gather that's the point."

"You want to use the Crying Doll to figure out religion... from scratch?"

"Well... kinda."

"There IS a version of the story that applies to what you're trying to do."

"Really?" Earnest shrugged. "You got the time?"

Narvis just smiled and resisted rolling his eyes. "This won't take long."

Once upon a time Edith made a doll and dressed it in the clothes of a magician. She then brought it gifts and asked it to use it's magic to help her in life. In time- a rain storm came down from the clouds and tore the doll apart, washing it into a local drain.

The End.

"You're saying whatever I make up- won't matter? In fact- you're calling the whole idea- stupid."

Narvis nodded, "Essentially yes." The boy deflated his chest hearing that. Thus Narvis gave him a side smile and continued, "But don't feel too bad. You're not the first person to sit down and think "hey- I'm bored, let's invent a freaking god!"."

Earnest bit his lip, but eventually chuckled at himself. "Fine... well- I guess there are infinite possible names and ideas for gods to be based on, I'm not going to find the real one- or ones, by imagining them... but a person can only make a finite number of meaningful choices- could I figure out morality by myself? There a crying doll story for that too?"

"You want to invent morality- just like that?" Narvis snapped. "Morality itself? No God or testament to base it on- just wanting to make an orderly moral system that just happens to be the one the universe really operates on?"

"What if I tried?"

Narvis looked around- then picked up a rock. "Did you know every rock is composed of tiny atoms? Did you know that wall across from us is also composed of atoms? Did you know that between all atoms is technically enough space for other atoms to move through?"

"um... I guess I knew that..."

"Oh- good then, allow me to just..." Narvis threw the rock at the wall- it bounced off. He picked it up and threw it again- it bounced off. Narivs repeated this process over and over.

"What are you doing old man?" Earnest finally asked. "Feeling your age there-" the boy received a moderate smack on his head for that.

"I'm trying to get the rock to stick in the wall- it's possible- why don't we sit here until it happens?" The elder asked with a mocking expression on his face.

"Cause that's ridiculous!" the boy snapped. "Do you have any idea how many atoms there are in that rock- let alone the wall? You're not even hitting the same spot every time so the whole process is... oh. Right."

"I've got a better chance of phasing this rock through that wall than you do inventing a moral system that not only functions- but happens to be the one that actually governs the universe."

"So in the end, making up gods or morals, all I would ever be doing- is planting paper magicians?" Earnest sighed. "Drat, figured I was on to something."

"Are you on to something?" Narvis asked. The boy widened an eye at him. "Well- what have you learned?"

"That I would rather D I E die than serve multiple gods. That I can't make up my own morals or gods- I mean what's that worth?"

"You've eliminated the vast majority of religions humans have created. Seem worth quite a bit."

"So... what is the truth? What or... WHO... is the real god?"

"If I just told you- do you think that would be enough- you would believe me- just like that?"

"Well... maybe not. Seems like a lot to just take someone's word for it."

"Hmm... I have ideas- but I think, or I hope, that we have time. I believe that the truth can be found if you honestly search for it. So then- why don't you go and do some research on this issue of what god is- or could be- and come back to me with what you find? And remember our guidelines- it can't have just been made up- which means it must be historical, and there can't be multiple gods."

"So... homework?" the boy asked not at all enthused.

Narvis chuckled. "Yes- homework."