I am Jinn

Apollo

     There is something universal about raising children that makes every parent, jinn or human, try their level best to raise a generation of extraordinary individuals. Every parent wishes that their child grows up to be memorable, different in a positive light. Ultimately, a child is a parent's final legacy in a world that keeps on moving onward. In order to leave a positive legacy, most parents find themselves instilling a sense of morals and duties in their offspring at a very young age. Naturally, when talking about morals and such, the topic of good and evil never fails to appear. This was how I knew of Iblis and his fall from grace. When I was still in my ember phase, my mother would sit with me and tell me of the story of one of the most powerful jinni ever created. He was well liked by our Creator and was often working amongst the angels. He was considered one of the elite and no jinni before him had ever attained such honor. 

     Then, the Creator made humans and told the angels and this jinni to bow in front of the beings of clay. Angels complied immediately, but this jinni refused. He asked our Creator why he, a physically superior being, was being made to prostrate in front of clay? Our Creator did not disagree with him, but told him that he will be punished for rejecting a command. The Fallen knew that his punishment would be extreme so he tried making a deal with the Creator. He approached the Creator and said that he would accept any punishment given to him, but to allow him to remain amongst the precious humans until the day all would be judged. He challenged our Creator. He declared that he would lead the humans astray, having them join him in his eternal punishment. The Creator agreed but warned the jinni that any creature that believed in one omnipotent Creator, would never be swayed by the lone jinni. That jinni was named Iblis, and he had told me that I was in an essence, wasting my time. 

     If you ever look at all the horrors that have occurred in history, Iblis has been behind each one. He doesn't have the ability to forcefully commit evil deeds, instead he whispers. Say you found a wallet full of money, complete with address of owner. You look at the contents and for a split second, think about taking the money. That split second was courtesy of Iblis. His simple whisper of "take it, no one will know," led you to forget your morals and beliefs that inherently make you who you are. The life of chaos, as my mother used to say, was steeped in Iblis's aura. It took me time to understand why Iblis made an appearance before me, alerting me to his presence. These jinn that renounced the ways of our Elders were simply falling victim to Iblis's whispers. He was always behind anything that shifted your attention away from the belief in one omnipotent Creator.

     I spent nearly two months amongst the humans of the village without incident. Demetria had become my apprentice and a friend during this time. She was curious about my history and my family, but what could this child understand about the complexities of my life as a jinni? She wanted to know how I knew so much about the wildlife and vegetation in the area. How could I tell her that I had been alive when the wildlife was abundant and the vegetation grew wild, that I was alive when even her great-grandparents were non-existent? She was curious and she was smart. She did not believe in the gods her family and the villagers believed in. She was working her way through her own beliefs and values and wanted to be free of the confines of Hercules and his ilk. 

     One unexpectedly hot day, we stood among the dying crops her family had planted only a month ago. I realized that the drought was real, but it was not caused by the jinn. Sure the humans believed that their gods were angry because I had prevented them from sacrificing one of their children, but it didn't matter. The jinn had not stepped foot in our village since Hercules's departure and I intended to keep it that way. 

     "What will we do, Zrous? They are all dying," Demetria whispered as she touched a withered leaf. 

     "We need water," I murmured and inspected the fields.