Gralius tugged at the tip of his pointy head, waiting for the decision. It had only been a few seconds since the mystical spotlight formed around his beloved Tinalie, but those seconds might as well have been years.
Finally, Man broke the silence. “I will call it Gnome.”
The Great Voice from above—the source of the spotlight—answered: “Then ‘Gnome’ it shall be called.”
“Gnome,” Gralius whispered to himself, trying out his new identifier. Yeah, it fit pretty well. But the most important part was still to come. He held his breath and watched as Man considered Tinalie. But then Man sighed, shaking his head.
Gralius slumped his shoulders. It hit like a massive boulder striking his chest.
Tears began forming in Tinalie’s eyes as the spotlight pulled away from her. As much as the rejection hurt Gralius, it must have been a hundred times worse for her.
Sadly, it was time to move on to the next creature in line. Gralius could barely stand to look at the hideous beast. Its large horned head glowed in the spotlight, staring at Man and awaiting its fate.
“I will call it Gnu,” Man said.
Gralius turned away and walked toward Tinalie. He took her hand just as The Great Voice proclaimed, “Then ‘Gnu’ it shall be called.”
With their presence no longer required at the scene, the two newly-labeled gnomes returned to their bamboo hut at the foot of the Tree of Knowledge.
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Tags: anthologies, Garden of Eden, Jason Bougger, short stories