(Home Harken Hearth and the Stones and Water Then)
I felt messages in the yellow buttercup, as if a spirit whispered, and could sense angels. I remembered the purple plums of long ago home, the ones that blossomed in autumn, and some of the tree branches stood throughs wrought iron gates, weighty like the gates themselves, and there was a textured sky nearly always then plus multi coloured leaves red yellow orange brown just down the ravine way. So many colours in the cool-air world then, and I was an innocent, a young mystic,- alone and connected to the ether, the other world, different realms where guardians from heaven sang songs and also appeared as shapes in the drapes or tiles, even plastic toys or in the fabric of area rugs and couches. Always benevolent, assuring through their very existence, if a bit sad also for the songs they seemed to sing,- songs I couldn’t quite make out the words of but could still feel the feelings meant.
For all that through,- nothing was provable. But what would it matter, as I had nothing to prove anyhow,- knowing the veracity and validity of it all. And I didn’t have anyone to talk to anyhow. I could say that I thought other people saw and heard the spirits and signs, knew about events and the intentions of souls good or bad,- or that I didn’t think they did. But I didn’t consider it either way. I was just to myself, in my own interesting worlds and I found them interesting.
Until I didn’t.
One day the world that people would later make fun of or explain away through medical models or imagination’s life, would present itself in a little too real manner for me…
I was awakened in the night to a ghost floating back and forth at the foot of my bed. It was transparent and a boy about my age, six or seven. He was trying to communicate something, but I couldn’t hear. Wave back and forth just like something from a cartoon or movie he did. But I became too frightened and began to leave. He motioned for me not to and had a panicked look on his face. The message that he had come to convey or else the help he needed, maybe both, was not complete.
I ran across the long hallway and looked back. He flew out from the room, down the stairs, and out the front door. I never saw him again.
Sometimes I think about him and that night and how he might have entered. The top window, the third floor one that was mine, was looking out to the ravines and their trees and wild beautiful deer and coy,
coyotes plus feral foxes and, possibly,- the spirit world. How I loved to walk down there sometimes by the water that used to rush with confidence in the summer storms or remain calmer on say, the late summer dusks. And rain-washed stones, stones which held spirits themselves,- calling out with strange faces but with countenances that I was not frightened of for my being used to it all.
My room was stationed above the black wrought iron gates and the purple plums. Late autumn when it’s cold is not too early to have a fire. And sometimes in the stone hearth below was crackling and flying orange embers. Maybe ghost boy was attracted by the smoke ascending to the moon-lit firmament. Maybe I’ll never know.
TWO
Sumac Red 2025
(Autumnal Azure Agape and the Long Way Home from the Pastoral Glade)
In the meadow after the trail are flowers and bees, evergreens, and a copse of birches also. This is all at the purlieu for one can’t really go any further. But the real grand phenomenon there is the sumac, and some cultures use its deep red for colouring dye. It stands around proudly and boasts its tropical style leaves and deep redness to the calm country air.
A soul can think many thoughts along the way there and back, under the verdant canopy as the sun filters in here and there like the sky talking to the terrene earth. But out on the glade of the meadow near where a swatch is cut through it all to walk, thoughts can ease a bit, for the peacefulness of the atmosphere there…no people or machines, no panic or psychic discord. That is surely why people seek the whimsical woodlands, the mountain, the lake, and the sea plus the desert.
The spring lets the rains to be more than anytime it seems, and some feral shoots begin to grow through mud. Summer is a celebration for the grasses and grasshoppers and a thousand varieties of insects. Birds sing. Fall lets loose colourful leaves and ghostly winds, whist the winter shows millions of sparkles and reminds of nature’s realities and how they can be beautiful but must be respected.
It’s a fine place to stand before heading home. There isn’t a point per se, even a subtle one like a bird watcher or photographer might want to find. It’s different. It’s not valued by the world, the secular set. It’s wordless, even for a poet or writer, and can’t be painted or photographed, sculpted, or even have a dance made about it. Perhaps it is simple touching the Source or the angelic realm, even if with some new crown chakra or fingertips or a part of one’s spirit. Yes, that might be it, a sense of home and meaning felt amidst the area and atmosphere of the glade and small series of bushes, the old copse of trees by the corner sand pit that have their root systems sticking out but are still okay. By the beginnings of autumn, the liminal, changing, still nascent and inchoate fall.
Oh fall, or the promissory note for such, a paper writ in the sudden gust of wind like a ghost or The Holy Spirit itself, in new textured sky for a gathering of clouds, and the thousands of leaves still on the trees, kelly green and hunter green also, at the perimeter, when they sparkle in breezes and seem to appear golden. ‘We are golden now, against reason and logic, look at us watch us document us tell the others they should know…the ones that would care anyhow, as someone should see this!’ And even in the lines of small stones trying to tell a story, magic can be discerned, as looking down can also be a way of searching within through and via the outer.
—-
Brian Michael Barbeito is a Canadian poet, writer, and photographer. His third compilation of prose poems and pictures, The Book of Love and Mourning, is forthcoming in autumn 2025.
Night. The quiet whisper of the sea waves. The dark night and me. The cold wind is shaking my legs, the cold feelings are shaking my heart. No matter how tired I feel, there is no sleep in my eyes. My dreams took me back to the bottomless past. A small village, a house on the riverbank. Dusty streets, endless wheat and cotton fields. A woman sitting on a stool in the courtyard, embroidering.. A pain arose in my left chest. A tear flowed from my eyes. Closing my eyes again, I looked at that woman’s dear face. Unlike mine, thin as a bow, slightly furrowed eyebrows, a small elongated face, curly hair falling to her forehead and touching her forehead. Only curly hair and a stubborn character remained as a memory of her. Mom… Hot cakes just out of the oven…. Sweet evening tales.. My chest hurt again. I miss you mom!
A person is so weak that even his own imagination can hurt him. I gently took off my white sneakers and got rid of my socks. As I put my feet on the warm sand, my body felt a certain pleasure. I walked. Slowly, with fatigue. The waves of the sea hit my feet, and the gentle winds gently caressed my curly hair. As my steps slowed down, the distant past pulled me back into its embrace. My thoughts flew back to that small village. My childhood and adolescence began to pass before my eyes one by one.
Memories of playing in a snowstorm, avoiding lessons, and being reprimanded.. Precious faces, faces that smile but stab you in the back…. Another face… A face that always avoids remembering, missing you… A face that makes my heart tremble when I think of it, my eyelashes tear up…. Oh, I have no more strength left. I knelt down on the warm sand. Suddenly tears rolled down my eyes. Enough…
As I stared at the distant sky, I felt that these would never end. Nothing, no one just disappears. All things, events, and people are in our hearts. Forever…
Turdiyeva Guloyim. Young literature lover. Author of several scientific articles and creative works. Official member of the “Voice of Girls”, “Young Reformers Council” and “Golden Wing” volunteer.
Born in Rosario, Santa Fe Province, Argentina, she is a National Normal Teacher. Professor of Literature and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Literature from the Faculty of Humanities and Arts at the University of Rosario, Argentina. Writer: narrator, poet, and essayist. She has participated in numerous national and international anthologies. She belongs to the cultural collectives Juntos por las Letras (Together for Letters), chaired by Mirta Ramírez (Chaco, Argentina); Puente de Palabras del Mercosur (Bridge of Words of Mercosur), directed by Gladys López Pianesi (Rosario, Argentina); Mosaicos y Letras (Mosaics and Letters), directed by Teresa Ávila (Córdoba, Argentina); and Cien poetas por la Paz (One Hundred Poets for Peace), whose mentor, Verónica Bianchi, resides in Córdoba, Argentina.
She has received national and international awards for her work and career: Estrella del SUR (Uruguay), Gaviota de Plata (Silver Seagull), and Obelisco de Oro (Alexandra Foundation, Buenos Aires). First Prize for Fiction. Ediciones Anka, Buenos Aires 2024. Alfonsina Storni Award for her novel RUFINA by Mercedes SADE, Buenos Aires. She participated in all the virtual book fairs with various national and international cultural groups, presenting books, reading her own poems, and giving presentations on authors from each region. And she participated in person at the Book Fairs of Buenos Aires, Rosario, and Córdoba. Her poems were included in all the LIBROS INMORTALES (Immortal Books) published by Mirta Ramírez, which feature national and international poetry and visual artists, as well as in the magazine published by Juntos por las Letras: TOTHEM. She has published: A TIME TO LIVE (short stories and poems) RUFINA (novel), now in its second edition. Selected by the Córdoba Legislature for its 2025 Reading Plan LIKE WATER (poetry collection)
“Methodology of Teaching Time and Its Units of Measurement in Primary School Mathematics Lessons”
Urganch davlat pedagogika instituti
Boshlangʻich taʼlim fakulteti
“Boshlangʻich ta’lim metodikasi” kafedrasi mudiri
p.f.f.d.(PhD), dotsent Yusufzoda Shabnami Yunus
Urganch davlat pedagogika instituti
Boshlangʻich taʼlim fakulteti
Boshlangʻich taʼlim yoʻnalishi 3-bosqich 236-guruh
talabasi Jumanazarova Munojot Elmurod qizi
Annotasiya: Ushbu maqolada boshlang‘ich sinf o‘quvchilarini vaqt tushunchasi va uning o‘lchov birliklari bilan tanishtirish jarayonining metodik asoslari tahlil qilingan. Tadqiqotda o‘quvchilarda vaqt tushunchasini shakllantirish, uni turli didaktik usullar orqali mustahkamlash hamda o‘rgangan bilim va ko‘nikmalarni amaliyotda qo‘llay olishga yo‘naltirish yo‘llari yoritilgan. Shuningdek, maqolada vaqt o‘lchov birliklarini o‘qitishda samarali metodlar, dars jarayonida qo‘llaniladigan o‘yinli topshiriqlar va amaliy mashg‘ulotlarning ahamiyati asoslab berilgan. Natijada, boshlang‘ich sinf o‘quvchilarida vaqt haqidagi ilmiy tasavvurni shakllantirishning metodik tavsiyalari ishlab chiqilgan.
Kalit soʻzlar: Miqdorlar, vaqt tushunchasi, soniya (sekund), daqiqa (minut), soat, kun, tun, hafta, oy, yil, asr, ko‘nikma.
Annotation: This article analyzes the methodological foundations of introducing primary school students to the concept of time and its units of measurement. The study highlights methods for forming the concept of time among students, reinforcing it through various didactic techniques, and directing them toward applying acquired knowledge and skills in practice. The article also substantiates the effectiveness of using active teaching methods, game-based tasks, and practical exercises in teaching time measurement units. As a result, methodological recommendations for developing scientific understanding of time among primary school students have been proposed.
Keywords: Quantities, concept of time, second, minute, hour, day, night, week, month, year, century, skill.
Аннотация: В данной статье проанализированы методические основы ознакомления учащихся начальных классов с понятием времени и его единицами измерения. В исследовании освещены пути формирования у школьников представления о времени, его закрепления с помощью различных дидактических методов и направленности на практическое применение полученных знаний и навыков. Также обоснована эффективность использования активных методов обучения, игровых заданий и практических занятий при изучении единиц измерения времени. В результате разработаны методические рекомендации по формированию у учащихся начальных классов научного представления о времени.
Ключевые слова: Величины, понятие времени, секунда, минута, час, день, ночь, неделя, месяц, год, век, навык.
Introduction
Human life is directly connected with the meaningful and rapid passage of time. Time flows continuously — it can neither be stopped, slowed down, nor reversed. Therefore, people perceive time relatively. As the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, emphasized: “Time is life, and it does not wait for us.” Indeed, time is one of the most important quantities in human activity, expressing the duration and sequence of events.
Time is an inseparable part of human existence and is one of the most complex quantitative concepts to study. Children’s understanding of time gradually develops through daily activities and observations. The first perceptions of time begin to form during the preschool period. Time represents the sequence and duration of events, helping to determine their position in the past, present, and future.
This article highlights the methodological foundations of teaching the concept of time and its measurement units in primary school mathematics lessons. It also analyzes how to form students’ understanding of time, direct them toward practical activities, and effectively use visual aids and information technologies during the learning process. The proper use of digital tools increases students’ interest and helps them consciously comprehend the concept of time.
Main Part
As the great mathematician N. Wiener stated, “The main task of mathematics is to find the order hidden within the chaos surrounding us.” Indeed, mathematics helps to reveal the system and patterns hidden behind various forms of disorder in the world. In this process, correctly organizing time plays a crucial role. Therefore, teaching the concept of time and its measurement units to primary school students is of great importance.
In the early grades, the concepts of quantity and time hold a special place in students’ cognitive development. When teaching time measurement units, it is advisable to build students’ understanding through real-life examples, combining theoretical knowledge with practical application, since time serves as the main criterion for distinguishing events in daily life.
The smallest unit of time is the second, followed by minute, hour, day, week, month, year, and century. Among these, day and year are derived from natural phenomena, while hour, minute, and second were developed by humans through centuries of observation and research. The Earth’s rotation around its axis forms a day, while its revolution around the Sun forms a year, which consists of 365 or 366 days. The accumulation of six hours per year leads to one extra day every four years, resulting in a leap year. Over centuries, systematic observation led to the formation of the modern calendar system.
The division of one day into 24 hours is also based on ancient astronomical observations.
The main goal of studying time and its measurement units in primary school mathematics is to help students master the relationships between different units of time and to develop the ability to determine time using a clock.
Teaching by Grade Levels
�� Grade 1: During the preparatory stage, students are introduced to the concepts of “before” and “after.” For example, using visual materials that depict the twelve months of the year, the teacher may ask:
“Which month comes before March?”
“Which month comes after May?”
“What comes three months after May?” Such questions help students develop an understanding of sequence and the passage of time.
In Grade 1, students also learn concepts such as morning, afternoon, evening, night, today, yesterday, and tomorrow. Using a classroom calendar, they begin to grasp the relationship between day, week, month, and year. The teacher may engage students in discussions such as:
“What role does time play in human life?”
“What important events happen from childhood to old age?” These conversations expand students’ thinking and strengthen their understanding of time.
�� Grade 2: At this stage, students are introduced to the concepts of hour and minute, learning how to measure time using a clock, compare expressions of time, and perform related calculations. In addition to theoretical explanations, it is advisable to use model clocks for practical activities.
For example, by observing the clock face and moving the hands, students visually grasp the passage of time. The teacher can ask situational questions such as:
“What time of day does this clock show?”
“What are people usually doing at this time?”
“Where is the Sun at this moment?” Such questions help students connect time with real-life situations.
Additionally, using interactive exercises such as “funny clocks”—with colorful and variously shaped clock illustrations—can make learning more engaging. These activities help students develop skills in identifying time, observing changes in the clock hands, and distinguishing between different time intervals.
In the 3rd grade, the topic “Hours, Minutes, and Seconds” is used to explain the concept of time and its units of measurement. In this topic, students are introduced to the smallest units of time — the second and the minute — and develop skills in converting between them as well as performing addition and subtraction operations involving time.
Using practical examples related to students’ daily lives gives effective results when studying this topic. For instance, students may be given tasks such as “Determining the time they leave home and the time they arrive at school,”“Counting how many vehicles they ride,” or “Calculating how long each vehicle takes to reach its destination.”
Through such exercises, students learn to connect time measurement units with real-life situations and to analyze them independently. Based on this, they gain practical experience in performing operations involving time.
For example, the following exercise can be given: “An electric train departed from the Southern Station at 8:25 a.m. and arrived at Khojakent Station at 9:10 a.m. How much time did the train spend on the way?”
By solving this problem, students develop the ability to determine time intervals and perform addition and subtraction operations with hours and minutes.
necha minut yo‘l yurgan?”
��Studying Time Measurement Units in the 4th Grade
In the 4th grade, time measurement units are studied as a continuation and expansion of the topics covered in the 3rd grade. The following information is presented to students as a reminder:
Time Units
Their Relations
1 century = 100 years
1 year = 12 months
1 year = 4 seasons
1 year = 365/366 days
1 month = 30/31 days
1 week = 7 days
1 day = 24 hours (1 d = 24 h)
1 hour = 60 minutes
1 minute = 60 seconds
When explaining that one century equals 100 years, it is effective to use real-life examples. For instance, the teacher may say: “A person who lives for 100 years is said to have lived for one century.” When teaching that one year consists of four seasons, students are introduced to the names of the seasons — spring, summer, autumn, and winter — and learn that each season contains three months. Each season can be explained with the following distinctive characteristics:
Spring – flowers bloom, birds return, nature awakens.
Summer – fruits ripen, the sun shines brightly.
Autumn – crops are harvested, leaves turn yellow.
Winter – snow falls, it becomes cold, the New Year is celebrated.
Thus, students learn to distinguish between the seasons, understand their sequence, and remember the months associated with each one.
In addition, using modern information technologies increases the effectiveness of lessons. For example, showing video clips, animations, or interactive presentations related to time measurement units on a monitor or computer helps students retain information better. In this way, theoretical knowledge is effectively combined with practical demonstrations.
In primary school textbooks, such information is presented in a similar manner, which helps to gradually develop students’ thinking abilities step by step.
Conclusion
In conclusion, when teaching time measurement units to primary school students, it is most important to first develop a basic understanding of the concept. Some students may have only heard about time units at home, while for others the topic may be completely new.
Therefore, it is crucial to use visual aids, educational games, multimediapresentations, and video materials during the lessons. Such approaches help students grasp the topic more quickly, enhance their thinking abilities and observation skills, and broaden their worldview.
Moreover, it is necessary to systematically promote the culture of effective use of information technologies in general education schools.
References
Decree of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan: “On Measures to Improve the Quality of Education and Develop Scientific Activity.” – November 6, 2020.
The greatest and most sacred wealth of every nation is its language. Language is the heart, thought, and spirit of a nation. Wherever there is a language, there is a nation. That is why our ancestors did not say in vain that “Language is the mirror of the nation.”
Through language, a person expresses their feelings, dreams, and thoughts. Language embodies the culture, history, values, and worldview of a people. If a nation loses its language, it loses its identity, its national identity. Therefore, loving and cherishing our native language is the most sacred duty of each of us.
Today, the Uzbek language has a high status as the state language in the Republic of Uzbekistan. Thanks to independence, the prestige of our language has increased, and it is freely used in all spheres. Our native language continues to flourish in schools, universities, the press, and the internet. But we must not limit ourselves to this – it is also our duty to keep it clean, rich, and expressive, to use each word correctly.
Language is not only a means of communication, but also the national pride, values, and historical memory of the people. Through the works of such great writers as Alisher Navoi, Abdulla Kadiri, Erkin Vakhidov, Zulfiya, we see how beautiful and attractive our language is. Their legacy allows us to feel our native language even more deeply.
In conclusion, preserving the language is preserving the nation. If every person respects and cherishes their language, that nation will never disappear. Let us cherish our mother tongue, because it is a mirror of our history, culture, and future.
Ermatova Dilorom Bakhodirjonovna was born on May 3, 1998, in the Asaka district of Andijan region. I work as a nurse at Maternity Complex No. 1 in Asaka.
I am interested in many things. I also enjoy drawing, knitting toys and clothes from threads, making things from cardboard from various materials, and sewing. Sometimes I write poems. I will not stop learning and working on myself.
Review of “Break the Silence: Anthology of Verses”. Vol. III in 2025
First of all, infinite thanks to Brenda Mohammed to bring this book in light, Florabelle Lutchman to bring nice book cover and poets around the world who are included here to bring world light.
The book is the best version of healthy life style that it deals with poems of many poets. Brenda Mohammed brings very nice thoughts to make society, nation and world better. She wants to mitigate the dirt of inhumanity through these poems. The poetic theme is to pause drug using, abuse to people, and exploitation to women. The poems have crafted a new shining world to bring peaceful humanity.
The book mentions about the useless drug addiction and other violence that ruin the world. The suggestion of this book brings concept to make useful and peaceful society where utopian leading will be there. Poems reduce the concept of bad environment of society. This book urges the readers that all poems of poets from different countries suggest not to take drugs, not to engage in trafficking and violence. Then we can create the best and meaningful world.
Today’s world is full of inhumanity and unethical doings. So, the book provides the higher education to all kinds of people not to fall in rough world and not to endure any injustice for us. Revolution should be there against injustice. The poets inside it revolt against the false matter of evil things of society in which people engage in unethical things. Sometimes we writers are abused by illegal and unethical people. So, this book urges to be ethical and civilized human. Another happy moment in this book is that it is Amazon Best Seller 1 book. Founder Brenda Mohammed inspires we all to express our feelings against all kinds of violence in society.
So, thanks to the founder and all poets inside it to craft the words of justice.
Talem was someone who had once forgotten his own name. He lived in a city where names could be changed as easily as shoes: one in the morning, another in the evening, a third in dreams. The city had no name, or rather, it had all of them at once.
One evening, when the shadows from the streetlights grew thicker than the lamp posts themselves, Talem found a letter at his doorstep. The envelope was black as the ash of a burned book and warm to the touch, as if it had only just been held. Inside was a card, inscribed with silver writing:
INVITATION TO THE GREAT MASQUERADE
Location: The Hall Between Times
Time: When the clocks stop
Bring your mask with you. Or let it find you.
He didn’t remember agreeing to anything, but he was already on his way.
The Hall Between Times was a glass palace, standing in a place where the city ceased to be real. The walls reflected not faces, but possibilities: you could see who you might have become if you had chosen differently. Or whom you had lost by choosing as you did.
Talem was not alone. He found himself among the guests, each wearing a mask — strange, alive, breathing. Some wore the faces of lion-headed beasts, others had the likeness of hawks, some bore golden tridents, while others had six eyes. The masks moved, shifted, as if they were worn not by humans, but by beings with their own life.
Talem wore a blank mask — smooth, like a mirror’s surface. He had received it from a random street vendor as he passed by. The man had said:
— Here, this is it. Without this, you won’t get in.
He felt like an outsider, as if he were a mere shadow against these vivid faces. But that was the point.
He met three of them.
First was Horus, the Egyptian god of the sky. His mask was made of pure gold, with falcon eyes that blazed like the sun. He stood by the window, watching the clouds slowly move, not in a hurry.
— I lost my father’s throne, — he said. — And now I know: the truth cannot be found when it disappears with every glance.
Talem said nothing.
Next was Kali, the destroyer of illusions. Her mask was made from a tangle of skulls and serpents, and she seemed both wild and merciless. Her hands were many, each holding a lotus, a sword, or a bone.
— I do not kill bodies, — she said. — I destroy lies. I become what your soul hides. Look at me, and you will see what you hide. Put on my mask — and you will see what remains of you.
Then came Odin, the god of wisdom and war, his mask made of horns and raven feathers. His gaze was penetrating, as if he knew what would happen to everyone in this hall a thousand years from now.
— I gave up sight for wisdom, — he spoke. — But now I don’t know what to do with it. No matter how much you know, the answer is always hidden in another question. Are you ready to find that question?
But Talem did not take any of their masks. He simply remained silent, listening to their words, which seemed to grow emptier with each passing moment.
The next gods approached.
On the balcony, far from the rest, stood Tlaloc, the Aztec god of rain, wearing a mask of jade. He laughed, but his laugh sounded like a storm, a prelude to disaster. His fingers slid through a bowl filled with water.
— People call me good when they desire rain. And evil when I bring floods. Are you ready to be the one who no one understands? The one who is both condemned and exalted at the same time?
Then in a corner appeared Ereshkigal, the Sumerian goddess of the underworld. Her mask was made of burnt clay, with eyes that seemed to peer into eternity.
— I was once the sister of the sky, — she whispered. — Now I lie beneath the earth. Are you ready to consume darkness? To be the one who never sees the light?
But even she did not tempt Talem to wear her image. Instead, he approached one corner of the hall, where stood the Nameless — a god whose name had never been known. His mask had no eye sockets, and his face was just a dark void.
— Who are you? — asked Talem.
— I was a god, but I was forgotten. My name no longer echoes in prayers, but perhaps you know me. I am the one who is never remembered but always present. I am the future of all gods, even if no one remembers us.
Talem was silent once again.
At midnight, when all the clocks in the Hall Between Times stopped, the Exchange began — an ancient ritual in which the gods could leave their masks. And the mortals could take them, to become what they were not.
Talem felt the weight of many hands before him, each holding a mask, each offering a promise.
— You are empty, — said Kali, extending her mask. — But this emptiness can be anything. Fill it with me, and you will become the one who destroys illusions.
— Or become mine, — said Odin, holding out his mask, full of wisdom and loss. — Become the one who sees, but cannot close his eyes.
— Are you ready to be the one who gives everything and takes everything away? — asked Tlaloc, his mask flashing like rain in the light.
Talem stood in the center of the hall, feeling their eyes on him, the weight of these possibilities. But he did not move. He simply looked at them.
— All of you fear emptiness, — he said softly. — But I do not fear it. I do not want to be someone I do not know. I do not want to wear a mask. I am a human. And I choose to be empty, but real.
He took off his blank mask and placed it on the floor.
A silence settled over the hall, like a cloud that absorbs the light. The gods were silent. They did not speak, but there was something new in their eyes. Fear. Respect. Understanding.
Talem turned and left. Behind him, the gods remained, once again locked in their masks, which now seemed not alive, but simply dust in the air.
When he stepped outside, the morning was already knocking at the city windows. He walked, and the world seemed the same. But Talem knew: now, he was just a human. And that was enough.
