The gods were all sitting in their science class one day, thousands of years ago. A young god was sitting there, lazily doodling in his notebook. He heard his teacher mention the word “project” and his ears suddenly perked up. Usually the word project would be enough to make any teenage god groan in disgust, yet this class was different.


In Science, the gods weren’t expected to complete mundane tasks. Never did they have to “explore the essence of their unique, godly powers.” Instead, they were given interesting projects. As the teacher explained the project, each student in the class began thinking of ideas. The teacher demanded complete silence, and so they all listened.

“This project is very different. You never have done anything like this before. Know that this will be extremely difficult, and could be potentially dangerous. But if done with care and precision, this project will be the most rewarding you have ever completed. For this project, you will have to create something. Not just anything, though. You will be creating your very own,” she paused for emphasis, “planet.”

A low gasp rippled through the room; nobody could believe their ears. They were never allowed to use their godly powers. They weren’t even allowed to write about them. But being able to use them in full form would be fun. Some people looked scared, but the doodler was excited. He couldn’t wait to begin.

“You will all be expected to create a planet with some form of life on it. Your planet and life form should show an acute knowledge of your individual powers. Your personality should be reflected in every single aspect of your world. I have reserved areas through space for you to practice; the final location is up to you. The due date is December 21, 2012. On this day we will decide whether your world should be honored enough to remain among us, or whether it should end.

“I highly suggest creating your world within the first million years. Afterwards, you should check on the progress of your planet each hundred. Watching your life forms adapt to their surroundings and fight for their survival will be the most educating experience you will ever have. Have fun with this, class. You are dismissed.”

Eartheous, the young doodler, bolted out of the classroom at top speed. He knew exactly what he wanted to do. He always drew out plans of new life forms in his notebooks. He had all the sketches ready.

For the first hundred years, Eartheous carefully began mapping out each small detail of his large planet. He covered most of his planet in water. He’d make sure his life forms liked water, because he simply wouldn’t have time to design more land than he already was. Only 30% of his planet was made of land; it was enough.

He spent the next thousand years developing his life form. He decided to call them “monkeys” because he thought the word sounded interesting. They were hairy, and showed an incredible amount of intelligence. He made sure they were capable of surviving on their own, and made sure he had the supplies to help them out if needed. He anxiously placed four monkeys on his planet.

He went off to his classes, promising himself not to check on his planet for at least another hundred years. He knew if he looked, even a little peek, something would go wrong. The next hundred years dragged on in a lifeless blur. Eartheous was nervous and excited about his planet, but he fought with his willpower with each cell of his body. Finally, a hundred years passed.

On the very day marking one hundred years, he ran to his planet at full speed. To his astonishment, the planet was now entirely populated with monkeys. Yet, somehow they looked different. They seemed to be slightly less hairy, and they seemed to be gaining intelligence. He quickly recorded his findings and spent the next hundred years waiting.

Each time he checked, they seemed to get taller, gain more intelligence, and lose a little hair. He was astounded by his findings and excited. For the next few million years, his planet continued to grow. He was shocked by the progress of his world, and he knew that the creatures residing there were no longer monkeys. He gave them a new name, humans.

They evolved from monkeys in sophisticated ways, ways he didn’t understand. The Earth evolved in ways that even the gods were dumbfounded. He showed off his planet to each of his friends, and they all agreed that his was the best.

And now, only three years until the due date of the project, Eartheous is still watching over his planet. His humans have captured his interest in such a unique way, he is constantly watching over his Earth. They grew in so many ways, from those barbaric monkeys they originally were to these sophisticated, advanced humans.

His sensitive, emotional nature was the godly trait reflected in his project. His humans were the only forms of life that had such a complex array of emotions. They felt compassion, angst, hatred, jealousy… and love. Love was an emotion that nobody could comprehend. Multiple times he had gone down to Earth in the form of a human, trying to figure out those strange emotions. Yet, as much as he tried, he could only feel love as an actual human. Once he returned to his true form, he forgot about that powerful, overwhelming emotion. So, each day he watched, taking notes and trying to figure it out.

And now Eartheous can’t wait until December 21, 2012. If his teacher likes his planet, Earth will become a godly planet. If his teacher doesn’t like the planet, it will have to end, and his precious human race will have to end, too. He, and the rest of his classmates, will find out what happens, soon. December 21, 2012 will be one very interesting day. And even if his teacher deems his planet to be incapable of surviving, Eartheous knows that his planet was one of the best. For the millions of years he worked on his Earth, nobody will ever come close to recreating the amazing planet he has today.