Nothing was first when our World began,
The thing that just was, without any plan.
Joined next by the first of its kind,
Black, the dark Shade, who with Nothing did bind.
The two lay there in eternal night
Until the next Shade came, that one was White.
Nothing stood by while the Shades circled ’round,
Curiosity wondering what could be found.
White moved in first, with adventurous play,
And a spark was made, which grew to form Gray.
The first Color came, and it was called Red,
Yellow and Blue were the Colors it led.
Once all three were there they too explored,
Trying to find the one perfect chord.
They created Brown, Orange, Purple, and Green,
And now our World had a colorful sheen.
But Black could remember the old friend it had,
And because of this the Nothing was glad.
Black would still visit, escape from the rest,
And go to the edge, what Nothing liked best.
Black was ashamed that it had to stay ’way,
Its friend understood; shooed it back to the fray.
But Black always left a small wisp behind,
So Nothing could tell it all that was on its mind.
Then the young Colors tried to make more,
And created the first of the Solids, the Core.
The Shades joined in, and our World began,
What started from Nothing, without any plan.

When our World was young, and humans were younger still, all creatures lived in blissful ignorance. They didn’t know of their creators, nor of the troubles that they would soon have. For when living beings were created, the Burdens were created with them. Envy and Jealousy, Disease, War, Floods and Storms, Memory Loss, Drought, Despair and Depression, Pride and Overconfidence, Forestfire, and Death, as well as hundreds of others. The First Ten—the siblings Black, White, Gray, Red, Yellow, Blue, Brown, Orange, Purple, and Green—noticed these Burdens come into being, and took them into themselves to protect the living creatures of our World. Each held a few Burdens, but the Shades and Colors were not meant to deal with all of the follies of our people, and they knew it. There was no way they could keep the Burdens forever.
The First Ten consulted with each other, and after pondering the idea for some time, decided that they would choose the strongest of the humans to contain the Burdens. Black was unsure about their decision, worrying that the human wouldn’t be able to take the huge responsibility, but the others shook it off. Black slipped away, knowing that none of them would notice. Black would often visit Nothing when the others’ bottomless energy became overwhelming. They always wanted to try new activities and make new creations, and many times Black would disapprove. Nothing comforted Black, as it did every time, and assured it that all would turn out as it was wont to be.
White, Gray, and the Colors searched throughout our World, looking for a human that they thought would be strong enough to carry the Burdens. They watched each human, taking in everything they did. They finally found the power in a young girl—Aridé. Aridé had every trait that combated the burdens: she was young, kind, selfless, always happy, strong, healthy; although she was unmarried and childish she seemed to have more power than even the elders in her town.
The nine siblings led her away from the rest of the humans, and wordlessly explained what they needed to do. Not understanding the magnitude of what she was asked, Aridé agreed without hesitation. She had only ever known happiness and love, never what she was about to experience. The powerful beings, stronger than the greatest beast but unable to hold the Burdens of mankind, released them into Aridé. She collapsed from their crushing weight, like a puppet whose strings have been cut.
Black and Nothing watched from the edge, unable to do anything as the child convulsed in the field of grass that nine of the First Ten had brought her to. Black felt strangely detached as it watched. It examined Aridé closely as time seemed to slow down She was a pretty girl, by human standards. She was slim and round-faced, and had deep chestnut brown hair and blue eyes. Eyes like the sky, Black mused. Nothing agreed. They were transfixed, unable to look away from the terrifying sight below them.
Gray, Red, Brown, Orange, Yellow, Green, White, Blue, and Purple watched in horror as the Burdens overcame Aridé. Dark, fluidic shadows seeped from her eyes, nose, ears, and mouth, to swirl up and out of her. They streaked away in every direction, and cries of surprise could be heard from the animals as the Burdens entered their lives. But Death, the strongest of the Burdens, lingered. It crouched over Aridé, and breathed its maggoty breath over her. Her rosy cheeks paled, and she went limp. The Colors and Shades watched helplessly, listening to the creaking, menacing laugh of the darkest shadow that now flew off to do what it was made to do: kill.
When the First Ten and Nothing were sure that Aridé was dead, Black drifted to join its siblings. A sad feeling of reproach washed from it into its younger companions, who, ashamed and guilty, stayed silent. Nothing drew them close, gently telling them that the Burdens would have escaped eventually. When the Shades and Colors protested that Aridé wouldn’t have died, Nothing reminded them that Death had escaped as well; now all creatures would die in the end. The First Ten didn’t respond, and Nothing wrapped them tighter into itself. Together, they watched the Burdens wreck havoc on the World that they had created.