"With the truth?" Dad returned with amusement. "People have a habit of complicatin' the simple things and simplifyin' the complicated ones. If you're gonna ask question like that about stories like that, gotta be prepared for the nuances."

But then He sobered, and His smile softened, and He said gently, "I didn't kill all those people, Ghast. There was flooding and there was rain and there was a big boat, but it wasn't all 'cos of what the story says it was." His mouth quirked wryly. "I had kids already on Earth other than humanity, y'know. Pretty sure Gabe told you 'bout them. The ones who chose to become mortal. I promised them they'd have a place on Earth. Promised 'em it wouldn't get taken away from them just 'cos of what they wanted to do."