The God of Minor Troubles
ShortStory 2,970 words Recommended by 2 award/anthology sources
"Many eons ago, when the first dawn broke over the newborn mortal world, the children of the Heavenly Realm assembled at the Golden Sky Palace. They knelt before the Immortal Emperor, their foreheads pressed respectfully to the floor. One by one, he bid them rise and approach the throne to receive their mandates of duty."
Quasar links out; the story lives on Strange Horizons, where the author gets the click.