Eternal Hope

One of my earlier works.

            My name is David Carrell. I was born four thousand three hundred and fifty one years ago.  Much of my story may puzzle you, and not all of it can be explained.  Nevertheless, it’s all true.  Among other abilities, I have perfect recall.  I can remember everything I saw, heard, did and said in my entire long life.  Some I don’t want to forget, some things I would rather not remember.  Like all of my ‘gifts’ my memory is both a blessing and a curse.

            But, to continue my story, I was born in the year 1965 by the Gregorian calendar.  My childhood was like any other childhood of the time.  I had three brothers, one older, one younger, and a twin.  Though we were the same age, my twin brother and I were very different.  When seen separately, we looked alike. But when seen together, we looked no more alike than normal brothers.  Our personalities were completely different. He was into art, while I was into writing.  He was interested in the past, while I was intrigued by the future.

            I had the usual assortment of childhood diseases, plus a few that not all children had.  In all, my life was utterly ordinary.  That changed in 2010.  That summer, I was involved in a terrible auto accident.  The injuries were so extensive, I was in a coma for several months.  When I came out of it, I learned that the medical bills for my treatment had bankrupted my family.  Trying desperately to think of a way to help them, my mind kept going to the lottery.  I wrote down several numbers and somehow, I knew that they would win.  The prize was twenty-five million dollars, more than enough to pay off my medical bills and have plenty left over.  Since I wasn’t allowed to leave the hospital yet, I asked one of my brothers to pick up the ticket for me.

            The night of the drawing, I was watching it on TV.  I watched in astonishment, as they drew each of the numbers I had written down.  When all the numbers had been drawn, I called my mother.  I told her of my good fortune with the lottery and that I would be paying off the debt she and the rest of the family had incurred on my behalf. After a little while talking, we hung up.  I went to sleep that night, planning my new future.

            I spent the next two weeks in the hospital, before they reluctantly let me go.  My injuries had been so severe, the doctors were amazed at the speed of my recovery. They wanted to keep me there to find out how I could recover so fast and so completely. I didn’t even have any scars from the accident. Finally, they couldn’t come up with a plausible excuse to keep me there.  I was released and went home with my family.

            Over the next few years, I gradually built up my wealth.  I started small at first, buying some land and a couple small houses that I could rent out.  When I was ready, I started investing in larger properties and in companies that I felt had the potential for growth and were developing technologies that would help Mankind.  Within fifteen years, I was one of the richest men in the world.

            During this time, a disease was spreading around the world.  The doctors called it AIDS, Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome.  It started out limited to homosexuals and drug-users, but quickly spread to others.  By 2031, estimates said more than two billion people were infected with the virus that caused the disease. At that time, there were just over 12 billion people on the planet.  The only thing that held back the disease, was the fact that it was transmitted only by bodily fluids, which could be easily avoided. 

            Then one day, I read a report by a scientist in Germany, who claimed to have discovered a case where the disease had been transmitted solely by touching an infected person.  The rest of the worlds doctors and researchers rushed to refute this fearing the panic it could cause. I sensed the truth of the claim and was glad I had taken some precautions.  I had decided to build a secure shelter several years earlier, fearing an upheaval, though I didn’t know the cause.  I had contacted many others who felt the same as I did and we began our plans to save the history and what was left of the animal species of the world.  We were idealists, yet knew the past history of our species.  All great change causes a violent period where many things are lost. We were determined not to let that happen again.

            The year following the report, was an agonizing one for many people, myself included.  I watched as the report was proved to be true. People were contracting the virus even after taking the normal precautions.  And worse, the speed of the disease also increased. Instead of taking five to ten years to develop, it was happening in less than a year.  I watched as my family fell one by one to the syndrome.  The course of the disease was not a pleasant one.  The victim didn’t actually die from the virus itself, they died from the other infections that AIDS prevented the body from fighting off.  It was a long and painful process.

            When my wife died, I went into a deep depression that lasted several months.  When my sister-in-law succumbed, I began to notice what was happening to the rest of the world.  Riots were breaking out everywhere.  People became suspicious of anyone they didn’t know.  The world was on the brink of total collapse.  I realized that I would have to hurry to escape the impending chaos.

            I collected those few things I felt I couldn’t live without and made my way to the sanctuary I had helped create.  I arrived just barely in time, for the others were about to cut off the only access to the retreat.  Knowing that angry mobs could attack anything they saw and didn’t understand, we made sure our hideaway was well defended.  It was built in the remotest part of the country we could find.  The only access was by an unmarked, unpaved road that stretch for miles through very difficult terrain.  A gorge almost 400 feet deep and 30 feet wide surrounded the sanctuary. The only bridge spanning that gorge was about to be destroyed.  Once the bridge was gone, there was no way to get into the complex.  I was the last one to cross the bridge before it was demolished. 

            Once I had put my belongings away, I made my way to the main control room.  There were more than a dozen people there, monitoring the radio and television broadcasts that were reporting on the upheavals that raged around the world.  Some were talking to the amateur radio operators around the world, getting a more unbiased report on what was happening.  I saw that what I had feared was happening.  People everywhere were looking for a scapegoat.  Someone to blame for their fate.  They were attacking the very people and places that could have helped them.  Shaking my head in sadness, I left the control room.

            Life in The Institute, as it came to be known, quickly settled into a routine. There were many jobs that needed to be done to support the 1500 people housed there, to protect the precious samples of the plants and animals that we had preserved, and to maintain the records and histories. 

                        Over the next few weeks, we continued to monitor the situation in the outside world.  The major television and radio stations went off the air within a week.  The amateur operators lasted almost two weeks longer.  Pretty soon, there was no news coming in.  Every frequency we tried delivered nothing but static.  It was then that we knew we were alone.  Everyone else was either dead or too busy trying to survive to worry about the rest of the world.

            The sanctuary we had built had every possible amenity.  The site was chosen not only for it’s isolation. The whole mountain was stable, we had easy access to geothermal energy, and we had a huge open atrium at the top of the mountain.  The atrium was heated by steam vents set up throughout the area.  There were also hot water pipes running around the walls.  We had a natural spring capable of supplying enough water for centuries and large areas for raising animals and vegetables.  We had tried to think of everything. There was plenty of room for the children we knew would eventually come.  There were several gyms and workrooms, and a medical center to rival the best hospitals in the world.  We were set up to stay for a hundred years or more if necessary.

            I was elected Leader of the Institute without my knowledge.  When I tried to decline, they used every trick in the book to convince me that I should lead them.  Seeing that I couldn’t talk my way out of it, I accepted but added a few conditions.  I insisted that there be an elected Council to oversee the daily running of the Institute.  I would be involved only in cases of major decisions affecting the whole complex.  Beyond that, we modeled our governing body after both the English Parliament and The United States’ democracy.  We had a Constitution that borrowed heavily from the one we had had in the outside world.

            Once we had all the details ironed out, things became downright boring.  Since those who had elected to join our group were highly intelligent and not prone to causing trouble, there were very few cases where I was needed to settle things.  Almost everything was able to be taken care of by the Council.  As a result, I found myself with way too much time on my hands.  Out of sheer boredom, I began to study anything that caught my interest.  I studied in almost every field we knew, from Biology to Electronics, from Languages to Mathematics.  I would have a thought or come up with a question on a subject and then study till I had an answer or knew why there was no answer.

            Not wanting to neglect my body while I was learning all these fields, I also began to study martial arts and Eastern philosophies.  Most of these stressed the connection between a strong body and a strong focused mind.  Soon, I was in the best shape I had ever been.  It was then that I began to notice some unusual things about myself.  The most astonishing one was that even though I was an old man of 75, I still looked like I was in my mid thirties.  Now some of that was due to the rigorous training and exercise with the martial arts, not all of it could be explained as easily.  My hair, which had been almost gone when I was in my twenties, was now full, thick and fell to below my shoulders, exactly the way I had always wanted it when it hadn’t been there.  Thinking back, I realized that it had grown back not long after my accident.  I just hadn’t noticed it before, because I was busy with other things. 

            Then I realized that I could remember everything I had seen, heard or done since I woke up in that hospital after my accident.  I still had my memories from before the accident, but they weren’t as complete and detailed.  I sat down heavily, stunned by these revelations.  How could this be?  Could the accident have done this?  Was that even possible?  These thoughts careened through my mind along with many others.  Finally, I used a meditation technique I had learned not long before and calmed my mind.  How it had happened didn’t matter at this point. What mattered was what else hadn’t I noticed.  I began a systematic testing of all my abilities and senses.  I had to know what my limits were.

            I found that though I was stronger than most people, I was not excessively so and it was easily explained by the martial arts training and regular workouts.  My vision and hearing were both excellent. In fact, they were at the very top of the scale of human potential.  All my senses were at the peak of human abilities.  So, although I wasn’t a Superman, I was a perfect example of a regular man. 

            Having found my limits physically, it was now time to test my mental muscles.  Along with the perfect recall, I soon discovered that I could understand and speak any language.  We had saved books and tapes from almost all of the cultures in the world, and many of the people there were fluent in multiple languages.  I found that I was able to talk to them in whatever language they chose. It was very odd though, if someone spoke to me in English, I would respond in English.  If they used another language, I would respond in that language.  What ever language was spoken near me, I would speak in that language. It was not a conscious action, it just happened.  The only reason I had not noticed was that all the people I had been with primarily used English.

            Before long, I began to notice that some of the people were looking at me strangely.  I started listening to what was being said about me.  What I heard made me very uneasy.  People were noticing that I didn’t appear to age. Although it wasn’t unusual for people in their 70’s to look younger, they don’t usually look like they’re in their 30’s.  Some said I had found the secret of eternal youth, others said that I was blessed by God. The most worrying were the ones saying that I had made a deal with the Devil.  I had to look older.  I began by gradually dying my hair gray.  As I prepared for each day, I would look in the mirror and think about what should happen as I grew older.  I began to look for a way to fake wrinkles on my face.  One morning, while I was thinking about what I would look like with wrinkles, I suddenly saw them begin to form on my face.  I stood there in shock, staring at my reflection.  At first, I thought I was going crazy.  Then I thought that they had been there all along and I just hadn’t noticed them.  That was quickly eliminated by my perfect memory. I knew they hadn’t been there.  I decided to try an experiment.  I began to think of how I had looked a year ago.  Soon, the wrinkles began to smooth and fade. Before long, they were completely gone.  I thought about bringing them back and they returned.  I played around with it till they were just barely noticeable, I didn’t want to make anyone any more suspicious than they were.  I started wondering whether I could do the same thing with my hair, but the dye would last another few days so I postponed any more experiments.

            Eventually, I began to tire of the routine my life had become.  I wanted to see what had become of the outside world.  We had been locked away here for 15 years.  Although we monitored all the radio frequencies, we had heard nothing for the last 10 years.  The desire to go out and see what was happening grew stronger every day.  Soon, I began to plan a way to get out there.  I figured the only way I would be able to get away was to fake my own death.  The only difficulty would be preventing anyone from either burying or cremating me.  I started by hinting to a few friends that I was concerned about my health.  I altered my will to state that I wished to be placed in a cave at the edge of the ravine surrounding the Institute, and that I didn’t want an autopsy or embalming.  I had been using the cave as a place to be alone since I had discovered my unique abilities.  Without thinking about why, I had been stashing supplies there for months.  They were hidden in a niche way in the back, out of sight from casual sight.  I guess it was just my tendency to prepare for anything. 

            While I had been testing my limits, I had found that I could stop my heart and breathing and by using a video camera and clock, learned that I would automatically come around in about 10 hours.  During that time, for all appearances, I was dead. I decided that I would use that to fake my death. I would appear to have a fatal heart attack in front of witnesses, and let them inter me in my cave.

            The opportunity didn’t present itself till several years later, but it went amazingly well. Thanks to the fact that everyone knew how old I was, and the rumors and signs I had been showing for the last few months, my demise wasn’t too much of a surprise to them.  Because of the respect Everyone had for me, they followed my will exactly.  I awoke alone in my cave, with no sign of mourners. I slowly got up, still groggy from the self-induced coma.  Going to the entrance, I saw no-one around.  Going back inside, I gathered my supplies and made my way down the ravine.  After descending for several hundred feet, I decided the two sides were close enough together to rig a rope across without it being seen from either side. It took three hours to climb up the other side, but by dawn, I was several miles away from what had been my home for almost 20 years.

            For almost six months, I wandered the countryside without seeing another human being.  The land was reclaiming what Man had taken so long ago.  Passing through a couple small towns, I saw the grass was poking up through cracks in the sidewalks and streets. Animals were everywhere.  There were deer and other game animals, I saw an abundance of cats and dogs.  They looked mangy and untrustworthy, so I kept my distance.  They shied away from my fires at night and I managed to keep them away from me by throwing small rocks at them during the day.  I didn’t have to hit them, as they ran whenever one landed close to them. They had apparently never seen a human before.  When the food I had brought with me ran out, I began to hunt the deer and rabbits, and thanked heaven I had thought to study what plants were edible.

            The first sign I saw of other people came as a surprise.  I had been walking through a forest for hours and decided to climb a tree to find out how far the forest extended.  When I neared the top, I looked around. The trees stretched for miles in every direction and in the distance, I could see a ribbon of highway cutting through the forest.  Looking around, I saw a smoke rising from a clearing to my right.  Pulling out my binoculars, I scanned the clearing.  I saw a small group of men sitting around a small fire.  They wore what looked to be the remains of coveralls and carried crudely made long bows.  They looked mean and dangerous.  I decided that discretion would be the better part of valor and the smartest thing I could do was avoid them. 

            Climbing down out of the tree, I made my way to the highway I had seen.  When I had reached it, I still had no clue as to where I was.  The highway stretched into the distance in either direction with no signs in sight.  There weren’t any highway markers, or signs for cities nearby.  Finally, I flipped a coin to decide which direction to go.  It came up heads, so I headed east.  Along the way I passed wrecked and abandoned cars, and twice I had to leave the roadway completely to avoid large pile-ups of dozens of mangled vehicles.  I wandered for several years, avoiding the few people I saw.  It was amazing how quickly the planet was recovering from Man’s control.  I stuck to the main roads when I could since it was easier to travel and harder to be surprised.  I walked all over the country, living off of the land and for the most part enjoying myself.  The only time I broke my rule about avoiding people was in what used to be Wisconsin.

            I had been wandering alone for over two years and missed the sound of another Human voice.  When I saw the settlement in the distance, I cautiously made my way toward it on a hard packed dirt road that looked like it hadn‘t been used in years.  About a mile from the outskirts, I was stopped by two men wearing plain, homespun garments.  They appeared to be armed only with knives, and seemed to be friendly.  I kept my hands in plain sight, held away from my body.  I didn’t want to be taken as threatening.  Although I had ditched my rifle some time ago when I ran out of ammunition, I did have several knives in strategic locations and a long bow strapped to my back. 

            They looked me over for a few moments then the larger of the two spoke. 

            “Where are you from stranger?  And what are your intentions?”

            I explained that I was a wonderer, and was only interested in information and possibly some supplies.  I offered to trade what information I had and to work for anything they were willing to give.  They talked softly between themselves and quickly came to a decision. 

            “Follow me. And keep your hands away from your weapons.”  He turned and led the way down the road toward the village.  The other one faded quietly into the brush beside the road.  We walked in silence, and soon entered the village.  Soon a crowd had formed, trying to get a look at the stranger.  They remained at a respectful distance, talking excitedly among themselves.  It was obvious they weren’t afraid of me, just curious.  I was led to the central building, a large circular structure made of sun baked stucco.  At the entrance, I was asked to remove all my weapons. I slowly handed over all my visible weapons. When I had finished, my guide looked like he was expecting more, but with a very small nod, led me inside.  When my eyes adjusted to the dim light inside, I saw that the whole building was actually one large room.  The walls were covered by brightly colored tapestries depicting scenes of nature in every season.  There was a fire burning in a pit in the center of the room with thirteen people seated in a semi-circle on the far side.  In the middle of the arc of people was an older woman in a plain high backed chair.  The rest were seated on pillows on the floor.  The woman in the chair motioned me forward.  Near the fire was a pillow obviously intended for me.  I sat down and waited patiently for the questions I knew were coming.  I didn’t have long to wait. They started from the right and each person asked a question.  Each one waited for me to reply before the next question was asked.  I answered each question honestly.  I explained that I was wandering the country to find out how many people had survived the disease and riots and see how they were coping.  Throughout the questioning, the woman in the chair never said a word.  However, she watched me very carefully.  I had no doubt that those sharp eyes missed very little.  When all the questions had been answered, each person passed a small ribbon to her.  Most of them were blue but a couple were orange.  I had no idea what they were for, but apparently it was significant.  The woman put them in her lap and looked at me. 

            “You are welcome to stay with us for three days.  Any questions you have will be answered, and you will be given supplies when you leave.”   She rang a small bell and the man who had lead me here entered the room again.  “Would you show our guest to where he can refresh himself?”

            I rose, bowed to the group on the other side of the fire and followed the man from the room.  He led me to a small cottage not far from the main building.  Inside, I found a table with two chairs on one side of the room.  On the table were my weapons and a bowl of fruit.  On the other side was an overstuffed mattress and another table bearing a bowl and pitcher.  Grabbing an apple, I sat down in one of the chairs to try and understand what I had just seen.  A few minutes later, a knock on the door startled me.  Opening the door, I was greeted by an old man.  He smiled and asked if he could come in, or would I rather talk on the porch.  Stepping aside, I let him in.  Extending his hand, he introduced himself.  “My name is Ted. I’m the closest thing to an historian we have here.”  I shook his hand and gave him my name. 

            He pulled out one of the chairs and said, “Shall we sit down? This may take a while.” Sitting down, he began to talk.  “Before you start asking questions, let me explain what we have here.  Many years before that dreadful disease struck, this sanctuary was founded on the principles of an ancient religion called Wicca.  When people started dying and the riots began, we kept to ourselves.  Many of us died, but the rest kept going.  When the power went out, we weren’t affected since we didn’t use much of it anyway.”  He picked up an apple and bit into it.  “We have lived in peace here for many years.  We very much want to keep it that way.  Though you left out much of your story, what you did tell us speaks highly for your character.  That’s why we let you stay, and why I’m here.  If we didn’t trust you, you would have been led out of the village immediately and sent on your way.”

            Over the next three days, Ted told me about the sanctuary and it’s people.  I was very impressed with them and their ideals.  As a result, I promised to never tell anyone about them.  In fact, this is the first time I spoke of them since I left them.  At dawn on the fourth day, my original guide led me to a stable.  Opening the door, he told me to choose a horse.  I was amazed that they would offer such a gift.. Choosing a sturdy gelding, I was shown how to put the tack on it and how to care for it.  Taking the reins, I led the horse from the stable. 

            We walked to the west side of the village where I was met by Ted and several others.  Ted handed me a bag of food, and shook my hand.  “The horse and food are gifts, in part to show that there is no animosity toward you.  Also the horse will make your travel west easier.  We have only one request.  We ask that you not tell anyone about us.  We are happy and stable here. We don’t want that disrupted.”

            I thanked them and promised to keep their secret.  Climbing on the horse, I headed out of the village.  I kept to a slow walk to get used to riding.  I looked back only once. As I crested a small hill, I turned around and saw them watching me go. Ted waved and I waved back.  Turning back to the west, I resumed my journey. 

            I named the horse Sinbad, after a character from a movie I had seen when I was younger, and spent many hours talking to it.  Mainly to hear my own voice.  He became a good and trusted friend.  His keen senses alerted me to dangers long before I became aware of them.  We stayed together for almost 12 years before he was too old to travel.  In that time, I rode through the western part of what had been North American then made my way south.  Riding all over South America, I saw the same things I had seen in the north, the land returning to the wild and few if any people.  Those I did see were little more than savages. 

            When Sinbad died, I made my way to the coast and found a small sailboat that could be made seaworthy.  When it was ready I set off to see what the rest of the world was doing.  The trip across the ocean was rough but I made it in just over a month.  By the time I neared shore, I had no food left and precious little fresh water.  I found a place to hide my boat and went ashore to find some food and water. 

            From that point on, I alternated sailing and wandering. I would hide the boat and wander the land for up to three months at a time.  Then I would return and sail to another area.   It took a lot of time to check out the different parts of the world, but I had plenty of time on my hands.  Most areas were the same as I had seen in the Americas, few people and lots of wildlife.  Nature was flourishing now that her greatest threat was virtually gone.  The only place I saw a sizable number of people was in what used to be called Africa.  Apparently, the people there fared better through the shortages and loss of technology than most since they hadn’t had them in many cases or had had them for so short a time that they still remembered how to survive without them.  I had to keep my distance from them though since they were terribly savage people often warring on their neighbors and apt to kill a stranger on sight. 

            By the  time I had made my way back to North America, almost 500 years had passed.  Regretfully leaving my boat at the shore, I once again walked to the Mountain retreat I had created so many years before.  I approached the gorge protecting the installation near sunset and made a camp.  I figured it would be safer to attempt the crossing during the day.  From the outside, it looked as if nothing had changed.  Many of the trees were a lot larger than I remembered but otherwise it was the same.  I found where I had crossed when I had left the complex, and carefully crossed back. 

            When I reached the main entrance, I found the main doors closed, but not locked.  I entered to complete and utter silence.  Searching the whole place from top to bottom, I found no-one, and no explanation for where everyone had gone.  I found that some major changes had been made since I had left.  The whole complex was now automated.  All the machines were self monitored and little drones zipped about fixing any worn or damaged parts.  It looked like it was waiting for the people to return and resume their lives here.  It was eerie.  I found the hair on the back of my neck rising and kept checking over my shoulder expecting to find someone behind me, watching my every move. 

            When I got to the main computer room, I found that it was now hooked up to the satellites that still ringed the planet.  Through them I could monitor almost any part of the planet.  It was a little weird though.  For some reason I couldn’t see the village I had visited.  Since there was no need to worry about it, I let that mystery go.  I spent my time learning about the new systems here and trying to find out what had happened.  The new systems were more advanced than when I had been here before.  It was able to talk and was very human in its responses.  For many years I talked with the computer and pondered the stupidity of the civilization I had grown up in.  Every so often I would monitor what was happening in the outside world. 

            I lost track of how long I stayed there, but when I noticed signs of civilization beginning in several parts of the world, I decided to go out and check into them.  Following the same pattern I had used the last time I was outside, I spent another several hundred years traveling the world.  Most of the time, I just watched from the outskirts, but sometimes, I went into the new towns and villages springing up.  I would sit in the taverns and talk with people going about their business.  I began to marvel at how they viewed their world.  To them, all human life was sacred.  Any violent crimes were dealt with swiftly and severely.  The law in most places favored an eye for an eye.  When there was doubt as to guilt, the suspected person was banished.  If there was no doubt, the sentence was carried out immediately.  Punishments fit the crime.  Theft was punished by working off the value of what had been stolen.  Assaulters had to care for the victims family till the victim recovered.  Rape resulted in castration. Murderers were permanently marked as such. They had two choices, they could stay and be ostracized, or they could go elsewhere and try to start over.  It was never easy in either case since it was almost impossible to overcome the stigma of the mark of a murderer.  Many eventually ended up wandering the countryside till they were killed by some animal or fell victim to some accident in the wild.  Some managed to become peaceful, productive members of the community. Although they were often treated with caution, they were treated well. 

            There was very little in the way of technology evident, but that was understandable given that most of the raw materials had been used up even before the Plague had hit.  I also knew that most of the major advances in technology were as a direct result of war.  Since there was no war anymore, advances were a lot slower and in vastly different directions. 

            Seeing that there were no historians keeping a record, I decided that I would undertake the task myself.   My perfect memory enabled me to stay out in the world for several hundred years before I would return to my sanctuary and record all I had seen and experienced.  I didn’t know if anyone else would ever see any of it, but it helped to give a purpose to my life.  I used to think that it would be fantastic to be immortal. I would finally have time to do all the things I could ever want to do.  But it turned out that the hardest thing was to find worthwhile things to do to fill the time.  I couldn’t get close to anyone since I knew that they would grow old and die while I stayed as I am. 

            In time, I began to reintroduce some of the knowledge and techniques from the days before the Plague.  I would make it look like it was the idea of someone else, when I could.  A word in the ear of a particularly creative and inventive man or woman was all it took.  I stayed away from the more violent ideas and stuck to ways of healing and teaching.  In some areas, the knowledge I had wasn’t as good as what was being done.  The fields of agriculture and biology were beyond anything we had had so long ago.  Also, the treatments of mental disorders were miraculous to me. 

            Just the fact that they were able to remain peaceful, where millions before had not, amazed me.  The scientists of my day had always believed that Man was inherently violent.  Nobody had ever thought that that would change.  Yet here was a world where people were as competitive as ever, yet it never descended into violence.  Even the most depraved and violent person was treated with compassion and care.  Those that couldn’t be cured were taken care of for the rest of their lives and never harmed anyone again. 

            That brings me to why I’ve come forward now.  Mankind is finally at a point where they can understand the past and not repeat it.  Your history books go back how far?  Twenty five hundred years? I have records that go back almost five thousand.  It’s yours.   I want nothing for it, since it’s your history even more than it is mine. 

            The other thing that brought me here was a hope.  When I heard about your plans for a ship to explore the stars, I knew I had to be part of it.  I had dreamed about going into space when I was a child and had thought I would never get the opportunity.  Now may be my chance.  If you think about it, I am the most logical choice.  You are having trouble figuring out how to deal with the distances and times involved with travel to other stars aren’t you?  Well, I have all the time in the world. 

            And as I said before, I’m finding it harder to come up with things to do. I grow weary of this planet and would like to see others.  I have traveled the globe many times over and seen just about all there is to see.  Space is the only frontier left to me.  Now, I know I could have kept my secret and applied to the Space Guild just like anyone else, but thousands of years of secrets wear on the soul.  It’s time to reveal the truth and let the chips fall where they may.  Time to be myself again. 

Reviews

[Hyori]

This is pretty good. Although your writing style is different from most writers I've reviewed, that can also be a good thing! Keep up the good work!