[Fiction] Nine Pages from "The History of the World"

[kyubichan]

- Entry #9: The First Page -

Entry #9

Dear Diary,

Today, I had a dream.

I dreamt of a post apocalyptic world where life as it was once known had ceased to exist. The planet, or whatever was left of it, was merely barren land. There were no rivers, no lakes, no seas and no oceans. There was no rain, no snow- no precipitation at all. The air was so hot and heavy. Breathing was difficult. Anyone who stays outside for more than ten minutes will die and quickly turn to a desiccated corpse. There was barely any trace of life on the planet. Only a few mammals that could regulate their body heat survived; they hid within cool caves. Humans survived due to their superior intellect and ingenuity but with no plant life to continue the food chain, they began to die out.

There was one creature that rose above all. Born to human parents, this creature resembled a human being but was clearly something else. Flowers bloomed wherever this creature wished for it to bloom, if only for a moment. Plant life flourished around said being. Humans who were inclined to the ancient practice called science tried to study the creature, but she killed them all. Due to her intelligence, strength and inexplicable abilities, the Overlord rose to power and she led The World to a new age.

Then I woke up and I realized that it was not a dream. Those were my memories.

What is the difference between dreams and memories? No one is able to answer this. I will not ask this question again. In this World, knowledge is not pursued. It is accepted when it reveals itself.

I will see you again tomorrow, Diary.

[kyubichan]

- Entry #18: How the World Works -

Entry #18

Dear Diary,

I have been distracted lately.

It all started the other day when I made that very short diary entry. I was out on the balcony garden - the General called it a “garden”, that place where plants grow. Anyway, I was looking up at the sun -which I usually did because it is such a large ball of light, very difficult to miss- the General walked up to me. He seemed to have time to spare. Normally I would reprimand him or cut one of his fingers off for wasting valuable, immeasurable time, but he said something very interesting.

“ You should know, “ he began, “ That before the age of Earth ended, this planet rotated on its axis. “

My eyes widened at that point. He looked at me briefly and then he continued his story.

“ – and Earth revolved around the Sun. “

Unbelievable! This World MOVED!? Not only that, it moved around the Sun? It was impossible. Thinking back though, I did read something similar to that. It was in the room where humans keep pieces of thin wood pulp, things that they call “books”. And so I went back to that room. I forgot the name that they gave to that place, though I think it starts with the letter L …

… ah I placed too many dots. Eventually I found one of those old science books. As everyone knows by now, the things which used to be called science and religion no longer exist. It is impractical to waste valuable time and effort on such matters. I think I’ve already stated in one of my entries that one of the Absolute Truths of this World is that knowledge is not pursued. Well back to what the General said, I found what he was talking about: this planet, when it was still known as Earth, revolved around the Sun. In the same page I found more pieces of wood pulp, that thing which they call “paper” if I remember correctly. The word APOCALYPSE was written in large letters using ink, a substance that I only see in these items called books and paper. Under that word, there were smaller letters which described, in detail, the events which led to this planet’s current condition: it does not rotate and the Sun revolves around this World.

I’ve already written too much. Time is a luxury that only I can afford.

I will tell you more stories tomorrow, Diary.

[kyubichan]

- Entry #27: Co-existence is a Necessity -

Entry #27

Dear Diary,

I’m in a really bad mood today.

Humans are so difficult to keep under control. To be honest, I prefer dealing with wild animals. The older humans already agreed to a set of rules regarding their procreation, food is scarce after all and I can only make a few plants grow every day in this scorching heat. I can’t stay beside their human gardens just so they can keep growing plants for themselves, can I? It is impractical. I have other things to attend to.

The reason that I am in a bad mood is because I saw a newborn human. Since I check the human dwellings every day, I have memorized their faces and names, and this newborn human is clearly not in the Human List of Town#18. The Procreation Rule clearly states that human population must never exceed a total of fifty per “ town “ (their word for a group of dwellings). I have overlooked it last time and allowed fifty-one humans in that town, but no more than a month later, there is another newborn human.

I told one of my escorts that he should take the newborn human so that it can be fed to starving animals. The human mother cried and asked me to let her keep the newborn, but when I refused she said that I was a monster and that I will never understand them because I am not a human being. She then began a long statement about how animals’ lives are worthless and that they exist solely for food. She said that animals do not have feelings and intellect, so it should not matter if they starve to death.

It was really difficult to restrain myself at that point, and then she rationalized her actions by stating that “any loving mother would want a child of her own”. What does “loving” mean anyway? My human mother exchanged me for a pitcher of water and allowed the science-practicing humans to cut me up. She and my human father then procreated three more times, hoping that those younglings would share my abilities. Of course, with barely any food and water in this harsh heat, the other younglings died. I lost my temper when my father suggested that we should eat the third youngling on the moment that it ceased to breathe. I don’t know why… looking back at it now, it was a practical thing to do for starving creatures. However, in my head I thought that it was “wrong”. From then on I accepted the knowledge that eating humans is wrong, but that didn’t stop me from killing my human mother and father, and the science-humans who had just arrived to cut me up again.

Animals are easier to predict and control. If you have anything edible and you give it to them, they will obey you. If you hurt them, only then will they turn against you. Animals are really dumb though. They cannot speak English, which is the Absolute Language. Perhaps animals are using the old languages of Earth? I’m not going to waste my time to learn it though.

I strayed from my story. Forgive me, Diary.

When I was about to strike the human mother down, one of the older humans suggested that we could take the newborn to Town #27 which recently had a few deaths due to a solar storm. Such a brilliant idea pacified me almost immediately. The older newborn was taken to Town#27 as well so that Town#18 would meet the limit of fifty humans. However, as a result of the human mother’s misconduct, the Procreation Rule is now being rewritten. Severe punishment will be given to those who break it, both to the human mother and human father for they must share the responsibility after all.

In this World where Co-existence is a necessity of Life, I wonder if humans will continue to survive. They are the only creatures, aside from the Overlord, that can decide by using logic but in most cases, their actions are illogical. The food chain has been inverted if compared to the food chain in the age of Earth. Humans are at the bottom now yet they act so high and mighty. Without me, the plants that I grow and the animals that I pacify and raise, humans will die. I don’t need their gratitude. I just want them to learn to co-exist with me and every other creature in the World.

Writing about it made me feel a lot less angry. Thank you, Diary.

[kyubichan]

Entry #36 : Impact Cavern

Entry #36

Dear Diary,

A marvelous discovery!

Superb! Wonderful! Amazing!!! Even beyond amazing! The humans aren’t completely useless to the Overlord after all!

I ruined this page with that drop of blood but I don’t want to waste your thin blank wood pulps called “pages”, Diary. Why is my blood black? Humans and animals have red blood and they don’t use it to write with.

Back to the discovery! Is this what the humans call “excitement”? I guess I should say that I am excited! About the discovery- ah my writing is horrible now. The humans found something deep within Impact Cavern. Some of them went there a long time ago, perhaps around forty moments with sunlight, and today they returned!

Impact Cavern, that spot where the gigantic rock from beyond the Sun hit the Earth and killed it, turned out to be a very long passage to what humans believe to be the center of the World. But that’s not the amazing thing- what brought about this excitement is the humans’ discovery of plants! There’s plant life in the center of the World! But I can’t just leave everything… tomorrow I will discuss this with the older humans and the animal keepers.

I’m excited! Is there someone in the center of the World who can make plants grow, like me? It would be great if the World had a lot of plants so that humans and animals won’t die of starvation.

I shall write about the outcome of the meeting tomorrow, Diary.

[kyubichan]

Entry #63 : Plant Life

Entry #63

Dear Diary,

I am sorry.

I have been ranting too much. I began writing on the first day that I experienced that thing called a dream. As the days progressed, I became too engrossed in my feelings and frustrations. I feel that I am becoming human, which is impractical for one who must oversee the World. I will try to restrain myself from now on.

This moment marks the ninetieth moment with sunlight ever since we began the journey into Impact Cavern. Even though we are deep within this hole in the World, we can still see sunlight. In this place, plants flourish without my ability. The older humans brought their books along, identifying many kinds of plant life. According to them, plants may be able to live here because sunlight reaches inside the Cavern but its heat is not as intense as what we feel on the World’s surface.

I noticed something odd. The plants were not trying to attack us. The older humans also explained this: on the surface, plants have adapted to the harsh conditions. They actively attack anything that can be fertilizer and a source of moisture, usually in the form of animals and humans. In Impact Cavern, the plants are very similar to the plants of Earth which thrive by converting sunlight into their own food. Water seems to be coming from somewhere, but the humans think it unwise to destroy the Cavern walls for it might fall down upon us. Then they mentioned a word… “bacteria”. The humans said that it was another creature that cannot be seen, but it exists and helps the plants. They said that bacteria is barely present on the surface because of the horrible heat and that it could thrive only in flesh that has not dried up, which explains the existence of some unruly surface plants that keep wounded animals and humans captive instead of killing them instantly.

It was difficult to believe things that I could not see or feel. If I see proof of this creature, I will accept this knowledge. For now, we will continue our journey deeper into Impact Cavern. Perhaps there is something else just a little farther ahead.

Tomorrow I shall tell you more about what we find, Diary.

[kyubichan]

Entry #69 : Immeasurable Time

Entry #69

Dear Diary,

Today’s events were unfortunate.

I feel that I am writing too little in such a large span of Time. We have gone so far into Impact Cavern and we have passed the last point that the sun’s light was able to reach. This place is very cold, so cold that we have to start a fire every hundred steps so that we would not shiver eternally. The humans are starting to look ill; they are coughing a lot and always want to sleep. Normally I would whip their legs if they showed any signs of laziness, but I think that something is really wrong.

Speaking of odd things, the plants in this part of the Cavern look different from the ones that we saw before. The leaves are very small and the plants themselves are incredibly tiny. When I step on them, they feel like mucus and I have slipped many times. The older humans said that these are moss and fungus. I think I have read something about the things called “fungus” before. Don’t they release spores? Not that it matters.

Just before we stopped to rest (again), the humans cleared an area by removing moss and fungus. Those who did so coughed a lot, maybe it is connected somehow. Also, I noticed that the humans who are with me look… I think, older? I can remember how they looked before, and they looked different. Some of the younger ones have strands of white hair now. I can never understand this “growing older” thing.

Time cannot be measured in the World. Back in the age of Earth, science allowed humans to measure Time but on the surface of the World, moments with and without sunlight are used. I can feel the passage of Time but somehow, I am not affected by it. Or maybe I am affected by Time, just not as much as it affects humans. I have been living and breathing for 193815 moments with sunlight. Regardless of the passage of Time, I know that I am affected by Change- it is the only permanent occurrence both in Earth and in the World.

I hope that the humans will feel better tomorrow, Diary.

[kyubichan]

Entry #72 : Death

Entry #72

Dear Diary,

I am alone.

No, that is not an exaggeration. In the darkness of Impact Cavern, I am truly alone. The older humans began to cough up blood while we were traveling and they died. The younger humans got out of control and began to hurt one another. Eye for an eye, one of the Absolute Truths… due to this, they eventually killed their fellow humans. Those who survived were severely wounded. They turned to me, asking for help, but I could do nothing. I can make plants grow, I can make them flourish, and if they are damaged, I can mend them. But humans are different from plants; I cannot mend damaged humans.

I would have returned to the surface but something is calling me. It is telling me to move forward. The Cavern is getting increasingly damp and I feel as if my journey has taken a very long time. I can barely see anything in this darkness. This place is too damp and fire dies out moments after I manage to create it from whatever dry materials I still have in my possession. Whenever I found a dry spot, I would start a fire there and rest my feet for a while. I am not tired but I feel pain under my feet. I checked it earlier and I noticed that my soles are bleeding. It must be due to the jagged rocks that I am not able to avoid due to the darkness of the Cavern. I found this large dry spot amidst moss and fungi, so I am able to write this entry. My feet might stop bleeding if I rest.

I am worried about the humans and animals that I left on the surface. I wonder if they already killed each other. Humans will be the losing side, of course. They are starving, frail, have no natural weapons and they tend to panic. Animals are still strong even if they are starving, and they have natural weapons. Even cows, which are mainly bred as a food and fertilizer source, have many sharp teeth and strong hooves that can crush a human’s skull.

The fire is starting to die out. I will move forward, Diary.

[kyubichan]

Entry #81 : Center of the World

Entry #81

Dear Diary,

I have arrived at my destination.

When this journey began, my only goal was to reach the end. I am now at the end of Impact Cavern. This place is unlike anything that I have ever seen. There is a large spherical rock that is floating amidst many plants. I do not need fire anymore for this place is warm, just warm enough to keep me from shivering. There is also light from plants and this is the first time that I have seen such a thing.

Is this what the Earth looked like before Apocalypse occurred? It is beautiful. Strange things appeared inside my head the moment that I reached my destination, but I was not afraid. I felt at ease. I saw images of humans who used science to figure out what to do with Apocalypse. There were images of humans who kneeled on the ground… they closed their eyes and they spoke. I do not know if they are speaking to each other or to someone else. They looked defenseless but their faces were at ease.

The last image that I saw was that of the floating rock and a flowering plant. The roots and stem of the plant were buried in this floating rock. The largest flower was kept by the humans. I noticed that the black blossom did not wilt even when it was separated from the plant. The rock had markings in the image that I saw, perhaps those are clues but they are hidden beneath all this plant life.

I will pursue this knowledge, Diary.

[kyubichan]

Entry #90 : Mechanism

[kyubichan]

You should have read the foreword first.

[ e n d ]

Spoiler!

Thanks for reading! If anyone wants to make a fic or RP based on this, that'd be great. Comments and crits would be cool too. I have not written a fic in a long time, it's different from RPing ^^