Earth Man

by Richard Paul Evans

  A large desert appeared in Danny’s mind and millions of rotting corpses stretched out around him in every direction. Every human, every cow, every pig, every animal slaughtered by the millions was left there to rot in the hot sun. Danny could almost smell the hot rank meat all around him. The Earth began to shake under him and his vision changed again as the ground beneath his feet threatened to knock him down. The ground rolled and buckled as it were rubber. A massive fissure opened in the ground and the corpses began to fall in, but as they fell they were suddenly alive again, fighting and flailing against the wave of dirt that buried them.

  Danny’s vision lifted him up in the air, spinning him up and over the world. Buildings suddenly appeared only to shake until they crumbled into dust. From above he watched waves crashing over various cities, propelled by high winds and rain. Over and over nature battered shores and beaches, wiping out homes and dragging people out to sea. The winds came next, tearing plants from the ground and scouring all life from the surface and tossing it aside like discarded garbage. Danny was seeing nature at its worst; lightning, rain, wind, naturally occurring fires that swept through the forests and fields, waves the size of buildings. Finally the last of the visions came in a wave of red heat. From the ground burst massive volcanoes, spewing lava and ash across the country side. Humans and animals were burnt up instantly or died choking in the black soot that filled the air. Not only did Danny watch the people of Pompeii die, but he witnessed all the largest volcanic explosions throughout history. Fire rained down from the sky, killing creatures without thought, without emotion.

  Time flew backwards, all the way back before the time of the dinosaurs to the earliest eruptions of a newborn planet. The soft warm molten soup of the planet seemed to spurt and gush until growing strangely calm as a shadow darkened the sky. A large unknown planet filled Danny’s vision as it seemed to collide with the Earth in slow motion. The Earth burned and split open a large crater and from it, like a newborn baby from the vaginal canal of a celestial body, formed the molten ball that would one day become the Moon. From the collision of two planets, Earth’s only natural satellite was formed and when Danny opened his eyes he found himself staring up at the Earth’s only lifeless child floating above him. It would forever serve as a reminder of the true horrible nature of life.

  Danny wiped the tears from his face and sat up. Snowfall reached out a hand to help him up but he shook his head. The heat created by the magic both men had harnessed made them steam in the cold night air. Snowfall reached under his cloak and removed his pipe as Danny got to his feet. Danny wiped the last of the tears from his face just as Snowfall finished packing the pipe.

  “Thank you.” Danny said. Snowfall was surprised and only nodded in response. “I know now what you were trying to say, what you wanted me to see.”

  “Yes, people assume the Earth is some sort of Wiccan goddess, a mother eager to provide for us. She is not. She can be as wrathful and vengeful as any God, real or fictional.” Snowfall replied.

  Lighting the pipe with a small flame from his hands, Snowfall inhaled deeply. As he spoke the smoke poured from his nose.

  “Nothing is ever that simple. You were chosen to protect her but that does not mean she will protect you. Or humanity.”

  “So what do I do now?” Danny asked. “I was so sure. .”

  “You do what you think is best and live with the consequences. That was why you were chosen out of all the billions of people on this planet. But you need to have your eyes open if you want to see the truth.”

  Snowfall held the pipe out to Danny and this time he did not refuse. After filling his lungs with smoke, he let it out in one long, slow exhale.

  “It’s been a while since I smoked that.” Danny said, coughing only slightly.

  “You’ve never smoked anything like this before.” Snowfall replied casually.

  They passed the pipe back and forth a few more times in silence. As Snowfall refilled it a second time, Danny spoke again.

  “I can feel a difference in the power now. I feel the power you were talking about, the raw unbridled force of the planet. It tingles slightly, like a mild static shock. It’s like a whole new connection.”

  “Yes. You are more fully immersed in the life force of this planet. When you connect to the animals, you are using only a small portion of that power. Eventually as you learn to control it, you won’t need the animals anymore to guide you.”

  “So I can do more?”

  “You can do anything. The power is yours, you just have to reach within yourself and grab a hold of it.”

  Whatever was in Snowfall’s pipe made Danny feel lucid, like he was moving partially out of his body. Danny closed his eyes and reached outwards but this time he also pulled the energy from inside himself, connecting to the planet. Suddenly he was aware of all the animals for miles around him, yet this time it felt different. The animals seemed to feel his presence as well. Their heads seemed to turn, ears perk up, whiskers twitching as if he’d just run his hand over them. They seemed confused by his presence but not afraid; they knew he meant them no harm.

  “Don’t focus on the animals; focus on the connection between them, the life web that binds you to them and to all living things.” Snowfall said in a cool, calming voice.

  Although the images of death and destruction he’d seen earlier still haunted him, he pushed those images out of his mind and focused on the positive energy flowing through him. Once again his skin began to glow with red light. He could feel all the life-forms on the planet, so many of them clustered together on a small water-covered planet. It was not surprising that the Growth wanted Earth; there was so much life, so much variety for it to consume. Danny felt as if he could touch the fur, skin, and carapace of all of them. He was no longer just an observer, mimicking their abilities from afar. The power was his now, no longer just on loan but a part of his soul and it really had changed him. He was in touch with how they felt and they responded to him. They seemed to acknowledge his power and his position as their protector.

  “Now open your eyes.”

  Danny opened his eyes and saw his body enveloped in red fire. The flames seemed to pour from his skin, covering him without burning him and working as a sort of fiery body armour. It did not physically burn but he could feel the pure power roaring through his veins. It began to spread along the ground beneath his feet like liquid napalm and form the armour like a sculpture of flowing light.

  “This is fantastic.” Danny whispered.

  Danny raised his right hand and red streaks of light launched from his fingertips, blazing outwards like lasers. The beams raced across the countryside in all directions. One beam streaked north, passing by bears, wolves and a lone whale near the Arctic Circle. The second beam travelled westward, all the way to Tokyo in an instant. Danny saw millions of Japanese people all at once, all with their own private plans and dreams. Unlike the animals, the people of Japan did not know he was watching them and it was over in a flash as the light dissipated. The third beam headed south through the U.S. and Mexico in the blink of an eye. It curved slightly toward South America until it crashed through the rain forests of the Amazon. Hidden, secret things hid within the jungle, disturbed by Danny’s intrusion. Something seemed to push back and him, refusing to be seen. He left them to their privacy, smiling to himself as his mind leaped to the next ray of light. The fourth beam travelled east across Canada, over the prairie provinces and snow covered lakes all the way to the small fishing town of Gander, Newfoundland. Danny saw the old men in their boats and although there were few fish to be caught, the men had high spirits and hoped for the best. Their optimism after so many hard years filled Danny with joy and respect. They lived simply and laughed honestly, something Danny had rarely ever seen in his old life.

  Whereas the other images had all happened simultaneously, the fifth red streak headed straight for Danny’s house came last, and he watched it unfold slowly and with great hope. Helen, Morgan and Raymond were playing
X-Box together on the couch, laughing and complaining to each other over trivial challenges. Danny was suddenly overwhelmed with his love for them, even as they grimaced and kicked their feet over the virtual game prizes. The tears flowed freely down his face as he watched them from afar. Finally he had to let the image fade and for the second time that night, he wiped away his tears. The tears were the happy kind and he felt good, the energy still burned within him, pulsing with his heartbeat.

  For the first time Danny could see Snowfall’s mystical aura, a soft green color that seemed to be pulled away to some far point in the distance. Somehow Snowfall was still anchored to his own world by a sort of green umbilical cord stretching across dimensions.

  Danny breathed out and let the energy fade, along with all the stress and emotion he’d felt. A cloud of red smoke passed from his lips as he exhaled and he subconsciously wiped it away as it vanished.

  There was a feeling of elation running through him, an exciting aftershock of the power he wielded. The tears in the corners of his eyes evaporated, burned off from the energy residue surging within him.

  “That was great.” Danny said.

  “Then my work here is done.” Snowfall said jokingly, spreading his arms out wide like a stage magician.

  “I don’t even know where to begin to thank you.” Danny said.

  He wrapped his arm around Snowfall and hugged him. Snowfall placed his hands on Danny’s shoulders and gently pushed him back.

  “I don’t envy you Danny. If people discover what you have become, they will be jealous. Resentful.”

  Danny stepped back and looked toward the lights of town.

  “You are alone; there are no others like you on this world. Only monsters, lurking in the shadows. I wish I could do more.” Snowfall said, his tone remorseful.

  Danny could see the sadness in the older man’s eyes and he realized what a burden the shaman must carry with him. All those secrets, carried between worlds like unwanted luggage. He hugged Snowfall again and they said nothing this time.

  Snowfall was right of course; Danny had given no thought to his identity at all. Neither Danny nor his family had really made a big deal about what was going on and he found that odd now. Up until that moment he’d been naïve, not concerned with how others would perceive him, or how the world would accept the changes he was just starting to accept himself. Naïve or not, he knew how dangerous people could be when near a little power or fame, he’d seen it firsthand growing up. Danny held his motorcycle helmet up in front of his face. He watched his reflection in the thick glossy shine, wondering if he looked the same as he did a year ago. As he turned the helmet to the left he saw his right hand again, the one that no longer had a scar. The thumb had remained attached only by a bit of muscle tissue and veins after the accident and now that whole hand was gone. In its place there was a whole new appendage. How casually he had accepted that, although he’d been frightened at the time. He’d grown a whole new limb and every day since he’d used it and never even given it a second thought. All the revulsion and fear, the trauma of losing it in the first place, all of that had simply been forgotten. Was it a fault of his, or was it simply human nature? Maybe that was how life was, you simply kept moving on, pushing forward. Either way, he knew he hadn’t been taking it seriously.

  Danny realized that if he could find the Growth fast enough and destroy them, he could return to his old, simpler life. Then none of it would matter anymore. He could keep his abilities a secret and perhaps, in time, they’d fade away. Once the Earth was saved from the alien threat, what more could anyone ask of him? Somehow though Danny knew it would not be that simple. He’d seen their planet, he’d seen the Growth spread across space, seen it all in his mind. All the horror and terror the Growth had spread across the universe was not simply going to go away, even if he purged it from his own planet, it would still be out there. It had been pure luck and chance that Danny had even found the other one; it had possessed Dr. Rue and simply shown up in his town. He needed to have hope and a plan, an idea of what the future had in store for him, something he could control. Snowfall had shown him that he was no puppet, no mystically guided prophet or saviour. He was just a man, a man with access to the source of all life, but no more special or important than any of the other life on the planet.

  Snowfall watched Danny stare off at the stars, knowing from experience the kinds of thoughts that might be running through the young man’s head. He removed his pipe from his cloak and began to pack more of his special weed into it. He could see Danny’s brow creasing with worry and concern and he felt somewhat guilty. He’d dropped in on the man and basically ruined his evening and so Snowfall felt the need to at least attempt to cheer him up. It surprised him when Danny suddenly turned, red light flashing in his eyes.

  “Why did you give me that Coke when we first met?” Danny asked.

  Snowfall raised his eyebrows and the pipe clenched in his teeth suddenly burst alight. Snowfall took a slow pull off the pipe and then exhaled out of the corner of his mouth.

  “You looked like you needed it.” Snowfall said. The corners of his mouth turned up slightly as he tried to conceal a smile.

  “You didn’t know I’d take it with me to face a bear, did you?”

  Instead of answering Snowfall handed him the pipe, the trace of a smile still written on his face. Danny tucked his motorcycle helmet under his arm and took a few small quick puffs off the pipe. As he exhaled Danny felt as if his extremities were tingling.

  “I swear I’ve never smoked anything that good in my life.” Danny said as he coughed slightly.

  Danny held it out with one hand while covering his mouth with the other, Snowfall only nodded and took back his pipe.

  “Are you planning on returning home now?” Snowfall asked. The question was asked in a way that Danny knew meant Snowfall had to go.

  “Yeah. I guess tomorrow I start looking for those stupid aliens and end all this. Will I see you around?”

  Danny could see a scowl cross Snowfall’s face, once again the weight of all his secrets was pressing down on the shaman.

  “Yes,” he replied, “but it won’t be the same. It won’t be like this.”

  Danny refused to let Snowfall’s sudden sour mood bring him down, he was feeling too energized and motivated. He wrapped his arm around the shaman’s shoulder playfully. Danny finally felt as if he had a grasp on his future. Even if he was wrong, if everything went wrong and there was only darkness and pain in store for him, at the very least he could enjoy the present.

  “Show me a trick then, before you go.” Danny asked jovially, hugging the shaman .

  “Come on!” He squeezed the older man’s shoulders and Snowfall gave him a serious look. “You showed me what I could do. Now show me a little of what YOU can do!”

  Like the sun breaking out of the clouds Snowfall gave Danny a huge smile and stepped directly in front of him.

  “So be it.” The shaman said.

  Standing face to face, Snowfall began to puff on the pipe. The cloud of smoke began to gather around their heads and faces, making Danny’s eyes burn slightly. Snowfall blew smoke out his nose and the corners of his mouth simultaneously between each breath of air. The smoke began to swirl around them, touching the ground at their feet. Danny could no longer see and the smoke was thick enough that it was obscuring Snowfall right in front of him.

  How doth the little crocodile

  Improve his shining tail,

  And pour the waters of the Nile

  On every golden scale!

  How cheerfully he seems to grin,

  How neatly spreads his claws,

  And welcomes little fishes in

  With gently smiling jaws!

  Danny waved his hand back and forth to disperse the smoke and as it parted he realized Snowfall had vanished. Where he had stood was a tiny plant that Danny had not seen before, pushing up out of the soil as if spring was right around the corner instead of winter.

  “Nice mov
e.” Danny said, smiling.

  He slipped his helmet on and lifted himself off the ground, his power working without any mental effort at all.

  The smoke trailed after him as he flew off, spiralling into its own little cloud under his feet. Flying home with a new determination, Danny was looking forward to seeing his family. Although he did not feel afraid or worried about his mission to save the Earth, he did realize the potential for disaster. Danny had been taught when he was a little boy that fear was a weakness, something to be concealed and ashamed of. Growing up the son of a stunt driver made it hard for him to express himself or his fears. Now with his new role of protector of the Earth, Danny had no healthy way to express what he was feeling, so he pushed it down and pushed forward. Being responsible for every living thing on the planet was more stress than any one person could cope with.

  Danny was all that stood between humanity and an alien race of conquerors. All his worry and stress about why he was chosen had been wasted and in the end was irrelevant. There were no answers to the questions he had. There was no one to give him a reason why he was who he was, or what he was, or why it was his life that had been turned upside down. The choices he had open to him were the same ones he’d had before that night in the forest; whether or not he could be a good husband and father. All the other questions that were buzzing around his mind would simply have to be filed alongside the rest of the mysteries of the universe, the kind most people never find answers to.

  Whether it was the drugs, magic or just being a friend, Snowfall has released the pressure Danny had felt building up inside. Danny had never been the kind of person to worry about day to day concerns, it was why he’d found it so hard to commit to anything long term. Finally he’d found a purpose, a huge reason to live beyond the labour force and bills and family issues and that put him ahead of most of the people he knew.