Button in the Fabric of Time

by Dicksion, William Wayne

  When Jan-3 moved back, her smile was bright. Swinging her arms around, she said, “Tell me what this was like when you were a boy.”

  I looked around for a moment. The shape of the earth was the same, the creeks, hills, and valleys were the same, but everything else had changed. I showed her where the house had sat, and where I played as a child. Mother’s flower garden was gone; in its place stood an oak tree where birds nested. I showed Jan-3 where the barn had been, and where I saw myself milking a cow. I wished I had seen my mother and father at that time, but it would not have been right.

  We waded into the creek and as we crossed, I saw it as Grandfather had seen it when he was a boy. The water was clear and brightly colored minnows swam. Sunlight sparkled in the water as it flowed from pond to pond. Adults worked in the fields and children played in the creek. Jan-3 and I talked to the children. I showed them how to skip a rock across the water. They jumped up and down laughing.

  “You would be a good father,” Jan-3 said.

  We reached the place where the white-fenced burial plot had been. The fence and the gravestones were gone, and in their place was a flower garden. A gold monument containing the names and statistics of each person, stood as a reminder that under the flowers lay the remains of people who had once tilled this soil. Jan-3 and I sat on a bench under a magnificent old tree and I remembered my family. It was strange seeing the dates of their births and deaths. For the first time I became vividly aware of the essence of time and space as dimensions.

  “Only a couple of days ago I was in the family barn talking to my grandfather. By using the time-travel button, I had traveled back and actually talked to him. I could do it again if I wanted to and I could tell my mother, father, and grandfather the dates of their deaths. But I think I won’t do that—it would be a violation of their privacy.”

  Jan-3 noticed my serious mood, touched my hand, and asked, “Do you want to share your thoughts with me?”

  “Geographically, this place is still the same, yet everything has changed. I was thinking about how we humans fail to recognize that, if we are going to tell about a person, a place, or thing, we must denote the time we are referring to, because everything changes. For me, it was both sad and joyous to see the dates of my mother and father’s death. I was sad that they died, yet I was pleased that they lived long lives. My name was not in the records, which indicated that I didn’t die before these records were placed here—or maybe I did die, and was buried somewhere else. Viewing those records have given me knowledge that I didn’t know what to do with, yet, I felt that there was something that I should do. I had become aware that when we acquire knowledge, we also acquire the responsibility to use that knowledge wisely.”

  “Thank you for sharing this experience with me,” Jan-3 said. “By your telling me your experiences, I see history as more than a recording of events. It’s the story of people who lived before us, who experienced love, desire, and fear, and had aspirations, as we do.”

  “You came to learn,” Jan-3 continued, “and you are learning, but you have brought knowledge that will help us to move forward, and you have taught us things that we were in danger of forgetting.”

  “Jan-3, I’ve seen where the farm existed, but it isn’t here anymore. Everything has changed. You’ve shown me the improvements that you have made to the mountains, deserts, and farmlands of North America. Next, I’d like to see Africa, and then I’d like to see what history refers to as the cradle of civilization. The problems and emotions of those people encompassed the whole spectrum of human conflict. In the twenty-first century, it seemed that there was no meeting ground, and that people there was in danger of destroying themselves. I want to see how they dealt with those problems.”

  * * * * *

  Chapter 16

  “Before we visit the cradle of civilization,” Jan-3 suggested, “perhaps we should start with what most anthropologist believe is the cradle of humanity.”

  “That statement alone would stir up a heated debate in my time, but I think you’re right—Africa is the place to start. I want to see what has been done with the deserts and jungles. . . . I flew over North Africa on one of my missions when I was in the Air Force. When I looked down at the vast expanse of sand, I couldn’t help thinking, ‘what a waste.’ My flight engineer, being a geologist, told me that geological finds indicated that at one time the Sahara was green.” Suddenly I thought about Roc-2. “Shouldn’t we let Roc-2 know where we are, and what we’re doing? He might want to get in touch with us.”

  “The ring he gave you gives you the authority to go anywhere you want, and it allows him to know where we are at all times. He can get in touch—as you say—anytime he wants. . . . So let’s go to Africa,” Jan-3 said excitedly. “Africa is an interesting place for both historians and anthropologists. We in the thirty-first century have made Africa green again; it’s one of the most productive places on earth. I want to share it with you. I never saw it when it was a desert, and I’d like to see it as a desert, through your eyes.”

  Astonished by her remark and realizing there was a lot I didn’t know about her, I asked, “Can you see through my eyes?”

  She laughed a delightful throaty laugh and replied, “No, but you can tell me what you remember seeing.”

  I was relieved by her reply. I wondered if she had any idea how attractive she was. The way she looked back at me told me that not only was she aware, but that she was pleased by my response to her attractiveness.

  Jan-3 said, “Perhaps we should change into a more comfortable keri.”

  “What do you have in mind?”

  “I think, what I have in mind, is what you called motor homes in the twenty-first century. We could get a keri with all the comforts of home and continue traveling wherever we want. We could stop at some scenic spot and spend the night suspended above the jungle.”

  The thought of spending another night with Jan-3 made it difficult to think of anything else. “Where do you suggest we should change keris?”

  “Let’s stop at a place I learned about the last time I was in Egypt. It’s on the banks of the Nile. The food is wonderful, and we can see the pyramids.”

  * * *

  We were still flying over the Atlantic Ocean and the lights of cities dotted the water, sparkling like stars in a dark blue sky. The keri was traveling at near max speed and in only minutes, we crossed over the Strait of Gibraltar and started out over the Moroccan desert. The Atlas Mountains were to our right, and the view was astonishing. Twentieth century stone-strewn mountains with goat trails were now green slopes with streams and beautiful pathways wandering through fields of grain and orchards of fruit and nuts. People by the thousands were working in the fields.

  After passing the Atlas Mountains, we began crossing what had been the great Sahara Desert. The desert was now the great Saharan Gardens, with thousands of square miles of irrigated land. In areas that appeared to be too mountainous for farming, animals roamed free. They appeared to be untended.

  “Why are those areas untended?” I asked.

  “That land is left for animals. Every continent has areas designated for animals that are indigenous to the continent.”

  “I don’t see where this land is irrigated, yet it’s green. How does that work?”

  “Because the land around it is irrigated, the climate has changed. It rains here now.”

  “Are those animals tended?”

  “Not in the same way domesticated animals are tended, but people trained in the care of animals monitor them for parasites and diseases. Other than that, the animals live as nature intended.”

  “When I first arrived in the thirty-first century, I saw prey and predators living together. I even petted one of the lions. Are these animals like that?”

  “No, those animals were a part of an experiment; I don’t recommend that you try to pet one of these lions. We can foresee a time when there might not be enough land to be used exclusively as habitats for animals. We want to preserve all
species, so we are experimenting with ways that animals can live together. We can train the carnivores to eat manufactured food, but we’ve found that when you change an animal’s food, and the way they acquire their food, you change the species. So we’re looking for alternatives. Animal husbandry requires the work of many people. We have thousands who want to work with animals, and there’s enough work for everyone.”

  The land was moving under us at an enormous speed, yet I could see everything clearly. What had been a vast wasteland was now a vast panorama of trees and fields with occasional areas that had been left untouched.

  “Why have those areas been left unchanged?”

  “Those are areas of geological, historical, or anthropological significance. People who specialize in those matters want to study them further.”

  “Have you discovered how the ancient Egyptians constructed the pyramids?”

  “Many methods have been discussed, but nothing has been suggested that Egyptologists can agree upon. We’ll be over the pyramids soon, and you can offer your own ideas on how they were built,” Jan-3 smiled.

  “I have some thoughts on the subject,” I admitted. I had flown over Egypt before and the green valley of the Nile always stood out against the desert. This time the valley wasn’t so prominent because the whole desert was green. The ancient ruins were still popular visitor destinations. Hotels and places of entertainment were near the river in close proximity to the ruins. Jan-3 dialed numbers on the panel of the keri and we docked near the river.

  The people in this part of the world had developed their area also, but it was very different from Alpha-1. Here, millions of people had clung to the old style of dress—men wore robes, tunics, and loincloths made of finely pleated gold fabrics reminiscent of ancient Egypt. Women wore skirts attached to pleated bodices with plunging necklines that exaggerated their full bosoms and revealed their flawless bodies. Music with the rhythmical beat of the heart, and the delightful fragrances of luscious food and flowers wafted on the soft night air as we walked along the beautiful pathways to the restaurant.

  The restaurant, reminiscent of times long gone, was in a tent. We sat on luxurious carpets and were served, what to me seemed exotically flavored mutton and rice pilaf. Our servers, both male and female, were dressed as slaves. Musicians played lutes, drums, and horns, and scantily clad entertainers mimicked Nubian slaves, dancing and swirling in feverish gyrations.

  * * *

  After our meal, we walked along the Nile in the glow of a full moon listening to the rippling waves of the Nile lapping against the sandy banks, and the muted voices of people in their homes preparing for sleep.

  We returned to the keri and retrieved our things, then dialed for another keri, which arrived quickly. The new keri was equipped with sleeping accommodations that exceeded the finest hotels in the twenty-first century.

  I wanted to spend the night hovering over the jungles of the Congo, as Jan-3 had suggested. She showed me how to dial for a location near where we wanted to spend the night. We set the speed for near maximum and, in what seemed only minutes, we were over a jungle so dense that it was beyond my expectations by far. After disconnecting the controls from automatic, I steered the keri over the most primitive portion of the jungle; found a place just above tree high, and then locked it in position for the night. I wanted to experience the sounds and feel of the jungle, so we opened our sleeping compartment to the night air. The place we had chosen was an animal reserve, and it was as primitive as the time in which the earliest human had spent nights in the trees. Clouds moved past the setting sun as the sounds of animals resonated up from the jungle.

  “Jan-3, I think this gives us some idea of what primitive men and women heard as they huddled in the branches of the trees, hoping to survive through the night.”

  She replied, “I wonder if that primitive woman, who was probably my ancient ancestor, had the desire to be held by her man the way I desire to be held by mine.”

  “If her man wanted her as badly as your man wants you, that woman and man probably increased the human population, even though the night was frighteningly dangerous.”

  The sunset produced a lingering twilight, then darkness as black as Satan’s heart closed over the jungle. Our perch, just above the trees, allowed us to witness the jungle as I imagined the first humans might have witnessed it, millions of years ago.

  We lay awake long into the night, listening to the sounds of animals fighting, feeding, and mating. When the night sounds subsided, we spent hours enjoying exquisitely sensuous pleasures until our needs were satiated and our energy spent.

  The following morning, the sun came out of the trees with a roar, its light streaming through the view plates of our keri. We bathed, dressed, and ate what was stored in a refrigerated compartment. We could have cooked a more fulfilling meal, but we were eager to see what a thousand years of improvements had done for Africa.

  * * * * *

  Chapter 17

  After leaving the jungle, we moved east across Africa, passing over areas that had been developed for human habitation. The dangerous animals and insects had been removed from the land, allowing children to play among the trees and swim in the streams. Even though they could—if they wanted—alter their genes, most of them chose to retain their ancestral genes.

  By removing the large snakes, crocodiles, and other animals that fed upon them, the fish had thrived, providing food for the people. The fish controlled the mosquitoes by eating the larvae. After removing the scavengers that fed upon the carcasses of animals, people were left with the chore of keeping the land clean. They did a better job than the scavengers. However, the harmful animals, insects, and snakes were not killed; they were moved into controlled areas where they were tended and protected.

  Many of the indigenous people didn’t strive for knowledge. They preferred to cling to their old religious superstitions and practices. No one denied them this right, but they had to do the basics and obey the law of DO NO HARM.

  In the past, this had been a land of death and violence; now, it was a place of peace and harmony. Where there had been starvation before, now, there was plenty. The African veldt was home for millions of grazing animals, and because lions and other animals that preyed upon them were kept in the controlled areas, the grazing animals increased in vast numbers and kept the vegetation cropped green and healthy. People could, if they wished, use the animals for food. Some plants and animals need both wet and dry seasons, but because of irrigation and the subsequent increased rain, the seasons were moderated. Adjustments had to be made to keep these species healthy.

  Many anthropologists believe Africa to be the birthplace of humans, and in some places it had produced learning, but perhaps because of drought, the people fought over the land and in some places, their way of living declined into near primitive conditions.

  Water had been returned to the land and Africa was again a land of advancements and achievements.

  “Since Europe is much like America,” Jan-3 said, “you won’t learn much there that you haven’t already learned. I think you would benefit more by seeing what has been done in what was referred to as the Holy Land, and the cradle of civilization.”

  “In the twenty-first century, those countries didn’t seem either holy or civilized, but I want to see how they survived the atomic disaster.”

  We traveled north, up the east coast of Africa past Ethiopia, and passed the place thought to be the location of King Solomon’s mines. I asked, “Has anyone found the fabled mines?”

  “I’ve heard of the mines, but I don’t think anyone has found them.”

  We followed the Red Sea northbound. I told Jan-3 what she as a historian already knew. “The land on both sides of the Red Sea has, since biblical time, been vast deserts, but look at the green farmland now. Even the valleys around Mount Sinai, where Moses said he spoke to God, are green.”

  We continued north across what had been the Arabian Desert where the Jews had wandered for forty
years. We crossed the Arabian Peninsula, and then looked down at the Persian Gulf. Kuwait was just ahead. There were no oilfields or refineries, and no evidence of them having ever been there. But there were solar panels converting sunlight to electricity. We had seen no industrial smoke or exhaust anywhere; the world was clean again. It made me aware of what destructive thing petroleum had been. Thousands of men had fought and died for oil, and a few had been made enormous wealth from it. The fighting and dying for that wealth, combined with religious fanaticism, brought about the near-complete destruction of the world.

  Jan-3 commented, “The alluvial valleys of the Tigris and the Euphrates rivers have been irrigated for as long as there has been a written history. Civilizations and empires have risen and fallen in those valleys. This area had been the center of learning and development throughout the many conflicts. Until about 1000 A.D. historians have long argued, although no agreement has been reached, as to what caused the demise of learning.”

  I agreed, and said, “Some Muslims argued that there has been no demise. Others say that the decline was brought about by the Crusades. Understandably, Christians deny that, and argue that the rise of Islam resulted in the decline of learning. In my time anyone who broached that idea in voice, or in verse, placed themselves in jeopardy, as was proven when the author Salman Rushdie published a book he called ‘The Satanic Verses.’ Threats on his life forced him into hiding for years.”

  “There have been other events in history that parallel the events you mention,” Jan-3 said. “Many men wrote and spoke critically against the Spanish inquisitions, and thousands were hounded and executed for speaking out against what they perceived to be a great wrong.”