“You said yourself there are not many survivors left…”
“Yes, but those who survived are hungry and desperate, and may not be of the friendly sort.”
“Hah… We shall fight.”
“Until the last man?” Professor smiled quizzically. “That is exactly what we’re trying to avoid. Fighting! We want to live without fear, without the need to fight. We want to spare these little ones from learning what it means to spread bad blood amongst human kind. That is why we have to carry on.”
“But, if you stay here with us, we shall be stronger, and it’ll be easier to defend.”
“We would be successful in defence only until we spend all our ammunition and until we lose too many of those who can fight. In the long run it’s a lost cause. It’s not that your men or our men combined would not be able to defend this place, but that we want to live someplace where this won’t occur or be a possibility. We want our little ones to live in harmony and piece. We want to create a new humanity, a new civilization in which there won’t be a need for any confrontation.”
“And where is this promised land of yours, if I may ask?”
“…Further south.”
“Could you be more specific?”
“I am not at liberty to say.”
“Hah…”
“I am sorry if we disappointed you,” Professor concluded.
“Do not think that we are ungrateful to you,” Presley interjected. “It’s just that we also have a calling.”
“Is this the position of your entire group?”
“Yes, they all agreed,” Professor said.
“Unbelievable. Please reconsider. Leave it for some later day and then decide. I… we all love your company.”
“There is another way to look at this matter.”
“There is? How?”
“We can stay together… if you join us.”
Nemyrof looked astonished, his lower lip dropped. He stared at Tagore for a long moment, in search for words.
“Are you out of your mind? To join you! To leave all this for… for what exactly?”
“Think about it. And think hard, my friend. This place is great. But its location is bad. It’s like a house by the road. Everyone will want to visit, and wish to become a landlord. You did a marvellous job here. You could do the same to the place we are going to call home. In two days we are leaving.”
“You bloody, stubborn, narrow–minded, damn Himalayan guru. Olga! Remind me, please, why I love this goat. Damn you, Sandeep, damn you!” Nemyrof jumped up from behind the table and stormed out of the room.
“He’ll be back.” Olga said calmly. “He just needs to calm down a little.”
“Do you think I offended him that bad?” Professor asked.
“Oh, I don’t know now. Everything is possible. If you came with it just a little gentler… You shocked him. You double shocked him. First you told him you’re leaving, and then you invite him to join you. You hurt his pride, both times. He is so proud of this place. But, you know him almost as well as I do, he gets bored easily. He needs a challenge. And you just presented him with one. And I know he’s been bored to death for a long time. He almost died from boredom. I might go upstairs, to pack up. Just in case.”
“You’re joking. Right?” Presley asked.
“No, I’m not,” she smiled.
“And you think he will consider?”
“No! He will say that you are crazy, that you’re all are crazy, and then he might agree, for he’s a little crazy himself. And, Sandy, I am so sorry to see you leaving.”
“Me too, Olga. But we must.”
But, Nemyrof was not as crazy as anticipated. Or, at least, not as bored as his wife said he was. He came back after an hour. He was composed, and he had almost an official expression on his face. Official, but still friendly, respectful…
“Well, my friends… Sandy, when are you leaving?”
“The day after tomorrow,” Professor said.
“Good… I mean; well… very well… I suppose there is nothing I, or anyone else could say to make you change your mind. Well, maybe it is for the best. But, I won’t let you go so unprepared. We will give you a day or two of escort, say, ten to fifteen men… And we will give you ten horses and a couple wagons, loaded with food, tools, some weapons and ammunition. But, I must tell you, you are one stubborn prick.”
“Thank you. You are very kind, my friend.”
“And I demand that you tell me where that promised land of yours is. I am burning to know.”
“Further south, I already told you.”
“Where south?”
“South–south. As south as south can get. Down at the southernmost tip of the Long Point.”
“Wow! You are an optimist.”
“Yeah! And I’ll tell you something else: should you get in any trouble, you now know where you can find us.”
“I sure am hoping it won’t be necessary.”
***
Two days after they were ready to depart. Nemyrof was deeply saddened by their leaving, and Olga was outright crying, hugging Professor and kissing Hope, Mary and Leo. Only a few others from Nemyrof’s village showed up to wish them goodbye.
“So long my friends. And farewell. I sure hope you’ll make it. We wish you all the luck you may need.”
Their convoy was long and strong, radiating with a new energy and optimism. No one looked back. No one wavered. The weather improved even more over the last several days and the cold was not so unbearable. It was dry and the sky was light, pale–gray in hue, promising that soon, very soon it might turn blue. They could even see a clear trace of the Sun’s disc crossing the sky, protruding through the thicket of the ashen atmosphere. After many days of rest and excessive feeding, their horses were strong and eager to pull the wagons and those that were mounted, had a tendency to gallop, whenever their riders let them. And so their ordeal, their odyssey, continued. With each passing day, and every mile they crossed, their spirits were higher and filled with hope that soon they would see their journey’s end, and the beginning of their new life.
Chapter XIV
Their pace was steady for many days. The weather was favourable and there was no trouble on the roads. Temperature varied from minus ten to around the freezing point, but there were some days when by the early afternoon, it climbed up to almost ten degrees Centigrade, and then the mood of the crowd would rise to a cheerful frenzy. Then it rained again for a few days, but they continued their travel, since it was not pouring and it was not that cold any more except for times when it was hard to move through the slush and ice on the roads. The additional horses and wagons Nemyrof gifted them, contributed greatly to their good stride, and made them remember him with appreciation. But no one showed any regret for leaving that place. Being on the move for the last several months became their second nature. Their collective purpose was to finally reach the seashore. They yearned to find out if it would really be warmer down south, and if they would see the Sun again. The recent warmer days gave them a reason for hope. So the closer they got, the more their pace and anticipation increased. All those days, since they had left Nemyrof’s resort, they met no one on the road.
The farther south they went, they only witnessed more and more destruction, shrouded in an utter quiet. It was evident that the region was desolated long ago, not by eruptions, but by war.
Since they had reached the lower altitudes, the towns and cities they passed by or through became more frequent. However, the level of devastation seemed to be greater. They slowly started to get used to the possibility that there may be no one left.
Every day by late afternoon, a few hours before dark, they would stop and set up a camp for the night. It was not so cold anymore and they could sit around the fire and socialize. From time to time, their scouts would come back to the camp carrying the carcass of a deer or a wild boar over a horse’s back. They would grin with pride while passing through the crowd of approving admirers. On such days they would have
a feast. Presley mused how they were turning into a bunch of nomadic hunter–gatherers. He thought that with them becoming nothing but a remnant of modern society, humanity made a full circle. Was this progress or the human race in decline, he wondered? He tended to see it as an improvement, letting himself be romantic about their ordeal. Five thousand years of technological progress led mankind to this—near extinction—not only of humanity but life on Earth itself.
After supper they would spread throughout the camp, in small and large groups around fires—talking, repairing their gear, cleaning their clothes, feeding and grooming horses, tending injuries, singing and laughing.
Presley liked to sit alone for a while, somewhat apart from the rest of the group, watching kids play and people talk and laugh. In his observations, he noticed the process of forming new families was almost over. Every child found a parent, weather natural or adopted, and every woman found a man, despite the fact that the number of males was still greater than that of females. It did not create a single argument over who was going to bond with whom. It was like some tacit code guided their decisions. Those who were still single did not seem to care or felt unhappy, and there were still a few free women left, too. Not everyone was drawn by the prospect of being married or having a family, and it was okay.
He studied their manners, noticing nuances in their interactions, but was particularly amazed by the warmth in their mutual relations. He noticed that an angry word was never raised from one to another, or a call for help unanswered, or a meal unshared, or a kind word not returned. He asked himself again and again what made this possible. What made them so special? Over time they grew in numbers, and together they ran through many rough patches, yet the affection that radiated between them never cooled down, but was directed with the same energy towards every new face. It seemed to him that everybody was so effortlessly pleased with themselves and everyone else, and it was that spontaneity of their mutual happiness that amazed him the most. He could not recall a single clash over or about anything. There were disagreements about things, but an argument never turned into a rage or fight. There was no envy, or jealousy, or egoism ever shown among them, even amongst the children. How was this possible, he wondered? And why? He did not try to speculate. And he did not care. He shared their happiness.
He was especially intrigued by the interactions among the kids. He watched them play, running around noisily, playing hide and seek and other ordinary children’s games. Nothing unusual. Except, on occasion, a group of five or six of them would sit aside, somewhat apart from everyone else, where they would draw the least attention, in a circle, perfectly still. They wouldn’t talk, their eyes often closed, just sitting with their legs crossed. They appeared as if they were asleep, but sometimes they would hold each other’s hands. There were both boys and girls, from ages six to twelve, sitting in the circle. It would last no longer than half an hour, and after that, the circle would breakup and they would disperse, joining other kids in play or go to where their families were.
Once, he asked Leo if he could tell what they were doing and, the boy told him: “Nothing, they are in the circle, just talking.”
Presley thought Leo perceived their interaction wrong, for he did not notice them moving their lips. But, when he looked more carefully, he had to agree they appeared alert, as if they were actually, in conference. He asked Leo if he could do that, and he said yes. Once Leo was with him while a circle was created, so he asked the boy if he could tell what they were talking about, Leo simply said he could not.
“They are not sharing. To be able to talk and understand you have to belong to the circle,” he explained.
“How come I never saw you doing that?”
“I belong to a different circle. We do it while we walk. We do not have to be in a circle any more. I spend most of my time with Gregory. And I do it with Mary, when we go to sleep. She used to have nightmares and I would go with her in her dreams, so she wouldn’t be afraid.”
Presley questioned Professor if he noticed how strange some of the children were, and what he made of it. He admitted he did. Tagore held that this was why he, from the very beginning, assessed these children as something special.
“They are, my boy, a new breed of humans—a higher form of Homo–sapiens emerging in our midst, cultivating, or maybe regaining a long lost spiritual dimension to human nature!”
When Presley demanded an explanation, Professor offered that the reason for this phenomena must be the product of an extraordinary, complicated, and most of the times, life–threatening state of their existence.
“It’s a by–product of their adapting to highly extreme conditions they are continually exposed to,” he concluded. “In order to survive, and in many instances, totally on their own, they had to develop a new set of abilities and characteristics. And some scientists claim that at the times when the numbers among certain species suddenly plummet to very low levels—comes the time for mutations, for the evolutionary leap.”
Professor believed that many of these boys and girls would have psychic and telepathic abilities, or even telekinetic ones. Presley then told him about Leo and his bird; how he communicate with the raven at some subliminal, subconscious level, and how he understands it and that this intelligibility is reciprocal. Professor was not surprised by this, but delighted, stating that he, coming from a part of the world where the belief in such powers was always prevalent, was convinced that some individuals were able to communicate telepathically, but also that some animals were proficient in basic cognition, thus Leo and his raven were a fortunate match.
“Which means these kids are superior to us,” Presley concluded.
“True!”
“Could it be dangerous?”
“To whom?”
“I don’t know—to us, or to them.”
“It could be. But, I wouldn’t think so. Not yet. They are just kids now and are still not aware that they are different. They assume everyone else is like them. Not all of them, mind you, have these abilities. But those who do will use them for the good, not bad. I tend to think they won’t be capable of abusing these powers, for it would be against their nature. Against nature’s purpose. They will be superior and incapable of being harmed, ergo; they won’t have a reason to do harm. Anyhow, we will assist them with developing these powers appropriately. So, we have enough time to study them and to channel their aptitude for the common good. Once we get settled, I personally shall lead the group of teachers to edify that unique bunch. They will have a special role among our people, and will be given greater responsibilities.”
“What if they are provoked or threatened?”
“I suspect they would try to defuse the provocation or the threat. After all, we shall teach them how to do just that.”
“What if they have no choice but to respond in a harmful way?”
“Then they will do the harm. And only if they realize that there is no alternative, that this is the only appropriate reaction. In my observations, I found they seldom show any fear or anger.”
“Are you saying that they will turn to be something like the character in that old twentieth century sci-fi TV show; a guy named Spok?”
“Something like that. Yet, the difference between them and that fictitious character is that they are adept in expressing happiness and joy. Now, isn’t that exciting?”
“Well, Professor—I gather you should call Mr. Jonah and ask him to make an additional column in his ledger next to all the names of those that have these special abilities, and mark them down. He can ask my Leo for help. I think it may be fitting to make sure that we know who they are and familiarize ourselves with their particular talents.”
“Right,” Professor agreed. “Tell me, haven’t you realized that we all developed into something grander; that we all became better, stronger, happier, more loving, over time?”
“Now that you mention it, I can say that I have, Professor. I was intrigued and amazed, and maybe a little scared by these kids, so I
did not come to think about anything else, but all along, I sensed the change in ourselves, too,” Presley affirmed and had a hard time hiding his emotions.
“And when was the first time you felt it?”
“I am not quite sure… when we met the old Mr. Welsh, maybe.”
“Yes. And I was aware of it from the very first moment I met you and your friends. From the first time I laid my eyes on your group I recognized what a lucky turn it was that I stumbled on someone like you. I wasn’t even looking, since I didn’t dare to believe that, in all that havoc, someone like you and your friends might exist. And that is what I call destiny.”
Chapter XV
The next morning, just as the long line of riders and wagons and those on foot formed, and before Presley was about to give the command to move on, came the sound of distant gun shots, overlapped by grenade explosions or taken over by rattling of machine guns in rapid succession. It lasted for several minutes and then the echoes of the combat went sporadic, until it gained intensity once more. Then everything went silent. These unnerving sounds came from the direction in which they were supposed to proceed. Presley tried to determine the distance between their camp and the place where the shots and explosions occurred. He thought it was not farther than a few miles, hence, dangerously close. He tried to think what they should do. His closest and most reliable men already gathered around him, waiting for his orders. The rest of the people seemed confused, or rather: unsure whether they should be concerned, or curious. Nonetheless, like many times before, everyone calmly waited for instructions.
“Mike!”
“Here, chief,” Malcolm replayed.
“What do you think?”
“I don’t know… Something is not right. I almost forgot what gunshots sound like, but it sure seems like a whole war is raging there. I don’t find it encouraging. I thought days of violence were over.” Long machine–gun bursts broke the silence once more.
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