A Taste of History Past

by Forrest Brant

  “Yeah, but that brings up another question.”

  “Another one? I thought we were finding too many already. But what would that be?”

  “Well, think about it Jura. I mean really think about it. It’s obvious that we couldn’t do this when this was discovered, and we still cannot today, so who were these people? I mean who were they that they could do all of this, and live here where no one could or should live, and from the size of this it was more than one or two families. Plus, in those writings that we are using, they said that this was one of the smallest that they discovered and destroyed. We already know that we can’t live here, and that’s why this place is largely unexplored. As experience has shown, most that go into the desolation don’t come back out. And now that we’ve had firsthand experience, we know why. So again, who were these people and how’d they do it? And I guess that leads to another one. I know that we’ve been trying to find the hunter camp and then this place, but from what we’ve seen so far, and I know this is just the beginning, do we announce our discovery or do we say nothing about it? I mean, look at this, really look at this. What does this say about us, and then comparing what we are seeing here, and I know we aren’t even inside of this yet, are we really ready for what this both reveals and says about our world?”

  They began walking along this wall before he continued. “Look, this flies in the face of logic and in what we truly know about our past. There is no record anywhere that supports what this represents. This changes everything. It raises questions such as; were we more advanced than now at some time in our past? And if that’s the way of it, what was it that caused this world to lose what it had and became the clans and tribes of our past? There’s just so much that something like this makes me want to question, and of course, I have no answers.”

  Jura remained silent once again as she absorbed what he was saying. It was a dilemma that’s for sure. They had been eager to search and find this place – the place where their history began to change and lead them to where they were presently. But this was so beyond expectations, so beyond anything she had imagined. She honestly had thought that the writings had exaggerated this wall, but found in fact, that it understated it. I really don’t understand any of this. She thought. And Kal has raised some very valid questions. I know that I’m overwhelmed with just this wall. What is it that we will find beyond this? I’m almost afraid to find out. In a way I guess that I feel that we are so far above our ancient ancestors with what we are able to do. But here, right here is this. And it’s old, so very old, and so far beyond us. What does this truly say? What does it say about us? They came upon the jog in the wall, the very one mentioned in the writings, and before them was that doorway into that unknown world that K’jor and the clan destroyed so very long ago in the past. What would they find when they passed through that door leaving this world behind and entering into the lairs, as they had been called at the time of their destruction. She paused not sure if she really wanted to, and at that moment shadows started to build. She, looking around, realized that the day was just about over and they would have to wait as night was approaching and they’d need to set up camp. Thinking about what they had brought with them, tomorrow would be their only chance as they would be running out of what they had packed. In a way she was glad for the respite, since she wasn’t sure if she really was ready for what was through that doorway. This wall had been shock enough for one day.

  As it seemed to be in the desolation, the suns rose early. There was no trees, no mountains, nothing to block their early rise. So with a quick morning meal out of the way they made their way back to that wall, following it down towards that single entrance. They had camped by the ruins of the shelters that were like the clan shelters of the past. Something familiar, and at the same time there was additional wood so they could avoid using their meager supply. Now with the shadows stretched deeply from what shelters remained standing and that wall both could feel that morning chill that penetrated deep making both of them cold. Both looked back towards their campsite which wasn’t visible here. Since there had been a warming fire there, and as of yet the suns hadn’t begun their job of warming the area, and what surprised them was their breath coming out in clouds of steam – that fire was beckoning. There was reluctance in both of them. The wall had been a shock and was enough to make them feel inferior to whoever had been the ones who had constructed this thing. The writings had said that this doorway had been sealed at the time of discovery and after stopping whatever monster was responsible for that deep vibration that was more felt than heard; the doorway opened and had remained so since that time.

  And that became the next mystery. They had expected a swinging door, the same that was on every shelter that ever had been built, yet this was not that way. Instead it appeared to have withdrawn into the wall. How could that be, and how, if they were seeing it right, did it do that? Again, this was something that they couldn’t duplicate even now. In a subdued voice Kal said, “I guess we’d better go inside. You know I just can’t get over the feeling that we’re being watched. But, other than us, I haven’t seen a living thing, and all I can feel is this very cold morning breeze, and hear nothing but silence. It really does feel like a haunted land. But, again, I don’t know about you but that breeze is cutting, and I’m thinking that on the other side of this wall we’d be out of it. So shall we?”

  Jura just nodded her head. She really wasn’t sure she was ready but had to agree that getting out of the cold wind would be nice. She hated being cold. She signaled him to lead. He shrugged and took a tentative step through that opening in the wall. He really couldn’t see much as the light from the suns was directly in his eyes, but once inside it cut that wind and it immediately felt warmer. They stood side by side looking to either side of them seeing a large avenue that followed the base of the wall in both directions. And while broken and cracked it appeared to have been some type of hard surface now gray with time, but giving the appearance of having been originally a much darker color. Picking up a small fragment Jura asked, “What is this stuff?” Handing it over to Kal all he could do once he had it and had inspected it was shake his head in the negative.

  Where the suns light was striking them they could see another avenue that moved directly towards the suns. Soon they would be high enough that what the bright sunlight was blocking would become visible. Kal pointed to their left and said, “Let’s go that way for now. At least we’ll be heading back in the direction that we came from.” So quietly, as to not disturb any of the dead, they walked along the wall on the inside passing a number of shelters and avenues. All of the shelters that faced the wall were nothing but walls. There were no windows or doors at all. Yet when they passed the avenues between these shelters they could see small porches, doors, and windows. As they continued their circuit of this strange place they found that it was laid out in a circle with the avenues acting like lines heading to the center. Making it easy for anyone who had business towards the center to head back out to where they may have lived. These shelters appeared to be made of the same materials as the wall. Yet here they could see that many were damaged and that there had been fire in others. All that they were seeing, as far as the damage, had been reported in those writings. It was uncanny the accuracy. It was like they arrived days later to find this place, and then describing what was found to a scribe so that it could be there for future generations. The clan of K’jor had done their job well.

  Finally, with the suns to their backs, and both had to admit that it felt good; they were more clearly able to see the layout and the size. This place had to be as large as Cross Trails if not larger, and Cross Trails was one of the larger villages. So far they were only searching the outer areas of this dead silent world, and there was plenty to see. As they worked their way towards the center they found other avenues that ringed this place so that any could go to any portion within that they desired. They realized that they probably could easily spend a few 9-days and not see everything that wa
s here. And they only had today in which to explore. They finally decided to choose the large shelter that was in the center of the, well what would they call it? So going back to the writings they learned that the ones who were called sorcerers had called them cities, whatever that was? So using that unfamiliar term they found themselves at the shelter in the very center of the city. It was larger than most that they had passed and this one had no windows, and the doorway was twice the size of the others that they had seen. Like the entrance into this place through that wall, the opening into this shelter was also open, and it appeared that the doors retracted in the same way. As they studied the doorway they could find no hinges that a door would have hung on, and there were grooves in the floor and wall showing where doors would have been.

  As they entered it became darker and they had to wait until their eyes adjusted. Looking up they found that there had been openings created in the roof to let light in. Dust lay on everything, and there were no tracks of any kind here. So they would be the first to disturb the sleep of the dead, and the silence that permeated everything. As they crept across the floor they found that it wasn’t just dirt, crushed stone or rough wood planking. There appeared to be something on it that formed patterns. Both of them crouched down and with their hands pushed away some of the dust to get a better view of what this was. It appeared to be large squares of some material that made the floor shine, and whatever these thing were, they formed an understated checkerboard pattern. “What is this stuff?” Jura asked.

  Again this was something that was beyond them and Kal replied saying, “I don’t know. And with this dust and dim light we’re really not seeing it very well.”

  “Yeah, that’s very true, but I sure would love to have something like this on my floor. It’d be so much easier to take care of and so much more pleasing than what we have.”

  As they crossed the room there seemed to be some type of equipment that lined one of the walls, but what this was and what it did was completely unknown. Afraid to touch any of it they stared in awe. There were chairs for people to sit, but again these were unlike any they had ever seen. Kal accidently bumped one as he was trying to get a closer look at what appeared to be a smoked glass panel and the chair moved away easily and actually the seat spun slightly. “Did you see that?” He asked

  This place was making her nervous, almost frightened. There were things here she didn’t understand and felt that she would never understand. It was another one of those moments that brought understanding to her as she realized that their ancestors probably had felt the same way. And for them it was a different situation. The writings stated that what was here seemed alive. But how could that be? What she was seeing didn’t – couldn’t have been alive, yet that is how they felt. This place almost made her believe in magicians. How else to explain this? “Yes, Kal, but I don’t like the feel of this place at all. Can we go look somewhere else please?”

  He could see that she was shaken so he nodded and they walked quietly to a railing that was on the far side and across from where they had entered. But once they reached the railing they were disappointed as there were no skylights to reveal what was below. The light barely penetrated and what could be seen were just the very edges of a floor further below and past those shadows nothing but darkness. Looking to the left both could see a set of stairs leading down in that darkness. Both were reluctant to use them and enter that dark area. They looked at each other and they could see that they were more than willing to leave things as they were. Kal walked over to the walkway and found what appeared to be a chain hung across the entrance and a small sign attached that simple stated “POWER UNIT # 1”. These words meant nothing, and the script was foreign to their method of writing, so they couldn’t even be sure that there was a meaning attached to what they were seeing.

  They headed back outside and had to admit that it was great to be back out in the sunlight. Just what was it in that strange room inside that windowless shelter? “You know, like the bakery, this place could have been used for business or such, But, that’s only a guess. I didn’t recognize anything in there. Even the familiar things, like chairs, were very different.” Kal looked around and the shelters he saw more or less reminded him of the village center. The place where business was handled, and when he thought about it the shelters they had first passed as they came here looked to be places where one would live. “I think we should look in some of these others that are close to this one, and then finish by looking in a couple that are further away from this center. What do you think?”

  She didn’t know what she thought other than she didn’t want to go back into that one they had left. Still curiosity drove her on and she looked around seeing if any drew her attention. Looking across from where they were standing she spied one that seemed a little different. There appeared to be a curved area in front and a large round, well she wasn’t sure what to call it, but in a way it looked a little like a bowl that they would serve soups and stews in. But this was huge. Pointing she said, “Let’s go over there. I want to see what that thing is, and the whole front of that shelter appears to be made of glass or something like it. Look how it reflects everything. And I think if you look closely we can see us in it, and all the other shelters around.”

  Both headed over and inspected that large bowl like construction, and when they looked inside as they approached, there was nothing to indicate what it may have been used for. They found that the edges were large enough to sit and was of a height that invited one to do just that, so they sat down. At this point Kal looked at the sides that curved down and away from them and noticed some type of material sticking to the sides. He scraped a small piece off and studied it for a moment. “I think I know what was in this thing. I think it was water.”

  “Water? Really?” She leaned over and looked at what was sticking to the sides and realized that he was probably right. But this would mean there was a lot of water, and here, in the desolation? Where’d it come from? Looking at the center of this – what would she call it – an artificial pond, there appeared to be some type of sculpture, but again, what it represented or what it did was beyond them. Kal climbed in and carefully walked to the center where the sculpture was, walked around it and then joined her. “Well,” she asked, “figure anything out?”

  He shook his head and said, “No.” At this point he climbed out. Shaking his head he thought, another question to add to so many others. I really thought that this place was myth, and yet here it is. Then I thought that my ancestors had it wrong considering the people who lived and died here were sorcerers and magicians, and yet here we are this many cycle of the seasons later and I feel the same way. Can I blame them when I have the very same reaction? This place was strange, foreign, beyond anything they could have imagined. That it was old was quite obvious. And yet, except for the dust of the ages that lay upon everything, one could imagine people living out their lives here today. But why in the desolation, and where did they get their water? They had to get it somewhere, and this thing that held all this water was proof. But again, where, and how? “Okay, another mystery. Shall we go inside this shelter then?”

  She agreed and they once again entered through what appeared to be a double doorway with those mysterious doors that had retracted into the walls. Light streamed through those open doors and what appeared to be glass walls at least making the interior space brighter and more inviting. One of the first things they noticed was that it was cooler inside even with the open doorway. Although, as they moved back and forth, passing that entrance, they could feel the heat as it invaded this space. Just past the entrance was what appeared to be a large desk – one who was standing could comfortably approach and lean on. It seemed to be made of some polished wood, but where would that come from? Looking over again they saw those strange chairs and more of that equipment. Looking back behind to the wall they saw normal doorways, a couple behind the desk and more running down the back wall to either side of the desk. On the front of the desk was
another sign of that strange script that stated, “ADMINISTRATION”.

  Leaving the desk area, they walked up to a number of the doors, and each had a sign on them. All these doors were closed and appeared to be more along the lines of doors they were familiar with. They also saw a couple of areas where there was seating, and some strange machines marked with that strange script once again – one stating “SNACKS”, and the other “BEVERAGES”. Again, like their decision to leave the other shelter, they decided to leave without further exploration. Their time was very limited and they really couldn’t spend much time on any particular shelter. And, once again outside, the bright light momentarily blinded them. “I think that you’re right, this is just like our village center. I think I’d like to see how these people lived, so let’s go out a little further and check out their personal shelters.” Jura turned around and looked again at shelter they had just vacated and wondered what it was like when the living had been here. And at the same time felt lucky to even have the chance to find and explore this place. The writings spoke of the other lairs found, and their ancestors had destroyed these others with fire. With this being the first, their ancestors had simply attacked and killed the residents.