(An Island Abstemious lie below his feet, as the Neanderthal's address Drew nearer...)
Part One
The Abundant Neanderthal
1
"The world-old, as we knew it, as I had apprehend about it, was now the new world, or the abandoned apple I knew. I had apprehend about it, the way it was, acclimated to be, that was 165-years in the accomplished though, the Abundant Nuclear War (holocaust of the twenty-first century)took abode in 2016 A.D., from absence I had read, and afterwards the war, there was not abundant larboard for man to survive on-thereafter, belief of how the Western Hemisphere from the Eastern was, was unknowable, there accepting no such affair as North American, or adept relations, like from the old apple order. All the acreage were infested with indigenous and affiliated peoples, some baby villages actuality and there, and townships, even a few above cities but mostly dug out from the charcoal of the Abundant Bombardment, but hell to reside in. No such affair as adopted commerce. All such things had connected accomplished afore I was born-owing to the about-face and hazards of the capricious amnion of the oceans, the seasons of the year the connected abashed of the earth. To my understanding, the Abundant Bombardment comprised of no below than three-hundred nuclear bombs, some 283-megatons. There was no escape for anyone. God abandoned knew the exact amount of bodies that asleep that day, conceivably four-billion, and again there was the seas, the casualty in the oceans, sharks and analgesic whales, and the connected appellation after-effects themselves, and advancing storms, annihilation could cross the abundant seas of apple aback in those days-that accounted for addition alien amount of dead, and again came the Neanderthal, not abiding if they absolutely were Neanderthal, but we all alleged them that, aliens, or Neanderthal-Titans, all the aforementioned if you ask me. The greatest altercation adjoin accord the apple had anytime accepted aback that baleful day of the Abundant Bombardment, the aggression of the world, was these creatures.
And I begin myself on the shores, I do accept of one of the Azores, conceivably the bigger of the islands, actuality I begin peace, abundance and beatitude above the saturated apple of the prevailing Neanderthals, abandoned yes, but alive. I came actuality fifty-seven years ago, at the age of nineteen, or was I twenty, I can't bethink now. I no best apperceive the fate of the abandoned lands, the acreage I've accustomed up, which lie above this island, and just as well. And below me, below this island is a continent. It came up out of the abdomen of the earth, if the Abundant Bombardment took place, I can see it on a ablaze day, even airing off this island and assimilate the abstemious below, it is abandoned a few anxiety abysmal at its a lot of shallowest point.
Anyhow, for breed sake, this war I was talking about complex China and Russia as able-bodied as the USA, the Average East, it complex I accept some little country alleged Korea and Japan, and Iran, I apperceive of Iran, it's old Persia. The added ones I had to apprehend about in an old book, over a hundred years old. The Neanderthals burnt a lot of of our literature, disqualified with an adamant duke as they say. And some of us bodies revolted adjoin them, conceivably they are long-dead now. So activity deems that my adventure be told, and accustomed to the approaching world. Although war will not be removed consistently by man, or whatever may yield his place, abandoned the Good Lord of the Top Heavens can assure this. But I am animated that I accept been alleged to banner this adventure into stone, likened to the Rosetta stone. I will anon cycle this abundant rock off this cliff, into the sea below, on this ancillary of the mountain, it is one-thousand anxiety abysmal I believe, and let the calmly of Providence acquisition added means to boost it, wherein due time, man will be accessible to apprehend it, afterwards alarming of baleful harm.
Surely as I put into rock here, the endure few letters, I see in the abroad distance, the Neanderthals advancing the island, they will absolutely adhere me in foreground of their masses, for the celebrity of capturing me, but I accept something abroad planned.
2
My name is Ramsey Cowley. I was built-in in a acreage already alleged Minnesota. And so I abutting a humans accepted as "The Free world," and abstruse the adeptness of warfare. I abutting aboriginal on in life, at the age of seventeen, at nineteen accustomed the rank of Major. Abundant of my account was in hunting the Neanderthal, assassinations. My endure mission was to abduction and accompany aback alive, the Abundant Outlaw, Neb Nedol; he was alleged the abundance of thunder, the blaze of lightening. He came al of a sudden out of a aeriform wall, with acerbity and blizzard aural the borders of my campsite, top up in the Andes. He rode in on a august white horse in allusive ease, about as if to arise advancing down from the clouds. But he could not deceive me-I knew absolutely who he was, conceivably my twenty men I allowable anticipation him a fend, for they were addled with terror(all but one, Zeraval, who mysteriously abolished in the night, he was the baker of my additional squad, I had two squads of ten men each, he in actuality was my a lot of loyal of the accomplished lot, so I thought.
I was searching for some added explanation, but the best I could appear up with was he awash me out to the Neanderthal, and abandoned his affectionate for gold, or added casework he adeptness charge in the future, who's to say, it is all assumption of course, I'll never absolutely know, and conceivably bigger off or not knowing)-like a storm he lashed out with the head, and teeth absorbed to the accommodation of a ram, application it like a battleaxe, and bulk all nineteen of the twenty of my comrades-it was in the wee hours of the morning, we had just gotten up to adapt breakfast. His face was grave and at aboriginal I anticipation he was a vision.
"Well," I said, afterwards he had collapsed all twenty below one, of my men-my articulation close with action and dread-and I no best had my blaster in my duke (of which I had abandoned three bullets),nor the rock weapon, that looked like a dagger, in my added hand, I was now at his benevolence animated near, he gave me a message:
"Come and serve me, bow to me, and my faith, accomplish a accelerated advance to my temple, should you not, should you advance to ride out the storm aloft the credible of the earth, the one I accept created, advised for all mankind, it will be suicidal."
For that moment he was in command, so it would seem. I said nothing, although his words were able-bodied taken, annihilation but such an act can draw a man into authoritative a quick and basic decision-beyond the accustomed annoying action the apperception of man goes through ambidextrous with acumen things out afore hand, afore he makes a final resolution, we are all accustomed with such apperception processes, I'm sure, but I told myself I could not bow, but I was cerebration I could serve him, but how can one do this afterwards the other, henceforward, I didn't accept to accomplish the final decision, it was fabricated for me.
3
Well, to get on with the story, he didn't leave as I was hoping, conceivably assured him to, and acceptance me time to deliberate, and he abandoned his weapon-right again and there, something abroad un-expectant; then, sunlight, a ablaze close breath like billow with a agrarian antecedent of sunlight appeared, a harder section of strata below it, addled him, as if alcohol came out of a dark-storm into light, with a weapon advance advancement into his belly, as if anyone or something had been captivation these alcohol back, and they had just gotten loose, for my sake, and conceivably in accord of my situation, this ablaze went to amazing heights, he fought these elements, but annihilation could cockle them. Consequently, I stood apperception aloft my adventitious of accepting away, alarming it all was to this towering, thirteen aliment Neanderthal-Titan.
This aerial amount now stood staring at me as if at salute, again he fell like a abundant balk to the ground, trembled the apple some, I was mentally accretion the abnormal in my apperception that accept to accept delayed afore this abundant accepting became breathless, I didn't move, and if I did I said,
"What now?"
I had approved aggregate to explain this happening, until I was exhausted-to my people, they all absolved this as if I was accepting modest, said, in a few affectionate words, "You are the hero, you accept collapsed the amount one bent of the world."
But what they didn't acquaint me, and conceivably it didn't action to them, I became the a lot of wanted, that is-hunted, hero in the world. Anybody capital a section of me; the new apple was not any altered than the old apple afore me, and that abroad world, alleged the Rock Age.
I had little time to anticipate of this, accompaniment or not, the Neanderthals had a amount on my head, I was a bays to be captured. And for the abounding tribes and peoples of the world, I was a fable to be put into a cage, and anybody capital to action me, see me, see if they could be amount one.
I had anticipation a thousand times on what to do-I cartel not deluge myself in some cave, even my kind, my humans would be tempted to advertise me to the accomplished bidder-thus, I abstruse you don't change the apple by alteration the times, you simple do things different. Now I was alleged Ramsey the Great, who asleep the Abundant Neanderthal-Titan, with one blow. Stupendous after-effects of adventuresome came in from all sides-; there was no arch man or hybrids could build, that would save me from the claws of an angry being's heart.
4
As it became added and added credible I had to leave below awning of the night, and I did just that- (I would seek the abutting acreage in the abundant ocean, conceivably on my adventure analyze the abandoned acreage I had apprehend about, actuality was my chance, or if I had to abide at sea, and perish, but the antithesis of adeptness a allotment of the contest of the apple was no best a mystery, the Neanderthal ruled, as they did bags of years ago. Conceivably some will anticipate my abandonment was treason, I would accept replied to them, as I will now to you: there is no law which compels to put abuse aloft oneself. Should I accept backward this was my destiny, and area there is no law, and abandoned injustice, and we are bedevilled the whims of others, again we become our own best judges, burdensome acumen aloft those whom would ambition to bind you)oh, yes, a adumbration of acrimony to my life, but I admired life, and I had not lived but one third of it at this time. Very able-bodied then, I told myself, let's go reside and adore a minute at a time, the fullest one can, by gluttonous adventure-you apperceive how a adolescent man thinks, it was all phenomenon, sensation, actuality to be, to the mind.
Twenty canicule I airy the Abundant Sea alleged the Atlantic (and as I'd attending back, cerebration a few of those canicule on Zeraval, I could see that he was absolutely aflutter of death, and he responded affable with life, he was adolescent than I, and in a way represented the elite of our people, he absolutely didn't accept to be a soldier, he chose it to appearance his ancestor he was a son molded with courage). Anyhow I drifted east, connected against Europe, as they already alleged it, I had no abilities in accepting a sailor, but I did not agnosticism my adeptness to abide on advance to my new destinies- (I had talked to an old acquiescent sailor at the docks, of a conurbation, at the aperture of the Amazon, area I traded the weapon and the arch of the Abundant Neanderthal, Neb Nedol, for a vessel, and a weeks instructions on navigation, he ample he'd be the allocution of the jungle, and I'm abiding he was, and still is)(the barge being: a Neolithic appearance ship, with a Greek aberration to it, a address of papyrus, netted calm tightly, blubbery and boldly, with a low and advanced sail, such ships were acclimated some eight thousand years ago-to my understanding, and this was the craftsman's best and a lot of aware idea, I had learned, or heard about the age-old Melos or Milos, that they had acclimated such crafts traveling from one island to the next in the Mediterranean Sea, a sea I had abandoned apprehend about).
As I drifted abroad in the wind from the aperture of the Amazon, afloat appear the east, I begin myself acceptable added and added acutely complex with my freedom, yet in dilemma, accepting abandoned confronted me, could I not unravel, go crazy? And now I sat in this one atom in the barge in conceivably in the average of the Atlantic, according to my bootleg map, on pig skin, by the old sailor, there was annihilation but asperous winds, and agitated waves, sometimes I anticipate accepting hit by the after-effects was no worse than accepting benumbed by the Neanderthal, aggregate was asperous in the ocean, it all appropriate death, behemothic masses of water, conceivably centuries old.
On the endure of the twenty days, at sea, I looked for soil, grass floating, annihilation but water, my food were about out, my baptize had been gone for two canicule now, my face from the sun had become stone-like, burnt to a rigid, harder bacon, memories of the past, my active past, abbreviate accomplished came to mind, a apperception now alone by this voyage, already brick, now clay, now broiled in the sun like an oven.
As I attending aback on this it is all fascinating, prospecting in the average of the ocean for land, weary, again al of a sudden I gave an assertion of excitement, I smelled dirt, land, soil, I could that appears to smell it, not see it, how odd I thought, am I below some delusion? God forbid. I looked over the rim of the vessel, approved to appraise what I anticipation I smelled. Directly in foreground of me, my forehead about affecting the clouds-that is if I anesthetized out, but if I had woken up ancient abreast evening, my adeptness had aching the clay of an island, I was safe on acreage now.
I dug in already I awoke, begin water, and assertive myself I was on one of the Azores-I acquainted burst and asleep for the next week, but I was animate all the same. No civilizations, no cousins or boss cities to accumulate me able in the times, no black humans to attending at, and no abundant angle to go aback from area I came from. I looked aback at my boat; it would become the aboriginal roof of my new home. I bound fabricated a extra and a baby adeptness to angle on, and went fishing, bent a walrus of all things, with a braiding absorbed assimilate the spear, and I had my aboriginal admirable meal in awhile. But in reflection, I accept to add, my aboriginal nights on the island were sleepless, I dreamed of the trip, and as I attending aback now on those aboriginal dreams:I see I had kept my sea craft's adenoids in the wind-that was essential; the bow abashed to and fro-yes, I apperceive that, swung from one ancillary to the added about affecting the baptize on its rim at times, I was ailing a lot of of the voyage, even capital to die a few times. All activity had gone, larboard me. I batten to God, and my additional mind, as I above this abiding physique of water, and its abysmal shadows. I told myself if I fabricated it to an island, I shall never apperceive what the others accept thought, (and now as I attending back, on all these years, all the better).
5
(Then as the old man chock-full his contemplates, -Ramsey Cowley-he saw that a address had acclimatized in the bay-anchored, and several beings had disembarked, he heard a babble in the bushes, saw two of them in the abroad distance, conceivably three-hundred anxiety from him, he drew a blaster from his pocket, he had three bullets and afore either one of the Neanderthals could grab him, and array him up and down the streets of their metropolis, to appearance he was a captive, he put a ammo into his head, ruining the august seizer above repair.)
Part Two
Sylvania and the Saber Tooth
Dying, Ramey's thoughts went aback to Sylvania, his one and abandoned love, above accepting a soldier, the all able affair he had as a youth, above the inhospitalities of the world, was her adherence to him; but it was of advance a adolescence to aboriginal boyish romance. (There he laid, a bisected dozen Neanderthals searching over his endure moments on earth, his endure breaths, lay quiet, apoplectic all mauling him, absent a trophy, angry over his few craps of cloths. A ammo in his head, but still the affection beating, the ammo didn't access the brain, but activity now was accepting ashamed out of him by the beasts-little by little.)
His readings had accomplished him much, but termination, it was different, about alien to man, and a book or the barbarian could not advise him, no one could advise him until that baleful moment had accustomed for him to alone aftertaste it. As a few of the Neanderthals absolved about, others abutting them, walking boring about him.
He remembered Sylvania, aloft the beach; they had swam like a deer, and abandoned in their own banknote (they generally had done that). She had taken off on her own that day afterwards they had swam aback to the beachhead, and afterwards a while Ramsey had heard something pacing in the jungle, and its uttering awful cries, and begin a ample audacious cat, in a a lot of bad-natured manner, in an advance mode, and Sylvania adjoining to the beast. Such saber tooth bodies were not abounding in the jungles, but the few that were there, they had eaten up abounding of the citizenry of the bounded villages, and even attacked some of the Neanderthals, area they came from we didn't know, but they were acutely accustomed to the Neanderthals, as if they had reared them and buried them, calmly annex prey, to eat us, their accustomed alarming neighbor, for the a lot of part, the Neanderthals were adventurous and assured if it came to the tigers and such cats, but they didn't consistently win the battle. But this day, I befuddled my head; I was traveling to action it. I was puzzled on how just to annihilate the cat, I had abandoned a spear, but like him, I circled about him as he did to Sylvania-mimicking him about if not authoritative him addled or in a abreast abstraction approach which abashed him, blurred his eyes possibly, apprehension my moment, bisected buried abaft foliage, thus, I saw his chicken aigrette only, and he could abandoned see me slightly, and I stalked him majestically, as he did her. It is causeless to accompaniment all that I anticipation during these moments-I no best accept time nor adeptness to anticipate so far back, or allocution so long, I abandoned accept a additional or two of activity larboard in me, but the barbarian fabricated a hasty retreat, fearing my advance was not predictable.
That day I was bent to die for her, I absence her now; I accept absent her for bisected a century. She had no substitute, I'm abiding she affiliated and has grandchildren now, already I became bedfast to the island, there were no opportunities, or conceivably desires to leave.
"Is he not asleep yet?" questioned one of the Neanderthals.
At the action of the arch Neanderthal, the several that were about Ramsey's body, came to a halt, a few paces from him. Then, in abysmal tones, added like mutters, the baton replied in a argot not apprehensible to humankind, "Stomp him to death!" (And they did.)
Notes: No: 657 (Part One "The Abundant Neanderthal," written: 12-31-2010). No: 658/ Allotment two accounting 1-1-2011 "Sylvania and the Saber Tooth"
Copyright © 2011 Copyright by D.L. Siluk "The World-Old"