Chapter 1
I was there, I remember it. Some of my memories have grown foggy, but I remember being there. From where do I begin? Yes…there…at the water’s end…
Waves crashed upon the shore. Their deep blue green hew told many stories of all who came before. I didn’t know then, but it would all be coming to an end. For that moment, though, I was at peace…
I sat there, hands and feet in the wet sands. Every few moments, the water would rise and touch my flesh. When it did, I… I felt connected… Like I was a part of the water. Then the waves would recede and I would wait patiently, waiting for the ocean to return and greet me once more.
Behind me, the beach stretched on for quite a ways. I remember hearing stories of the times the waves grew so large, they would take houses away with them. The beach has increased in size after years of stealing and eroding the land that once was. What once was… At one point, the world flourished; many peoples lived throughout the world.
Massive cities had been erected all over the Earth, but… They were long gone by the time I was born. I only ever read the stories at the library. Entire cities have been abandoned, gone to disrepair. War after war struck the planet until, eventually, hardly anyone was left.
Those who were left behind had adapted to the strange new world. Even that was quite some time before I was born. Society never recovered…it never would… Such was the fate of Earth in the year 3015 AD.
I was born around the year 3080 AD and even by then, life did not recover. I had always hoped the world could be reunited, but what little humans were left were far spread apart. Humans would be going extinct soon by their own fault. It never should have come to this…
I don’t recall my name. There’s a void in my mind where my name once was. As I said, some of my memories have grown foggy. I’m trying my best to remember the important details, even so.
I believe it was around 3101 at the time of the world’s end. If it was, I would have been 21, but I feel like I may have been younger than that. I was a boy, that would come to be part of my identity, I never really grew up even if I was 21. My innocence back then…I remember how naive I was…
Where was I? Oh yeah, at the edge of the water. I always came back to the ocean. Time after time, I returned. I was a part of the ocean and the ocean was a part of me.
When I wasn’t at the ocean, I was either at the library, or in my house. I had parents. I remember them vaguely. They were both human as was I.
Along the edge of the sea, there was a lush forest, a jungle, even. The hot jungle air was very invigorating and the call to adventure tingled in my veins. I wanted to explore every last inch of that jungle, maybe find some more humans. Where were the other humans? Gone.
“Hello? Hello? Anyone there?” I would call out, marching through the dense jungle undergrowth.
Nobody ever replied. Nobody was left but me, my family, and a few friends. Even they would be gone soon, but I didn’t know it. I wasn’t prepared to be the last human on Earth… There’s nothing in the world that can prepare a man for such a cruel and unfortunate fate.
What happened to my last friend? I can tell you that story, but it hurts to remember. Give me a moment… Okay, I’m ready…
“W!” a voice called out behind me as I made my way through the jungle.
“Yo, what’s up?” I asked.
I don’t remember her name. She was important to me. I think, maybe, she could have been my wife if the world had lasted longer…and if she hadn’t died. I was pleased to see her in the jungle with me, though.
My painful loneliness broke as I saw her face. She was radiant, beautiful like a white dove. I gave her a quick hug, which I didn’t know would be our last. She laughed, gently shoved me aside, and climbed up a tall rock that probably used to be part of a building.
“Guess who’s gonna be queen of the world?” she asks, grinning down at me.
“You?” I asked, smiling up at her.
“That’s right! And when I’m queen, all the humans will return! Everyone will come flooding over to see me, bowing to me as their new ruler. And when everyone is reunited, we’ll save humanity from extinction!” my friend announced, quite boldly.
“You’d be an excellent queen,” I replied.
“Thanks, W!“ she said. “Maybe I’ll let you be my king… We’ll see. But I’ll rank above you for sure!”
“Wow, me, the king?” I asked.
“Yeah!” she said. “Doesn’t look like I have very many other choices, now do I?”
“No, I guess not,” I said.
“Blue-Haired King!” she said.
The girl grabbed a branch off a tree. Holding it like a scepter, she gently tapped both of my shoulders. We both burst out laughing and she discarded the branch. She shouldn’t have discarded the branch. In hindsight, that branch would have saved her.
She climbed down from the rock and we walked together for a bit. We grew further and further from our beach homes. Her family had died just a few months prior, so she was all alone. As we walked, a sudden low growl caught my ear. We were being stalked by a jaguar!
“W!” she cried out, hearing the noise as well. “WE GOTTA GO!”
The jaguar burst out of the undergrowth, yowling aggressively. The girl and I burst into a mad sprint, hoping to outrun the hungry beast. No… Just as what little humans that were left adapted to survive, the wild animals also adapted! It leapt, soared through the air, and knocked my friend to the ground.
“W! RUN! SAVE YOURSELF!” she wailed.
If I had known what I know now, I could have saved her. She could have lived at least a little longer… I will always blame myself for the death of my friend. I wanted to fight, to save her from that beast, but I was weak, and afraid.
The jaguar quickly crushed her skull with its razor sharp teeth. I ran as her final screams rang out. I ran and ran, making my way back to my house. My mom and dad were there and they comforted me. I was but a boy…
