The young people were gathered around the fire. The night was dark and cold, only the stars illuminated the firmament. The star Polaris indicating north, guide of the brave travelers, those who dare to go to the ends of the earth. It was a time of change that demanded great spiritual fortitude from the tribesmen. Humans are becoming extinct, those that remain have taken refuge in those areas that still maintain conditions for life. The rest of the species have evolved to adapt to extreme temperatures, incessant rain or drought, lack of oxygen and high carbon concentrations. Everything has changed.
Under the big tree, they receive instructions from the oldest women, who are in charge of passing on the knowledge from generation to generation. They have to face reality, but these tests do not require physical strength. This human being is of short stature, very thin because this makes it easier for him to look for food in the crevices of the large rocks, where fungi and insects live. Their fingers are elongated and extremely flat, and instead of sweat they produce a mucilaginous substance that protects them from drying out and also helps them capture food. Their legs are long, and they run at high speeds, approximately 50 km per hour. His eyes are protected by a membrane and their mouth has no teeth, they only suck and swallow.
The young ones are in charge of searching for other lands before they disappear, and they have been preparing themselves day after day, making journeys with their minds, exploring inch by inch, creating a map with the images that each of them contribute, to help their tribe survive. The map is almost complete, but a region is missing where the previous travelers have been lost, they have not regained the ability to communicate and to be able to tell what they have seen.
The oldest woman takes the word to speak to the young people.
"I congratulate you all, you have done a great job in helping your people. The remaining step to complete the map is very dangerous, and we already know the consequences of not being prepared to do it. The council of elders has decided that only three of you will attempt it. Bari, Asiri and Hoti stand up and step forward"
.
The three young rose with agility, and their almost translucent bodies glistened in front of the fire.
"Tomorrow night when the red and green lights begin to appear in the sky you will make the journey, now rest your mind and concentrate on your spirit".
The three young retreated to a cave, and there each asked their spirit animal to give them what they needed to face the journey.
Bari spoke to the tiger to give him his strength and vision to face the darkness.
Asiri, she of Smiling smiling, spoke to the snake to give him its wisdom, so he could interpret the signs.
Hoti spoke to the eagle to help him find his way home.
The journey began in the night, when the red and green lights covered the firmament and hid the stars. At that moment, all was silent and Bari, Asiri and Hoti sat side by side, their hands clasped, and their heads bowed down.
Their spirits traveled to the land of the great trees. Giants whose tops reached to the clouds, with bluish leaves and on whose branches lived small mammals descended from squirrels, adapted to eat from their leaves and whose fur was hard and also blue to protect themselves from the intense ultraviolet light. There they stopped, that was the limit to enter the unknown.
When they advanced, they found themselves in a place where the light was so white that it left them momentarily blind. The power of the tiger could not help Bari to continue but with the help of the snake, Asiri was able to see through the light some threads that led them to a forest with a stream of clear and calm waters, surrounded by trees and bushes with flowers of various colors and juicy fruits hanging from their branches. Deer and tigers scampered together, while the monkeys could be heard chattering. It was the paradise their ancestors spoke of.
Bari, Asiri and Hoti heard voices that told them
"We have been waiting for you, this land is yours, we are its guardians".
"We have been looking for it, it is our mission, that is why we are here", Asiri answered.
"Then you must stay"
The young men looked at each other
"We must inform the other members of the tribe", explained Bari.
A sound of thunder rumbled in the forest, thick raindrops began to fall, voices were heard threatening.
"We can't let you go, this world needs you, it's falling apart, you can save it".
"But how? Hoti did not understand what they wanted ".
"By sacrificing yourselves as those who came before you did. It is the memories of past lives, of what Earth was like thousands of years ago, before the changes took place, that hold this Earth together. You are the last reservoir of that past, what is left of the human species".
Asiri knew there was no hope for them there, and clasping Hoti and Bari's hands, he conveyed his message to them. Bari asked the tiger for his strength to face the darkness that hid behind the light and could see the full horror of those beings who spoke to him, they were selfish and only used them to maintain an illusion.
Hoti spoke to the eagle, and it showed him the way back. They were his thoughts, his life in the tribe, his friends, the elders, the family, the caves, the big tree and the starry sky. Everything that was now his world. Asiri and Bari followed him, leaving the past behind.
The young people recounted all the details of their travel. The silence lasted for a few seconds until she oldest elder spoke.
"This mision has taught us something very important. We are the last descendants of the human species. We have evolved to adapt to change and in that process we are no longer the dominant species. Nature has given us a great lesson, we now know that our ability to think and create, which were our strengths, have been replaced by the ability to connect with nature and live according to its rules. We are a united people and this is our home".
Thank you very much for reading my story to participate in January contest 2023 The Ink Well
Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)