Page 1: “It is the year two thousand and…”
“It is the year two thousand and…”
Hmmm. You lick the end of your pencil.
“Auntie Clarisse?” you call across the campfire “What year is it?”
Your aunt grunts and doesn’t look up from the rabbit she is skinning.
“How should I know?” she grumbles distractedly. “You know perfectly well that no one has agreed on that since the war.”
“ Oh I knew that” you say.
Clarisse pounds her knife into the dirt point first and starts ripping at the rabbit skin with her fingers.
“Its just I’m writing this story see “you continue, brandishing your notebook. “And its about us, kind of, and I thought a good beginning would be to say what year it is, only I don’t know what year it is…”
“Of course not” your aunt interrupts “Nobody does”
“But do you have any guesses?” you persist “I mean what year did the war start? Was it more or less than 2200, do you think? And how long did it last, the war I mean? And how long ago did it end?”
“Well,” Clarisse says “Nobody can agree on any of that either, really. No one has for… well, no one can actually agree on how long its been since anyone could agree on it actually. But on the whole, I’d guess the Kaa War ended about 25 years ago and I’d say it’s the year 2112 more or less.”
“Interesting” You put your paper and pencil back together.
“It is the year 2112. Over twenty five years have passed since the evil Kaa…”
“They weren’t actually evil though were they?” you ask out loud.
Aunt Clarisse looks inquiringly at you across the fire.
“The Kaa I mean” you add “ They weren’t evil so much as… as… what were the Kaa like Auntie?”
Clarisse smiles. She’s ramming a pointed roasting spit through the bunny now.
“That’s another thing nobody can agree on dear” she says. “There’s not much anyone can agree on is there anymore. Not when it comes to history anyway. Annoying, isn’t it?”
You stick out your tongue a bit. Writing by firelight can be challenging.
“It is the year 2112. Over 25 years have passed since the annoying Kaa came to Earth.”
“They do say that before the Kaa war, historians agreed on almost everything. They had these giant computers in the sky that could tell them almost anything, instantly. All the knowledge of the world at their finger tips for the touch of a button. That’s Amazing isn’t it?
Some say the computer-ships are still up there, spinning around the Earth with no one to talk to.”
Claririse sighs.
“Lonely floating computer in the sky...All that knowledge, and nobody can get to it. Really, Really annoying, that.”
You grunt at Clarisse, intent on the words flying off your pen now.
“The Kaa now…” she continues “ they were a strange bunch… somewhere between scientists and pinchpenny traveling merchants….”
She continues to talk, but you only half listen, scribbling on until after the rabbit is eaten and your aunt tells you to hit the hay.
“Big day tomorrow” she reminds you.
You drift off to sleep dreaming about aliens and starships and...
...You wake up to the sound of an incredible explosion! Your eyes fly open to a night sky above lit up a vivid bluish green. A fierce hissing sound fills the air and the biggest shooting star you have ever seen scorches across the sky. It looks almost close enough to brush the treetops, you are thinking- wait-correction- It in fact does rip into the trees, just a mile or two away.
The noise as it impacts is even louder than the booming that woke you. The ground you are lying on quivers like a shaken blanket, and you actually bounce several inches into the air!
"Holy crap what was that!?" you shout at your aunt, who looks just as startled and wide eyed as you feel.
"I have no freaking idea!" she yells back- you realize that both of you are shouting partly because the two explosions have left you temporarily a little deaf. Both of you are on your feet, dancing around, in something like shock and mixed with a little terror.
"Gah! Holy crap that was loud!"
"And CLOSE! Did you SEE it when it went, neeeeyerooomkAA BOOM SMASH!!"
"Yeah, I did! and those trees! It must have hit just a mile or two away, over there!"
"I KNOW! Hey! Should be go and have a look at it? Should we? Its just over there! What do you think?!"
I dunno. What do you think?
Do you want to go check it out? Click here!
On the other hand, you have a ruined town to scavenge for much needed food and supplies for your family tomorrow. Click here if you think maybe staying AWAY from giant explosions might be a better plan for tonight?
Hmmm. You lick the end of your pencil.
“Auntie Clarisse?” you call across the campfire “What year is it?”
Your aunt grunts and doesn’t look up from the rabbit she is skinning.
“How should I know?” she grumbles distractedly. “You know perfectly well that no one has agreed on that since the war.”
“ Oh I knew that” you say.
Clarisse pounds her knife into the dirt point first and starts ripping at the rabbit skin with her fingers.
“Its just I’m writing this story see “you continue, brandishing your notebook. “And its about us, kind of, and I thought a good beginning would be to say what year it is, only I don’t know what year it is…”
“Of course not” your aunt interrupts “Nobody does”
“But do you have any guesses?” you persist “I mean what year did the war start? Was it more or less than 2200, do you think? And how long did it last, the war I mean? And how long ago did it end?”
“Well,” Clarisse says “Nobody can agree on any of that either, really. No one has for… well, no one can actually agree on how long its been since anyone could agree on it actually. But on the whole, I’d guess the Kaa War ended about 25 years ago and I’d say it’s the year 2112 more or less.”
“Interesting” You put your paper and pencil back together.
“It is the year 2112. Over twenty five years have passed since the evil Kaa…”
“They weren’t actually evil though were they?” you ask out loud.
Aunt Clarisse looks inquiringly at you across the fire.
“The Kaa I mean” you add “ They weren’t evil so much as… as… what were the Kaa like Auntie?”
Clarisse smiles. She’s ramming a pointed roasting spit through the bunny now.
“That’s another thing nobody can agree on dear” she says. “There’s not much anyone can agree on is there anymore. Not when it comes to history anyway. Annoying, isn’t it?”
You stick out your tongue a bit. Writing by firelight can be challenging.
“It is the year 2112. Over 25 years have passed since the annoying Kaa came to Earth.”
“They do say that before the Kaa war, historians agreed on almost everything. They had these giant computers in the sky that could tell them almost anything, instantly. All the knowledge of the world at their finger tips for the touch of a button. That’s Amazing isn’t it?
Some say the computer-ships are still up there, spinning around the Earth with no one to talk to.”
Claririse sighs.
“Lonely floating computer in the sky...All that knowledge, and nobody can get to it. Really, Really annoying, that.”
You grunt at Clarisse, intent on the words flying off your pen now.
“The Kaa now…” she continues “ they were a strange bunch… somewhere between scientists and pinchpenny traveling merchants….”
She continues to talk, but you only half listen, scribbling on until after the rabbit is eaten and your aunt tells you to hit the hay.
“Big day tomorrow” she reminds you.
You drift off to sleep dreaming about aliens and starships and...
...You wake up to the sound of an incredible explosion! Your eyes fly open to a night sky above lit up a vivid bluish green. A fierce hissing sound fills the air and the biggest shooting star you have ever seen scorches across the sky. It looks almost close enough to brush the treetops, you are thinking- wait-correction- It in fact does rip into the trees, just a mile or two away.
The noise as it impacts is even louder than the booming that woke you. The ground you are lying on quivers like a shaken blanket, and you actually bounce several inches into the air!
"Holy crap what was that!?" you shout at your aunt, who looks just as startled and wide eyed as you feel.
"I have no freaking idea!" she yells back- you realize that both of you are shouting partly because the two explosions have left you temporarily a little deaf. Both of you are on your feet, dancing around, in something like shock and mixed with a little terror.
"Gah! Holy crap that was loud!"
"And CLOSE! Did you SEE it when it went, neeeeyerooomkAA BOOM SMASH!!"
"Yeah, I did! and those trees! It must have hit just a mile or two away, over there!"
"I KNOW! Hey! Should be go and have a look at it? Should we? Its just over there! What do you think?!"
I dunno. What do you think?
Do you want to go check it out? Click here!
On the other hand, you have a ruined town to scavenge for much needed food and supplies for your family tomorrow. Click here if you think maybe staying AWAY from giant explosions might be a better plan for tonight?
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