To Paradise or Not? (Callie Rennyson)

To Paradise or Not?

Callie Rennyson

Sarah

“Ding, Ding, Ding.” I heard the sound of the village bell echoing throughout the entire town, alerting everyone of an emergency town meeting. As everyone gathered around the town square, I noticed that the hushed conversations began to grow louder and louder. Finally, Jay, the village leader assumed his position on the wooden stage, bellowing to quiet the crowd. As I looked around, villagers of all statures and sizes had gathered around the stage in a disorganized, semi-circle fashion. I watched them all standing attentively, awaiting the announcement from our leader. Surprisingly, even my annoying younger brother Sam, who would usually scream his head off at this sort of thing, sat silent and alert. Jay addressed the crowd with a tone that I know was supposed to sound calm, but I could tell he did not actually believe what he was saying.

“Attention all members of our native Tawanda Village. There have been some concerns brought to me about whispers of disappearances in the Virunga village down the road and their link to the Other. I want to assure everyone that those rumors are just that – rumors. Although the Other is real and there are sightings from time to time, they are more afraid of us and would rarely come close enough to be responsible for disappearances. Everyone is safe, so nobody has anything to worry about. That is all, now please get to your jobs, we have much to do. We really need to get to work on gathering food from the fields before the weather turns.”

When the meeting broke up, the adults went off to their various jobs, going on with their day as if everything were completely normal. Our society was set up very systematically, like the ancient hunter-gatherer societies, to attain maximum efficiency. The younger, more agile adults spent their days searching deeper and deeper in the woods that surround the village, to find food to bring back. Meanwhile, the oldest males, who no longer had the stamina they once did, stayed in the village square, and taught the recently matured males how to forage. The mothers spent their days as homemakers, rearing the children, preparing meals, and fixing up the homes. Lastly, us children spent our days romping through the woods, trying our best (but usually failing) to stay out of trouble.

After the meeting, I ran off into the woods with a large group of my friends and my brother, Alex, to continue our game of “hide-n-seek” from the day before. Alex and I had a pretty unique friendship for siblings. We were best friends practically from the day he was born. Instead of arguing frequently and trying to annoy each other all the time, we got along really well, played together all the time, and agreed pretty much on most things—that was, until recently.

Alex

After several rounds of “Eeny, meeny, miny, mo”, I was selected to be “It” for “hide-n-seek.” The rest of the kids immediately dispersed in all different directions, leaving me alone in a circular-ish clearing, surrounded by swaying trees. I sat down and started counting with my eyes closed, leaving my world dark. After my friends moved out of earshot, all I could hear was the sound of the leaves whispering, crinkling, and blowing in the wind.

When I opened my eyes, I spun around until I figured out which way was north, then headed off to look for my friends. As I wove through the trees, I looked left and right, and even up and down in case people were hiding in the trees or in bushes on the ground. I was sure that I would find someone soon, but it seemed like everyone had done a really good job hiding this time. Suddenly, a glimmer caught the corner of my right eye. I turned quickly and ran in that direction hoping to finally find someone.

Sarah

Once Alex closed his eyes and started counting, I headed north in search of a place to hide. Shortly after, I found the perfect hiding place, a large bush. The shrubbery I crouched in was just thick enough to conceal me from Alex’s sight, but withered enough for me to be able to see through the bush into the surrounding woods. Once I got settled in, there was a deafening silence that I thought would remain until I was found. But the momentary silence was cut sharply by the sound of branches snapping. The sound grew louder and louder until I saw Alex standing right in front of me. He wasn’t facing my bush directly, so I took slow, silent breaths, and didn’t dare to move a single muscle for fear of being discovered. As I watched, I realized that Alex was not really looking for me. Instead his attention was focused directly in front of him. I sat there waiting for him to move far away so I could shift and see what mesmerized Alex so completely. As he walked away, I turned to my right and saw Alex approaching a foreign, yellow creature sitting motionless less than 50 feet from myself. Something about the situation didn’t feel right and the creature looked ominous, so I decided to give up on the game to warn Alex of the danger. However, just when I about to emerge from my hiding spot, I heard a loud screeching noise and froze in my tracks. Every hair on my body stood on end. I gasped as a threatening cloud of dust filled the air around Alex, obscuring the view of my younger brother, who was now standing dangerously close to this big yellow monster. I immediately jumped out of the bush and ran towards the cloud of dust to find my brother, but as I reached the strange mist, everything went dark.

Alex

I abruptly stopped running once I realized that what caught my eye was not one of my friends. Instead, it was a curious looking creature. The large yellow alien was strange, but somehow inviting. Shiny and enormous and yet monstrous and exciting all the same. After inspecting it from afar, I began to approach it cautiously. Almost as if it were excited to see me, the creature let out a high-pitched squeal and jumped up and down, churning the dirt floor into a cloud of dust. The softly glowing light from the creature’s eyes reflected off the dust particles creating this shimmering effect and enchanting moment, like a divine signal telling me I was meant to be here.

Sarah

The next thing I remember is waking up in the same spot where everything went dark, which I later learned was two days after “hide-n-seek”. When I woke up, Alex told me the story of his “mystical” experience. I remember every word he said, “I don’t know exactly how, but when I approached the creature, the glimmering mist transported me to paradise. When the bright white light stopped shining, I was laying in the middle of the grass, but not the grass in our village, the grass in an oasis. There were beautiful waterfalls and a whole forest of crops. The grass was greener than any grass I’ve ever seen and the trees… there were so many trees that we could use to make the perfect homes. We have to go there, I know it. It’s our destiny, it’s what they want.”

It was weird, our accounts of that day were completely different. I told him that I remembered that day as cold and scary and that I saw the creature and it looked like a monster. When I asked him how he got back he said, “The same way I got there. When I was in the oasis, there was another bright white light that came out of nowhere and the next thing I knew I was waking up back in the same spot. Then I saw you sleeping there peacefully. I figured you must have seen me transported and fell asleep waiting for me to come back.”

Upon hearing his story, I asked him if maybe his whole “mystical” experience was just a dream that he had after being knocked out by the yellow monster. He was adamant there was no way it was a dream; that it was too real, so I let it go, but something still felt very wrong. Then I noticed his wrist, he had this yellow bracelet, the same color as the monster. When I asked him about that, he responded that it was given to him while the light was shining on him, but that it was completely harmless. Again, I wasn’t so sure. How did he know?

Alex

Those two days were a total whirlwind. I was so excited about this new oasis I had found, but Sarah seemed pretty bothered by the experience and there was no pressing reason to move away from our home, so I let the whole thing go, for a little while at least. But I knew I had to get back there someday.

When we got back to the village, everyone was so relieved to see us. They had thought the rumors of disappearances might actually be true and that we were the first victims in our village. We ensured everyone that we were totally fine, but that we had a bizarre encounter with this interesting yellow creature. I decided to let Sarah tell her version of the story because I didn’t think anyone would believe me if Sarah didn’t. The adults had a meeting the next day to discuss what happened and ended up deciding that we could no longer go exploring in that direction anymore because it was just too dangerous.

Sarah

A year later, everyone had forgotten that frightful event, but I had not. I started to get suspicious again when the disappearances started. First it was Linda, one of my friends’ grandma, who used to live around the corner. Then it was George, one of the young foragers. It took a while for people to really notice the disappearances because our village was so large. Most people wrote off the disappearances because they thought Linda may have been visiting old friends in a nearby village and since George was young and in his prime, they thought he might have just found a woman and moved on. I knew better though; I just knew something wasn’t right. I had seen the yellow monster. My family finally believed that something was wrong when my cousin Joe came back from foraging without his girl Jenny. I was so sure that the creature responsible for this was the yellow monster (and Alex was so sure that it wasn’t), so we went to talk to Joe.

“What happened?”, we asked Joe.

“We were wandering through the woods looking for food about 20 feet apart when I heard her yell. It took her. The Other took her.”

“Who is the other? The other yellow monster?”

“No, the Other. The creatures from the rumors. They are tall and skinny and look a little bit like us, but like no hair anywhere. We have been seeing them more and more frequently when we go foraging, but we had no reason to be concerned until now. I saw them take her. I saw everything.”

“What is everything? How did they take her? Who was there with you? Did anyone fight back? Tell me everything – don’t leave out a single detail.”

“It was Jenny, myself, and 3 others. Nobody fought back. We couldn’t. Everyone was frozen. Like literally frozen. There was this mist and the next thing I knew everyone was asleep. I don’t know how, but somehow I climbed a nearby tree and escaped the mist.”

“Did you see where they took her?”

“No, I was able to escape the mist by climbing that tree, but once I was in the tree, the mist obscured my view of Jenny. By the time I came down everyone was gone.”

I still thought the disappearances had to be linked to the yellow monster and after Jenny’s disappearance, some of the villagers thought it couldn’t hurt to attempt a surprise attack. We decided to go in the dark of the night since we knew the area well enough to navigate it in the dark.

The attack didn’t go as we thought. We armed ourselves with rocks and sticks and went back to the place from that day. The yellow monster was there as we expected, but when we attacked it nothing happened. We started by throwing things from a distance then moved closer when it did not retaliate. Once we were within reach, we noticed that the monster had a thick coat of armor which rendered our fists useless. Attempting a new approach, we fashioned sharp weapons and attempted to stab it. Still, nothing happened. Not only were we unable to hurt or kill it, but we were also unable to get it to move or retaliate. It was like it was already dead, so we gave up.

I now know what happened that night and why our attack was unsuccessful. I know how all the events are linked, but sadly, it’s too late.

Alex

Once the disappearances started, they didn’t stop. After my cousin Jenny was taken and we were sure the Other was responsible, Jay tightened security measures, only allowing foragers to leave the village and requiring foragers to travel in groups of four. Unfortunately, that didn’t help. We continued to lose people until there were so few foragers that we were unable to gather enough food to feed the entire village. When people started to go hungry, Jay decided we needed to do something drastic, but he did not know what. That’s when I suggested going back to the yellow creature and ask for it to take us to the oasis. I told the village everything about that day and the paradise I was enraptured to. Jay decided that it would be better to try and fail trying than to do nothing and starve. So, the entire village began preparations to move, all except Sarah. I tried so hard to convince her. I tried everything, but she just kept saying, “Something doesn’t feel right. It’s just not right.” It was the hardest decision I’ve ever had to make, but I had to leave her. I knew I was the chosen one. I needed to take the village to the oasis to save them, so I had to leave her.

We decided that it would be best for me to go ahead with a few people, so we could get everything ready before the rest of the village arrived. When the day came for me to leave, I said my goodbyes. They were all temporary except one. I wish I hadn’t done it. I never should have left her. I should have stayed and convinced her. I should have sent everyone ahead and stayed with her. I left my sister and best friend and I may never see her again.

The first group, which included myself, made it to the oasis. It was just as I had remembered. The food was just as abundant as before and there were still just as many trees perfect for making homes. Strangely, when we arrived, the people who had disappeared in the preceding months were there waiting. They had figured out that the Other was not actually bad. Instead, the Other was slowly transporting the entire village to the oasis. I still don’t know how the Other and the yellow creature are linked, but I guess they were working together to help our village by bringing us to this place and giving us a new home.

The last group just arrived today, so everyone is here now, except Sarah. My best friend and favorite person in the entire world is not here and we are all worse off for it. The rest of the villagers said she was adamant about not coming because it still felt wrong. She said they were making a big mistake and walking right into a trap. I wish I had stayed behind. I could have sent the rest of the village to safety and stayed behind with Sarah. Even if we never made it, we would have not made it, together. I would still have a sister.

Sarah

When they last group had gone, I was all alone. I knew I couldn’t stay in the village. There was no more food and the danger of the Other and the yellow monster was just as imminent as ever. So, I started out in search of a new home. I travelled for about a day until I reached the mountains. Then I started climbing, hoping that if I climbed high enough, I would be able to see a good place to go. I reached the top by the end of the day and turned a cave into a temporary home since I couldn’t see anything below in the darkness.

That was yesterday. Moments ago, I woke up with a start to a loud cracking noise, like the sound of a tree falling. From the edge of the cave, I can see the entire forest below. Or at least what is left of it. I can also see dozens of big yellow monsters surrounding the forest, moving in and attacking the trees from all directions, knocking the trees down. Upon a closer look, I also see that the Other are riding the yellow monsters, directing them in their attack of the trees and cheering them on.

I now know how it is all linked. It was just like I thought. The Other and the yellow monsters work together and they are all bad. They destroy trees, homes, and Earth. I am glad that the villagers are not in the forest during this massive destruction, but I wonder if they are really better off wherever they are. I don’t even know if they are alive, but it is hard to imagine that they are in a true paradise if the creatures who took them there are destroying our home like this. There is no way something could cause so much destruction and still be kind and good.

I wish they hadn’t gone. I wish I could have convinced Alex and the rest of the village to stay. I am afraid for my brother. He walked right into a trap and I couldn’t stop him or do anything to save him. I lost my home and best friend and there’s nothing I can do to get them back because this damage is permanent.

Alex

This morning feels different. Our oasis somehow feels smaller and there is an inconsistent mumbling sound I can hear faintly. The noise is growing louder as I approach a clearing. I can now see the Other standing not too far away from me, so I decide to approach. Suddenly I am stopped by moving any further. I don’t know how, but I cannot get any closer to the Other. I cannot see anything, but there’s a smooth, invisible rock from the ground and up to as high as I can see. It stops me from reaching the Other, one of which must be a child because it is much smaller. I don’t understand, but I know I feel trapped. Can this really be paradise?

Epilogue

“Mommy! Mommy! Look it’s a gorilla! He’s standing right behind the glass and I think he is looking right at me!”, said Katelyn.

“Yes sweetie! Look, this sign tells about where they came from. It reads, ‘These gorillas are native to the forests of Tawanda. Due to urbanization efforts, their natural habitat has been relocated to the Washington D.C. National Zoo.’ How cool! The zoo rescued these gorillas from a dying habitat and recreated their natural habitat so they can live here just like they did before. Isn’t that wonderful sweetie?”

Creating my apocalypse

My short story is a climate change apocalypse disguised as an alien apocalypse. Throughout almost the entire story, the reader is supposed to think that the subjects are humans, experiencing an alien invasion which starts out with a series of abductions. However, my story is actually about Gorillas experiencing an impending “climate change” related apocalypse, in which humans destroy the Gorillas’ civilization and natural habitat for their own urban expansion. “The Other” referenced in my story are the real humans, while the “yellow monsters” are construction vehicles. My story is meant to be a hard-hitting critique of humanity’s destructive nature, through pointing out the irony of the righteous feeling humans have for “saving” animals from the destruction we have caused.

My story includes several apocalyptic elements, a rapture, destruction, liberation, and transformation. In the beginning, when Alex is first taken by the Other (which he thinks is the construction machines), he is transported via a rapture. In reality, Alex is blinded by the light from headlights before the sleepy gas knocks him out. When he wakes up he is blinded by the light of a flashlight and has no recollection of falling asleep, which makes him think he was “raptured” by the mist and light to the oasis. Later in the story, there is a sort of destruction in which the abduction of many members of the gorilla’s society destroys the system of the society causing widespread hunger. Next, the story includes a liberation where almost all of the gorillas are “saved” from their collapsing society and relocated to a paradise with abundant food and shelter. Then, there is more destruction witnessed by Sarah. She watches her natural habitat disappear just like her friend and family as the humans and their construction machines bulldoze it. Lastly, there are two separate transformations that bring the whole story together. One transformation is experienced by Sarah, in which her home is destroyed and family and friends are taken from her, turning her entire world and everything she knew upside down. The other transformation is experienced by the rest of the village, who live in a post-apocalyptic world, also known as a zoo. They describe it as idyllic and beautiful; a place where they can have a fresh start, but ultimately realize that they have not been saved, but rather condemned to a life in captivity. The irony of my story is that Alex, the one who was saved from destruction and the loss of his habitat, actually got trapped into a life in captivity, while Sarah, the one who stayed behind and witnessed the destruction of her home and the loss of her family, actually “saved” herself from a life in captivity.

The element I had to leave out of my story is the revelation. I left out the revelation because I needed the nature of the apocalypse to remain ambiguous so I would not reveal to the reader that the story was about gorillas and the loss of their habitat at the hands of humans. I included this twist where the reader thinks the villagers are human so that they empathize with the gorillas and think the Other and yellow monsters are bad before knowing that what they think is bad is themselves. I also use the twist to condemn the human idea that sentencing animals to a life in captivity is saving them by having Alex realize he is trapped, causing him to question whether the zoo, with plentiful food and shelter, is really a paradise.