THE LAST MAN

‘We’ve caught the human! We’ve got him!’, the bear and the black panther shouted at the top of their voices, ecstasy and excitement making them want to dance with joy.

The tiger was the first to reach the spot. He growled as he saw the human, a barely seventeen year old, pinned down the 110-Kg gigantic bear. Though he had bruises and was bleeding in some places, the boy was still alive.

“He’s mine”, the tiger growled.

“How come? We pinned him down”, the bear said calmly. And the black panther gritted his teeth, giving a ‘don’t-mess-with-me ‘ look.

“I was chasing him. He was fleeing from me. He’s rightfully mine”, the tiger grunted menacingly, circling the boy, the bear, and the panther.

The bear and the panther exchanged knowing looks. It was true. But the king wanted the boy alive, not dead. And in the tiger’s hands, he would be ripped to death. He was a known man-eater.

Just as they were opening their mouths to argue, a pack of wolves arrived. They took in the scene carefully and then howled to show their appreciation and agreement.

“Let’s take him to the king. He’ll decide what to do with this last human.”

The tiger was displeased. But outnumbered, he followed the group as the bear carried the human to the lion’s den.

“We should drag him till there”, the tiger had suggested but had been shh-ed by the herd of elephants that had joined them. They were older and had seen and experienced both sides of the coin.

The hyenas went ahead to inform the king what had happened and the lion along with his pride was already waiting outside the den when the group arrived with the human.

The bear laid down the body of the boy on the ground before the lion. With his eyes closed and consciousness almost jabbed out, many would have thought he was dead, but not the seasoned lion. He could smell life.

“He’s alive!”, the lion, almost exclaimed, looking admiringly at the bear.

“The last human. The last of the tribe who’s been responsible for all the mess that we’re currently in. Burnt down forests, killed our brethren, frequent alien visits, biologically created monsters. What all hadn’t they done and boasted about? But ultimately their own inventions turned against them. Tut-tut, what a sad but well-deserved fate!”

All the animals seemed to agree.

“Hathi, see if you can revive the child. Get some water and fruits.”

The elephant leader raised his trunk and sent one of his herdsmen to fetch things to revive the child.

The tiger came forward, “This human is mine. Leave it to me, O, lion.”

“No Sher Khan, we are not killing him. He needs to live, and that’s for all our good. It’s just that he needs to be taught a lesson before we let him go. And anyway, rebuilding a life for him would be a huge uphill task. Maybe, we should help but only if he turns over a new leaf.”

The boy was tied to a tree, but fed and taken care of for the next few days. After he’d gained some strength, the lion called all the animals together. Addressing the boy, he said:

“We’ve suffered much under your race. You’ve plundered our forests, killed our brethren, genetically mutated many of us, created monsters and invited aliens to attack our beautiful earth. All for your greed for power and money. Today, you are at our mercy. We managed to survive, despite all that you did to us. We’ll let you go and start a new life, build a new Earth, only if you promise to be our friend and atone for your past deeds.”

The boy knew it was his last chance. “I know I and my ancestors have greatly wronged. The results of it I’ve seen with my own eyes as most of my race is extinguished. I promise I’ll use my knowledge to build an earth that is greener and a safe place for all. I nor my race, if any of them are alive, will not destroy nature and its other being but will always seek to nurture and cultivate them. I apologize to all of you.”

His ropes were untied and he walked free again, determined to start afresh, build a new Earth that belonged as much to him as to other flora and fauna.

STORY 2 – A VOYAGE OUT OF EARTH

I clung on to my seat as the rocket zoomed into the outer space. As it steadied in outer space, I couldn’t but turn and look down at what we’d left. It was an orange ball of fire.

The last twenty-two years there had given me such memories that I couldn’t blink away the tears that were clouding my eyes.

I remembered the first time I had sat in a climate change strike, as a seven year old. We had been taken from school, and lot of other students from schools around the city had come too. Many of the senior kids held the mike and gave speeches. Some of the teachers did too. But for the rest of us, it had seemed more like a picnic.

Both my parents worked at Tesla X, so we were from a very young age accustomed to the thought of aliens (extraterrestrial beings) and life on a different planet. But the school and the society around us also cautioned us about the perils out there if the blue-green planet that had been human home for billions of years was lost.

Growing up the heat had intensified, making weather unpredictable and temperatures often scorching. At other times, it rained torrentially and the rivers swelled, drowning homes and offices and people.

Most houses were amphibian, there stood on land and could take on a buoyant boat structure if the water levels rose above a certain limit. Yet the danger of drowning or dying from starvation and dehydration was real, especially if things didn’t work out as expected.

Our house turning into a boat was no fascinating experience after the first few times. It happened so often that it had become a disturbance.

But what happened on 30 July 2090, nobody knows exactly. Some say an asteroid as huge as Mercury fell on Earth sparking the fire. Other theories suggest collision with a rogue planet. While many conclude that the temperature in the Saharan desserts rose so high that it sparked the fire that spread like an eating machine across continents.

People were charred immediately. Places of escape were gutted even before they could be contemplated and explored.

Scientists hadn’t been prepared for a fire as massive as this. Tesla X, though still testing for outer space places conducive to life, believed this an opportunity and rolled out tickets to anyone who had the money and the risk appetite.

It was a one way ticket. There was planet X in a different solar system that Tesla believed could support life. While robotic space expeditions there had given proof to this theory, no human had set foot there. The only person who had landed there and lived there successfully currently was Bella – the Android robot.

Yet as the crisis on Earth scaled, few with the money came forward to take the offer. And the first three flights carried away 27 homo sapiens into the outer space, on their way to planet X. But till date, 4 September 2090, no news about whether they’d landed safely was received.

The one that I’m on is the last flight from Earth. Rest everything is lost. By now, the rocket pad would have been charred too. On the same flight as this one is Tesla X CEO Eon Misk. My parents who got a ticket because of the work they did for Tesla X couldn’t board because of fatal cardiac attack, leaving a ticket for me. The last rocket with 13 on board was mostly Tesla X employees or their relatives, whoever wanted to be out of the planet. That would make us a total of 44 homo sapiens on Planet X if we manage to reach there safely. 44 out of a population of 3.8 billion that had been alive just over a month ago.

The rocket continued to move ahead in empty space, leaving behind a fiery orange planet with its ghosts, and a broken me, who was excited and apprehensive of (possible) new life.

Story 3 – TORN FAMILY

The crescent was hanging in the sky, like a tiny lantern that is just beginning to glow. In the coming days, it would grow bigger and brighter till it attained a full circle. For some, the full moon is what brings joy while for others it is the crescent that brings excitement.

Aisha and her brother, Abu, looked excitedly at the crescent moon.

“Abba, Ammi, the moon has come. Let’s eat now”, the kids shouted, jumping with glee, as they spotted the crescent from the terrace of their one-storied house.

Their parents, who stood a little distance away, smiled. It was always a pleasure to see the kids happy and animated. It is only in the early childhood years that they so easily express their innocent emotions and love unconditionally, and both Sana and Saif were enjoying it.

“Okay, come down then. I’ve prepared nice chicken pilaf, cauliflower stew, and milk cakes. You’ll enjoy them.”

“Yay”

The family of four went downstairs, chatting and giggling. It’s not always special dishes are cooked. Their earnings were modest and they needed to save for the children’s education.

The mother had laid the table, and was just starting to serve, when the noise of missiles and guns broke the festive mood. The parents exchanged worried glances while the kids rushed to cling to them.

“What’s happening?”

Even before, they could understand what was going on, a missile landed just a few metres away, setting of parts of their house on fire.

They rushed out, and joined the crowd of similar families thronging the other lively streets, now filled with cries of despair and sorrow.

The rebels had captured the town and the townspeople soon found themselves in refugee camps.

There was no chicken pilak or milk cake there. Food was scarce, bedding unavailable. Life had turned topsy-turvy overnight. Aisha, Abu, and her parents stayed in the open camp for over a two hundred days.

Once the father ventured out to check their house, but in its place was all rumbles. Everything that they had worked hard for had crumbled along with it.

Some of the neighbors in the refugee camp were taking illegal boats out of the country to more peaceful lands. They also tried to find luck getting seats on it.

Six boats were getting ready to leave the shores of the country on that no moon night. A crowd swelled around trying to get a place on the boat before they left or the rebels caught them. They pushed themselves and those around them to board the passage to safety.

There was a siren in the distance. The soldiers were coming that way. If they had to escape the boat had to sail before they arrived. The boatmen quickly roared the engine and one by one each of them left the shores.

Life was to be forever different. Aisha, Abu, Ammi, and Aba had entered four different boats, not knowing where each boat was destined for.