Each Tuesday, rather than a POSSIBLY IRRITATING
ESSAY, I'd like to both challenge you and lend a helping hand. I generate more
speculative and teen story ideas than I can ever use. My family rolls its collective
eyes when I say, "Hang on a second! I just have to write down this idea..."
Here, I'll include the initial inspiration (quote, website, podcast, etc.) and
then a thought or two that came to mind. These will simply be seeds -- plant, nurture,
fertilize, chemically treat, irradiate, test or stress them as you see fit. I
only ask if you let me know if anything comes of them.
Popular Science
Fiction Story/Series: Dune
SF Trope: Humans
Are Greedy...Aesop’s Fable: “The Dog and its Shadow”
Current Event: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/human-greed-is-a-threat-to-the-planet-warns-williams-766815.html
Up on the edge of
the berm, the grand cover shivered as a broad-shouldered dog pushed its head
through and looked down on them.
The Ojibwe man
said, “I should mention that there’s been a resurgence of wildlife dangerous to
Humans since the Return To The Wilds act. Rattlesnakes. Cougar. Wolverine.
Grizzlies,” he gestured, “Gray wolves.”
Nkokoyanga
Pomodimo snapped, “Are you threatening us?”
He smiled, “I
don’t have to threaten you.” He lifted his chin and the wolf faded back into
the brush. “I am warning you. You don’t know the land here – or anywhere
outside of the Vertical Villages any more.”
Logan Andrist
snorted, “We have lots of information about the Wild Lands!” He held up his
scanner. “This has encyclopedias of information about all this.”
The Ojibwe man
nodded, saying, “I have no doubt that you have bountiful information. I’m not
saying that information is bad.”
“What are you
saying then?” Nkokoyanga said.
“Knowledge and
wisdom is more than information.” He gestured to Logan’s scanner. “I’m sure you
have complete files on gray wolves. You probably have ethological files as
well.”
Nkokoyanga
scowled, looking at Logan, “What are those?”
“Animal behavior,”
he said. Then to the Ojibwe man, “I do. I know how wolved behave.”
“Can you explain
what just happened?”
Logan looked down
at his scanner, screen-touching through several pages before he looked up and
said, “You’ve obviously trained them. Like primitive Humans trained them and
eventually got dogs.”
“Exactly right,”
the man paused, “Now apply the information.”
Logan tried to
hold the man’s gaze and finally looked away. “You’re right, of course. I have
information – but no framework to hang it from and no way to apply it to this
specific situation.”
Nkokoyanga stepped
back from Logan, sniffed and said, “Who are you and what have you done with my
teammate?”
Logan shook his
head slightly but when Nkokoyanga moved slightly toward the Ojibwe man, he
said, “What’s that supposed to mean?”
She glanced at the
Ojibwe man then back at him and said, “You’re always so smug in your
information. Like you own it or something. Your greedy, ‘I have it all
attitude’,” she paused, “It’s what led to that.” She gestured to Lake Superior
where it surged sluggishly in turgid response to the wind blowing from the
Arctic. “I have more in common with this man than I have with...”
The Ojibwe man
began to laugh. Nkokoyanga turned to him, “What’s so funny?”
“You and I young
lady? We have nothing in common.”
Nkokoyanga
gestured to Logan, “His people...”
“Your people raped
the land as badly as his. In fact, my ancestors did their share as well. There
is nothing on this world but inherently greedy Humans – no matter their
ancestry. The most important factor is choice. Wisdom. I have some experience
with choice and I work every day – every moment on wisdom.” He also gestured to
Lake Superior. “It will take all the wisdom of all of our peoples to see
through to the healing of this Inland Sea. My people called it Gichigami – and
that will be the name you can call me by.”
“Why should we
help you?” Logan asked. He saw Nkokoyanga step back toward him and was
obscurely glad.
“If you want
something bigger in your life, you can join all of us.”
“We are big! Earth
Government has plans to rejuvenate the Lake, too,” Nkokoyanga said.
Gichigami nodded,
“Dumping iron filings into the water doesn’t address the whole problem.”
“What WILL address
the ‘whole problem’?” Logan asked, making fists and panting them on his hips.
Gichigami smiled,
“You’d have to join us to find that out.”
Nkokoyanga said,
“We’re already part of something big.”
“Not big enough,”
said the Ojibwe man and turned to walk away.
Names: ♀ Central African Republic, Gbaya; ♂ Minnesota, Minnesota
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