Endless: An Autobiography of an Immortal

Chapter 13 - Death and Life

Omni woke me up bright and early one morning flashing yellow and showing a mountain in Indonesia. It was 73,513 years ago now and I remember that day like it was yesterday. Half-awake I absentmindedly tapped on the image it was showing me and before I could rub my eyes open, I was standing close by the mountain's base. The ground all around was shaking violently and I had trouble just staying standing. Smoke was billowing out of the mountain at a pace I've only seen river rapids move. Another tremor knocked me over and I started to get sick from all the movements. Cracks were forming on the ground in one place after another with heat radiating from them. The few animals that had remained behind until now, were fleeing in all directions but they too were struggling to stay upright while running away. I had a flashback to when O'a-sh-ot's tribe was wiped out from the same thing. This was much bigger and much more powerful, though. I knew I couldn't stay. I said home to Omni at the very moment the mountain exploded. As I was being pulled away to safety I saw a gigantic explosion and a mountain being ripped apart. This was going to kill everything in the area. Sadly that was an understatement, it was going to kill so many, many more. I was going to be surrounded by death whether I wanted to or not.

I was safe back home but I could still feel slight tremors from the volcano days afterwards while I was meditating. As the weeks stretched on I couldn't stop thinking of the devastating effects of what just happened. While most of the humans were on the African continent, so many animals were spread around the area. I asked Omni to bring me a safe distance away from the mountain. It was midday but I could hardly see. Darkness spread for kilometers with heavy clouds all around. There was ash in the air and I could hardly breathe. Before I left, I noticed that there was no longer a mountain standing where it once was and trees were blown, either on their sides or completely away. I feared for anything that was caught in the blast. Instead of going directly home, I went to the Eastern side of Africa to see if the effects spread there. While not as dark, the sky still was not as bright as it was supposed to be. Even the ash reached all the way over here too, as did a slight stench from what was released from the volcano. People were coughing a lot which had me worried. Also, was it just me or is it colder than it should be?

The next few years were indeed colder than it was supposed to be and that's coming from someone who had lived through several ice ages already. The temperature just didn't drop that fast normally across the globe. Much of the vegetation, and especially the trees, that required warm weather died including the food we depended on; or at least the animals we hunted needed it. Either way, the food supply of the area diminished enough that many suffered. The toxic atmosphere just after the eruption didn't help either. The colder temperatures were only temporary, but when you had to kill something in order to have clothes, it wasn't exactly easy to survive. The herbs we used to treat wounds came to be in increasingly short supply. Battles between the tribes for food and tools were common. Then the sickness started. I'm not sure if it was the cold, the lack of food, something the volcano brought over, a combination of them, or something else entirely. The sickness spread across the whole continent at an alarming speed. I was powerless to stop it. Thousands died. Bodies were everywhere. Whole tribes were wiped out. Burials were common and started to elaborate in their display as the emotions of the tribe increased from the steadily increasing body count. Once the last member of a tribe was gone, I would take the bodies that weren't already buried and burn them. I got the idea from burning down my houses so many years ago. Better to burn them, recycle them, than to let them rot or allow animals to tear them apart. They deserved better. They all did.

Once the epidemic subsided only a few thousand humans were left. This alarmed me greatly. I kept thinking of how bad it would have been if they had all died. While they didn't share the same characteristics as me, they were still my brethren. I was inspired into action. I wanted to save people from ever experiencing that again. I had a plan. First order of business was to get the population back up. From my time with O'a-sh-ot and from what I could gather from my many years of experience, I could not actually help with that part of the plan. I had seen others have sex and then the woman's belly grew and 9 months later a kid comes screaming out. That never happened with O'a-sh-ot while she was with me. She blamed herself, but I wasn't so sure. After thorough enjoyable testing, I was convinced it was myself that couldn't produce offspring. Without going into too much more detail, I knew it took intercourse to make a baby but it never worked when I was a part of that effort. So I decided on helping in other ways. You could say I became the first midwife as I helped deliver many babies. Making sure they survived the first few months were essential but still very challenging in those days. I did the best I could and after years of moving place to place to help raise the population, the human race began to slowly recover.

Next up was introducing better ways to hunt. The spear was fine for bringing down big game, but that required a great deal of effort and several members all working together. It was also very dangerous. Many were hurt or lost their lives hunting for such large or ferocious animals. As you can imagine smaller ones weren't so easy to obtain with a spear. Making the spear smaller didn't have the intended effects since throwing it accurately was impossible. There had to be a way to get a smaller spear moving at fast enough speeds that could catch the prey in surprise. It'd be great if it could get them while they were moving too. The idea finally came to me while I was following someone through the forest. He wanted to ask me if this certain type of berry he found was edible, as this tribe understood that I knew many things and trusted me. While following him through the trees he brushed past a branch and didn't realize I was so close behind him. The branch snapped back and slapped me right in the face. As I stood there rubbing my nose it dawned on me that tree branches were very good at bending and going back to their original place, hard and fast. If I could find a way for that to make the mini spear shoot accurately I'd be very happy. It took many different designs and testing of different species of trees but I was able to make a rudimentary bow and arrow. I then taught each tribe I went to how to make their own.

It was time for my final step to ensure the survival of the human race. Mass expansion. I was afraid that if an explosion of that magnitude would happen on the African continent then humans would be wiped out. I waited a couple thousand years until the population had recovered enough and would be able to survive a few losses during the trek. Then I slowly got them used to the idea of moving further and further north away from what they were used to. Having the confidence and perseverance to pass the Sahara was a big challenge for many, even when following the old route of the Nile. I would start with one tribe and just slowly influence them until they finally packed up and were ready to head into the unknown. Once they were settled, I'd go back to my island to recharge a bit and upkeep the land, then start the process over again with a new tribe. I didn't want to force them to evacuate Africa by using Psyche. I needed them to realize on their own the benefit of spreading out. Once a few tribes were out of Africa I noticed that some of the others took note of what was happening and they slowly decided to do the same. Every few generations a new tribe would break off and venture forth into the unknown looking for their own place to grow. It was fascinating to watch, especially since with the expansion came written language along with it. Crude and rudimentary by today's standard, but written nonetheless. Made of tree bark or other light recyclable material to give a loved one a message. Rocks or stone wouldn't be used for millennia later as there was no point in keeping the messages and no messenger would ever agree to carry them all. It was basically only used to send a message back home on who survived the trip.

Once a few tribes had set down new roots outside of Africa, I stepped back and watched the scene unfold. Slowly but surely the expansion took place in one area after another. A tribe would find a new home, build its population, and then branch out again. Within 10,000 years they would reach everywhere they could on foot. This was when I decided I really needed to hide my island. Once they reached the various shores, they started building rafts and boats to expand even further and it would have been only a matter of time till they reached mine. I asked Omni if it could hide the whole island again, it glowed a bright brown again which it normally gave for negative responses. I was understandably dejected as I really wanted to get this to work. Soon afterwards, though, I remembered a time not too long ago when I was with O'a-sh-ot's tribe and we needed to move a large rock. It was far too heavy for one person to move by themselves but with the help of two more people we were able to move it out of the way with ease. I recalled that Omni previously created a copy of itself. This gave me an idea so I asked Omni if he could hide the whole island if he replicated himself enough times. It glowed a deep purple which meant yes. I gave it the command, it glowed black and off it went to mine the necessary material to make more of itself and then it came back with several friends. I would have to learn how it did that later, but for now I watched as they positioned themselves around the island and several meters high off the ground. I asked one Omni to bring me above the island so I can watch it disappear. As I floated hundreds of meters in the air I watched as the island turned to water. Even the beach and shallow water around the area turned a deep blue as if we were in the middle of the ocean. I knew my island would be safe and sound for many years to come. I then asked to be dropped back down and as I was coming closer to what looked like water where the island once was I felt a ripple around me and suddenly the island was back into view, just like when I tested my house so many years ago. One moment it's not there, the next you are inside the bubble of Omni's influence. I knew not how the devices were powered or where the original one came from, but for now, I was happy to use it to my advantage. As for the people, they expanded to areas that even I would have a hard time living in. Some would push off in search for more land and find islands big and small. Some, however, would only find their end in the treacherous seas.

Years went by as I lived a peaceful life of learning new things and watching the others' progress. I had the time and opportunity to focus on biology for many years. Seeing all the parts of animals and doing my best to learn what each part does as well as see what helps or hurts specific species. As previously noted, I also dabbled in metallurgy and chemistry, seeing all the different things I could make with the mined resources Omni brought to me. Although I was making fine progress in science, I was still wearing animal hides held together by ropes and walking barefoot everywhere I went. This changed upon a visit to a small village in India. They had taken plant fiber and weaved it into clothing that could be worn year round. Which was great and all but what really set me aback was that they put some on their feet too. Shoes. Unfathomably the first time I had ever thought of doing that, even after years of walking across the whole entire earth several times over and through tundra and snow sometimes too. I had experienced a quarter of a million years barefoot with so many splinters, blisters, frost bites and stubbed toes. You can imagine how stupid I felt about not thinking of this earlier. Once they gave me the idea, I was able to improve on it for years to come, using many different plant and animal sources. I still use that day when I feel arrogant. It shuts me right up and I feel the need to be humble again.

Speaking of animals, the people of the world finally got around to making friends with some. They'd domesticate several in order to use as workers, protectors, a food source, or even just companions. They started with what would become a domesticated dog. As loyal a companion as you could find. Just like Cub, and the many others after him, it's a beneficial relationship to have an animal or two around. Give them food and shelter and they'll just naturally stick close to you. Those that bit the hand that fed them wouldn't last long and be weeded out. In an odd twist, though, humans also started to worship some animals, don't ask me why, I don't understand it myself. I've lived too long to see any mythical reasons to worship animals. Or anything else really. As for myself and animals, I would mostly stick to my island in those days and due to the animals there having no natural predators they all got very comfortable with me being around. Generation after generation they all happily mingled together and feared nothing I was doing. When I went back regularly they'd start to run up to me and want to play. Guess I inadvertently domesticated the whole island. I didn't hunt any of them, being content with waiting until the older ones were a ways past their prime and using only them for the meat and materials I would need. I'd still head off the island and go hunting for a specific meat I longed for or materials that only came from certain things. There were also plenty of fish in the rivers, lakes, and around the island that I could eat to my satisfaction. While many animals around the world started to go extinct for various reasons, the ones on my island were still going strong. Several species are only found there now, I feel like their protector.

As I said before, when you live as long as I have things start to get a little repetitive. When Taupo erupted I was much less worried about the outcome. People had spread enough around the globe that a single catastrophe shouldn't take them all out. Or so I thought. I still went to check it out, though. Much of New Zealand was affected with the falling ash wiping out anything in close vicinity of the volcano. But much like the Indonesia area, it too bounced back relatively fast. It never again saw such a large explosion and people settled right back on the island as if nothing happened. Nothing stays the same and things change, but then again, some things don't change. Like what happened on the Britain islands. It was settled soon after what happened in New Zealand, but people had to leave due to the arrival of the repetitive ice age that once again visited the island. People are nothing if not persistent, since as soon as the ice sheet retreated 12,000 years later they went right back and settled the area again. Between that time people noticed they could just walk right from Asia to North America, albeit cold and miserable, they were rewarded by a huge new playground to grow and settle. Granted many adventurous tribes had been wiped completely out by the resistance of the Short-faced bear that once roamed North America. Eventually the animals' numbers diminished to the point that they no longer were able to keep humans out and before the last ice age ended humans had already reached the bottom of South America, creating tribes, villages and ultimately civilizations along the way.

Civilizations didn't happen overnight. Most of the groups and tribes back then still moved with the seasons and chased the food. They had yet to realize how to use the seeds from food to grow more in a better closer area. I visited many areas over the next few thousand years and tried to help them understand the advantage of growing food in one area and staying there to harvest it. Some didn't listen, thinking it was better to travel or thought one should only live off of what the earth provided naturally. To each their own. Those that were keen to live an easier life listened intently, took what I said to heart and flourished. They even started to store the grain for when it didn't grow during the year, helping them survive the winters. It obviously took trial and error as many rodents tried to eat their food too but at any rate, their agriculture knowledge only grew with time. Once they knew the basics they were able to improve on it themselves, going so far as using natural river irrigation to water their crops. People stopped having to move all the time and got used to being able to develop roots in one place. With that, they were able to focus more on improving their lives instead of just surviving day to day. They then had plenty of food and started experimenting with the leftovers. Alcohol was one of the results of this. If you're one that doesn't drink often, you can imagine what it felt like having a drink for the first time. Especially the kind that was, let's say, rough around the edges. Having just been invented, the kinks haven't all been worked out and ended up causing some fun situations to those that would try a new brew. Making alcohol became a way of life. Every area in the world naturally grew a grain or vegetable and humans would find a way to turn that into alcohol. Personally my favorite today is Scotch Whisky, just something about the grains and the various barrels used to make it causes my heart to warm. But I'll never forget my first beer thousands of years ago.

Not long after all this happened many people in the world stopped having tribes and started amassing under cities and kingdoms. Once that happened inventions started to pop up in one place after another. If you thought having alcohol for the first time would be an experience, think about the first time people started using tobacco. Or better yet, making and eating chocolate with sugar. The homes of the various populations would continue to improve like I had done for years before. Remember what I said about the reason we buried our dead? To save them from being animal food, various cultures would bury them inside their own houses, which was odd by current standards, but efficient at the time. Then there were the metal inventions: copper, bronze, iron, steel, titanium and all the drama related to them. Wheels, used in pulleys and transportation, were a huge step; and let's not forget the water wheel either as the use of it changed the lives of many as well. And flight! I was so excited when people finally discovered that. Sadly, though, I didn't like the various methods of power they invented. Polluting the world is a step back in my opinion, but to be fair they didn't have Omni to help them invent efficient clean energy technology. But I'm getting ahead of myself. For me the last 10,000 years were full of great changes. In the past I'd skip along thousands of years at a time in the story due to nothing really happening, but now I'll slow down again and break up the story as civilizations rose and fell and how I navigated throughout the years of human development. Sometimes I'd try to help, either passively or by leading, but nothing stays the same, not even the good things.