Button in the Fabric of Time (12 page)

Astonished by her remark and realizing there
was a lot I didn’t know about her, I asked, “Can you see through my
eyes?”

She laughed a delightful throaty laugh and
replied, “No, but you can tell me what you remember seeing.”

I was relieved by her reply. I wondered if
she had any idea how attractive she was. The way she looked back at
me told me that not only was she aware, but that she was pleased by
my response to her attractiveness.

Jan-3 said, “Perhaps we should change into a
more comfortable keri.”

“What do you have in mind?”

“I think, what I have in mind, is what you
called motor homes in the twenty-first century. We could get a keri
with all the comforts of home and continue traveling wherever we
want. We could stop at some scenic spot and spend the night
suspended above the jungle.”

The thought of spending another night with
Jan-3 made it difficult to think of anything else. “Where do you
suggest we should change keris?”

“Let’s stop at a place I learned about the
last time I was in Egypt. It’s on the banks of the Nile. The food
is wonderful, and we can see the pyramids.”

* * *

We were still flying over the Atlantic Ocean
and the lights of cities dotted the water, sparkling like stars in
a dark blue sky. The keri was traveling at near max speed and in
only minutes, we crossed over the Strait of Gibraltar and started
out over the Moroccan desert. The Atlas Mountains were to our
right, and the view was astonishing. Twentieth century stone-strewn
mountains with goat trails were now green slopes with streams and
beautiful pathways wandering through fields of grain and orchards
of fruit and nuts. People by the thousands were working in the
fields.

After passing the Atlas Mountains, we began
crossing what had been the great Sahara Desert. The desert was now
the great Saharan Gardens, with thousands of square miles of
irrigated land. In areas that appeared to be too mountainous for
farming, animals roamed free. They appeared to be untended.

“Why are those areas untended?” I asked.

“That land is left for animals. Every
continent has areas designated for animals that are indigenous to
the continent.”

“I don’t see where this land is irrigated,
yet it’s green. How does that work?”

“Because the land around it is irrigated, the
climate has changed. It rains here now.”

“Are those animals tended?”

“Not in the same way domesticated animals are
tended, but people trained in the care of animals monitor them for
parasites and diseases. Other than that, the animals live as nature
intended.”

“When I first arrived in the thirty-first
century, I saw prey and predators living together. I even petted
one of the lions. Are these animals like that?”

“No, those animals were a part of an
experiment; I don’t recommend that you try to pet one of these
lions. We can foresee a time when there might not be enough land to
be used exclusively as habitats for animals. We want to preserve
all species, so we are experimenting with ways that animals can
live together. We can train the carnivores to eat manufactured
food, but we’ve found that when you change an animal’s food, and
the way they acquire their food, you change the species. So we’re
looking for alternatives. Animal husbandry requires the work of
many people. We have thousands who want to work with animals, and
there’s enough work for everyone.”

The land was moving under us at an enormous
speed, yet I could see everything clearly. What had been a vast
wasteland was now a vast panorama of trees and fields with
occasional areas that had been left untouched.

“Why have those areas been left
unchanged?”

“Those are areas of geological, historical,
or anthropological significance. People who specialize in those
matters want to study them further.”

“Have you discovered how the ancient
Egyptians constructed the pyramids?”

“Many methods have been discussed, but
nothing has been suggested that Egyptologists can agree upon. We’ll
be over the pyramids soon, and you can offer your own ideas on how
they were built,” Jan-3 smiled.

“I have some thoughts on the subject,” I
admitted. I had flown over Egypt before and the green valley of the
Nile always stood out against the desert. This time the valley
wasn’t so prominent because the whole desert was green. The ancient
ruins were still popular visitor destinations. Hotels and places of
entertainment were near the river in close proximity to the ruins.
Jan-3 dialed numbers on the panel of the keri and we docked near
the river.

The people in this part of the world had
developed their area also, but it was very different from Alpha-1.
Here, millions of people had clung to the old style of dress—men
wore robes, tunics, and loincloths made of finely pleated gold
fabrics reminiscent of ancient Egypt. Women wore skirts attached to
pleated bodices with plunging necklines that exaggerated their full
bosoms and revealed their flawless bodies. Music with the
rhythmical beat of the heart, and the delightful fragrances of
luscious food and flowers wafted on the soft night air as we walked
along the beautiful pathways to the restaurant.

The restaurant, reminiscent of times long
gone, was in a tent. We sat on luxurious carpets and were served,
what to me seemed exotically flavored mutton and rice pilaf. Our
servers, both male and female, were dressed as slaves. Musicians
played lutes, drums, and horns, and scantily clad entertainers
mimicked Nubian slaves, dancing and swirling in feverish
gyrations.

* * *

After our meal, we walked along the Nile in
the glow of a full moon listening to the rippling waves of the Nile
lapping against the sandy banks, and the muted voices of people in
their homes preparing for sleep.

We returned to the keri and retrieved our
things, then dialed for another keri, which arrived quickly. The
new keri was equipped with sleeping accommodations that exceeded
the finest hotels in the twenty-first century.

I wanted to spend the night hovering over the
jungles of the Congo, as Jan-3 had suggested. She showed me how to
dial for a location near where we wanted to spend the night. We set
the speed for near maximum and, in what seemed only minutes, we
were over a jungle so dense that it was beyond my expectations by
far. After disconnecting the controls from automatic, I steered the
keri over the most primitive portion of the jungle; found a place
just above tree high, and then locked it in position for the night.
I wanted to experience the sounds and feel of the jungle, so we
opened our sleeping compartment to the night air. The place we had
chosen was an animal reserve, and it was as primitive as the time
in which the earliest human had spent nights in the trees. Clouds
moved past the setting sun as the sounds of animals resonated up
from the jungle.

“Jan-3, I think this gives us some idea of
what primitive men and women heard as they huddled in the branches
of the trees, hoping to survive through the night.”

She replied, “I wonder if that primitive
woman, who was probably my ancient ancestor, had the desire to be
held by her man the way I desire to be held by mine.”

“If her man wanted her as badly as your man
wants you, that woman and man probably increased the human
population, even though the night was frighteningly dangerous.”

The sunset produced a lingering twilight,
then darkness as black as Satan’s heart closed over the jungle. Our
perch, just above the trees, allowed us to witness the jungle as I
imagined the first humans might have witnessed it, millions of
years ago.

We lay awake long into the night, listening
to the sounds of animals fighting, feeding, and mating. When the
night sounds subsided, we spent hours enjoying exquisitely sensuous
pleasures until our needs were satiated and our energy spent.

The following morning, the sun came out of
the trees with a roar, its light streaming through the view plates
of our keri. We bathed, dressed, and ate what was stored in a
refrigerated compartment. We could have cooked a more fulfilling
meal, but we were eager to see what a thousand years of
improvements had done for Africa.

* * * * *

Chapter 17

After leaving the jungle, we moved east
across Africa, passing over areas that had been developed for human
habitation. The dangerous animals and insects had been removed from
the land, allowing children to play among the trees and swim in the
streams. Even though they could—if they wanted—alter their genes,
most of them chose to retain their ancestral genes.

By removing the large snakes, crocodiles, and
other animals that fed upon them, the fish had thrived, providing
food for the people. The fish controlled the mosquitoes by eating
the larvae. After removing the scavengers that fed upon the
carcasses of animals, people were left with the chore of keeping
the land clean. They did a better job than the scavengers. However,
the harmful animals, insects, and snakes were not killed; they were
moved into controlled areas where they were tended and
protected.

Many of the indigenous people didn’t strive
for knowledge. They preferred to cling to their old religious
superstitions and practices. No one denied them this right, but
they had to do the basics and obey the law of DO NO HARM.

In the past, this had been a land of death
and violence; now, it was a place of peace and harmony. Where there
had been starvation before, now, there was plenty. The African
veldt was home for millions of grazing animals, and because lions
and other animals that preyed upon them were kept in the controlled
areas, the grazing animals increased in vast numbers and kept the
vegetation cropped green and healthy. People could, if they wished,
use the animals for food. Some plants and animals need both wet and
dry seasons, but because of irrigation and the subsequent increased
rain, the seasons were moderated. Adjustments had to be made to
keep these species healthy.

Many anthropologists believe Africa to be the
birthplace of humans, and in some places it had produced learning,
but perhaps because of drought, the people fought over the land and
in some places, their way of living declined into near primitive
conditions.

Water had been returned to the land and
Africa was again a land of advancements and achievements.

“Since Europe is much like America,” Jan-3
said, “you won’t learn much there that you haven’t already learned.
I think you would benefit more by seeing what has been done in what
was referred to as the Holy Land, and the cradle of
civilization.”

“In the twenty-first century, those countries
didn’t seem either holy or civilized, but I want to see how they
survived the atomic disaster.”

We traveled north, up the east coast of
Africa past Ethiopia, and passed the place thought to be the
location of King Solomon’s mines. I asked, “Has anyone found the
fabled mines?”

“I’ve heard of the mines, but I don’t think
anyone has found them.”

We followed the Red Sea northbound. I told
Jan-3 what she as a historian already knew. “The land on both sides
of the Red Sea has, since biblical time, been vast deserts, but
look at the green farmland now. Even the valleys around Mount
Sinai, where Moses said he spoke to God, are green.”

We continued north across what had been the
Arabian Desert where the Jews had wandered for forty years. We
crossed the Arabian Peninsula, and then looked down at the Persian
Gulf. Kuwait was just ahead. There were no oilfields or refineries,
and no evidence of them having ever been there. But there were
solar panels converting sunlight to electricity. We had seen no
industrial smoke or exhaust anywhere; the world was clean again. It
made me aware of what destructive thing petroleum had been.
Thousands of men had fought and died for oil, and a few had been
made enormous wealth from it. The fighting and dying for that
wealth, combined with religious fanaticism, brought about the
near-complete destruction of the world.

Jan-3 commented, “The alluvial valleys of the
Tigris and the Euphrates rivers have been irrigated for as long as
there has been a written history. Civilizations and empires have
risen and fallen in those valleys. This area had been the center of
learning and development throughout the many conflicts. Until about
1000 A.D. historians have long argued, although no agreement has
been reached, as to what caused the demise of learning.”

I agreed, and said, “Some Muslims argued that
there has been no demise. Others say that the decline was brought
about by the Crusades. Understandably, Christians deny that, and
argue that the rise of Islam resulted in the decline of learning.
In my time anyone who broached that idea in voice, or in verse,
placed themselves in jeopardy, as was proven when the author Salman
Rushdie published a book he called ‘The Satanic Verses.’ Threats on
his life forced him into hiding for years.”

“There have been other events in history that
parallel the events you mention,” Jan-3 said. “Many men wrote and
spoke critically against the Spanish inquisitions, and thousands
were hounded and executed for speaking out against what they
perceived to be a great wrong.”

I nodded in agreement as we proceeded up the
valley of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. It was rewarding to see
that, what had first been the Garden of Eden and the cradle of
civilization, and then became a dry, barren desert in the
twenty-first century, was again a land rich with fields producing
food. The rivers ran full and clean.

In this part of the world, most cities were
built on land that had once been desert. The structures appeared to
be made of stone, yet they were too perfectly shaped to be natural.
I asked Jan-3 to explain.