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Diversity |
| Written by Clifton Patty | |
| Sunday, 25 November 2007 | |
This story will quickly chronicle my brief encounter with a creature named. If a chosen someone cared enough as well, the story can also be directly related to the phenomenon of natural selection. ***
During common conversation with the assorted scum and slime that I often found myself with, the ‘Grand Thurman’ was habitually mentioned. The thought of the hotel rested in the back of my head until my 21st year of life, when I decided to finally break into the legendary place. The Grand Thurman was located on the last piece of coastline that Georgia owned; just where South Carolina steals the beach and continues sending it northward. The hotel caught fire about two years before I was born. The fire was a tragedy of sorts, many people where killed. On top of it all, by a strange coincidence, the hotel exclusively carried a type of water heater that was wishing for the Thurman to be its big break into popularity. Once the fire started though, the unfortunate inhabitants of the hotel discovered that these water heaters were prone to explode under large exertions of pressure. By the time the fire had been conquered, all but two of the water heaters had detonated. The basement floors had been preserved and the various waterlines were cut off, but not tampered with. Myth was not the reasoning behind the hotel’s lack of exploration. Superstition also had no part in the Thurman’s virgin grounds. The real rationale was behind the man Tomas Sprague. Tomas once traveled to the Grand Thurman; he arrived a mere two weeks after the hotel had been consumed, trying to scavenge for furniture and unaffected appliances. He came back from the trip within 12 hours. Sprague returned with no appliances, no furniture, or useless items; just one four-inch deep slice down the middle of his chest. Sprague never said another word; he died the moment his body went through the automatic door of the hospital. Word of Sprague spread quickly and no one ever traveled to the hotel again. Well, until my adventure to the Thurman. I pulled up to the hotel in the early morning. I remember the weather being amazing that day, just enough wind and the sun seemed to stay conveniently cuddled within small patches of clouds. The Grand Thurman was surreally destroyed, and the weather seemed to make the destroyed building more of a work of art than a caved in graveyard. It was beautiful destruction, uncontainable magnificence. I slowly crept into the hotel; there was no door, just a frame. The ground felt uneasy; everything was too quiet. It was strange feeling scared in such a perfect place, I didn’t even care about the copper. I took a few more steps forward until the floor beneath me buckled. I stood still as possible; I was a deep breath away from falling down into the basement. The uneasy concrete fell through in a cloud of dust. I remember feeling as if I as fell for a lot longer than I really did. I landed without even touching my knees to the ground; the basement was completely black. The only light was from the other areas where the ground had fallen through. I heard a noise though; a noise that could only be described as how a human sized grasshopper would sound. The cracked flapping whisked around the room. Then Diversity presented itself. In the center of the black basement there was a large hole. It produced a very thick beam of light that made the rest of the room appear much darker than it was. I took a step towards the beam of light and the strange noise stopped. Suddenly the creature stepped into the beam of light. Diversity was an extraordinary being, slender and pointed. It was no taller than a normal person; its back was curved with small spikes coming out from each joint of its spine. Two wings were tucked up under its arms and the legs of the creature were long, thick, and effective. Diversity had only eyes on its head, which was connected to a long jointed neck. It had no visible mouth, nose, or ears. It spoke though; its voice was all encompassing. "I have killed many men in my time, boy, yet today the weather is so nice, I will allow you to live," Diversity said to me. I stared in terrified silence. I quietly responded, "What are you?" It replied, "That is nothing to be saying to someone that is sparing your life." "…Thank you, then." "That is much more appropriate, boy." I could not move. I was amazed, terrified, and confused. Looking downwards I asked, "May I ask you a question now?" "That was a question, son, but yes. You may" It said. "How are you talking to me?" "Vibrations, your own brain is much more capable than you give it credit for." I shook my head being completely overwhelmed. I looked the black creature in the eyes and repeated, "What are you then?" "I am the first boy, and I am the last. I was born unto this earth far before Adam and Eve, far before dioxide’s and oxygen. That remarkable face in the sky placed me here to be invisible, yet powerful. He named me Diversity before language was spoken. I make myself seen only when I need to be, only when I want to be seen. I lie behind every shoulder and produce every discord you perceive while unaccompanied. I am the apex of efficiency. I need not breathe, feel, or smell." "…Your name is Diversity?" "Certainly, I have always loved the way it rides off your tongue." "You-don’t have a tongue." "No, my boy, I do not have a mouth. Who really knows if there is a tongue resting in there undiscovered." The creature made a small insignificant shuffle to his left. Once It had stopped moving It raised his foot and jolted away. A small bit of disturbed dust lingered in the light for a few seconds. I then heard from above me, "Can you hear my movements, boy?" "Yes I can," I said. "That’s good to know, my skin must be very rested today." I ignorantly asked, "Where did you go?" "I’m above you now, in the lighted area of the building." "How did you get up there so quickly?" "I live with a two-dimensional mindset son, unlike you other worldly beings. A mere foot is only one step away from a mile in my world. The basement is only one swift bound from this floor above you." "How do you walk and fly then, without just jolting to the moon?" Diversity boldly ‘vibrated’ back, "Well firstly, I would never venture to the moon again, the place is not as interesting as your world. Secondly, I simply just must focus on a certain object and then send myself there." "How can I get up there? Where is the nearest flight of stairs?" Diversity laughed at my ineffectiveness. "Just come into the light, boy, I will get you up here." I stepped forward into the largest beam of light and looked up. Diversity appeared in front of me with a clap and a jump of ash. This time It had a large table in Its hand, which it then placed in a slant from the basement to the brim of the hole above. I walked up carefully and Diversity shot above. Once I reached the top floor I noticed the creature was staring at my car. When the thing saw the vehicle It became visibly excited, It began to jump and wave its arms about. "Your car is black boy! What a spectacular choice!" "What do you mean?" I said in bewilderment. "Heat, my boy! Black means heat!" Diversity sprung away again and appeared next to my car. The beast spread its body over the hood and sat completely still. I walked slowly towards the car; I could feel its excitement before I even reached the side of the vehicle. Once I came to the car It said to me, "I feel rejuvenated boy! Let us go for a ride." I smiled and sat in the driver’s seat, waiting for Diversity to come into the car. I was motionless for a little while, until It said, "Why have you not started driving son? I will be sitting on the hood." I climbed over the center console and shut the passenger side door. I started the car and began to indirectly spin the tires. I rolled down the window and screamed over the wind, "Diversity!" "Yes, my boy?" "Where are we going?" "I have no care at all, friend, How about northward?" I rolled the window back up and laughed. The drive back into population from the Thurman was drawn out and gorgeous. Diversity was sitting cross-legged on the hood pointing excitedly at every decaying tree that was being swallowed by the sun’s rays. The creature seemed to find more beauty hidden in destruction, than in creation or life. I noticed a storm was coming towards us; I needed to find a place to stop, my tires were old and worn. We drove for about ten more minutes until Diversity said to me, "Stop creating friction, It makes me feel mute." I left from the car and stood beside the hood. Diversity was floating a few feet in front of the car by a road sign that read Savannah 7 miles. "Would you like to go fly now, boy? I must stay above the normal humans," Diversity said to me. I nodded and began the slow processes of lifting my awkward frame off the earth. Once we got off the ground It said to me, "I am only able to fly for about fifteen minutes, son. Then I must collect more heat." The moment it had touched me I felt very tired and strange. I said ‘all right’ and closed my eyes. "Goodness, boy, I love global warming!" I wiped my eyes and looked for where Diversity had gone. We were on another beach, just this one covered in solar panel-like objects. I spotted Diversity about a dozen panels away from me; It had sprawled Its body over one of them. The wings of the creature were also completely open, supposedly soaking up more heat. "Sprawl out with me, boy. The sun is in a very bad mood today." "Diversity, why did you choose to make yourself appear to meet me?" "I did not choose to, boy. It was just out of chance, a random encounter so-to-speak." "I choose not to believe that. I think that there was a reason behind you appearing to me that you have kept quiet about." "Listen, son. I am not aware why I came into your life. Just as I am not aware of why every time I touch one of you humans I appear on this beach. I do know that a certain someone sought after me taking you here though, I suppose it was just your time to visit the coast." "...When can I leave?" "I do not know the answer to that question boy. I have never tried to leave; I just appear back on your planet when needed." "Have you brought people up here before Diversity? Why did you bring me to this place?" I did not belong. I wanted to be back in my car or in the Thurman. "Yes, boy. I brought some young man named Tomas up here most recently. He had fallen and cut open his chest. I was attempting to fly him to help, but when I began to take to the air we ended up on this forsaken beach. I haven’t seen him in a while however. I am not quite sure where he wandered off to."
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| Last Updated ( Tuesday, 27 November 2007 ) |
My parents both died in a car crash when I was around 17 years old. The various branches of adolescent safety never cradled me. I had no siblings and my grandparents had all gone upwards. I was almost always isolated; I made my money by selling copper I stripped from various places that the average human should never find himself; soon-to-be hotels, abandoned factories, and generally just places neglected by individual attention. I lived most of my years from 17 to 21 in complete seclusion; pulling off just enough money to keep my stomach full and to continue feeding my truck that notorious liquid. Yet on my 21st birthday reform reared its disregarded head. | < Prev | Next > |
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