Call Me Ibrahim Chapter 5

Story
A New Age, Year 4, Ararat The survivors aboard the ark called the island he had created "Ararat," after the island where Noah's doves first landed. The beginning was marked by anarchy. His "dream island" was full of natural resources. There was more than enough for each survivor. However, fighting still broke out. Just as it was for the people who voyaged to North America from every corner of the globe during the Eighteenth Century, the source of their conflict was greed. Ethnic nationalism ran rampant as well.

Ethnic minorities were pushed by the fighting towards the center of the island and then on to the opposite coasts. These weren't religious conflicts, at least. Man had come to resent his god too much to even consider proselytizing in his name. Some said this was all caused by a meteor; others cited global warming. Most called it the second wrath of God. No one wondered who had created the arks.

Four more years passed before he took any action. He couldn't face them. He couldn't bear to hear them talk about all the things they had lost. Their great civilizations, relics, and cultural legacies. Towering pagodas and impressive building towers. He couldn't bear their memories of good food eaten and good times had. He abandoned his name "Ibrahim," and shut himself away in their temporary, rundown library.

He did not remain idle, however. He read books. He collected the one or two books brought by each person. Young librarians copied down those books, to ensure that these books are not lost when the monsters he created flew down from the sky to attack the people. To recall civilization, He read about history, science, and politics. He did not converse with other people, but steadfastly visited City Hall. He read the bulletin boards to find out about current events, who said what, and who was making a contribution.

The year he turned twenty, he decided to run a seat in the city assembly under the name "Joshua", the same Joshua who led the Hebrews into Canaan and cultivated his base there. He carried within him the responsibility of doing the same in this world. He looked for people who could assist him.

The first to join him was Elijah, a politician from northern Europe. He was an industrious man who would not rest his curly head for even a moment. Despite the fact that he had isolated himself from the rest of the assembly due to his non-compromising nature, he was decisive in his actions. Joshua needed someone like that.

The second to join him was a priest. Though he had spent his life in the Catholic Church, he influenced people of all religions, from Muslims to Buddhists. There was something the priest had to do for Joshua.

The third to join him was Herman, a 10 year old German girl. She was extremely intelligent. She could be quite meddlesome and suspicious of things, but she was still very young. Time has a way of smoothing out one's rough edges.

The fourth to join him was an African-American scientist. The young black man remembered the most about mankind's scientific discoveries. He went by the name of his hometown, "Denver", that he may never forget the wife and son he had left behind. Countless mathematical formulas and no longer extant textbooks were all stored inside his head. Joshua took care to ensure that Denver did not get ill. Denver must not die before committing his knowledge to paper.

Joshua began his work with great passion. The first year, he sent healthy men into the winding mountains to find coal. He took English miners to open up mines and collaborated with Denver to build a simple power plant. Everyone gathered in front of the assembly house cheered when the first lights came on in the building. Electricity signaled the rebuilding of civilization. That single light bulb, glowing in the darkness, made the next steps easier to take.

Herman used her judgment to select some teachers. There were many among them who could teach others. Policies encouraging childbirth to increase the population inevitably resulted in a high number of children. Elijah received just enough of a budget to build a school. Savage children lift up their books containing letters to learn them, something deeply moving and nostalgic for their parents. People soon began to put pressure on their assemblies, and schools began to be constructed competitively.

Little by little, Joshua persuaded the priest to create a mythology. It might not matter so much now, but in time, people must forget that he ever existed.

''God again destroyed the world and sent down an ark. You are the descendants of those chosen ones. Serve your god well.''

The priest was a passionate man, and this passion influenced the direction of his faith. He added a new chapter to the Bible. At the same time, any references to Joshua, or any mention of him was stricken from the record.

"Not by my hands, but by God's," he said.

"Shall I erase 'The Book of Joshua,' then?" the priest replied back with a big smile.

He walked with his associates across the vast plains on the eastern side of the city. Denver stayed behind to test out anti-aircraft artillery. The only thing now that threatened to put out this new flame of civilization was the monsters he had created. Most of the people here originated from coastal towns. They were the ones who had enough time to climb onto the ark. The coastal bases were forced to flee to higher shores because of sea monster attacks. There was plenty of fish in the sea for consumption, but the coast was not suitable for human habitation. It was truly ironic that people, who had once called the sea their home, could no longer live near it.

They watched the children running through the cotton fields and smiled. They won't have to wear old and worn out clothes any longer. Once the cotton mills begin to operate, they can start producing wearable clothes, albeit, they might not look very attractive at first. Thanks to plentiful natural resources, the children here were growing up strong and healthy. They will be well fed, protected, and educated. They will have children, and their children will have children of their own.

"We can create a utopia here," he said to the priest.

Everyone laughed, including Herman.