Showtime Folks - The Enigma of Humans (Written 2001)

Showtime, Folks.

3.33 GMT

Reuters Compound,

Dili,

East Timor.

Seven peacekeepers of the Unifet team stand, heads bowed, hands in pocket, contemplating the corpse laying bent at their feet. A single bullet wound to the back of the neck exudes a dried river of coagulated blood. The ever-present flies, swarm to the smell of fresh decaying meat.

The men are wary. This is the third killing in the past 24 hours, in the same area. The hairs on the back of their necks stand out, their innate sixth sense pricked for any strange sound, as they examine the remains of the priest. The rancid tropical air, still calm after the recent cyclone, carries the sound of life as usual, from the surrounding shanty town.

3.35 GMT

Giza Pyramids

50 miles South West of Cairo.

Egypt.

The excavation site is still, no sign of human endeavour. It is an unusual site. Since the find two days previous, lights have been rigged and digging continuing frenetically, all staff to the grindstone. The archaeologists beavering away without respite, unearthing the grey-black metallic object buried 120 feet below the desert sand. Their efforts and the find kept a closely guarded secret, even to those at the associated supply camp located 15 miles away. But closer inspection reveals a rather disturbing find today. 27 bodies, still adorned in their dirt covered coveralls and protective sun hats, lay peacefully at the bottom of the dig, in a line reminiscent of a mass burial yet to happen. A single bullet hole to the back of the neck the only sign of the cause of their sad demise.

3.37 GMT

Mt Khocongo

Inner Congo

Africa.

The silver-back raises his head from his meal of freshly stripped shoots, glances up to the sky through the canopy of dense jungle, and sees a familiar object glide noiselessly towards him, coming to a rest directly over his position of dominance amongst the remainder of his society. He raises a gnarled hand to the air, in almost supplicant acknowledgement, and returns to his task. He fails to see the small hatch open on the craft and is blissfully unaware of the massive bolt of irradiated energy that streaks towards his family and obliterates them from the face of the Earth. In fact, his sudden demise is hardly noticed by the other creatures in the area, as all primates are decimated by similar craft at that precise moment in time throughout Africa.

3.38 GMT

Mosque Mohammed el Ahk-bar

Kabul

Afghanistan

The mullah, intoning the prayer to the prophet, looks down on the throng of devotees, with measured pride. The weapons, stacked in an orderly fashion across the back wall of the mosque, signify a good turnout of his fellow fundamentalists today. Allah will surely be pleased. He turns his head to the East, continuing the prayer without missing a single carefully intoned phrase, in time to see the bright light being emitted from the heaven streaking rapidly towards the city centre. Before he can get an utterance of surprise past his lips, the mosque melts into absolute nothingness, consuming all within.

3.38 GMT

St Paul's Cathedral,

London,

England.

Archbishop Michael Johns leans on the table, carefully placing the Anglican meeting papers to one side. He stands, raises his head slowly, and prepares to address the gathered clergy assembled before him. The dome, resplendent in its historical detail above his head, explodes in a billion shards of light as the beam destroys the gathered mass.

3.39 GMT

Science faculties, laboratories, and project buildings world-wide disappear without a trace, including all those who work in them.

In a matter of six precious minutes, all eminent scientists and religious leaders are removed from the Earth! All buildings associated with science or religion are totally obliterated. Any creature that had the capacity to evolve into another intelligent life form, stripped of it’s very existence.

Of the worlds 15 billion peoples, two million remain, the godless, ape less, unscientific residue of human society. The reason for their continued existence? Love for nature. No medical interference have they partaken, no religious credo undertaken, no scientific doctrine imbibed. Pure humans in every sense of the word.

The most shattering revelation, though, is the tools that society has left to continue with. There are no more libraries, storage facilities of mass electronic databases, records of the civilisation of man, temples of worship. Just the Earth in it’s natural glory and the untarnished species required to exist to natures plan. The Garden of Eden.

***************************************************************************

Stop Press.

6345 years since the holocaust.

Roger Waters is on stage, his bass swinging lazily across his back. The crowd sits in appreciative silence. The crickets chirp their incessant call around the Gorge amphitheatre. The backing singers, resplendent in their jet black evening gowns, sing the words " Ooh Western women, oooh Western girl". The scene is peaceful and surrealistic. The former lead lyricist of Pink Floyd nods to his new lead guitarist for this show, Dave Gilmour and both exchange knowing smiles, as he finishes the show with those immortal words, " This species has amused itself to death."

Two alien anthropologists, sitting in the third row, nod their heads in knowing agreement, stand up, walk the 400 metres to the nearest trees, and disappear in a blinding light. Prior to their departure, a hippy, whacked out on LSD and hallucinating his possible existence as a silver back gorilla, hears them say to each other, "Here we go again, Bjirck. When will they ever learn? Why are all humans so God dam stupid".