In The Beginning
Richard Webber
Richard Webber
The world is young, and a single man struggles to cross a desert wasteland. He has no other option, since he’s been exiled from his homeland. His father once told him that dangerous people lived in a fair, green land across the desert. He hopes his strength, cunning and the mark he carries upon his head are enough to keep him alive. And perhaps his dreams of ruling will no longer just be dreams...The world is young, and a single man struggles across a desert wasteland. He’s been walking almost fifty days, and his food and water are gone. But he sees mountains in the distant east, and if he can hold on long enough to get there, he just might make it out of this alive. He has no options; he’s been exiled from his land and now he’s a wanderer, so there’s no going home. He’s never seen anyone outside of his family, but his father once told him that other people lived in a fair, green land across the desert. His father had said they were dangerous, but only to each other; not to a member of his family. He would have to hope that his father was right, and his cunning and the mark he carried upon his head were enough to keep him alive.Somehow he is able to make it through the desert, and he stumbles upon the Others almost immediately. His father was right; he has nothing to fear from them. His parents had always called their family the firstborn, the children of God, and he immediately realizes that this is another race, a race that cannot compare to his in strength or intelligence. They are small and weak, clothed in filthy skins and speaking a barely intelligible language. While he feels nothing but disdain for them, he immediately realizes his dreams of ruling are no longer just dreams.As time passes he is able to bring all the tribes under his rule as he teaches them his language and ways, and imparts the knowledge and inventions that had allowed his family to thrive. Over the course of time his contempt fades as he comes to realize that though they are not his match in size, strength, or longevity of life, they still possess a spirit, intelligence and soul equal to his. Through the guidance of a wise woman, one he is proud to join with as his wife, after years of condescension his heart is opened and he can see that the others are his equal in the eyes of God. In spite of the fact that he was prideful and arrogant, the kingdom he has built with a heart focused only on his own selfish needs is still a good one. There are many challenges, both internally and externally, to his new-found wisdom, but if he can stay true to his ideals, he, his wife and their children just might be able to make a real difference in this young world.
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