last visit to the surface (short story)

Chadwick loved reading for as long as he could remember. As a child, he had fond memories of reading stories from the digital displays, his imagination stoked by stories of Gulliver and the Lilliputians, of the castaway Robinson Crusoe and his faithful companion Friday, and of Jean Luc Picard and the starship Enterprise. He could recall reading them next to a crackling fire, alone in the deep recesses of the Cave, eagerly scrolling through the pages. Ah, those were the times!

Even after the age-old displays went dark, stories were still easy to come by. There were several hundred books to be found, with words formed with black ink printed upon bound pieces of flattened pulp. Chadwick himself owned one such book, Volume One of The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, a gift from his father. Written over a thousand years ago, Chadwick nonetheless felt an instant connection to the eccentric Holmes and thought he had much in common with the Victorian. Even as an adult, he would take breaks from his shift harvesting cave moss and find a quiet place to walk alongside his hero in the dark and mysterious streets of old London.

He certainly had the time. All of the last vestiges of modernity the cave dwellers had - everything from the LCD displays, air conditioning, refrigeration, stereo equipment to solar panels - all of these had seen their final days during Chadwick's lifetime. As the surface of the Earth became increasingly hot, temperatures reached as high as 180 degrees in the summer months. The solar panels, which had faithfully provided the cave dwellers with electricity for almost a thousand years, could not withstand the heat and literally melted under the scorching desert sun. As the cave dwellers lost their access to technology, their ability to survive plummeted. Without access to lighting, workers could harvest only a fraction of the moss required to sustain a community. Without access to the electronic water purifier, many of the cave dwellers became sick drinking unsafe water from wherever they could find it. In the years that followed, Chadwick watched helplessly as the cave dwelling community became ravaged from hunger, disease, and thirst, reducing their numbers to single digits.

The remaining survivors, unable to survive near the entrances of the caves, had to move deeper into the inner chambers of the caves, in order to escape the unbearable heat. One by one, they became lost and perished until finally, Chadwick was the final cave dweller.

While knowing full well that his days were numbered, Chadwick still went about his daily routine. He would scour the corners of the cave, gathering the last of the cave moss and bottling any water he could find. During these trips to the very depths of the cave, he often wondered what laid above on the surface. He had heard from others that, not far from the cave's opening to the surface, that there was a nearby library, with thousands upon thousands of books that laid on shelves, literally waiting for someone to read them.

Most importantly, this library was likely to have a copy of the complete works of Sherlock Holmes. Chadwick had always wondered what twists and turns remained in store for Holmes, and longed for answers that a single volume could not offer.

One day, while searching for clean water along one of the cavern walls, he spied a small beam of light pouring through a pinhole-sized hole in the ceiling. Surprised at never having seen it before, he climbed up to a rocky ledge to reach it. He pressed his eye against it and peered into the light. Unfortunately, he could see nothing from this distance. Disappointed, he climbed down from the ledge and sat staring at the light for a few minutes in silence.

He realized then that he had never seen the sun first-hand. He had avoided sunlight his whole life, but knew his heart he wanted nothing more than to see the world above the walls of the cave. "I'm going to the surface," he decided to himself. With new resolve, he stopped his search for water and instead gathered the last of his supplies from throughout the cave. "I'm going to the surface, even if it kills me."

Slowly but surely, Chadwick made his ascent to the entrance of the cave. While it had been well traveled by him and his people for hundreds of years, he found himself lost on several occasions, for there was no light to guide him. Undeterred, he always managed to backtrack, feel for a familiar marker, and find the main path to the surface. After several hours of navigating through pitch black darkness, he found a crack of light, which then took him to the surface in minutes. "Ahhh," he said to himself when looking out at the surface for the first time, "it's beautiful." The brown and barren wasteland stretched for eternity in all directions. It scared and excited him to no end.

As it was evening in the middle of December, Chadwick had little difficulty adjusting to the heat on the surface. It was nearly a hundred degrees, but yet Chadwick could hardly contain his delight at how fortunate he was to have "cool" weather. Looking toward the horizon, he saw what seemed to be a "town", and made his way in that direction. He walked for hours, even after the sun had fallen, knowing full well how difficult travel would be in the day time. Eventually, he knew he had reached the outskirts of town. He could not fully see it, of course, but he could feel the rough sand give way to walkways made of asphalt and concrete. He saw the shapes of iron fences, towering buildings, and sign posts, all alien to him and yet strangely familiar. Exhausted, he entered one of the unknown buildings and curled up on the middle of the floor. "Tomorrow," he told himself before falling sleep, "I'm going to find what I'm looking for."

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The morning sunshine awakened Chadwick, a light more pristine and pure than any light had seen in his life underground. He prepared for himself a final meal, hungrily eating the last of the bitter moss and greedily drinking the last of his water. After he finished, he made his way outside to look for the library before the sun became too strong for him to finish his journey.

He walked along the cobblestone streets of the town and marveled at the buildings that towered over him. Even in their state of disrepair, they still filled Chadwick with emotion and visions of what they were like in the days before the Sun forced Man to retreat below the surface.

After many hours, Chadwick finally found what he was looking for. Etched into the concrete wall were the words "Public Library", and it was enough to bring tears to Chadwick's eyes. Filled with equal parts trepidation and wonder, he opened the front door and made his way inside.

He could hardly believe what he saw - books upon books, still neatly tucked away in metal and wooden shelves. He felt like a youth again, but fought his desire to start reading the first thing he saw; after all, he was now on borrowed time.

After wandering aimlessly from aisle to aisle, it occurred to him that none of the books had titles. "This is strange," he thought to himself, "surely books with printed text should also have printed titles." He stared down rows of books, until finally he came upon a table with a large book bound in leather with the words "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - The Complete Works" branded into its surface. He was overjoyed - he grabbed the book with both hands and threw open its cover to read what was inside.

What he saw next astounded him - he saw nothing. He flipped page after page, only to find that the pages were blank. Where he had expected to find text, he instead saw smudges, smears and ink running alongside the edges of the book. "No," he said to himself in a half-panic, "where are the words?!" It then dawned on him that the sun had taken its toll on ALL the books - years of exposure to the unforgiving light and heat from the sun had melted the words right off their pages. Angry and desperate, he closed the book and wept weakly to himself before finally collasping from exhaustion.

Unable to stand, he crawled back to entrance of the library, where he found the words "Thank you for visiting the Public Library of London!" carved into the wood above the door. "London..." he said to himself, "My God!" Until that moment, he had not known that he lived just outside of London the entire time! Gathering the last of his strength, he got to his feet and sat himself down outside, on the steps to the library.

The sun was now almost directly overhead, and the heat was overwhelming. Nonetheless, he refused to move. He looked out at London and squinted his eyes, imagining what it must have looked like in the Victorian age. He saw Big Ben, the London Eye, and throngs of gentlemen and women walking its unswept streets dressed in fine suits and elegant Victorian-era gowns. He could hear the pitter-patter of horse-drawn carriages, the shouts of street vendors hawking their wares, and the sounds of children chasing each other though the alleyways. He then could see his hero, Sherlock Holmes, in the distance, beckoning him to come along and join him on a new journey. "The game is a foot, Chadwick!" he could hear Sherlock say, "let us make haste!"

Full of contentment and happiness, Chadwick burned this final image into his eyes and passed away peacefully, a man in the streets of London.

The Reunification of the Korean Pennisula (short story)

Kim stared deeply into the eyes reflecting back at him in the bathroom mirror. He glared menacingly at himself, straining not to flinch or even to blink. Remember the plan, he said to himself, and don't give the bastards an inch!

"Hae Mang, shi!" shouted the KCIA (Korean CIA) agent, interrupting Kim out of his trance-like state. The KCIA agent rapped his fist from outside the bathroom door, "Hae Mang shi! It's time for us to go."

Kim forced down the lump in his throat and straightened his tie. He grabbed his carbon fiber suitcase and joined his escort outside the bathroom door.

They headed deep underground inside a military bunker, a 50's era relic fashioned with exposed iron beams and several thousand tonnes of industrial strength concrete. The two headed in silence down a seemingly endless maze of stairs and dimly lit hallways, all of which were empty save for surveillance cameras watching their step. After several minutes, they arrived at the Meeting Room, furnished sparsely with two metal chairs, lamps, a couple ashtrays, and a single hard wired phone. The agent showed KHM to his seat, and then stood guard next to the South Korean entrance to the room. KHM waited in silence, 5,000 feet beneath the 38th parallel, for his counterpart from North Korea to appear.

A few minutes later, KHM heard a pair of footsteps making their way to the Meeting Room. Then, a small man in military uniform appeared, accompanied by a much larger North Korean soldier. The soldier showed the representative his seat across from KHM and then took his position at the North Korean entrance. The small man set down his briefcase, smiled politely and extended his hand across the table,

"Lee Wi Hum, pleased to meet you."

KHM shook his hand and smiled in return. "Thanks for joining me today."

"Ah, say nothing of it, brother," said Lee gregariously. "May I call you brother?"

KHM was taken aback at Lee's friendliness, but nodded in return at this show of goodwill. I need to loosen up, he told himself.

"So, by our count," Lee said in his best boomy radio announcer voice, "this is the 62th meeting between the two Koreas to discuss peace on the Korean pennisula, reconciliation between one people, and the political reunification of the two Koreas. Is this your understanding as well?"

"Yes, this is our understanding."

Lee slammed his hand down on the table, startling KHM. "Then, as sole representative of the true people's republic, we must insist that South Korea remove their security presence of the 38th parallel, the Demilitarized Zone, and surrender control (peacefully, of course) of all southern territories. All foreign occupiers must be expelled at once. Then (and only then), can we promise that all South Koreans will be given amnesty for their past misdeeds. What say you?"

Hot and angry, KHM spat back, "These demands are ridiculous - you and North Korea are in no position to demand anything from the South Korean government! I know what North Korea is - a rogue country that is holding a knife to the throat of innocent peoples around the world, all in exchange for a few bags of rice." Looking past Lee, KHM could see that the North Korean guard was getting agitated and was already motioning toward a gun that was surely tucked away in his back pocket. Not that it mattered to KHM at the moment. "Your visit here was ill-advised. I will report this idiocy back to the President and..."

"Hey hey, brother," Lee said in a softer, almost soothing voice, "Clearly, you've never done this before." Lee quickly removed an American cigarette from a small metal tin and offered it across the table. KHM shook his head and crossed his arms, all while staring intently into his North Korean counterpart.

"Listen to me," Lee continued, taking on a conciliatory tone. "Usually you guys send a General or something like that. I don't know who briefed you on the situation, but this is exactly what you should have expected to happen, brother."

"Of course, I did," Kim responded quickly, "but your position is not based in reality! I was not aware that they would send someone to a meeting like this to spout rhetoric..."

Lee put up his hand to cut him off again. "Maybe it's you that's not taking this seriously, brother. Do you really think this whole meeting is more than a formality? A gesture, a...sign of goodwill.I have an intimate understanding of the situation. Even if you and I, right here, right now, were to create a solution - what then? Decisions like these are in the hands of politicians and soldiers, not errand boys like you and me. Nothing we say in here will be taken seriously, and that's the truth, brother."

KHM shook his head in disbelief. What an incredible waste of time, he thought. "Wi Hum shi," KHM started, "I am no fool. I know it unlikely that we would ever reach a decision, but I can assure you that my President takes these meetings seriously. If we are to continue this meeting, I strongly advise you take a different approach here."

Lee bit his lip and then leaned back in his chair, lost in his own thoughts. He picked up the cigarette, lit it, and inhaled deeply before blowing lazy blue smoke rings into the still air. KHM watched as Lee played idly with the large red star stitched into the shirt pocket of his uniform. Is this a trick? KHM asked himself.

After a few more drags of the cigarette, Lee set down his cigarette and looked over at his adversary on the other side. "Kinda makes you wish MacArthur did drop the nukes, don't it?"

"Don't be silly." answered KHM.

Lee laughed gently to himself. "Listen, Kim. Let me ask you a few questions. First, who is South Korea's greatest ally?"

"The United States," answered Kim.

"And who is North Korea's greatest ally?"

"The People's Republic of China."

"Good! See, we're agreeing already, brother. Progress is being made. This is good." Lee gingerly picked up his cigarette and rewarded himself with another puff. He tilted his head toward the concrete ceiling and blew out a small mushroom cloud of smoke. "Next question - in who's best interest is it for there to be an divided Korea?"

Now it was Kim's turn to laugh. "No one's. This standstill...this armistice doesn't benefit anyone. The United States has security interests in Japan and South Korea, as well as Taiwan. The unification of Korea under a true democracy, or even the replacement of the current leadership can only help the United States. China, I imagine, has a similar interest - South Korea is a threat to communism and as a staunch ally to the United States, represents an enemy. The unification of Korea under communist rule obviously will be boon for the Chinese."

Lee crushed the cigarette into the bottom of the ashtray, then leaned forward in his chair. "Doesn't benefit anyone, eh? Nonsense. But in any case, it will be enough for me if you understand that we have nothing to worry about." Lee then stood up from the table, bowed politely and motioned for the North Korean guard to escort him out of the room.

Now totally confused, Kim snapped his fingers to get Lee's attention. "Hey, this meeting isn't over yet. What do you mean we have nothing to worry about?"

With the guard already standing next to him, Lee nonetheless turned back to face Kim. "Well, I'll say this. Regardless of an actual armed conflict (which is certainly possible), do you believe that in the next twenty, thirty years, China will rise to become a power to challenge the United States for supremacy?" When Kim didn't answer, Lee stated apologetically, "it is possible that in the event of a power struggle, either country could win or lose. And the situation will be different. Think about that."

And with that, Lee bowed his head again and left the room, but not without first saying, "See you next year brother. And next year, bring me some American pound cake, will you?"

"Pound cake?" asked Kim, now on his feet.

"Yes, that's what the President brought me last year. I loved it, and would like to have it again sometime."

"I thought that you had never worked with a politician before," called out Kim to Lee, who was almost out the door.

"I lied."

Kim could almost see the smile creeping across Lee's face as the North Koreans left the room.

The South Korean guard ran over to KHM, who seemed just as lost and confused. "Sir! Those North Koreans are just playing mind games with you. What was that all about?"

KHM, however, was deep in thought. What was Lee trying to tell him? What was all this nonsense about the U.S. and China? What did they have to do with anything?

And then it made complete sense.

KHM picked up his unopened briefcase and began to walk out the South Korean side, with the flustered sentry walking alongside him.

"Sir, please, I don't understand what happened here. I, too, must give my official report, but am unsure what I should say. Please, tell me what you're thinking!"

After they had climbed a few flight of stairs, KHM stopped the sentry in a portion of the stairwell that had no surveillance camera. He whispered into the guard's ear,

"What's important is having these meetings, North and South, brother and brother. I am confident that we will be reunited, not right away but sometime in the future. Under whose flag, that's unknown - but those are just details."

"But sir," the guard whispered back, "those are very important details."

"No, brother," answered KHM in a much louder voice before again climbing up the staircase. "The only detail you need to remember is to order a poundcake for my visit next year."