THE
LAST ONE
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The
old man hunched forward, his head slightly bent to
one side. He wondered where he was. Maybe this was
all a dream; maybe he was dead. For years he had lived
alone in a dark cave near an ancient swamp, and now.
He looked about the great hall. Although the hall
was lit only by candlelight, there were no shadows;
everything seemed filled with its own translucent
light. The old man narrowed his eyes and studied the
people about him. They too seemed to glow with some
inner light.
One of them smiled
at him. He frowned back and scratched his head. For
some reason he couldn't understand he was the guest
of honor. They'd told him that he was the last one,
whatever that meant. He had refused to talk to any
of them, afraid they might find out what he had done
far back in that other time.
Suddenly a great hush fell over the hall, and in through
the marble archway walked a white haired woman in
flowing white robes. Slowly she took her place at
the far end of the hall on a great throne-like chair
similar to the one at the other end of the hall on
which the old man was seated.
"To all of you, welcome." The voice of the white lady
rang like crystal throughout the hall. Then she looked
toward the old man. "Long have we searched for you,
and now at last you are found. You are most welcome."
The old man stared back at her. She was old beyond
imagining, yet in the soft candlelight she looked
young and beautiful beyond belief. He could not remember
ever having seen her before, yet she awoke deep within
him, long forgotten memories.
"This is a day of celebration," continued the white
lady, "and as is our custom, we begin our celebration
with the story of that other time." She paused for
a moment, then began, "Far back in that other time,
humankind was like a butterfly about to emerge from
its dark cocoon. But it was a timid butterfly, afraid
to leave the comfort of what it knew. Back in that
other time humankind had everything they needed to
go forward, yet they clung to their old ways. In fear
they held to their old beliefs.
"It is hard for you who live in love to imagine the
iron grip of fear, but humankind lived in fear, and
it was this that held them back. Humankind could no
longer love because fear filled their hearts. And
so that this might be taken from the hearts of men,
they were taken into that which they feared the most
- world's end. World's end did not come from war as
everyone had expected. It came about in a way that
put an end to war altogether. In that other time,
poisoned by men's fears, the oceans began to die."
The old man leaned forward. He knew that other time.
It was his time - and it hadn't been fear that had
killed the oceans. "I was there when the oceans were
dying," he wanted to shout at them.
"When scientists discovered that industrial waste
draining into the oceans was killing everything in
them even the almost invisible plankton. I was there
when they discovered something that stunned the world
the fact that most of our oxygen came not from the
trees, but from these insignificant sea creatures
called plankton, and that once they died, except for
a few animals that lived deep in the forests, everything
that breathed oxygen would die as well. I was there
when the scientists predicted we had only two more
years to live."
The old man wanted to stand up and cry out what he
knew, but he didn't. He was afraid to. He was afraid
they'd discovered what he had done.
The white lady continued, "It was fear that brought
the nations of the world together. In that other time
nothing else but fear could have united the world.
For what was the point of fighting if in two years
they'd all be dead? So the nations of the world met
together and after many days and nights of talking
and arguing, they selected four leaders to coordinate
the task of saving the oceans.
"First the four leaders brought together experts from
every country to work together on the problem. Then
they ordered that food be shipped to wherever people
were hungry. No one needed to feel the fear of hunger.
But the most important thing the four did was to see
that everyone on earth knew what was happening. This
was the first step in breaking the fear that gripped
the world - that everyone know the truth. They did
this with a device that allowed people to see and
hear each other over great distances."
The old man smiled to himself at the white lady's
description of a television set. He remembered how
it had been. Every family on earth had been issued
one, and each day at the appointed hour, they'd watched
to see if an antidote for the dying oceans had been
discovered.
Finally, with only 14 months left, the leaders announced
that a chemical had been found that could perhaps
neutralize the poison. The old man remembered that
well. Day and night they had worked to make enough
of the chemical to spread across the oceans. Everyone
had worked hard and yet they seemed to have enjoyed
it. During that time even strangers would stop and
talk to one another.
Then had come the fateful day when thousands and thousands
of ships loaded with the chemical headed out to sea.
After that there were weeks of waiting to see if it
had worked. The old man had turned 22 on the day that
the results were announced. The oceans had not been
neutralized. They had failed!
Twenty-two years old, his life just beginning, and
now it was over. The old man clenched his fist at
the memory of that other time. He looked at the white
lady as if it was her fault.
But she was continuing with her story. "The nations
of the world did fail to save the oceans, but it wasn't
really a failure; it only seemed that way. You see,
the nations of the world had stopped fighting. War
had come to an end. That was the real success!"
The old man stared at her. He had been there and they
had failed; they had all been faced with death. He
listened to her in disbelief as she went on.
"The people of the world were shocked, and angry.
They had tried so hard, and they were still under
the illusion that they had failed. The truth was that
for the first time in the history of the world, the
peoples of earth had worked together with one purpose.
They now trusted one another. They were ready for
the next step.
The old man looked at her darkly. He remembered when
the four leaders had announced the earth had only
five months of oxygen left. They had talked about
the possibility of something unexpected happening.
Maybe even that humans might evolve beyond the need
for oxygen. That had been utter absolute nonsense,
the old man knew. He glared at the white lady as if
daring her to tell him differently.
The white lady smiled toward him, and for some reason
he suddenly remembered that one of the leaders had
been a woman - a woman who had won world acclaim for
her cure for cancer. A white haired lady whom one
reporter had dubbed the fairy godmother of the world
- and ever after that she had been known affectionately
as simply, the godmother. Being the senior member,
she had been the last of the four to speak. The words
she had once spoken came into his head:
"There is a way out. We can change. I know most of
you believe it is impossible to really change, to
become something different than you are, but it's
not.
"But First we have to let go of our old beliefs. We
must accept the fact that each of us is responsible
for what has happened. We cannot blame one another."
The old man didn't want to even think about what he
had done, and he let his mind drift away onto other
things - but: the white lady drew him back with her
words: "Those last few months were the most important
times in man's history. People began to understand
that it was their own fear that was polluting the
world, killing the oceans. Even the righteous began
to see that they too acted out of fear rather than
love.
"However even in their darkest moment humankind was
capable of a magnificent gesture. People from all
over the world began sending messages to the godmother.
'Find some way of saving the children. Our children
are young and unafraid. They are not tied to old ways
and for them nothing is impossible. Perhaps they can
change. Maybe deep in the forests there is enough
oxygen for them to live at least long enough to try.
Find some way of saving the children.' Here was a
world-wide sense of caring beyond self and family.
I t was the sign that the butterfly was getting ready
to leave its cocoon."
The white lady stopped and studied the old man for
a long time. He looked frantic as if he wanted to
run from the hall. She knew that she had to reach
him now or he'd be lost forever. She'd have to risk
bringing him into her story.
"And so the children were sent into the forests -
whatever large and ancient trees could still be found,
for that was where there might be enough oxygen for
them to live. And with each group of children was
sent a strong young man, a young man who was loving
and fearless - a man chosen because he had promised
to protect the children."
Inside the old man's head, the words were pounding,
STOP! STOP!
"And with us tonight is one of these men who long
ago was sent out to protect the children. He is our
guest of honor!"
Everybody turned and looked toward the old man. Words
were exploding inside his head, "It's a lie. It's
a lie." Suddenly he realized he was on his feet, shouting
at them all, "It's a lie!"
He knew now he would have to tell them what he had
done. "Yes, I was one of these men who went to protect
the children. But I wasn't fearless or loving. I went
because I was afraid. I didn't care about the children,
I just didn't want to die. Can you understand that?!
"And I wasn't chosen - I begged, begged them to let
me go. Then came that strange day in the forest. Everything
filled with a blinding light. It was so powerful it
had to have been a light blast from some horrendous
holocaust, and I ran. Yes, I left the children, ran
and hid in a cave. I've lived in that cave ever since.
I don't know what happened to the children."
Suddenly he had a strange thought. These people looking
at him were those children grown to maturity. They
had come back to judge him.
"Yes," he said, the words coming slow and broken.
"I left you to perish in that blinding light. All
I thought about was myself. I was terrified with my
own fear. That's why I did it. I wish it could have
been different."
He sank back into his chair and stared blankly at
the floor, while tears of shame, guilt and then relief
ran down his race. He had never told anyone before.
The white lady waited until the old man raised his
eyes, then she asked, "Would you like to know what
happened when you ran back into the cave?" He
nodded. "Would you like to know how my story ends?"
"Yes, I would," he said, leaning forward in his chair.
"Well, after the children went into the forest, those
of us who remained behind had no choice but to accept
our fate. As we did so, our fear disappeared! We were
no longer afraid, even of world's end. A great peace
swept across the earth.
"Then the last day arrived. Everyone gathered at the
appointed hour in front of their sets, and the face
of her whom they called the godmother
appeared to each of them, and here is what she said.
'Your work is all but done. You have changed war into
peace, and transformed fear into trust. To each of
you I say well done. The next step is so simple your
minds will deny it. You have but to join together,
speak with one voice, and open yourselves to the power
within you'."
"For you now stand ready to know the full truth of
your being - you now can be trusted with the power
of the universe that has been locked within your hearts
since time began. You are now ready for a happier
world. Come let us cross over together. Let us open
our hearts to each other and speak with one voice!"
And these were the words that were spoken by every
person on earth. We the people of earth, of one mind
and heart open ourselves to the power of love and
truth.'
"And with these words, spoken at the same moment in
time by every loving person on earth, everything was
changed. The butterfly left its cocoon of fear and
darkness, and the earth shone like a luminous pearl
in the heavens."
The old man sat there, nodding his head slowly. He
now knew what happened on that strange day in the
forest. That flash of blinding light had been the
bursting force of that power locked within the human
heart. But that moment of human destiny had passed
him by. In fear he had run back to the cave, while
they had gone forward.
He longed for another chance. And as he sat there
the godmother got up and began walking towards him,
and he knew that it was true - they had come back
for him.
He got to his feet and walked forward to meet her,
his hands outstretched in greeting. When she took
his hands in hers and smiled into his eyes, he felt
himself filling with light and his heart bursting
with joy. A faint smile trembled on his lips as all
about him he could hear singing and laughter. The
celebration had begun.
The last one had crossed over into the light.
Austin
Repath: " The Last One grew out of an idea I read
about in a fascinating book, The Gospel of Relativity.
However, the story quickly developed into a dialogue
between two sides of myself. One side, the rational,
sees world events as the logical steps to global catastrophe.
Another side of me sees what we are living through
as merely the necessary steps to a future beyond our
wildest imaginings.And this is the way the story ends."
Austin
Repath is a gifted teacher, writer and story teller.
His stories explore the depth of human experience
and feeling and evoke a healing response in his listeners.
Austin has been invited to tell his stories throughout
Canada, the U.S. and England.
Copyright
1996: All rights reserved, must have written permission
by the author to reprint.
To
contact or find out more about Austin Repath write
to Reed Press at 2 Slade Avenue, Toronto, ON M6G 3A1
Canada Or email to
thepilgrim@look.ca