Earth. About 100,000 BCE. Upper modern-day Croatia.
Nutanuvalion was a Flame Keeper. His job was to distribute harnessed crystal light to his clan, his village, and whoever came his way. He came up with this job on his own. No one forced him. Crystal light was an ancient art that only a few descendants of mighty Atlanteans knew. This particular group of Atlanteans carried very specific esoteric items with them while Atlantis was being destroyed. After all it took several hundred years for the giant landmass to crumble and sink; this was enough time for the Flame Keepers to indoctrinate their new generation and closely cultivate their capabilities. These group of Atlanteans were very tall and thin but their strength came from crystals and the lights they harnessed. They rarely ate. They meditated most of the time. They sun-gazed and learned how to convert sunlight into bodily elements starting with glucose and then proteins to keep their bodies active and energized. However, they noticed that they had started to weaken over time; over the course of 500 years or so. After all, this group of Atlanteans shed their bodies every 1200 years. The symptoms of something unusual were being noticed everywhere. When you have such a long life to live, you tend to notice things that are out of ordinary. They knew how to pay utmost attention to every sound, light, smell, and the other senses. And they decided to pass this knowledge to their young generation along with crystal making. Crystal making was not much making more harvesting and recalibrating. It took specific processes and every crystal was tend to differently. Thus, the Flame Keepers or Pyrothans incorporated elements of fire ("pyro") and guardianship ("than"), reflecting the role of safeguarding and nurturing the flame that was once responsible for creating the huma instruments. So was their legend. And that legend changed over time along with the esoteric knowledge. Pyrothans knew that the knowledge was be subsumed over the next few millenniums to come but that was ok with them. They also knew that they are the ones who will reincarnate from time to time and keep the real knowledge alive and growing. There was so much to learn from Tierra Madre. The planet was their playground in all its existential planes. And so Nutanuvalion was brought up in that tradition even if most of the original knowledge was lost.
"Nutanu! where are you going?" Nutanuvalion's partner, Aquiluna asked.
"Going to the seatown to see the cousins and get some fishing done". Nutanuvalion replied.
Nutanu didn't tell her something that he had experience that morning. His morning ritual was to bathe in the river next to their village, kill/capture the animal or forage for berries in the hills next door, then bring a few jugs of fresh milk home for everyone to consume. He often went by himself and was a loner. You see, the planet was teeming with life back then and this part of the earth was no exception. Nutanu was melancholy because of the reasons unknown. May be it had something to do with the fish that talked in his head.
Earlier in the day, Nutanu had cupped some water to pour it over his face. As he did that, he noticed something unusual at the corner of this eyes this time. It was a minnow. Perhaps even smaller than a minnow. Most minnows in the waters where he bathed were blackish gray or brown. This one had a bright blue stripe on one side and an orange stripe on the other side under its belly. Nutanu fell in love with that fish.
"Don't eat me. Take me home with you". A thought-sound happened in Nutanu's head. It seemed to come from top of his head and have a resounding effect all over his body. Humm.
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He decided that he will keep this fish alive and let it grow instead of eating it. He went back home and got a jar, a clay pot. He filled it with the same water and put the fish in it. Then he brought it home for Aquilaluna to see. "Luna, give me your monthly crystal, the one that you use to ease the period pain. This fish will heal really well if you let me use it.". Lune smiled and gave the crystal and let Nutanu play with his fish. It was his childlike creativity and playfulness that she fell in love with. After 56 years, he was still at it. She had seen many miracles take place through Nutanu's crystals. The village folks thought he was a Magi.
"Take me back to my home." Another thought-sound bubble. This time Nutanu was half-asleep. He was in a autodidactic mood just when the Consciousness decided to make him its instrument and executor of its will. In his half-asleep state, Nutanu felt himself talking to someone really big. "Where is home?".
"Ocean.".
Nutanu woke up early. Put on his water bag and long staff. His business tunic...the one that made him look older and wiser.
After pacifying Aquillaluna and telling her he will be back in few days, Nutanu took off.
Why is something off?
That familiar but unfamiliar feeling was creeping into him. He knew that feeling really well. Usually, it crept up before he made a prophesy or prediction or healing sounds or anything that made him feel important.
...
Seaside town in modern-day Croatia.
After the usual chitchat with local merchants and his cousins and old friends he grew up with, Nutanu made his way to the beach. It was perfect twilight. He released the fish. The whole process was so overwhelmingly familiar to him and yet he knew that he had not done this before. He let in the seawater get into his clay jug and slowly his new fish friend swam out.
"Come back later tonight when its full moon. I will be back here. I have something to tell you."
Nutanu scratched his head. He had accepted his whimsical experiences. But this was something else.
A little fish is talking in my head and is asking me to come back here in the dark.
Nutanu came back after dinner with his childhood best friend. His friend decided to chill on the beach and lie down in the full moon light.
"Nutanu, there are night bandits here. I don't want to be here for long. Hurry". Night bandits were the half spirit, half human beings who could shape-shift and materialize at will. It was common. In fact, the whole human experience was infested with a lot of 'in between' beings. Human beings were the only ones who were truly the 'in between' beings. They were made of flesh and blood and their experience was rooted in the ground. There were many Divine and Demonic beings. The night was especially full of them. It was common. The fish was still very uncommon though. Nutanu was in love with that fish.
"ok, ok. It all depends on my friend in the water". Nutanu confided in his friend more than he confided in his partner. He had been witness to Nutanu's journey from the seatown to the mountaintown where he moved when he was a teen. Besides, he was trained as a flame keeper a job not handed down by parents to their children. It was earned. Nutanu had earned it by going through severe penances and trials. His friend knew that he had taken an easy route and had followed his father's footsteps to be sea-merchant.
The fish was back. It's orange stripe was glowing.
"A great deluge, a torrent of rain is coming. Along with it will come massive waves that will engulf this town and many others. The rain will continue. There will be many massive waves. The rain will continue. The rain will continue. The rain will continue."
"Come back every full moon. I will tell you something important every time."
Nutanu told this to his friend. His friend scoffed it off. But he offered his place whenever he was in town.
Second Full Moon.
Fish friend had gotten big. The orange stripe was fading. The eyes had gotten big.
"The Earth is changing. There will be many floods. It's going to be very watery everywhere. The sea will rise and engulf everything. What will remain will be taken over by the water from the sky. The towns will sink everywhere."
"What is Earth?"
"The world that you live in."
"How big is it?"
"Big enough."
That night Nutanu had a dream. He saw many beautiful places, town, cities, and forests. Mountains. He went high. Higher and higher. He saw his home disappear. He flew like an eagle over many places. His heart was racing when he woke up.
Earth is big. And it's going to be under water.
Another full moon night.
This time Nutanu didn't have to look. There was a flapping sound in the waves in front of him. And a very clear sounding thought-bubble.
"Build an armada of ships. You will need to get away."
"Why an armada?"
"You will need an armada to carry everything you have and others have."
"Who are you?"
"I am what I am. I am you."
"You are a fish. I am talking to a fish."
"You are talking to Me. I am You."
"Why me?"
"Who else?"
"I don't know how to build a canoe let alone a ship or an armada of ships. How big are we talking?"
"Big enough to house thousand animals, thousand birds, thousand people, thousand plants."
"Why?"
"Rain. Water. Waves. Floods. They will not stop for many years. Everything will be under water. There will be many giant waves. Sea will rise. Water will be everywhere. Your home and everyone's home will be eventually destroy. Your town. The towns you saw in your dream last night will also be destroyed."
"Who are you? How do you know about my dream?"
...
Another full moon.
"My friend! come back to me and tell me of things to come." Nutanu was desperate. What he thought was a joke was turning into a serious thing. Day after day. That special feeling was getting stronger. How will I have everyone? Luna, my dog, my children, what about my goats? How can I build a ship? I am not a ship builder. I don't even know how to grow my own food. I don't even know how to cook. What about fire?
Thousand thoughts came and went.
Thousand dreams came and went.
They all looked the same. Water coming over in great many walls. Big resounding thunderstorms. Unstoppable rains. Sometimes he would wake up in the middle of the night fearing he was going to drown. The calm and the peace of his home and his friend's seatown with business as usual was in start contrast with his nightly journeys.
"Here I am!"
A giant fish splashed water on him and drenched him. His minnow friend had become so big! It was now the size of a big oxen.
"I can't stop the dreams. They are awful."
"You have a job to do. So get to it."
"How much time do I have? I need many years to complete this job!"
"You will have about 12 more moons to go. Then the rains will begin. First at slow and frequent. Then they will increase in intensity. When it should be summer and warmth, there will be water and cold."
"But I need more time! I am not even a ship builder! I don't have what it takes!"
"You have everything that it takes. You are talking to me. You are the Flame Keeper."
"Where do I start?"
"Get help."
"Who do I get help from? Who will help me?"
"Everyone that is meant to be on that ship will help you. Start with your buddy in the seatown. Ask your partner's brother. See you next full moon."
"Wait. Come back!"
Humm. Yes that's correct. He knows many people as a sea-merchant. But I have to get him to loan me some money to build the ships. I don't have the money. Yes. Yes. Yes. Luna's brother is very tall and muscular. He knows how to build things. Didn't Luna say he worked on the dock, building hulls?
....
Next full moon.
"Did you talk to your cousins?"
"Why? You didn't tell me to. I asked my brother in law. He knows a few people and he can get the job done. My friend will loan the money. How big of a ship are we talking? How many ships? This is a big project!" Nutanu thought he sounded desperate. He was desperate. His dreams were not changing.
"I asked you to talk to people. That includes all of those cousins of yours, your wife, and your friends. By the way, they are standing right there behind the bushes, spying on you. Bring them all here."
Nutanu turned and to everyone who was hiding in the bushes watching him gawk at a giant fish scurried to pretend that they weren't watching him. Nutanu convinced them to come and be with the fish.
The fish friend displayed enormous tactics that would shame a dolphin, half its size. It also let everyone pat him.
"Nice fish" everyone said the same thing.
They all went home. They all had the same dreams of big deluge. The dreams didn't stop.
Then they went to work.
Nutanu started travelling around to see if he can find as many different fish, bird, animals, plants he can gather. He told people it's his hobby. He put them in pots, pans, crates, whatever he could find. He built a big zoo. People came from far and wide to see his zoo. They didn't pay heed to his warnings. A few did. They also decided to build boats and ships. Then when the floods didn't come, they abandoned the idea.
Nutanu went to talk to his fish-friend every full moon while the project was on-going.
"Gather as many children as you can. Same goes for babies of every type of animals you have gathered. Take enough feed for them. You can plant the wheat and rice in the wider ship. Protect it from the elements. Use the feed for the animals. Feed the animals, plants and fish to children first. Let them play games on ships. There will be times when food will be scarce; prioritize the children. They will grow up on the ships. These children and the rest of your will bear the next generations to come."
"Go to the East and the West and look for seven wise men. They know all the crafts related to human body and human civilization. More importantly, they are connected to me. They will come with you. May you live long and prosper".
And so Nutanu followed. He found 7 wise men in the East and the West. Together with his family and friends he build 12 great ships. Each ship was different. He stuffed them with as many flora and fauna he could find in few months.
For many years, the rains continued. Great floods just as his fish-friend predicted. The armada of ships survived it all. He himself turned into a wise man. When he felt that the time was right, he commanded the ships to look for dry lands. He sent them out in many directions.
Nutanu and his people had plenty of food to eat. The 7 wise men copulated with Nutanu's daughters and sisters. Nutanu also took many wives and fathered many children....
And so began the new human civilization
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