No one knew that Phillip Stone existed far away. No one ever went to the jungle there. It was too dangerous. Filled with tigers who could eat you alive and probably would for the fun of it. Venomous snakes so deadly that if you were bit, you were dead before you hit the ground. There were insects there. Mosquitoes so big they could suck up to a pint of blood from a man before leaving him to die from some crippling disease. No. No one went there. It was far too dangerous.
Yet, Phillip Stone managed to reach the age of twenty before he died. He knew how to make fires to keep the large cats away. The fire scared the snakes away too and in any case, he was much too quick for them to catch. As for the mosquitoes, while they were more dangerous if they reached him, the buzzing sound they made let him know where no to tread and when to hide.
Mostly he lived on berries he knew were safe to eat. He was lucky enough to miss eating the poisonous ones during his experimentation. If he could get his hands on meat, he would. He preferred it. But he wasn't an able hunter and the tigers never left any meat on the bone.
When the bulldozers came, he became incredibly frightened. Not only were the noises foreign and loud, but the tigers were frightened and had disappeared within days. It only took days for the bulldozers to reach his living space. He was hiding in a tree when he first saw one. He'd never seen anything so powerful and he kept his distance. He came closer slowly and discreetly. Finally, he saw the driver. He could only stare for all his life he'd believed he was unique. He overcame his fear and felt an irresistable connection with the man in the bulldozer. When the bulldozer was close enough, Phillip Stone leaped out of his tree and landed before the machine. He looked right at the driver who was looking the other way and for all his agility, Phillip Stone was crushed by the bulldozer.
It was reported globally, that it was tragic that something so close to humans had been destroyed but no blame was laid on the driver who was simply doing his job in the name of the human race.
3 comments:
Wow. I like this. How unconventional it is, yet familiar. The ending is really perfect, and I love how it's done in such a cold, matter-of-fact report type way. It really gives the sense of machinery and industrialization. But it still allows room for sympathy for Phillip Stone, which is perfect for the piece. I enjoyed reading this very much.
Good to see a post from you again :)
First of all, I bet writing this made you feel better. It made me feel awesome.
I really really liked this alot. The idea of a feral child making it past the age of 20 is insane on its own, but we learn not to question it and we are immediately attracted by Stone. You captivate our attention and respect with the descriptions of the jungle and the creatures that lurk within.
*Tips cap*
How good to read your again...
"something so close to humans"
That was really good. The point emerges at the end, of course. People are uncomfortable because he was human, but the fact that he wasn't quite as human as them makes his death more bearable. This all raises some interesting and clever questions. Well done!
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