{"id":1174,"date":"2024-01-14T15:49:28","date_gmt":"2024-01-14T23:49:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/loopcntr.net\/musings\/?p=1174"},"modified":"2024-01-14T15:51:29","modified_gmt":"2024-01-14T23:51:29","slug":"greater-meanings-a-very-short-story","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/loopcntr.net\/musings\/greater-meanings-a-very-short-story\/","title":{"rendered":"Greater Meanings: a very short story"},"content":{"rendered":"

Greater Meanings\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\"\"<\/a><\/h1>\n

a very short story by Liza Loop<\/h2>\n

.<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n
\n
\n

Pitar smiled down at the tiny baby in his arms. A girl this time. Two weeks old and she was perfect. His gaze drifted out the opening of the hut to Anhout rubbing his stubby fingers in the dirt of the yard. It had taken him five years to learn to walk but he would never run like his father. Still, Pitar\u2019s heart was full of joy and pride. Three live children whose mother loved and cared for them. Not many in his village of five hundred families had been so lucky. Abile was already twelve, fully able-bodied and apparently fertile. Pitar very well might have grandchildren.<\/p>\n

Sadness, too, flickered across Pitar\u2019s face as he strolled toward the beach where the dolphins capered just beyond the surf. The age of humans is long over, he thought. Not as far away as the dinosaurs but, like them, we are no longer the dominant species. The dolphins remembered the history of their planet and had been willing to share the story once humans had deciphered their language. It wasn\u2019t a pretty tale. Abile, who grew up immersed in dolphin culture didn\u2019t seem to mind at all, had, in fact laughingly asked, \u201cWhat\u2019s gold\u201d whenever Pitar mentioned the human golden age. But Pitar\u2019s grandmother was raised among living memories of \u201cthe change\u201d and \u201cthe disaster war\u201d so Pitar still harbored visions of a human community of builders and conquerors. They said there were \u201cbillions\u201d of humans and that they nearly destroyed the world for everyone. \u201cYou\u2019re better off without all that hoi polloi,\u201d the dolphins said. \u201cLife has no meaning beyond the moment, no greater purpose,\u201d and they jokingly pronounced it \u201cporpoise\u201d and splashed the listeners.<\/p>\n

Suddenly Abile streaked across the strand and disappeared into the surf only to emerge amid the swarm of churning flukes and rounded brows. \u201cBe careful,\u201d Pitar yelled, \u201cyou could get hurt.\u201d Abile, astride one of his many friends waved at his father as they rounded the point, out of sight. Anhout, who had toddled down the beach to a convenient tide pool, began to scootch toward the opening to the sea. Although handicapped on land, Anhout was already an excellent swimmer. He dove, surfaced and throw a live crab onto the beach at his father\u2019s feet.<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe humanity isn\u2019t doomed,\u201d Pitar said aloud to the baby.<\/p>\n

The End<\/p>\n

copyright 2017 Guerneville, CA<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

This story just told itself to me one day. \r\nI thought it was going to be longer \r\nbut when I wrote that last sentence \r\nthere was just no more to say.<\/pre>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n
Share this:<\/h3>