The Great Fall

In 2029, a message played across every electronic device which existed. “I have loved living here. I have loved seeing how the earth moves and how people changed. But I refuse to stand by as the race I love so profoundly slowly brings upon their own destruction. In thirty seconds all electricity will cease to operate any longer. There will be no thermal, no electrical, no hydro, or any alternative forms of power. I do this not out of hate, hence why there will be a way for this curse to be broken. In my mother's locket there will be the instructions and the cure. All you have to do is find the locket where it is hidden in the heart of humanity. I wish you luck.”

Trapper, named for how his mother felt trapped by his birth, was born a century after The Great Fall, the name bestowed upon what inevitably created humanity’s destruction. His mother abandoned him, selling him to a work camp when he was six. All he was left with was a bear.

Even that was eventually lost to time.

Around his fourth year working at the camp, bones tired and fingers calloused, Trapper met someone who told him the story of how the world came to be what it was. “A century ago, an evil twisted monster of epic proportions cursed the world to live without the advances of man. I was a young boy back then, son, and I can tell you, the world was so much better. We had vehicles that could take you anywhere, cars. We had planes that could go beyond the extents of the planet. Some say a few were lost up there when the world fell. I think they all would have died by now. No one can live in outer space for a hundred years without some sort of nut sauce wizardry stuff. But anyways son, what I am telling you is someone has to find that locket. That super special locket. The one the kid on TV was flapping his gums about.”

Trapper didn’t know what to make of most of the information he received that day, but all of it stuck in his head as his life continued.

After a day of sorting through the barrels of clothing and mismatched items which found their way into the camp grounds; after an evening of ruckus laughter around the campfire with other members of the crew, Trapper settled in for the night with a smile on his face.

Not all of the work camps offered all of the amenities Trapper enjoyed. Not all of them paid, offered food and drink, gave bedding and living places to all who choose to stay on after childhood. Some force their workers to stay on even after they become adults.

Since Trapper knew he would not be forced to do so, he was free to dream. And dream he did. He wished to travel the world and see everything he could. One day he would venture south of Pennsylvania toward the City of Gold.

Once Trapper turned eighteen he decided to leave the camp, the option of returning leaving a warm sensation in his heart. Conventional though it was not, the camp had been his family. Sorrow grew in his heart as he took each step away.

Throughout the months he found a small puppy. Something about the dog made him pause. The paltry soldier had been prepared to fight a mountain lion before Trapper found him.

His bravery made Trapper decide to keep him, bestowing the name Milo upon the brave hearted terrier. Love struck true in Trapper’s heart that day. Warmth flooded his veins, something about the sweet little puppy grew the idea for Trapper’s quest.

He set off, Milo in tow, to find the heart of humanity.

On their rocky journey they stumbled into a small little village. No more than two hundred people resided there but the community was astonishing. Even during his time at the work camp, Trapper had never felt like there was a community. He had felt like he was a part of a family, sure. A community however is different. This sparked a sense of protection in Trapper’s heart.

Isao, the daughter of the local medicine woman, made sure Trapper knew he was welcome from day one. Even though she was harsh, she was loving. The first day Milo and Trapper stumbled into the camp, half delirious and burning with the fever, she had made things clear. She’d told him, “you better give that dog to me and go take a shower. You aren’t going anywhere near the youngins with a fever like that.”

She had saved both him and his dog from their fate, not ever thinking of anything in return.

That had become especially clear when he had tried to give her half of his leftover rations from camp. She had scoffed at him and told him he could keep his food, as long as he cleaned his wound three times a day.

From then on Trapper and Milo showed up at the healer tent everyday to do whatever they could. Milo was a real hit with the kids, he made even some of the terminal cases smile brighter than they had in years.

“She felt so much better after a few hours with Milo than she has in weeks!”

Isao had been terribly concerned with how the children had been acting toward Milo. Ever since he started hanging around the clinic the kids had not only become happier but they also started to actually get better.

“I know, I wouldn’t understand it if I wasn’t seeing it.”

Over time Isao and Trapper decided to start investigating with some old research papers. The two of them collected more than evidence. Love sprouted between the two of them. When Trapper proposed three months later, Isao laughed her way through saying ‘yes.’

As time plowed on Isao and Trapper did in fact get married. Milo was an adorable bouquet. Their love was solidified when they had two small twins.

Then tragedy struck.

Milo was attacked by a mountain lion, this time Trapper was not there to save him. Blood coated his white and brown fur as Isao speared the mountain lion. Trapper ran with Milo in his arms all the way back to the healer tent where they were able to save him.

Months passed and though Milo had changed he had also grown to be stronger over time. The small little puppy he was no more, but in his small life he had managed to fight off two mountain lions, he should be good.

It made Trapper think of the meaning of life.

Which made him think of Pennsylvania, the place he grew up.

The city of brotherly love.

He may not have had a brother, but he had two families in his life. Both families were found. Both families made. Both families gave him love.

It made him think about the legend of the locket, which led to thoughts of his own locket. The one he saved from the bear he loved for so many years.

He opened it one day. Just to see if he could- he hadn’t ever been able to before. Inside there was a small vial and a little note. The paper must have been at least a century and a half old.

It said, “You have found the heart of humanity. Love. All love. But more importantly, you have realized your love. If you open the vial, all the troubles the world has been facing will cease.”

Trapper looked out at his family. Isao sitting under a tree, feeding one of the twins, Milo chasing after the other. He looked at Isao’s uncle, who’d raised her. He smiled at Trapper when he caught his eye.

Trapper folded the paper back up and put it back in the locket. The locket found its way back to where it had always been, in Trapper’s pocket.

“Isao,” he called, jogging up to her.

The world may have fallen, but that doesn’t mean it had to become the same.

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