Advanced Beings and a Fork in the Road of Evolution

«Coming right up, sir,» the waiter made a polite bow.

A moment later, small elegant cups and saucers as well as two glass teapots appeared on the wooden table. Each teapot had a little bundle of tea leaves inside that were slowly opening and «blooming» into big flowers of incredible beauty: One was white, the other was red.

It was fascinating! The tea was served with two cake stands featuring devastatingly delicious and beautiful fine pastry.

When the men got to dessert, the music faded away: The musicians left. It was almost eleven, the time when the restaurant closed, and the only guests left at the restaurant were the same group of men. The staff of the restaurant seemed to know them well and let them stay late. Needless to say, all the restaurant workers who had to stay were lavishly rewarded for such a long shift.

As the men were animatedly discussing something while enjoying the wonderful pastry and drinking the tea with a subtle, delicate flavor, some of the bored waiters and the owner of the restaurant went quiet, hoping to hear at least something of what the mysterious guests were talking about over the monotonous crackling of fire.

It was the middle of the night when, satisfied and a little sleepy, the men decided to leave. They left a rather generous tip and headed for the expensive cars that reflected the lights of the street lamps with their shiny curves. The drivers had already been waiting for the men. After long hours in the restaurant, it was especially nice to breathe in the crisp and crystal-clear air of the Alps.

The men got into their cars with spacious interiors without further ado, and the cars drove them away into the dark of night, slowly and gently, as if knowing the special value of their passengers. Only tire tracks remained in the squeaky snow but soon a blizzard hid them.

And in the meantime, the waiters in the cozy restaurant were hastily clearing the table which was so recently occupied by the generous men, hurrying home to get at least some rest and sleep.

When one of the waiters finally came to get a wipe down on the table, he suddenly stepped on something. The young man stepped back, bent down, and saw a book lying on the floor. There was not a single word on the dark-green leather binding. The waiter flipped through some pages but they turned out to be empty. Frustrated, he put his finding on one of the armchairs and took the cloth again but suddenly noticed the gold lettering glistening on the book cover: «Advanced beings and a Fork in the Road of Evolution». He opened the book again in disbelief: All the pages were covered with text.

«It seems I should have some rest,» the young man thought with a shake of his head. «The book though seems interesting, I’ve never heard of it,» he fiddled with it pensively. «I have just been thinking about reading something new and unusual, and here it is, getting right into my hands. Of course, I will give it back later… However, I’d better see if I can find anything about it. It’s so intriguing to learn what such serious gentlemen read,» the waiter put the book into his pocket, took out his phone, and began to slide his fingers across the phone screen routinely but, surprisingly enough, without success. «The book doesn’t seem to exist.

Curious. Maybe it hasn’t been published yet?» the thought struck the young man. «Then I will quickly read it tonight and report the find tomorrow. Nothing bad will happen. Right, that’s what I am going to do.»

«Hey, Adam! What’s taking you so long? We are leaving,» his colleagues, wrapped up in warm winter clothes, were already heading towards the exit. «There’s going to be a boxing competition tonight, the transmission is about to start!»

«Okay, okay, I’m coming,» Adam shouted back and rushed to the dressing room.

«It’s either sleeping or watching box live. I bet Adam will choose the second option, so don’t expect him to get here on time tomorrow,» one of the waiters concluded.

When Adam, tired but satisfied, finally got home, into bed, he first looked around for some reason, listened to the silence but neither saw nor heard anything suspicious. Only then he got his today’s trophy out of the nightstand drawer where he had thoughtfully hidden it upon returning home. The book was yet unpublished but it definitely contained some valuable information, since it had had the attention of the great and the good.

The young man turned on the lamp over his head, switching the rest of the lights off, made himself comfortable, placed a pillow behind his back, pulled a soft cozy blanket over his chest, and heaved a deep sigh, as if preparing himself for a possible shock.

With the increased interest, he carefully opened the book. Of course, he was very tired but you don’t lay your hands on something like this every day. That was a million-to-one chance and he had to give it back tomorrow. Adam was looking forward to learning something jaw-dropping and he was somehow sure that his expectations will be justified.

«Chapter One. The Curious Incident,» Adam only had a chance to read the title of the chapter when a cat suddenly jumped onto his bed.

The young man gave a cry but realized it was his own Sphynx cat and breathed a sigh of relief.

«You startled me! Look what I’ve found today. Are you curious? I am too,» Adam was talking to the cat as if it was able to understand him. It was a hairless Sphynx with pink skin and huge green eyes on the tiny chiseled head. The cat stared at Adam, meowed as if giving a positive answer, purred, and curled up in a ball on the blanket.

«Thousands of years ago, in the part of the world that is covered with impassable hot sands…» Adam swallowed the words as if fearing that something would stop him from reading the book, the accidentally found book that had mysteriously slipped from the firm grasp of its owner, to the end. The young man’s imagination was slowly carrying him into some alternate reality.

Part II. Advanced beings and a Fork in the Road of Evolution

Chapter One. The Curious Incident

Thousands of years ago, in the part of the world that is covered with impassable hot sands stretching for hundreds of kilometers, one of the first civilizations was born. Plenty of misconceptions have accumulated about its great achievements while very few know the truth. It’s time to lift the curtain of secrecy for those who are ready.

As is often the case, the great was born from the ordinary. You might argue: «How’s that?! It is not uncommon for the ordinary to remain ordinary unless it is not wiped off the face of the earth yet. But what would undoubtedly result in the Great?» You are right, there is a very important ingredient. It is known to one and all since the dawn of time and yet it doesn’t come easy.

But let us talk first about the events of the bygone history and you will find the answer to your question yourself.

It was the end of a sultry day. The outlines of several slowly moving human figures could be seen against the fiery horizon. We don’t know where they came from and what made them travel such an arduous path. By the look of them, it was likely they had been traveling for days and were exhausted.

«I can’t believe it! We’ve found it! We’ve finally found it!» Pharoum, the most athletic of the travelers, yelled as he saw a thin blue line in the distance. «A river!»

The word «river» seemed to be the sweetest and dearest sound in the world for the travelers. It filled their hearts with joy, overshadowed the sense of fatigue caused by the grueling journey, and gave them quite unexpected strength. The travelers ran as fast as they could. The large and deep river was rich with fish. The travelers were saved.

After they quenched their thirst, washed their bodies, and bathed in cool waters to their hearts’ content, they got back to the shore. They hadn’t felt so happy in a long time. For a while they all just sat on the sand, enjoying the view.

«There’s no point in further wandering,» Pharoum broke the silence. «This place is the best we can find.

From now on, this place is our home. This is our land and our river. We are staying to live here.»

Pharoum was supported by all the travelers. He was their leader and he held such a position due to his wisdom and strength.

One of the women, Noana, who was Pharoum’s beloved one, was pregnant and went into labor, apparently due to the surge of emotions.

The day seemed to be already filled to the brim with happiness but the joy that Pharoum and Noana felt was even more overwhelming now that their baby was born. However, the happy parents had no idea that once their son grew up and reached manhood, he would not be satisfied with the little he had. His desire for greater power and self-confidence would become extremely powerful and soon would be able to get him much farther than his parents had ever gone, so far away from them that a fork would appear in the road of the evolution of humankind (a fork no one saw coming). His name was Pharaon, it was an elaborate combination of the names of his loving parents.

Pharoum and Noana could not stop looking at the cute face of their son under the last golden streaks of the sunset.

«Pharaon, we love you! You were born on a happy day and it means you will be happy. That’s what your father and I want for you very much,» Noana whispered to her son, looking into his beautiful eyes that looked like two jewels, iridescent in the sunlight.

«Mark my words, Noana! He will be happy,» Pharoum said with confidence. «Our son will grow strong, and fortune will favor him because you and I want the very best for him with all our hearts.»

As Pharaon grew older, he hardly ever cried. He was a cheerful, affable, and very curious child. He enjoyed playing with other children of their settlement. They competed to see who could catch the biggest fish, run or swim faster, hold their breath underwater for a longer time, and so on and so forth.

As Pharaon’s parents watched him play, they dreamt that when he grew up, he would easily provide food and water for himself, have decent clothes instead of rags, and become strong and brave. Pharoum and Noana enjoyed those dreams, they helped them take their minds off the pains of their lives.

One day the boy’s parents noticed something strange in his behavior. Pharaon was running around in the sand as if he was playing catch-up with someone and they heard him talking loudly and laughing as if he was in someone’s company rather than alone. But no one else was there.

«Pharoum, have a look. Who is he talking to?» Noana asked, sounding very anxious. Pharoum watched his son closely.

«It’s not fair, you are faster than me!» little Pharaon shouted joyfully, trying to dodge something. He moved his little legs quickly and shrieked with excitement.

«It’s alright,» Pharoum said to his beloved Noana. «Many children have imaginary friends. It’s ok, as long as it goes away eventually.»

Pharoum was right. Soon those games were forgotten and the parents’ concerns melted away.

Nineteen years have passed since Pharaon’s birth. One evening, while the women were taking care of the children, the men of the settlement went to the river to have some man time, telling astonishing stories and trying to guess whether they were true.

Here’s what Pharoum, Pharaon’s father, said at that meeting:

«I once met a man who told me about snow, i.e. cold white sand falling from the sky. Every single one of the snowflakes has its own unique pattern. When snow is warmed by the sun, it turns into a river. Do you believe it?»

«That’s impossible!» the men, sitting around the head of the settlement, were saying.

«And yet it is absolutely true!» Pharoum exclaimed.