Eternal Eons by Chris Rolson

Eternal Eons by Chris Rolson

Imagine, if you will dear reader. A world where the human race with all it’s glory and achievements has ceased to exist. Some point in the distant future mankind is no longer on the planet, be it due to disaster, war, Plague or simply dieing out the world become a place devoid of intelligent life. Or Perhaps more positively we have evolved beyond this material plain of existence and gone beyond, to new worlds and a new unchained existence. But whatever the reason, the Earth, our womb from the moment we first dragged ourselves from the sea is abandoned by her favourite sons and daughters and left to for others to take on the mantel of intelligence.
Now imagine this world 250 million years later. A mere drop in the ocean in geological time.
What a different place that world would be. What would remain to even hint at the existence of the race of man? Very little I believe.
Now for the sake of this story. Let us assume one of the many life forms on Earth now has eventually evolve into what we would perceive as an intelligent being. Not a far fetched concept considering the timescale we are speaking of. Humans themselves evolved from rat like creatures in far less time.
Let us then assume, for arguments sake. That the humble chicken, livestock and food to the masses now, but after 250 million years who is to say what it may have become.
This chicken then. Evolved from an unintelligent flightless bird into a creature of cognitive though. With its own language and society so different from our own that even the brightest of human minds would not be able to begin to comprehend the lifestyle of these new masters of the Earth.
But consider. How would they comprehend us? Or more accurately, comprehend the few remaining Human artifacts they may find. The few mounds of earth weathered by millions of years of erosion. Fossils of a tall, featherless biped, perhaps a few artefact's with undecipherable scrawling so alien the concept of it even being a language is pure conjecture.
What legends and myths may they create about this strange alien race from so long ago?
And what race memories may they have? What nightmares of giant indescribable creatures that eat their flesh and steal unborn children? What horror of being caged and forced to produce offspring, experimented on in unspeakable ways and abused beyond comprehension?
Would any of these memory exist? Would they eventually reach a level of intelligence and wisdom to decipher our alien ways and finally comprehend the full horror of their ancestry?
And in some deep, dark corner of their minds, would they perhaps fear our return?
Think upon this dear reader. Think of what they would feel.
And then think upon our own, distant past. Who is to say what deep race memories lie within us all, of a time before time began, in a world so different from our own comfortable existence we dare not even conceive it. Think upon what creatures may have been upon our world. From within or without. creatures so alien to the animals that would one day be man that fear is all the may remain within our fragile psyche.
Think then upon the Great Old Ones, The Elder Gods, of that which sleeps but does not die.
And then, dear reader. Ask yourself of whom I speak.