Tuesday, June 15, 2021

Swept Away #TheGreatWave @WEP




Warning!

This is not a winning entry to the challenge. Reasons are several:

  1. The author of the story does not belong to marginalized groups recognized by Associated Press and its affiliates, followers.

  2. The author refuses to be victimized.

  3. The author does not belong to any winning races or the races preferred to the winning races for further wining or the nexus between the two.

  4. The author disavows ongoing race and gender politics and ECONOMICS of it.

  5. The author is not a faminazi. Her female characters are never frail victims. They are all crafty, having their respective ways in good, bad and ugly manners, knowing, “Nice gals never get their ways’. They do not blame misogyny, patriarchy, systematic systemic oppressions, institutional injustice, lack of equality and equity and other ways to ignore individual responsibility.

  6. The author does not hold the above criteria with greater importance than research and study (sometimes spanning over decades), plotting, narration, choice of words and other literary crafts for creating her fictions.

  7. The author does not care much about winning any challenge, especially subjective ones like literary or artistic challenges, though the author appreciates critique. Because, the author could barely understand that the existence is transient. 

Hence, Have Fun.

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I have first seen the painting, "The Great Wave of the Coast of Kanagua" by  Katsushika Hokusai, shared along with the prompt of June 2021 by WEP, “The Great Wave”, in my undergraduate Physical Geology text book of my Geology (Major) curriculum. It was associated with the lessons on Tsunami. 

Later as a postgraduate student of Disaster Mitigation, I learnt a story about disaster preparedness and mitigation in the time of Tsunami. I am sharing the story next.

The Japanese Old Man Who Saved the Village by Burning the Harvest

In  a Japanese villages, the villagers used to lay their crops on the hillock for drying. An old man of the village used to be in charge of safekeeping of the crops on the hill, while other villagers used to be busy in preparing themselves for upcoming harvest and crop seasons.

One afternoon the old man on the hillock, while taking care of the harvest thereof, saw that the ocean was receding. Wasting no time, he started a fire on the hillock peak. Seeing the fumes, the villagers from all directions rushed to douse the fire and save their harvest. As soon as the entire village climbed the hillock a tsunami smashed on the village, drowned it and washed it away to the ocean.

The villagers were alive on the hillock. They rebuilt the village. Part of the harvests, too, were saved.

All of it was possible, because of the old man’s experience of receding ocean. The lives saved by the old man at the cost of a little of the harvest, brought many prosperous years to the village. The village remembered the old man’s presence of mind.

___________

Next is my story on the prompt “The Great Wave”.

___________


Swept Away

In our archipelago, Ignatio, in North to South lying four Eastern islands, people were purple during the day and red during the night. They were called Ds. In the nine islands, from North to South, along  Western flank, people were pink during the day and silver during the night. They were Cs. In between these islands were eight islands populated with people who were always grey and called Gs.

Scientists from continents collected DNA samples from the entire archipelago and analyzed. Later, they reported that Ds people had different ions in analogous positions of their DNA compared to Gs and Cs. These ions belonged to a continent afar suggesting a continental drift during geological past.

In Cs DNA those ions were substituted by the ions of similar sizes found commonly in the minerals of Western boundary of Ignatio. In Gs, those ions were absent.

Years ago, Ignatio believed that the mixing between Ds and Cs created Gs. This notion was proven wrong by the anthropologists studying birth records of people born out of the union of Ds and Cs. The offspring of mingling of Ds, Cs and Gs were either like Ds, Cs, Gs or peculiar.

Some peculiar, called Ts, used to exude pink in day and red in night. Zs used to radiate purple in day and silver in night. Some used to have no change of color but remained always mauve or teal or saffron. Others emanated green in day and yellow in night. Initially, they were grouped respectively as Ps, Bs, Es and Vs. 

With passing generations, as more variations of colors cropped out by random union of all groups, it was difficult to mark them with letters of the alphabet. Hence, they all were grouped together as Qs.

Ignatio’s human history comprised lots of political fancy and bureaucratic whim over bestowing privileges to the people of different colors. Ds was the most populated and the poorest. They had the lowest per capita wealth. Cs were the richest people. They were the meanest, too, according to Gs. Because Cs always favored the Ds. Citing poverty, population size and their colors, Ds were given opportunities which were not available for Gs and some of which were available to Qs.

Obviously, Some Ds were among the richest people in the world. Some Cs were found begging on the streets of Ignatio. Gs were hard working farmers, builders, grocers, manufacturers, distributors of products and major service providers. Their businesses largely depended on bulk investment by Cs, rarely by Ds and Gs too.

In the entire archipelago there was always hostility towards Cs. They were often attacked and hacked to death by gangs of Qs, Ds and Gs. Those killings usually revealed that the killed Cs was a thief or counterfeiter of currencies. Mob violence in our archipelago had always been justified.

Properties belonging to all people were targeted and destroyed, in the name destroying Cs who reportedly profited by enslaving Ds, Gs and Qs, hence, must be avenged. Though it was always kept under the rug that Ds kept on enslaving Gs, Cs, Qs and Ds until now. 

I was studying our geologic past. I did not learn much, but got an idea that this archipelago and the whole Earth has never been static. These were always changing, not only in terms of people and power, riches and destitution, but also, with respect to mountains and oceans.

Occasional tremor in Ignatio taught us that all these islands were borne of igneous activities of Earth. Then, continental people published that the tremor patterns of Ds were different compared to the rest of Ignatio. It was established knowledge that mineral chemistry of Ds were different compared to the rest of Ignatio. Intrigued by these facts, my research guide suggested a study along Western shore of Ds. 

Our study revealed that Ds were separated from the rest of Ignatio by an unfathomable trench. Probably, the oceanic plate beneath Ds was sliding beneath one lighter plate to its West and melted in Earth’s mantle, consequently, oozing out on Western oceanic plate the rest of Ignatio.

The anthropologists taking cue from our studies started trying to prove that the Ds were the most ancient people on Ignatio. Some political groups started voicing for more privileges for this most ancient population on Ignatio.

Once, the never ending tremors beneath my feet, for over a month, told me that some devastating changes could be on the way. Either the Ds will cease to exist and will be drowned beneath the rest of Ignatio, into the Earth’s mantle. Or, the entire archipelago would cease to exist, probably by being blown to pieces by a huge igneous explosion, with ashes, bombs and other rock fragments of the explosion completely covering Ds.

Anyway, we needed evacuation to continents. Richest ones fled by private aircrafts. Some rented airplanes. Those who depended on the Government were boarded on a ship along with convicts and patients of mental asylums. Doctors and health workers had separate flights. So patients on the ships remained unattended. Law enforcement officials were evacuating people. So there were no guards to control the convicts. 

From my research copter, one morning, I saw that the ocean was receding East of Ds. I alerted the control copter for final evacuation. They remotely turn on a siren to alert if anyone still remaining in Ignatio. My thermal images pointed out many people in the Ds, a few in the Cs and some in the Gs. I informed their locations to rescue copters. Those people were identified to be convicts scavenging on assets and fighting among themselves over the shares.

Before all of them could be rescued, most of Ds was submerged under a giant wave as high as hundred and twenty feet. Half of Gs  was flooded. Cs suffered some damages.

The ship returned. 

When half a decade later the entire archipelago burst into an igneous heap, people of Ignatio got the colors of continents along with its history, culture and politics. 

**************
Word Count: 1000 (one thousand) Words
Looking forward to vehement and very severe Critique.
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40 comments:

  1. Your story is like a history of Earth in a nutshell - in 1000 words or less. A great take on the prompt.
    And I loved the Japanese tale.

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  2. Fascinating read. It got a bit jumbled at some points, but I managed to stay with it.

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  3. So much in your entry, Sanhita, it was like an alternative history of the universe. Your studies would have helped you write this tale. I love the story of the old Japanese man burning the harvest and saving the villagers.

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    1. It's great to hear from you Denise. There's history and only one history. There's NO ALTERNATIVE HISTORY because there is no alternative truth/ facts. LoL.

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  4. I have always enjoyed studying anthropology and would love to read how the different groups interact, and how their interactions are fueled by the geography of their islands. Very fascinating ideas.

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    1. Great to hear from you Steph. These are none my ideas. I have based the story on century old theories of Geology and human evolution.

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  5. This is definitely a fascinating take on the prompt. I love the ways we've learned to study the world and it's people to learn about the past. Your story uses these ideas well.

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  6. Most entertaining! Your introduction as well as your story!

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  7. You’ve written an interesting story relative to continental drift, geologic destruction and reformation, and DNA related population shifts over time. I found myself somewhat confused while trying to keep track of so many colors and letters; however, not so much so that it prevented me from following the plot through to its conclusion. Thanks for a thought provoking read.

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    1. Thank you Lenny. Your words are encouraging. Other than continental drift I have leant on Wilson Cycle (of seas turning to mountains and vice-versa). Colors and letters are the human nature of differentiating from one type from another and making fuss about it. LoL.

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  8. Fascinating and imaginative! I thought it may be the story of another planet (with parallels to earth, of course). Sci fi background to a story about these people? I was intrigued by your introduction too. Clever old Japanese man - his knowledge wouldn't have helped the village if he hadn't thought of this ingenious way of getting their attention.

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    1. Thank you Kalpana for your insights. This is not a sci-fi. But it has leant hugely on several century old scientific theories. But nothing of future in it. Just history of millions of years of earth and human history of thousands of years.

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  9. Felt like an allegory on racial discrimination as I read - thought provoking! Imaginative take on the prompt.
    A map of Ignatio would have helped better visualise the islands and the letters/type of characters belonging to them, please consider adding in your final edits.

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    1. Ha ha. It is for adults. So much hate in it. So no diagrams, madam. You are free to set your N and S, L and R.

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  10. Hi Sanhita - I loved the Japanese man's story ... we can learn so much from our elders and from back stories, which we should pay attention to. You've definitely brought your studies to use in this writing ... an interesting story line - so much to think about. Congratulations and all the best - Hilary

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  11. Hi,
    I am always amazed at how you weave a story together and still bring out the essence of importance.
    You are in many ways a History Professor.
    All the best.
    Shalom aleichem

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    1. Aleichem Shalom Pat. Thanks for your kind words. Truth is that I lack in the prudence of being a professor. I am more like an explorer, bouncing from coast to coast.

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  12. Very fascinating Sanhita. I found metaphorical undertones but that is my takeaway. Don't know if you actually meant it. I wish I could be this imaginative.

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    1. Sonia, thanks for the comment. Imaginative are all your fictions. Mine is just a narrative, probably, a cliché, too.

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  13. A very interesting take on the prompt, and of course a strong commentary on race and racism. I got pretty lost in the numbers and colors, but the point was easy enough to follow.

    On a formatting note: Can you pop an extra space between paragraphs? Blogger doesn't do indents, annoyingly, so it's a little hard to read as is.

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    1. Thank you Rebecca for feedback on the story and format. Point noted and I shall definitely act upon it.

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  14. The take on "race" and "class," and our incessant need to categorize and stratify is brilliant. Thanks

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    1. Thank you Pennie for stopping by and expressing on the story.

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  15. There's a bit of Huxley and Orwell in this piece. I agree with Pennie that there is an incessant need on people's parts to categorize everything and everyone. This is very divisive. I think that people should be curious about and even proud of their ancestry, but no one should deem themselves better than anyone else.
    My one real criticism? There's no such thing as a "feminazi." This is a term that gets applied to women who refuse to shut up or back down when confronted by sexism. I've been called a "feminazi" more than once and didn't much appreciate it, although it sure let me know who the person saying the word really was.

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    1. I almost forgot to mention.
      Your post is included in this week's Roost Recommendations. I share the Roost Recommendations posts on Twitter with readers looking for their next read.
      https://ornerybookemporium.blogspot.com/2021/06/roost-recommendations-15-june-2021.html

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    2. Thanks for your comment, Ornery.
      Copying and pasting whatever I have wrote on your blog as my reply remains the same.
      Thank you very much for the mention.
      Only one rectification I must make. My story, Swept Away, the one you have picked, is neither a sci-fi nor a speculative one. It is based on Continental Drift theory of 1902 and Wilson Cycle of 1976. Also, it is based on doctrines of evolution as mentioned in "Origin of Species" by Charles Darwin, a 1859 book, and "The Selfish Gene" by Richard Dawkins, a 1976 book. There is nothing futuristic in the story. Rather it is all about what has been happening since the BEGINNING of everything. As sci-fi gives vision of science and technology of the future (When Joules Verne wrote “Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea” submarines powered by electrical motors were almost half a century away; or about manned moon explorations it was a century away), my story lacking such trait is neither sci-fi, nor speculative. It can hardly pass for a mimicry.
      Regarding "feminazi" I have a very fair idea of who they are. It is not about shutting up anyone. It is about creating systematic social engineering through enormous peer pressure whoever is talking to make any sense about the facts contradicting certain political propaganda. Besides, I am a puritan to mark onset of feminisms with advent of scientific misconceptions in form of "The Second Sex" by Simone de Beauvoir in 1949. I don't drag suffragette movement as feminism as feminazis does. Nor would I see progress in appointment of female imams in mosques of the UK. Nor do I buy the misconception of equal pay for equal work where mostly comparisons are made between apples and oranges and not between effort invested over measured time and actual work (products/services/ results) delivered. I have worked as a female Forest Ranger in an underdeveloped country and the system did not discriminate against any of the women who did the same job. Instead women chose not to do this job even when they were chosen by merit citing odd tenuous hours of the job. There were discreet incidents of insults from persons (men and women) to many people (men and women) on the job, manifesting those acts of insults personal and discretionary.
      Groping on streets, beating wife/ female companion, sexual harassment at workplaces, rapes for uprooting owners from their property - all are individual expressions of overpowering mindsets. They must be tackled with iron fists on spot. But, with reference to the aforementioned offences, children must not be taught that the mothers are oppressed and the fathers are oppressors in every household. Faminazis see patriarchy and misogyny in every heterosexual relationships and ignores highhandedness of women on every other persons irrespective of their genders.
      Besides, "Sticks and Stones can break my bones/ Words are lame, they can't bring shame." So, I am ignoring the matter of berating me.

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  16. Wow! That was a deep post. Loved especially the Japanese tale. Lots of wisdom in both sections and a little bit too much truth in the second!

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    1. Thanks my reader. It would be helpful if you mention your name somewhere. All I can see is your blog address.
      Don't know about depth and wisdom, but surely there's love and labor of it.

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