Chapter Two: Time

Tick-tock, goes the clock. Every second, a new future forms. In that same second, an old future becomes the present, and the present becomes the past. Ever moving ever changing. Time. A force wherein just as life is the story that we live, it itself, is in that same sense, the vehicle through which the universe is able to record our lives. A second, for example, becoming word on paper, as it is written in a person's chronicle. A sentence, a day. A phrase, a month. A paragraph, a year. It all leads up to the formation of the novel. The culmination of an entire person's life, which I say, should then be treasured. For as a keeper of these things, I have learned no life story is entirely the same. For every individual's story, they are all different and none have the same beginning or end. They all have their own voice and tone, and no one story is written from the same point of view another is. A fact which is derived from the understanding that no one person lives life with the exact same views or philosophies that another does. People are all unique from any other individual in the world. They grow, they change, they evolve. They learn to adapt to what life gives them and are for the most part able to cooperate when necessary. Something, which then indeed, would have to be learned by the infant civilization of the Mintarans, as they appeared on this world for the first time, amongst that relic island of humans whom I spoke of. The group I said, chose to stay behind, and try to fix their broken world. But who sadly, were now but a small encampment at this point, after encountering many more difficulties than first anticipated.

It seems, according to the records I have available, the biggest threats to their survival, came during the year 33051 when the Verdantists were trying to establish a farming and fishing settlement on the East Coast of what, at that time, was still the North American Continent. In fact, from what is described, for about two to three years up until that point, they had been showing good crop hauls and good years of fishing. Then, suddenly, everything changed when out of nowhere, quakes began to occur. The coastal waters started getting turbulent, and no one could figure out what exactly was happening until January of 33054, when a huge wall of rock appeared as if out of nowhere and proceeded on a slow collision course with the East Coast of North America. A frightful experience, for sure.  Though, mostly, because no modern human had ever seen an event like this before. They could not comprehend why the continents which had stayed stationary for so long, would move toward them. They did not know, the British Isles and the continent of Eurasia, were not the only continents in motion. That Africa too, was headed for the coastlines of South America, and that Australia and the arctic poles, were about the only continents who were maintaining the same positions which they had for the past hundreds of thousands of years.

Yes. To tell the truth, what no one realized, was this shift of continents, was not something unexpected at all, nor was it anything to be afraid of. What they were experiencing, was in the first continental shift, in hundreds of thousands of years. An event, which nearly brought all the continents back together and which, true, toppled all the plans the last humans had for rebuilding their society. For they had planned to start the rebuilding process with small communities that would be focused on small pockets of plain and coastal environments that still could be counted as sustainable ecosystems. They had planned to build themselves back up with agrarian and fishing lifestyles. Not, with lifestyles that would require as was the case for those living near North America's Eastern coastline, to suddenly become proficient in living in the mountains. As the entire Eastern Seaboard was thus replaced by a mountain chain when the western coast of the British Isles and of Eurasia collided with the Eastern Coast of North America. Or also, in the case of those living near the Gulf, they suddenly had to switch from their planned lifestyle of fishing, to one of hunting and surviving in a desert. For when Africa connected with South America, it completely filled in the Gulf. All that existed was an endless stretch of desert spanning its way from what was Texas down through the former country of Mexico, until finally you reached the more tropical and humid rainforests of a region formerly known as Central America.

It was here in this world and at this time, we saw the final nail get hammered into the coffin of the Verdantists, Earth's last humans. We know from records, that in the years following 3054, they worked hard together to keep the remnants of their civilization afloat. They often would remind one another when one passed, that they simply had to, "work harder now, because they had lost more than a pair of hands. They had lost another piece of the heart of humankind, and it would take extra effort, to keep that heart beating." A mantra, which seems to have had a positive effect. For see the Verdantists, in the face of all their hardships, managed by working together, to last five more years before we see no more mention of them or any other humans in my ancestors' chronicles. An end, lo, which then while marks the end of humanity on this world, also should not be taken as an event marking the end to all life on this Earth. Nor, as a means for marking the end to this world's story. For truly, if we but look to the pattern by which this world's story is woven, we see it is stitched together using not only the threads of winter, which marks an end for the story of humanity; but also, by the threads of spring which then in following, mark not only a new beginning for life on this world. But also, the dawn of a new story about a race who first ascended from the shadow of the Omnitrophs. A kingdom which could not be fully classified as either flora or fauna, they were a new, previously unseen, natural hybridization between autotrophic producer and heterotrophic consumer, which nature had pieced together not only for the purpose of existing in the harsh, low nutrient-yield environments which existed during the late years of "The Bleakness." But also, for thriving in them. For see, what made the Omnitrophs such a unique and powerful player in the ecosystem at this time, was its ability to both obtain energy through both photosynthesis and to catch and consume its food. It was not limited to one or the other, like the organisms who were producer and consumer specialists were. A fact, which in these desolate times, then eventually gave it superiority over them. For with the Omnitrophs, they were able to obtain hunt and gain nutrients, when other producers were desperate for nutrients on the days the sun was blocked out by the slowly clearing smog. And on days when the sun was out, they were able to use it to keep themselves strong, meaning they could rest more, and did not have to go out hunting as much, and did not have to expose themselves to predators or the environment of fear, as often as did those who were specialists at solely consuming other organisms, as a way of gaining energy. A fact which in consequence, thus led the Omnitrophs to be able to produce a greater quantity of offspring and to, as a result, take over the habitats which once had been dominated by the larger autotrophic and heterotrophic specialists, who were at an equally rapid rate, beginning to go extinct. A vacuum which was quickly filled by not only the presence of the Omnitrophs, but also the smaller autotrophs and heterotrophs who remained. As many of them needed much less sustenance than their larger cousins. Something, which gave them no need to compete with the Omnitrophs for either resources or territory, and which laid the groundwork for evolution to continue, on this world once known as Earth 890. A world which very soon would no longer be recognized by that name, but instead would be known by the title that it dwells under now--- Mintara.