Eldrin’s arm pulls me tight to his chest, my legs dangling below me as I am lifted from the ground. His crushing embrace makes it difficult to breathe. He falls to his knees, still squishing me as he weeps openly. My feet barely kiss the ground as I am still suspended in his hug as he clings to me as if I am his last anchor.. I free one of my arms and reach around him to try and pat his back comfortingly, only able to reach the outside of his shoulder blade. This sets him off into deep guttural wails as he fully breaks down.
“I…I killed ‘im” He wheases out between ragged sobs.
“No you did not.” I whisper back, still trying to be comforting, with reduced lung capacity.
“I di’, I was ta kee’ th’ fire goin’, and I failed me one task”
“No one should have expected you to keep the fire going by yourself for a week! If anything, it was not you, but everyone here that failed you. No one checked in on you, did they? The one keeping them all from freezing to death?” I ask, breaking from whisper into a quiet discussion.
“Nnnoo. But-”
“No ‘buts’! Everyone here has a responsibility to keep everyone going. No one checked on you just like no one checked on Theron until the worst outcome had come to pass.”
“But i’ was ma job, me one thing ta do!” He states, releasing me and looking me in the eye. I shudder from seeing him slightly perturbed and looming over me, even as he kneels.
“Just because it is your job, does not mean it defines you. You could have called on someone to keep watch as you slept, or done it in shifts, or someone should have assigned themselves to look after the fire as well. Hell, where I am from, you would have about 10 guys all wanting to help poke the fire, bunch of pyros we are.”
He gently laughs through the hiccups of grief, but then turns serious again. “Sti’, maybe if I jus’”
“Stop thinking that way!” I shout. “Yes, Theron is gone, but it is not one person’s fault that he is dead! I know you think you are responsible, but a week without sleep is insanity for anyone!” Seeing people looking towards me, I see that it is time to try and rally them so they don’t kick Eldrin out, as I see the rumor mill already turning. Shifting the focus to the crowd, I start:
“Look, we can spend the next week blaming each other for who is the most responsible and then ignore it, or we can actually look at what happened systematically.” Remembering Rafiki from the Lion King, I continue: “The past can hurt. But you can either run from it, or learn from it. Right now, I see a village worth of people trying to survive the winter, but with effort, cooperation, and a little knowledge that I possess, we can thrive!”
I see heads turn, and even the people in the kitchen come out to see what is going on
Stolen story; please report.
“Looking around, I see people that are stalled out, lost and alone, and this is even in the church! We need to rebuild our sense of community, to work cooperatively and have it so no one fends for themselves! How many of you are hunters?” About twenty hands go up. “Ok, and how many of you hunters are also crafters at the same time?” All of them lower their hands. “See! Yet you wear clothes, eat vegetables, and live in a house! You rely on each other, so why not rely on each other more, and work towards a better standard of living?”
“But what standard are you measuring against?” Someone shouts from the back.
Taking a breath, I debate internally on how to share this information, trying not to compromise who I am, but then decide to tell it all.
“I am not from here… I don’t know how far I have travelled, or even where I am, but where I am from, water is pumped directly into houses, wastewater is automatically removed and cleaned, fires are dealt with by a select group dedicating their lives to prevention and extinguishing, healthcare and injury is the responsibility of the community, and heat and power are directly available and maintained. Outages for any of these are considered a major issue, and are regulated to ensure a certain amount of up time, usually over 99.9999% and caused by storms.”
“I do not know all of this information on how this works, but this little brick here” I gesture to my phone “touches all of the knowledge of my people, not to the full depth of what is available, but introduces all topics we know. This knowledge was freely available to me, and now I want it free to all of you, to boost your living here, and so that temperature is not a concern in the winter.”
“In the scriptures we cherish, it's written in Ecclesiastes 4:9-10, ‘Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up.’ This isn’t just about survival. It’s about thriving together, supporting each other. What happened here—it’s a call to action. A reminder that we are stronger together than apart.”
I scan the faces around us, seeing the flicker of understanding, of agreement, kindling in their eyes.
“This technology,” I gesture again to my phone, “is a testament to what humanity can achieve when we work together, when we share knowledge and build on it. Here, in this community, you have the chance to embody the best of what that represents. Not just to survive the winter, but to thrive in all seasons.”
I let the words hang in the air for a moment, the crackle of the fire punctuating my pause.
“You are blessed with strong wills and stronger bonds. Now, you need joy and hope. Let's renew our focus on God and the future, as one. By learning about the Creator through His creation, by embracing the innovations that can make our lives better, we honor Him. We honor the gifts He’s given us by using them to their fullest potential.”
The murmurs of agreement begin to weave through the crowd, a tapestry of resolve and newfound purpose beginning to form.
“Together, let us build a community that not only survives but flourishes. Let’s create a place where the fire of innovation warms everyone, not just those who tend the flames. A place where every person, young and old, knows they are part of something greater. Where every effort is valued, and no one has to bear the burden alone. This is our call to action—our call to faith, hope, and love, expressed through the works of our hands and the bonds of our community.”
The gathering around us nods, some faces lit with the first smiles I've seen in days, as the weight of isolation begins to lift. Together, we look towards a future where faith and innovation walk hand in hand, guided by the divine light of understanding and the warmth of communal support.