A Paradox in Retrograde by John Faherty Read Free Book Online Page B

of the beach. There he
stood in amazement, as he looked at the strange angularity to the
architecture shining in the moonlight. This sparkling city stood
just beyond the clutch of forest that bordered the beach. Using a
strong bow from a severed mangrove root at the crest of the
beach he twisted there into the sand a flag garnished with a
swath of blue cloth. Fluttering in the breeze the makeshift flag
danced. In a symbolic gesture he said with a laugh, "I claim this
land in peace for all of humanity." Having said his piece, he fell
to the ground giddy with exhaustion. The rigors of exposure
and of his labors brought him to sleep where he lay.
    There he slept for untold hours until as morning approached a
child with a gentle shake awakened him. He stood abruptly startled in confused response. "Ah huh what!" he said in a language
the boy could not comprehend. The child stood his ground and
with a gesture beckoned the stranger to follow him. He stood
brushing the sand from his armor and began to make his way up
from the beach and onto the ancient walk way that rose from the
sea into town. He ascended a stairway made of a well-worn alabaster until he had reached the start of a broad avenue. It rose up
toward a highpoint on which at its apex stood a citadel with a
tall tower. His gaze was illuminated along its length by lines of
light reflecting panels. Above the street level on either side of
the avenue stood all manner of building some whosestyles
seemed vaguely familiar while still others appeared strange.
There were also people there. This land he concluded seemed
wholly unfamiliar as did the people he saw there both in manner
of language and dress. He thought it likely that to them he too
looked equally strange. As he walked along with trepidation, a
crowd of the curious began to form around him. As the crowd
swelled he sensed he was being ushered onward toward an agora
or central square.
    He found himself after sometime within the gates of the citadel.
There a sea of people meandered about dressed in every imagined
color, adorned with strange motifs and symbols. The imagery
although intriguing held little meaning to him. At the center of
the square stood a temple like structure atop whose stone stairway
there appeared a contingent of dignitaries. He based this observation upon the relative fineness and ornate quality to their garments compared to the others. This assumption though presumptuous was nonetheless correct.
    Once they had reached what appeared to be the stairs to a temple,
the people there began speaking. From this strange barrage of
voices there he could not find one word of understanding. In frustration he gestured for them to stop with his open hand, to which
they seemed to understand. During this pause he reached into his
shoulder bag and removed a small electronic device. He pinned
this device to his chest and turned it on. He gestured again for
them to begin again to speak. As they did the small but powerful
device sifted their voices through a pattern analyzer. Within a few
moments the traveler then began to hear their voices in something
akin to his own language. Activating in mid-sentence the first
words he heard were, "Visitor from what strange land have you
sailed? The spectacle of your golden sail was like none I have
ever seen." His translator having broken the language code processed the vocal signal sensed in his throat and translated it automatically in a language they could understand. "Good day gentlemen and ladies I am Ananda. I apologize for being perhaps a bit
vague but due to discrepancies in my equipment it is difficult for
me to determine how long or how far I have traveled. However I
am left with two equally compelling conclusions based on the
information available to me. Either I have sailed far from my
home or I have been lost to time, perhaps for manycenturies."
"From what land did you first depart?" asked one of the robed
    figures. To which he responded, "I come from a land west of