Falco has funded a lot of research into numens, encouraging scientists and other experts to explore the physiology, psychology, legal rights and potential of us shape-shifters. At the rate we’re going, having a numen will become the norm, which changes everything. And I mean everything. Our world will never be the same again.
Then I read about ‘The Fang Club’ in the north of England: a pack of dog numens – including a dingo and hyena – who terrorise small businesses and shops, demanding money and threatening to destroy the business if the payment isn’t made. A few have been shot but there seems to be no problem with recruitment into the gang.
In France, a pervert whose numen is a small lizard has been found entering ladies’ showers and changing rooms. At one point he inadvertently changed back into a human and was mobbed by the aggrieved women who took photos of his chubby naked body and posted them on every social media site. But how many others are doing such things and getting away with them? Things have reached a stage where we no longer know how to cope with all the developments and changes around us.
I return to Nigeria, to Enugu, still my real home and the base from where I start my visits and travels. Nigeria is where I am happiest; it’s where my soul feels at peace. But complete peace is difficult to find … impossible to find. There is always something to ruin things. People ruin things. No matter how hard we push our message, warn of impending doom, or reward creative solutions for ecological problems, there is always someone out there who takes destroying the planet to another level. Why? It’s unbelievable.
Gaia is angry. She has had enough of humanity’s arrogance and greed. Her Chi glows more crimson fire than tonight’s sunset. Here in Nigeria it has rained for three weeks. But this is not the life-giving water sent to quench our thirst, or to make our deserts fertile. This rain turns into deadly floods and spreads disease. Water should be the source of life, but this brings only chaos and fear. Towns are abandoned. Flash floods smash entire villages. Homes are lost forever. Sorrow is an unending howl that lingers in the air.
The waters send people up into the hills. But bandits are waiting to take their precious last possessions that they saved and cling to. Looters invade and break up the mud-spattered houses and buildings, taking whatever the water has left behind.
I hear of people climbing for their lives up trees, only to find that the snakes and scorpions have done the same. Piles of bodies dam the rivers, leaving smelly corpses where the air turns black with flies.
Gaia – your ways are harsh.
What would we do without Guy here to spin his webs of wisdom?
Where is Falco? My friend and comforter.
People look to me for wisdom. For an answer.
I could tell them that Gaia is angry. I could tell them that we – humans – are the cause of all this. This is closer to the truth. Nature just … is. We inhabitants of Earth have to learn to live within the rules of Gaia. She is in charge – not us. In the end, nature will always be stronger than us. This is Chi. We are happiest when our Chi is in perfect harmony with nature. The mistake of humanity is in thinking that we can conquer this planet and set the terms of our tenancy here. We cut down forests, build cities, farm land, and assume that we are in charge now. There is no respect for Gaia. We worship no gods, and believe that our science and technology make us invincible and eternal.
But one day humanity will be swept away and lost in the black hole of eternity. Homo sapiens has forgotten its place in creation: as one animal, one species amongst many, many others. Our achievements are incredible. No other species comes close to our intelligence and creativity. And yet no other species threatens the planet’s very existence. We play god, and we play the game very badly … or we play the wrong game. Whichever game we are playing we do it irresponsibly. That will be our epitaph.
We have drought and flooding in the same continent. Tsunamis have devastated whole countries around the southern coasts of Africa. Madagascar, like many other islands around the world, has disappeared completely. The floods smash and drown whole cities, then sweep towns away with all the trees and rubble tumbling onwards as it flows its path of destruction. Millions have died, and now the lingering floodplains breed sicknesses like malaria. And then the eastern countries – Ethiopia, Sudan – have turned into a scorching hot desert where nothing grows and no rain falls. Nigeria is struck with famine in the north, while places like Lagos and Port Harcourt have been evacuated because of rising sea levels.
I have visited many places around the world that cannot cope with the random extremes of climate. Many say that this is Armageddon; the Apocalypse; Ragnarok; Maitreya; al-Qiyamah. Perhaps it is. Maybe humanity has had its day. Time for a new guardian to protect our planet. We have failed.
I must find Luke.
Chapter Twenty
Together with my trusty companion, Hudor, I prepared to go to the United Kingdom to see a boy … a young man. He had become the most famous person in the world. Millions follow him. Some hate him. Many call him the Messiah. He, Guy and I were the first to find the secrets of the numen, and that bond brought us together.
Travelling to the UK was not easy. The extreme weather battering so many cities had brought commercial flights to a halt. Most airports around the world were closed to anything but military or classified flights. Sailing became treacherous on swollen oceans that surged and crashed with frequent but unpredictable tsunamis. The Channel Tunnel remained closed and so the UK was cut off from foreign supplies. With all trading ceased, it left them – like so many other nations – to be self-sufficient.
Luckily, Hudor and I can travel independently without relying on human invention and engineering. Gaia granted us safe passage across seas and continents. Flying around the world always gave me a horrifying sense of the chaos that is currently taking over. But swimming across oceans as Delphinus allows me to see first-hand how the planet is changing. I was horrified by the devastated landscapes and the ever-changing geographical features. The planet had been struck with physical and spiritual change. The topography of the land had been brutalised; the emotions and determination of much of the world’s population had been shattered. It surprised me just how fragile human beings were. Where was that instinct of self-preservation? That fighting spirit? The stamina to help us to stand up to the worst tragedies that can be thrown at us? Our ability to fight for our lives and for our loved ones? Had our flames been quenched so easily?
I didn’t imagine that finding Luke would be so hard. I thought all I had to do was follow the crowds and paparazzi. I have to admit I was surprised to see on television and in magazines how large his retinue of security guards, personal assistants and other hangers-on really was. In one way he needed them, as the crowds were urgent and clamouring to get to him, like he was some kind of rock star … which in one way he was. In this day of bloggers, YouTubers and viners becoming celebrities, it shouldn’t be a surprise that a young, good-looking man who can magically change into two different creatures would be worshipped like some kind of demi-god.
I followed a media trail and was shocked at some of the things he’d done and been involved with. The response to him was surprisingly mixed: admiration and suspicion. It took me a while to read the stories and to sift out the facts from the media bias. Had there been any more assassination attempts? I felt a rising sense of panic. It’s at these terrible moments when you become aware of your true feelings for people.
‘That’s not likely to be a one-off is it?’ I said to Hudor.
‘No. If they failed once, they’ll try again.’
‘There are powerful people out there who don’t like what he – we – stand for.’ It occurred to me for the first time that we faced the same danger.
‘Maybe it’s more of a surprise that he’s still alive,’ Hudor said passively.
‘And that we’re still alive …’
We kept ourselves out of the public eye and travelled clandestinely.
I decided to visit his parents, but to my sur
prise they were not at their home. A few phone calls informed me that they’d moved into sheltered housing accommodation. I got an address and turned up on spec.
Luke’s dad, Arthur, looked pleased to see me.
‘We haven’t heard from Luke for over two months. He’s often away and working hard, but this time I’m a little concerned. Especially with what they’re saying in the newspapers. You don’t think he’s been murdered, do you?’
‘Of course not. He’s too clever for that. If he’d been harmed then someone would have claimed the deed and provided some evidence. No, Luke’s too clever for those idiots. He has the best team around him, anyway.’ I believed the words I spoke, but I still had to work hard to keep my voice from breaking.
‘Yes. Exactly. That’s what I thought. It’s difficult for me to think straight, though, since Sally went downhill … you know about Sally, I take it?’
‘Luke did mention that she’s suffering from Alzheimer’s,’ I replied softly, putting a hand over Arthur’s.
‘Yes. Early onset. Cruel and nasty thing it is. Difficult to have even a conversation without her becoming anxious, or forgetting what I’ve just said to her a few moments ago. Very difficult to plan anything or sustain an activity. She can’t go out alone and doesn’t really want to anyway.’
‘I’m so sorry that this has happened to Sally. Such a lovely, kind lady and still so young. She deserves better than this. Life can be so cruel,’ I said. I guessed that she was only in her mid-forties, so getting dementia so young seemed particularly harsh.
‘Certainly can.’ Arthur coughed and made his way into the flat’s kitchen. ‘Fancy a cuppa?’
Luke’s relationship with his parents had always intrigued me. I know he cared for them deeply, even if he hardly ever expressed it verbally. They certainly loved and him and had a deep admiration and respect for his sense of mission, but his father kept his feelings private, while his mother was a little more affectionate without being gushing. I suppose Luke had strangely been ripped away from having a normal childhood – at least during these teenage years. And now this tragic illness had made things even more strained and difficult between them. Having lost my parents many years ago, these two had become the next best thing to me.
We took our mugs of hot tea into the lounge and I saw all the clippings that he’d collected over the last few years.
I read as many as I could and showed Arthur videos about Luke, and by him, including his TED talk about our dying planet and how we need to connect with the ancient magic of nature.
One clipping that concerned me wasn’t so much about Luke.
“Falco’s Successor Under Suspicion.
Is this the end for the Gaia Communities?
Gene Handley, thought by many to be Falco’s natural successor, has come under suspicion recently after a number of accusations made by members of the London Gaia Community that he has embezzled money from them – possibly adding up to millions of pounds. There is also a big question over the accounts of the Gaia Foundation itself, where billions of pounds have allegedly gone ‘missing’.
Mr Handley was not available for comment, and a number of key personnel from the Gaia foundation have gone into hiding. Could this explain the disappearance of Falco?”
There were also a couple of articles suggesting that Gene had been accused of harassing women who went to him for healing in the London Community, using his authority to convince them that an intimate relationship with him would help to cure their various illnesses. Other accusations were even more lurid and tasteless.
I needed to speak to Gene to verify his account of these disturbing accusations. I’d trusted this man and so had Luke. What had happened to all that money? I knew for sure it wasn’t Luke. Why hadn’t I been alerted to these problems? I felt silly. I’d always taken little interest in the business and financial side of things, letting others worry about the details, allowing me, Hudor and Vriksha to concentrate on the more important matters. But we’d vetted the team carefully and felt sure we had people we could trust. I certainly trusted Luke’s judgement.
‘Would it be OK to see Sally?’ I asked.
Arthur stood up and left the room, returning a few minutes later.
‘Sally’s awake, love. You can go in if you like, but she might not recognise you and I don’t recommend staying too long. She’s a little short-tempered, the poor dear.’
It upset me to see her that way. I tried to imagine how Luke must have felt seeing her like it for the first time.
I talked to her about Luke until I could see her getting restless. When I went to take her hand, she swiped her fist at me, and I ducked away in time. But I saw something glint in her eyes.
‘Would you like the radio on, dear?’
I was relieved to hear Arthur’s voice as he entered the room and ushered me out. I returned to the lounge and heard some pop music drowning out their voices. Arthur returned soon after, offering to make a pot of ‘proper coffee’.
‘Would you mind if I make a suggestion, Arthur?’
‘Certainly. Go ahead. I know Luke trusts you completely and if he trusts you then so do I. What is it?’
‘I’ve got an idea that might just help Sally.’
Chapter Twenty-One
Luke was nowhere to be seen and I began to get sick of the conspiracy theories, hearing that Falco had syphoned Gaia funds into Swiss and other offshore bank accounts. His rise to the status of ‘the people’s messiah’ was cruelly mocked on ‘Where Is He Now?’ programmes and magazine articles. Fake news and false claims popped up everywhere. The problem with gossip and lies is that after a while the general public start to believe them. Most people don’t bother to check facts or seek out the truth for themselves, but just go along with what they read on Facebook or Twitter, or join the herd, because joining in is preferable to being on the outside, alone. Does anyone actually think for themselves any more?
Nobody seemed to know where Luke actually was – and I wasn’t having any luck getting in touch with Gene either. Once I’d used up all my leads, I remembered Iceland and Luke’s so-called ‘fortress of solitude’, although I wasn’t sure of its exact location.
Leaving Hudor to find out more about Gene and his reported antics, I set off alone to Iceland. I flew to the coast where the ocean winds blew fiercely cold, making it almost impossible to fly into with my little wings. I’d chosen to travel this way to remain incognito, and because going by plane seemed hypocritical when we preached interminably on about cutting out greenhouse gases. Once over the crashing waves, I transformed into my dolphin shape, glad to be out of the winds. As Delphinus I didn’t feel the cold once in the water because of my body’s high ratio of insulating blubber, plus my amazing ability to increase my metabolic rate and to shut down certain non-essential organs. This gave me the perfect amount of energy to swim while maintaining a high body temperature. Nature is truly amazing.
It took me nearly five days to get there. How I regretted travelling this way. I cursed Luke. Why Iceland? And what if he wasn’t even there? The marathon swim exhausted me. I fought against tides, currents, tankers, storms, was stung by jellyfish and even bitten by a territorial bottlenose. The general public think all dolphins are friendly, playful creatures without appreciating their aggressive and volatile nature. They can be vicious predators and extremely unpredictable, especially when confronted during mating season.
‘You’d better be here, Luke!’ I said to nobody.
As a tired, forlorn and soggy Hoopoe, I found a warm fisherman’s hut on the cold, wet shore to hide and sleep in. We were definitely going to be flying back – and I meant on a plane from an airport in Reykjavik. I didn’t give a hoot right then about my bloody carbon footprint!
The next morning I was woken by barking and a shout.
‘Quiet! Heimskur hundur,’ came a man’s voice from outside the fishing hut.
The dog had sniffed me out in my little crevice, but couldn’t reach me. He was black and very fluffy. The fishe
rman didn’t seem too bothered.
‘Skildu músina einn.’ He thought I was a mouse and was happy for me to stay there undisturbed. After a few moments the man called his dog outside, I guessed for a long day of fishing ahead.
I began my search as Hoopoe so I could cover more ground, feeling much warmer and more positive than I had the day before. But where was he? I had to think like a falcon. He might choose a cliff, or a tower block. The latter was less likely; I imagined solitude was what Luke was after, so he’d probably stay away from cities and towns. Isolated coastal areas or mountains sounded more likely spots for me to explore. He’d need a food source, which made the shoreline preferable to volcanic mountain habitats. And who better to ask than the local wildlife?
I attempted to communicate with as many birds as I could in the hope that one or two might be numens. You never know. More and more people were finding their spirit animal and their Chi. Some animals, like Ceta, were finding their inner human too. So every time I met another bird I sent a mind message to them.
Have you seen a falcon?
Most of the birds, like redwings and snow buntings, ignored me or chattered away in their own song, but emitted no messages back to me. Then on my first day of searching I saw in the distance above me a falcon – its distinctively long, pointed wings made it immediately identifiable. I approached it with caution, staying close to a line of trees that afforded me escape and cover. It spotted me; giving short staccato shrieks before diving towards me with a longer scream. This was aggressive behaviour. I headed for the trees and landed on the floor of the little forest. The falcon burst through the canopy and landed on a branch above me. It wasn’t even a peregrine but a much larger gyrfalcon. Grey and white in plumage, it stared down at me before gliding to a much lower branch. It continued short, harsh warning shrieks. He had a look of determination in his eyes. I’d thought at first that I just wasn’t welcome here; I was actually very welcome – as his next meal.
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