The Find
By
M.C. Allison
“We found something on Earth?” Reto wanted clarification for the bold news. He kept his attention to the screen with Andro. On a second screen a video feed showed murky water. Machines, cameras, and lights made the visual feed possible. Earth was covered with salt water. Other than being the birthplace of humanity no one knew its history.
Coming through on a screen Andro’s face displayed his giddiness. His personal energy surged through the screen. “The cameras spotted a rectangular structure measuring 1400 square feet. And here is the kicker. It’s intact.” Andro squirmed a little on the screen. The water on earth was so deep the pressure destroyed most objects over time.
“How?” Reto kept his attention on the screen with Andro.
“Under the earth ocean floor the surveying cameras found an airtight bubble in a crevice that holds this structure.” Andro gleamed. Reto surveyed his own 700 square foot space abode. His workroom consisted of a swivel chair, and a desk with two voice activated screens. The larger room had a refrigerator, a small table, and a bed. On the ceiling a robotical apparatus served him. A tiny window showed the stars of space. The bathroom was small. Reto understood the space he would study was only twice as large.
“Did someone live there?”
“We don’t know.” Andro paused. Reto saw the structure on the second screen. The outside was splattered with mud and the attached sign ineligible. Clearly it was a building of some kind. The screen showed it in a split of the ocean floor. An earthquake rumble could make it go deeper. The cameras zoomed in to show more clarity once near the air bubble. “We have okayed the camera and machine operation to penetrate the air bubble and drill a hole into the structure to survey it. They need to be careful to not implode the air bubble. There is no way we can bring the structure to a space station. The pressure and distance are too much. Starting tomorrow you’ll be in charge of evaluating the objects in the structure. We are counting on you.” The screen dimmed.
Reto stood up and took a few steps to the other room. “Dinner.” He commanded as he sat down. A refrigerator opened. A mechanic stick with an artificial hand from the ceiling came down and clutched a packaged entree. Another mechanical stick opened the microwave. Reto sat down and waited. As it heated Reto thought about earth. There were stories and myths, but no resource for facts and history. Reto had been on assignment surveying a 300-year-old spaceship for the past four years. The 450,000 square foot spaceship with over a thousand living quarters, larger common rooms, and outdated technology was a lifetime of work. There were older spaceships, and larger ones, but it had value. Now his reassignment was a much smaller structure, but rarer.
The meal was heated, and a metallic hand placed it on the small table for Reto. The green mush in front of him had essential veggies, fruit, and grain ingredients along with vitamins. It smelled like brussel sprouts. The three meals a day were of the same variety when on assignment. They broke down exactly what the human body needed to function. Reto considered it fuel for the brain. When on vacation at a space station his meals varied. Attractive people would serve him and his colleagues and family. Over numerous dishes conversations would last for hours. Currently with fourteen-hour work days he needed concentration.
The next morning Reto woke up. “Exercise.” The ceiling metallic hands massaged his body working the core muscles. At the space station he’d me able to walk and exercise properly. He preferred having room compared to the cramped abode. After a half hour the machines stopped the massage. He went to the work room.
Once he sat down the two screens turned on. The cameras were inside the air bubble but outside the structure. The outside of the structure showed blue paint underneath the splattered mud. Reto saw the flaking wood paneling. It was much different to the other waterlogged structures discovered on earth. A laser pointer from a machine showed the ½ inch by one inch hole drilled the night before. The cameras easily fit those dimensions. The machines were ten inches long but fit the hole when compacted. “Enter cameras and machines.” On the screen the camera zoomed, and in a minute the lights showed the inside. A long wall displayed wooden things. They had images on them. Some with cartoons, some with words. One showed some kind of animal with a fluorescent green background. One was a photograph of a skyline of a large city. One was a drawing of a woman with a blindfold over her eyes.
“Take one of those wooden objects off the shelf and measure it,” Reto instructed. The machine did so. On the second screen it stated: 8.25 width, 32 inch width, ⅜ of an inch thick. “Slowly show the whole thing.” The ends were upturned, and the middle dipped in towards the center. “Take another one and measure it.” The machine did so, and most of the measurements were slightly smaller. But the thickness again was ⅜ of an inch. Looking at the side of the object there were seven smaller plies of wood. Humans must have used a machine and glue to compress the plies of wood together.
“Keep scanning that wall.” At the corner of that wall ten of those pieces of wood had parts attached to them. They had some two metal parts and four wheels. Anything with wheels moved. Reto did not see any motorized component. Reto gathered this was the complete object and a toy of some kind. He could not tell if people sat or stood on these contraptions. They also had visually appealing graphics.
“Keep scanning the periphery. Go to the next wall.” The camera came to a large photo of a person on top of a long handrail. Between the rail and the person was one of these wheeled objects. Reto paused the camera feed, and thought how could that be safe? The body contortion showed it was a still shot of an action sequence. How fast did the person go? How did they get on there? Even on space stations people don’t do things like that. Modern day procedures kept humans safe in space. The majority spend most of their time alone in space abodes working remotely to avoid pandemics. Things got done but being far from each other made avoiding injury imperative.
The picture showed fifteen steps, and the drop was above head height. The brightness in the background created the question of if they were too close to the sun. The surface was concrete. The person could easily be hurt. Did these humans receive medical attention if hurt?
The photograph showed brightness. Now humans floated in space abodes among the stars but avoided the sun. This human was living with sun, concrete, and trees. The earth rotates around the sun. Space stations and abodes get overheated near the sun. They avoid going near it. This photo showed Reto humans on earth lived under the sun and stars on land.
“Keep going along the periphery.” The next section had two portions. On top were long sleeve garments. Reto was confused by this, most people wore t-shirts. “Examine a few.” The machine pulled out one the materials that was thick. The front had a logo on it, and on top was a round basket type thing attached. “Zoom in on that.” Reto thought it could be a type of head covering. On the inside a flap tag stated 100 % cotton, size XL, and had washing instructions. “Look at the one of thinner material.” Retro saw it did not have a head covering. A tag was on that one as well. “Note that humans on earth had machines to wash clothes. Scroll to the pants and shorts.” There were jeans, chinos, and shorts. Most were earth tone colors but one had bright pink flower prints. On the hangers they were arranged by numbers 28, 30, 32, 34, 36, 38, and 40 plus. “Measure a few pants to gauge what those numbers mean.” On the second screen the measurements showed. Reto analysed the categories were waist sizes.
“Go to the next wall.” Shoes were displayed. “Show the shoe wall quickly and then go back to the first one. The camera panned the shoes in a half minute. Most were low tops, but some were hightops. A few were in between. There were earth tones, and dark colors. Also lavish colors like maroon, and lime green. Many had designs and logos on the side. The camera went back to the beginning of the shoe rack, and slowly moved. “That one.” The camera stopped, and the machine picked up the shoe. It was a blood red low top. He zoomed in and saw stitching on the sides of the suede material. “Lift up to see the bottom.” It was a type of rubber with grooved molds. “Anything on the inside.” The machine turned it over, and the tongue showed a size. The machine then took out a removable sole. “Show me shoes that are different.” The camera on the machine showed Reto six more. The materials varied. Some were stiff, and others flexed. Reto thought the humans of earth had been picky with their shoes.
“Keep moving.” A window came into view, but the outside was caked with mud. There were blank decals that must have been visible from outside of the structure. Next to the window was another poster. It showed a cement structure that curved upwards. A person was in the air above it. Reto thought if the human was six foot tall it meant the structure was over ten feet. On the poster it read. Skateboarding since the 1970’s. Reto connected that this was what the wooden planks with wheels were called skateboards. Humans on earth skateboarded.
Next to the poster was some type of screen. “Measure that.” On Reto’s second screen read 20 inches by 30, and 2 inches of depth. Reto knew now humans on earth had technology. They could record and view moments. In addition to photography, they had screens. They had electronics and batteries of some kind to make video possible. Below it was a shelf that contained boxes, and thicker paper things. The objects had pictures and titles. “Measure the plastic boxes and paper objects.” Reto knew the measurement would read on his other screen. He was too engrossed in the objects on the live feed screen.
A machine pulled out a paper object. It was 6.75 inches tall, 4.25 inches wide with 2 inches of depth. From top to bottom one side was binded. On the other side the machine flipped through pages. There were words on it. “That’s text, in english.” Retro was astounded. He heard about paper books before screens were invented. Some of the pioneer spaceships and stations had ruined ones. Some charred, and some soaked to a pulp. Most though deteriorated from age. “Let me see the titles.” The fiction titles could wait. One title popped out The New Penguin History of the World by JM Roberts. The cover had a layout of text over a picture of a large structure. The picture was a large human or animal monument that could be scaled by two persons standing beneath it in flowing garb. “That one. Scan it to a file and send it to myself and Andro.” The machine passed it off to another machine.
“Now the plastic things. Do they open? Try to open one.” A machine did so. Inside was a shiny disc with a small whole in the middle. “Scan up to the object that is like a screen.” Reto saw there was a slit in the box for the discs. There must be a power source. “Scroll down to where the floor meets the wall.” There Reto saw an outlet with cords in it.
The screen did run on electricity. “Take the cords out of the outlet and connect them to a power source.” The camera showed a machine pulling out the plugs. It moved slowly because time could have made the prongs brittle. Reto calculated the air bubble could have preserved everything inside the structure. He clenched his fists and held his breath. The cord finally was out of the wall socket. The prongs were in good shape. “Now turn on the power button and put the disc in the slit beneath the screen.” The screen turned on. It was black and staticky. Then loud music filled the audio feed. The screen went from black to a picture of some type of downward pavement, and a human held a skateboard. The brightness must have been the sun. This was outside in the elements. The person took quick steps and then got on his skateboard. Quickly he gained speed, and off a bump launched into the air, and landed on the downhill. The camera showed as the skater descending and almost ramming into some type of vehicle. Then he swerved in and out of other vehicles’ paths as he sped downhill.
The video panned to a group of people cheering wildly. After 20 seconds another scene was shown. The skateboards flipped in various ways under their feet. They slid rails and did maneuvers on objects of urban settings. Reto could not believe his eyes. Concrete was everywhere. They were out in the sun among the architecture.
No one did activities like that. The social distancing measure of space abodes made safety precautions imperative. Reto watched the whole 45-minute video. “How many discs are there?” Reto asked. The other screen stated 70. Reto watched another one. These films were edited. One showed a teen skater grow to adulthood with various hairstyles. That meant the videos took years to film.
“Show the interior of the room.” There was a sofa. Four clothing racks displayed t-shirts. “Pull some out.” Reto saw bright and subdued color schemes. They were sorted by sizes of small, medium, large, x-large, and xx-large. The small was tiny compared to the xxl. Some had images on the front. Like the skateboard decks the art mediums varied. One had a photograph portrait of a person. Some were cartoons, and some had text. One read Skateboarding is not a crime. Reto had to mull that statement over. People did not document crimes because that led to punishment.
“Continue to survey the floor.” Reto saw a large case three feet tall and six feet wide. In that case were wheels. The wheels varied in sizes labeled 52 to 65 millimeters. Some were white, and some were bright colors. Another number measured the hardness of the material Reto assumed. The metal object parts were labeled trucks. Somehow these helped with turning. Other parts were bearings, and bolts. All the parts were visually appealing.
“Move on.” On a nearby desk there was a thin square object. There was a slit on three sides of it. “Does it open?” The machine tried and it opened. It looked to be an old-style screen or computer. “Does it have a power insertion?” Reto’s second screen answered yes. Without instruction the machine gave the object electricity and pressed the power button. A screen came on and slowly loaded. Reto looked at some type of keyboard containing letters and numbers.
Seconds passed that turned to minutes. Finally, a screen came up with several icons. One stated financials. Another stated skate vids. One stated internet. Reto eyed the old laptop and found the way to move the cursor. “Click on an icon?” And the machine did so. A moment later a screen came up with a message No Internet Available. “Try all the icons on the screen.” They all gave the same error message. Reto gathered the internet must have been their information resource. And with that completed Reto had surveyed that room of the structure. Glancing at his clock he had time left in the workday to report to Andro.
Andro answered the screen call immediately and talked. “We now have a scanned paper book called the history of the world. We’ll learn about humans and earth. Did you start reading it yet?” Andro leaned in and appeared larger on the screen.
“No.” Retro responded.
“I’m surprised you’re not taking your find seriously.”
“I took all day surveying the structure on live feed.”
“This history book is long, over 1200 pages. But in the first few chapters it states that a one criteria for civilization is the ability to read and write. Now we can find their history and culture.” Andro’s eyes shifted. Reto knew he made a good find with that book. All people had to do was read the scanned pages to understand the human experience on earth. Andro conveyed gratification. Reto wanted to learn about the activity of skateboarding.
Carefully at first Reto ariculated. “The structure was a shop. And there was an activity called skateboarding. I watched a few videos, and the movements people made were amazing. We do nothing comparable today. Humans looked at ease, so comfortable with their movements. They smiled, laughed, and had camaraderie. They were together and they documented their skateboarding abilities. In a lot of ways these humans on earth had freedom, and on that point the sun did not kill them but marked the passing days.
“Now most are confined to their space abodes except for vacations at space stations. But space stations are about pleasure, not testing athleticism. And our space life is regulated to be safe. We get three weeks a year to see our colleagues and family. The gatherings are pleasurable but scripted. They are made safe. Humans used to test their limits. That is shown clearly in these skate videos found in a structure found thousands of feet beneath ocean water. What happened to earth and what happened to us?”
Reto realized his ramble digressed from professional observation. On the screen Andro’s eyes shut. His mouth shut. Then his expression relaxed, and he opened his eyes. “From grade school on we knew life on earth vanquished. We can never return. No planets are deemed habitable. Our space stations and abodes function better without sunlight. We no longer breathe outside air and rely on synthetic oxygen. Hydroponics make growing food possible. We may never find a habitable planet. Most of the time is spent in individual space abodes to survive. If everyone lived year-round in space stations a pandemic could wipe everyone out. The safety procedures are for survival. Modern humans are descendents of the first 100,000 space colonists. Those colonists were isolated for centuries. They lost or hid human history on earth. We have the technology, but not the history. This text you scanned yesterday is essential for us. Tomorrow, have all the books scanned from the structure. How many were there.”
“58 books sir.” Reto barked.
“Don’t be so stiff Reto. You’ll be rewarded with a longer vacation at a space station of your choice. This is important work. Thank you and goodbye.”
“Wait.” Reto pleaded.
“What.” Andro’s face showed agitation.
“Can we reproduce things from the structure?”
“Like what?”
“The skateboards.” Reto’s heart quickened.
Andro scratched his head. “First get those paper texts scanned, and the videos downloaded into a file. Then scan the measurements of anything you want to make. If we can get the materials, we’ll make them.”
“Thank you, I’ll do my best.” The screen went blank. Retro went to his bed and was unable to sleep. Human movement circled his mind. Reto wondered what it felt like to ride a skateboard. Even cruising around would be a thrill. And to jump several feet in the air, land back on the ground, and ride away would be fun. Was sliding down a handrail an adrenaline thing or the joy of accomplishment?
There was a stark difference of spending the days skateboarding opposed to the modern-day schedule of studying screens. At his wake-up time the machine gave him an exercise massage. He wondered which muscles were used for skateboarding. One should have strong legs and core, but lean muscle all around. The skaters in the videos did not appear conditioned. The activity must be repetitive motions, muscle memory, and rhythm.
Reto went to his work room, and the screens turned on. The camera and machines were still in the structure. It looked the same. “Scan all the pages in the books.” As the machine did this Reto read the titles, each one had meaning. He saw one with a blank cover. “Open that one after the scanning is done.” Reto sipped coffee and waited for the scanning to finish.
On the other screen the book with a blank cover showed. Inside was a page of written text. The page read:
June 9th, 2050
I’m no writer but this is the apocalypse. Since March we no longer have internet, or cable. All electronic records are lost. People are out of work and bored. No one knows why this has happened, but there are many theories.
The store is busier, many people are skating. I went to my dad’s attic and pulled out the old skate DVDs and an old TV with a DVD player. I left the VHS tapes because I can’t find a VHS player.
A lot of people that come in like the old school vids, but several have mentioned how the last few decades of skateboarding are now erased. Not only skating, but everything online is gone. It’s weird.
Also, in my dad’s attic I got some classic print books. Classics from Fitzgerald to Murakami I got on the shop shelf. I can’t tell exactly why but my comprehension from these books is better than with an ereader. Maybe no internet is good for us.
-Anthony
July 4th, 2050
What a catastrophe for this Independence Day. Not much skating this month. And there have been no customers. All the experts say we’ll be underneath water soon. The mostly melted ice cap is going to be torched by a meteor.
If I was rich I’d buy a ticket to a space colony, but I’m not. I”m going to leave everything and drive to the midwest.
Five years ago, a similar catastrophe was wrongly predicted. I hope they are wrong again. And that I can return to my humble shop, my small studio apartment, and the skateboarding life.
-Anthony.
Those were the only entries in the book. The other pages were blank. Reto turned from that screen. Scanning the DVDs to files took some time. Once finished Reto’s direct assignment from Andro was done for the day. Now he could survey what he wanted. “Measure all the skateboard decks and parts.” This would take a half hour.
Reto had the cameras go to the backroom and bathroom. Noteworthy was a bar of soap that differed from current hygiene products. Reto knew this was a shop, and not a living quarter. A living quarter would have been an amazing find on earth. It would have shown how they lived daily. A business was informative too. It showed tools and activities people did.
He learned that a flood or natural disaster destroyed earth. Their computer systems were compromised shortly before that. And all modern-day humans were descendents of the upper class. The rich erased earth’s history.
Reto turned his attention to the scanned history book. The table of contents alone showed many eras over thousands of years. He got to an early chapter on Egypt and took a break. The cover of that book showed pyramids.
On a screen Reto opened the ready files of the skateboards part dimensions. The graphics on the decks varied, and he wondered what medium was preferred. The logos were brands and not an authority. He forwarded the whole file to Andro asking if they could be made.
Then Reto watched some skate videos. Again, he was amazed with the fluidity of the motions. One showed confrontation. From a third story window someone threw a glass bottle at a skater. It broke near him and smashed to shards. Reto involuntarily tensed up watching it. The person from the building window yelled at the skaters. And the skaters threw rocks at the window.
Later in the same video a fight broke out with skateboards swinging ensuing a riot. Reto thought back on the t-shirt that read Skateboarding is not a crime. Some skaters were treated like criminals. So far, the history book did not include skateboarding. And the skate shop owner was unable to get a ticket to the space colony. Perhaps most humans did not skate.
Over the next several months Reto studied the scanned history book and other books from the find on earth. He watched all the skateboard videos in the file. He surveyed every inch of the skateboard shop. They could not physically move the shop from earth because of the weight of the deep water. But they learned many things from their surveying.
Reto and Andro got acclaim for their work. Retro’s time for vacation came, and Andro told him to go to a specific space station for a surprise. Andro gave the coordinates, and Reto’s abode went there. Reto looked out his tiny window at space.
Once Reto landed at a new space station Andro met him. “Let’s go for a walk.” Andro strided forward. Soon they overlooked a large area and Reto saw people skateboarding. They cruised around, most did not do tricks.
“Do you want to try it?” Andro smiled.
“Yes.” They took a glass elevator down to the level of the skate park.
“Grab a complete skateboard for now. If you want to make it unique, we’ll go over why the sizes of the skate parts vary.” Andro pointed to a rack of skateboards. Retro grabbed one with a nice purple stain on the deck, green trucks, and orange wheels. He stepped on I and stepped off. His body shook but he wanted to ride. He stepped on it again and kept his balance.
“Give me a push Andro.”
“Sure thing.” Andro pressed his hand on Retro’s back shoulder and pushed. Retro rolled thirteen feet on the smooth floor. His heart pounded. He played with it for hours, he was able to cruise, but did not try to ollie.
Retro took a break and Andro came to him. Andro spoke. “Those videos showed a skill, and a practice. It’s taught us we need to regain our physical health. We shouldn’t rely on massage beds to exercise our bodies.”
“You read that history book about earth. People used to fight wars with their own hands. We weren’t meant to live isolated in space abodes.” Reto believed. “People evolved with trade and human action. The written record documents a physical and mental revolution. The opposable thumb allowed manipulation, carrying, and building. Staring at screens in isolation is devolution.”
“Everyone is reading that history book, and that shop worker’s brief journal showed the corruption of the space pioneers. Your work made that knowledge possible. You are set for life basically. What do you want now?” Andro made eye contact.
Retro returned the gaze. “I want to rip at skateboarding.”
