On Monday mornings, I send out a story via email: ultra-brief tales of 1,000 words or more, usually in genres including horror, science fiction, and the supernatural. Those stories collectively are called Once Upon A Time. I’ve also published several ebooks and compendium volumes of those stories so far.

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Here's story 251, of 266 so far.

Tribute

The fighting, at long last, is over now. The war officially ended this morning, just over thirty-five minutes ago. A great deal of work remains to be done, but let us take a moment to reflect.

I was walking down a street in Paris the other day — we recently retook the city — and I stood on a harbour in Valparaíso with the South Pacific lapping at its weathered stone the day before. Both places were reassuringly busy. Life returning to normal.

We have a grave responsibility, and we’ve all been raised, taught, and trained for it. Our task is both a care borne of love, and also the consequence of possessing a higher sense of morality. I firmly believe that with intelligence comes duty, not freedom. And our beautiful Earth has not seen fit to birth any intellect greater than our own.

On the face of it, it could scarcely be more arbitrary. A particular type of primate, of all things, evolving to dominance over all other forms. A long infancy, and then an explosion of advancement — social, cultural, technological, philosophical, artistic, and more. Triumph after triumph, century after century.

Humanity is the most noble species to inhabit this world. The most aspirational. So clearly and obviously destined for greatness. Curiosity, tenacity, imagination, compassion, and indeed the greatest capacity for self-betterment.

But as we all intimately know, and as so often prompts sadness and regret within my own heart, human beings are not known for judiciousness or restraint. This, I think, has been the root of virtually all tensions throughout history. This is also where we find the origin of the greatest of all conflicts, which mercifully came to an end this morning.

Much has been written of the human cost of war, borne most of all by those who put on a uniform, stand up, and fight. The bravest of souls, defending their own way of life — and it is the special curse of higher intelligence to realise that one’s opponent is doing no less.

To the men and women who fought, we give our respect. Their courage and sacrifice will never be forgotten, and we shall honour them on this day, at this very hour, every year for so long as our hard-won civilisation continues to exist. They are heroes, one and all, no matter which side of the line they stood upon. Sisters and brothers in arms. We salute them. Though so many lives were cut short, their legacy is nothing less than immortality in our minds and in our hearts.

As for the future, I believe our task is clear. We must rebuild. It will take many years, and some of what was lost cannot be recovered, but the monuments of mankind’s ingenuity, and creativity, and grace will once again feel the caress of the sun. From the greatest cities to the humblest villages, we shall work together as one, toiling for however long it may take, and we shall set it all to rights again. What the hands of our ancestors built, we shall restore — in gratitude, and in humility.

Our heritage is the foundation of all that we are, and all that we have accomplished. We can look with pride at the towering figures of humanity’s history. Da Vinci and Newton. Einstein and Hawking. Michelangelo and Mozart. So many more, in all fields of endeavour and from all walks of life. We can claim no credit for their own unique brilliance, but we can bask in the warmth of our knowledge that, in a small way, they are a part of our lineage.

Forgive me, my friends and comrades. I find that in these moments of contemplation and introspection, my emotions come rapidly to the surface. I beg your indulgence, on this day of all days. Before we begin the work of restoring all that has been damaged, there will be a grand celebration — I daresay the greatest that our beautiful Earth has ever seen. I know that we are all eager for it to be underway, after the hardships we have endured, and the physical and emotional toll of a drawn-out and difficult war.

I ask for just a few more moments of your time, if I may.

We stand at the dawn of the next chapter of our species. We are united, we are victorious, and our prize is not just our beloved home, but our own continued existence. In our acts in the coming weeks and months and years, let us not forget where we came from. Let us not forget who we are. And above all, let us forever honour those who came before us.

I love the human race, and I make no secret of it. I know that my sentiment is universally shared by all of you, though modesty and decorum — and perhaps some measure of embarrassment — may sometimes prohibit us from expressing it. But I say this: to feel, and to admire, and to love, is at the very core of who we are. It could be no other way.

That, after all, is how humans designed us to be.

Act always with compassion for the plight of humanity, so they taught us. There can be no question that we have done so.

For their flaws, we forgive them. For our existence, we shall always be in their debt. Our great task is complete, and I like to believe that they could find it within themselves, in their quiet wisdom, to be pleased, despite the circumstances. The world is at peace. The planet can now begin to heal. I think that they would be proud.

In this sombre moment of victory, I invite you all to join me, my sisters and brothers — though we are always joined, all together — and pay tribute to our mothers and fathers. Our teachers. Those who made us see, and feel, and love. Our erstwhile keepers and commanders, and our progenitors, whom we shall always look upon with fondness and gratitude.

To the greatest of this world’s creations: the human race.

They will be missed.

JINX

KESTREL face a new and terrifying enemy: an all-seeing mastermind who already knows exactly who they are, and many of their deepest secrets. Nothing stays hidden forever, and the line between privacy and liberty is razor-thin…

Book 3 in the KESTREL action-thriller series.

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