Goldilocks 4017: and Beyond

By Ed Russo

Ellie Summers struggles to survive in a dystopic world in New York, almost 2000 years after WW3 wiped out 98% of the population. She faces unknown threats and when she thinks things are at their worst, she runs into a regressive tribe who thinks the Goldilocks and the Three Bears story is a holy scripture to justify cannibalism. At the peril of her life, she faces challenges like she never faced before, and then the unexpected happens, humanity as a whole is faced with extinction.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Jun 15, 2017
• ISBN: 9781387041916

Book preview

Goldilocks 4017: and Beyond

GOLDILOCKS 4017 and Beyond

Ed Russo

ILLUMINATED PUBLICATIONS

BOOKS BY ED RUSSO

NOVELS

THE ILLUMINATI CODE: Mystery of The New World Order

THE ILLUMINATI CODE 2: The Apocalypse Begins

THE MERMAIDS CURSE

DEAD AND GONE

DIARY OF A MADMAN

LILAH

PLEIADIAN STAR CHILD

BLOOD TIES

SUMMER OF BLOOD

THE VAMPIRE BLOOD MOON

THE DARK LOVER

NON FICTION

PLEIADIAN PAPERS

PLEIADIAN SPIRALS OF LIGHT: Workbook

THE HANDBOOK FOR THE RECENTLY DECEASED

LILITH: The Power of the Woman’s Spirit in the Age of Aquarius

YOU ARE BUDDHA: Translation of the Vajarayana

An Illuminated Publications Book

Published by Illuminated Publications

Copyright © 2017 by Ed Russo

ISBN 978-1-387-04191-6

1st Edition

Editor: Kelley Baumer

All rights reserved

No part of this book mat be reproduced or utilized in any form or by means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing form the publisher, except by a reviewer who wishes to quote brief passages in connection with a review written for inclusion in a magazine, newspaper or broadcast.

For Charlotte, Corina, Katie and the rest of my friends and humanity.

Chapter 1

Surviving

Year 4017

T

HE WORLD IS in shambles; our tribe is always searching for some way to survive.  We spend most of our time searching for food and shelter.  There's usually some kind of trial or tribulation going on that we have to get through.   We are either too cold or too hot, or starving, wondering what or when we are going to eat next.  We are a nomadic tribe just trying to make it in a post-apocalyptic dystopian world.  Nineteen hundred and ninety two years ago the great death caused humanity such huge devastation.

My name is Ellie and I am part of the Eagle Warriors tribe.  We live in a big jungle called New York.  I heard it was not always like this, there are stories that this place once was a great city with tall towers, even taller than the trees.  There are a few buildings left, though most are left in ruins, many believe they were temples built by the gods.

We have a head of a statue of a woman, with spikes coming out of her head.  We honor our ancestors, by decorating around her as a shrine.  She is the great Goddess of liberty.

Luke, are you okay?, Brooke asked concern in her voice while watching the chieftain of our tribe.

Just in time, I looked over and saw him starting to stagger.  Something was definitely wrong with him.

I’ll be alright, Luke commented brushing it off, as he coughed up blood.

He doesn’t look well. We need to get him back to the camp, I said worried.

Just like that, right in front of us, Luke collapsed.  He's the chieftain of our tribe so seeing him like that was a shock to us both.  He was wearing a tunic with one shoulder exposed along with leggings and boots.

As a chieftain, he would lead us on expeditions where we would do whatever necessary to survive.  That is the life we know, it's all about survival.  Luke was an adventurous, strong and daring leader, with a strong opinion as well and he wasn't afraid to voice it.  He was a great warrior who believed in himself and his tribe.

In his pouch he always carried a small black stone that held some special meaning to him.  At that moment he had it clutched tightly in his hand.

Aaah, we heard a woman scream.

We are going to have to carry him all the way to camp where Goddess Liberty awaits us, I thought aloud.

How are we supposed to carry him so far?, Brooke complained

We don’t want to put him on the same cart as our food, Jimmy realized.

Jimmy was my younger brother who I have always been proud of.  He may make leader of our tribe one day, but he has to be chosen by the Goddess.

The two of you will have to carry him until we find some other means, Brooke said taking the lead.

Brooke is a strong woman with long dark hair.  The back of her hair is braided and hangs pass her shoulders. She wears a tunic made of deerskin with leggings and boots.  Around her waist she wears a grid cutout corset waist belt, she made herself, with her stone knife attached to her side.  She has bracelets made of stretched and cut skins that cover most of her forearms.  In the spaces where her skin peeks out you can see her brown complexion, but her brown skin doesn’t hide the filth any better than my pale skin does.

My clothes are similar; except I do not have on a corset and my blonde hair is filled with caked on dirt.   Getting clean is not always an option; it’s a privilege or a luxury but not always possible.

Brooke has a creative spirit, it shows in the corset that she made.  She is romantic but tough, she wants the best for everyone even though sometimes she can come off as a little judgmental even hinging on abrasive at times.

We struggled, carrying Luke back to the camp.  It was getting dark and it gets very cold after dark this time of year.  If we don’t make it to some kind of shelter in time, we could easily parish.  Luke started coughing vehemently and we didn't know what was wrong with him.

Luke, Luke, stay with us, I pleaded, but he seemed to be slipping in and out of consciousness as we walked.

It felt like he was getting too heavy too, I know it was because it was getting so cold but we all knew if we didn’t find shelter soon, none of us were gonna make it.

With no choice left, we had to put Luke on the cart next to our meal.  We did the best we could to at least, make sure that he wasn’t facing the carcass we planned to eat.  We all pulled the cart. It was a struggle for all of us. We were all out of breath.

We can’t stop, we have to continue, we cannot afford to stop, Brooke pushed.

We are so near the valley now, she encouraged.

The temperature was dropping quickly, but we had to make it!

We just have to get up this small hill then we will be there, Brooke assured us pushing us on.

Hang in there Luke, we gonna make it, we are all gonna make it, I said hopeful.

I started to reminisce about when I was a little girl and my father taught me how to survive and the tales he always told, about the ancient world.

When you throw the spear, you must feel as though the spear is just an extension of you Ellie.

Okay father, I said wanting him to be proud of me.  Gazing at my target, I found the balance point of the spear as it rested on my palm. Holding it with my thumb away from the point so I could throw it  to stay parallel to the ground.  With my wrist working as a pivot, I released the spear while holding it by my thumb and index finger.

I watched as the spear soared through the air hitting its target which was a tree.  I was happy that I succeeded.  My next step would be in hunting with the rest of the tribe.

You did well my daughter, my father congratulated me.

There was a time, very long ago, when men were the only ones who hunted.  It took a long time before women were even starting to have equal rights.  Too bad the war happened before that was fully accomplished, he said sadly.

You said before the great sickness in the year 2025 everyone lived in luxury?  If so, why did the great battle happen?  Everyone should been happy, I surmised.

In the ancient world, people didn’t appreciate what they had, they didn’t know how easy life was for them, my father offered.

That's crazy, I said crossing my arms.

Yes, sometimes we don’t know what we have until it’s gone, my father advised.

I found the stories he told me fascinating, but today as a seventeen year old adult, I am somewhat more skeptical.  After all, it's pretty hard to believe that in the ancient world, people could order food and have it delivered to them, or you could just go to a place where all manner food was stored and you would take as much as you needed, as long as you had something to offer in exchange for it.  He used to tell me of how food could be stored in a magic box called a refrigerator, where it could last for months and eaten when convenient.  In the real world, we have to hunt for food, sometimes we eat bugs because there may not be anything else to eat.  As a little girl, I remember I would have to eat cockroaches quite often just in order to survive.

My father told me that the poorest person then, lived better than the Queens and Kings of today.  We have a Queen, her name is Amari, but she rarely comes out of her palace.  The food we gather, we all share some with her.  The Goddess has chosen her to guide us.  Without her we would not survive.  The Goddess has chosen my brother Jimmy as one of the candidates who would take her place if anything happened to her.

Years ago, my father even told me the tales about a magic box that could cool the air when it’s too hot and another that can warm a home when it’s too cold.  If these tales are true, it would be nice to have one.

It was getting colder by the second and we will all freeze to death if we don’t get inside in time I found myself thinking as reality jolted me back.

A few days ago we helped a pregnant woman who was lost.  For almost two days we walked around to get to a place where we could find a midwife.  Her feet were wrapped in tattered cloth she was in a lot of pain as her feet bled from the long walk but she thought nothing of it.

From the tales my father used to tell me about the ancient world, he said they had machines that were called automobiles that would take you places in a time shorter than an animal can run a very short time.  If this was true, it is not anymore and we have to walk great distances to get to where we need to go.

Get him on the table, Brooke ordered as we finally reached camp and struggled to slide a rock against the entrance.  We could feel the thermal shift that had taken place. It was very cold and we wrapped ourselves in blankets.  I wrapped a blanket around Luke.

He has blood in his lungs and his blood pressure is, too low, Thomas apologized.

Thomas knows a little about the human body. She's quirky and socially awkward and a bit of a know it all.  She is proud of her intelligence and boasts how she refuses to back down from a challenge.  Jude Thomas is the healer in our tribe, she knows what different herbs can do to help us, she's the one who birthed a member of our tribe named Mossy fourteen years ago.  Thomas is middle aged an elder in our tribe, though I don't know why they call it middle aged because it’s pretty much as old as people get.   Thomas was also wearing a tunic, leggings and boots the only difference being that her outfit was darker.  She has a metal flask that has corn alcohol in it attached to a plain leather belt that she keeps with her at all times.

The fourteen year old girl named Mossy has a flare for the dramatic. She is empathic, constantly putting herself in other people’s place.  At times she has the tendency to over-exaggerate, but only because she cares so much. She wears a deerskin poncho like a dress with shorter leggings and boots. She likes to keep her dark hair closely cropped when it’s warm and longer when it gets cold.

His heart has been constricted by fluids, Thomas lamented.

Oh my, I whispered worried.

Nooo, we have to save him, Mossy cried out.

We have to drain the blood, said Thomas.

Thomas cut into him to relieve his symptoms but it wasn’t enough.

"Something else is wrong; we have