Forgotten Nature

By Anton Leander Lilja

Never have the human mind been as troubled as today, and never have each individual been more insignificant. In many people, this creates a desolate feeling inside, except for a few that can compensate with an activity. Yet this is often never enough to feel truly alive. This is no accident, it is a historical trend that seems to get worse.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Causality Publishing
• Release date: May 18, 2022
• ISBN: 9789152732588

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Forgotten Nature by Anton Leander Lilja 

Published by Causality Publishing

https://www.causalitypublishing.com/

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher, except as permitted by copyright law. For permissions contact: [e-mail]

© 2022 Anton Leander Lilja. All rights reserved.

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Contents

A word from the Author

Prologue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Epilogue

A word from the Author

I have done many varying things in life but have never been able to find the thing I was made for, a feeling shared by everyone I came into contact with. Talking with many different people about this book, I was happily surprised about the positive feedback; all felt it rang true in their ears, even if they were: Store clerks, electricians, computer programmers, builders, sanitation workers, homeless people, alcoholics, strippers, travelers, criminals, office workers, soldiers or unemployed. In the end, we all do what we can to survive, nothing is wrong or right, but when talking to all of you, I realized everyone was lacking something within all of us that expressed itself in different ways.  

I do want to express my gratitude to everyone I have come into contact with throughout my life, whether you did me harm or good. 

Prologue

I was crouching forward in the morning dew to hide behind the nearest bush, seeing my leader 20 trees in front of me, showing a signal to hide. A rising sun shone into the thick green forest, granting every hunter optimal vision. Watching my leader sneak up on a small hill to scout for prey, waving to all that nothing was in sight and we should advance to him.  

Grabbing my spear in my hand as hard as I could before starting to run, my most prized possession, the only external thing I own in this world that works as an extension of me; without it, I am naked. 

The whole hunting squad ran in a width of 100 trees, spanning a large area with many possibilities for a coordinated attack, arriving next to the leader, getting down on our stomachs so we all could see over the hill. The leader stared intently into the forest in front of us, saying nothing while everyone waited for a command. 

Everyone was lying in wait for prey, only doing small head movements on the lookout, trying to find something within the forest that moved. It was days last time our tribe ate meat from beasts; living on the greens of the land was not as satisfying, and you needed large amounts to feel full in one’s stomach. But, looking around at everyone else, I could see their ribs much more clearly than usual; all were hungry and desperate, willing to give all for food. 

Far in the distance, two black dots appeared, and all buried their heads close to the ground, hiding in the blades of grass but still being able to see what happened. Two thick pelted big beasts came closer slowly, walking with no hurry, approaching the small water source down the hillside. Feeling the collective readiness of what was about to happen, all attention was on the leader giving them a signal. 

The leader finally gave the silent signal for all on his left side to start the hunt; the rest of us remained to wait for our time to come. We heard light footsteps from my fellow hunters that soon mixed with heavy thumps of the beast running around the hill. Then the leader screamed loud that the whole forest could hear, and all rose up with fire inside their bodies as we started the hunt. The two big thick pelted beasts with four legs changed direction and ran faster than any of us alongside the stream of water, but we ran in such a width that if they started turning too much in any direction, hunters on the outer lines would catch them and we can surround them. 

The water stream we ran alongside became so vast that it split our hunting team into two while both beasts ran on our side. The chase continued out of the forest, and it became a rocky terrain instead of soft moss. Slowing down just a bit so that I could prioritize foot placement on the sharp rocks. The beasts decreased their speed for some reason and turned direction slightly; having been hunted to a waterfall, they now ran alongside it, but only for a bit before the other part of the hunting team met them head-on. 

The two beasts weighed their options of what to do; behind them was a waterfall that would surely result in them falling to their deaths, and going any other direction led directly to our tribe. The beasts rose on their hind legs to try to scare us but to no avail, and we crept slowly closer, preparing for a fight. 

Shouting once again, the leader signaled every new hunter to throw their spears at the beasts, filling the air with flying projectiles, while I and those with spears in our hands drew in ever closer. A spear flew over and went down the waterfall; two spears hit the beast furthest away from me, critically wounding it, making it incapacitated. Everyone who had thrown their spears picked up rocks and started throwing, hoping it would distract the last beast. While one of them laid and wailed its final wish, the second beast charged through the rocky terrain towards the leader, who threw his spears aiming for the beast’s throat, but it managed to dodge it. Now my neighbor and I were the only ones with a spear in our hands; he threw it first, hitting the beast in its front leg. In agony, it screamed, changing stand to its hind legs again, this time to keep the weight of the hurt leg. Standing much taller than me with paws bigger than my head and could end my life with one hit, I was careful standing close to the beast waiting for the right time. Luckily, someone managed to throw a rock on its snout, distracting the beast for a second; it was then I charged it, thrusting my spear into its underbelly. A wheezing sound was heard; the beast could not breathe since I pushed my spear right through it, puncturing its lung and other vital organs. But by doing this, I was right in front of its thick pelt on the underbelly. All lifeforce left the beast rendering it falling lifeless over me, managing to get out of the way a bit; only half my body got crushed by its weight on the rocks beneath me. 

Screaming my soul out, all hunters gathered near me, with the leader closest, and they all started pushing away the gigantic beast weighing at least ten times more than me. Unfortunately, one of my legs was hurt, requiring help from two of my fellow hunters to carry me to a nearby grass plain where I could rest properly. 

Everyone else dragged the beasts together to where I was resting in a group effort, and then the leader started flaying them. Then, two other hunters ran back to our camp to get the pregnant women and elderly, moving the entire camp to a new place with more food. 

When night fell upon us, a fire was lit, and the whole tribe gathered, including the pregnant and elderly. I could not stand entirely on my leg yet, but I stood while leaning on a fellow hunter, making me feel stable and equal. All stomachs growled when we all stood this close to meats being grilled, but we had to wait a bit before eating. The leader took over, helping me stand straight, gathering everyone’s around us in a circle. A pelt was wrapped around me with another hunter’s help from today’s hunt, then the whole tribe shouted into the night sky, filling everyone with great spirit. Then we shared a big meal with great eagerness as all sat down by the fire, comfortable with my new well-earned pelt. I did receive a special guest sitting next to me, a woman from the hunting team with beautifully thick brown hair. Even though I did not see it myself, I knew it was her who threw the stone that distracted the beast, making me able thrust my spear without any danger. She looked a bit cold, and I wrapped the pelt around her; it was easily big for both of us, and we shared its warmth until the sky turned blue.

Chapter 1

Looking at his reflection while the rain was falling against this window made him relax and forget all problems just for a moment. Listening to the raindrops falling on the roof to later drip down in front of his view; it amazed him with its beautiful simplicity. Forgetting about all the horrible rumors that were called news nowadays, bombarded everywhere you looked and heard about how awful it was in South City especially. Not knowing if he was disappointed that he had not seen the misery himself because it sounded like a struggle, which sounds interesting since he never had any himself. The few South City people he ever spoken to seemed hardened and tougher than anyone else, qualities that were envied by him.  

That was not the only reason for wanting to unwind; he had a hole inside him, not knowing if it was located in his heart or soul. Thinking most people were able to fill this hole inside them by different methods such as material things, having a hobby, sports, or anything that kept their minds occupied. The only time being pleased was when helping others, putting all others’ problems in front of his own, not minding all weight laid on his shoulders. Sometimes too hard to bear, but fortunately, new methods of solving these social problems were continually developed, making them more manageable. 

Seeing through all raindrops in the window, houses far in the distance down in South City where poverty, crime and work strikes are running rampant, made him appreciate this big and safe house in Central City that he felt undeserving of. I only want the people down there to feel the same safety as I because they are more deserving of it than me. 

Trevor? Hello? Are you awake?  

Oh yeah, I just got lost in my thoughts a bit. Mumbling out of his daydream, surprised as he had forgotten about his guests. His friend Meghan went to university in the same class, and he admired her in many ways; she was a tame soul, good in school, independent, and kind to everyone. Her looks are equally impressive, with brown hair, small earrings, and a tattoo on her right shoulder depicting a lion. 

As we were saying, on Friday we should do something special. Do you have any ideas? Trevor turned over to his childhood friend Sylvester with thick brown hair and a long lean muscular build, and it was no wonder he was the girl’s favorite. He was distinguished in several sports and seemed to be a natural for everything that required anything physical. Meghan and Sylvester were his closest friends, and they were called ‘the trio’, almost inseparable, doing all possible things together. 

Ideas about what?  

Ideas about the protest, you dummy! Have you not been paying attention at all the last 10 minutes? You scare me sometimes when you blank out like that. Sylvester’s face wrinkled up a bit in annoyance, worried for his friend’s well-being. Just that stern talk was needed for Trevor to wake him up from his mental slumber, and he remembered everything they talked about previously, even if he only heard it in his peripheral. It was this weekend, where they will go out and protest against the discrimination of the new inhabitants that have been granted citizenship but not a social security number, a real injustice against these people who cannot use all the benefits that were promised to them. The Yora people came here for the opportunity to join us in our safety and exceptional standard of living, refugees from their homes which were beyond West City. Usually, all protests were done similarly by a group of people with signs displaying a message; Trevor thought to switch it up, surprising their political opponents this time around. Unfortunately, the idea Trevor had for this protest was not bulletproof, and he had to wait for the response to see what the others thought about this daring plan. 

I was thinking we could step it up a notch this time by blocking the entrance to the town hall where the politicians will have their annual meeting to discuss the new budget. Hopefully, we can make quite a big commotion out of that to draw attention to the citizenship swindle they are pulling on these poor people. The only risk with this is if they have security guards with them, we can get mauled down. Trevor looked at Meghan and Sylvester in great anticipation for their approval which came immediately in the form of two broad smiles. Making him ease up, and all the tension that had built up inside him during that short presentation disappeared; being rejected was difficult as it also added to the emptiness inside him. 

That is a winning idea, Trevor! This method of protest will not only stand out if we will provoke them enough to start a chain reaction hopefully. Meghan understood exactly where Trevor’s thinking was headed, pleased that she saw the same potential as him. 

I can message everybody and get the word out; Meghan, can you look up what time the council meeting starts? We want to be there at least half an hour earlier, and Trevor, can you look up if there are any more entrances to the council building. Both seemingly totally disregarded the risks outlined by Trevor, greater risks means greater rewards, all thought. 

Sylvester was the unofficial director of the group, organizing all information given to him, having no equal in this regard. If it were not for him, Trevor’s and Meghan’s ideas would stay ideas and never be put into practice; Sylvester was the driving force moving them forward as a group. It was also due to him being well-known in our age group, and his connections ran through every clique in school. 

All started doing their appointed task at hand with great enthusiasm, and they liked working in silence; communication was not needed to such a high degree when you know what to do. Trevor’s inner being forgot its hollowness when working with these tasks, but it was only temporary, unfortunately. A regular protest was not enough to temporarily fix his missing piece; Trevor had to step it up little by little. Every time an opportunity came along where impacting change was possible, Trevor was first to volunteer. Nothing will stop him from doing the things that made him feel fulfilled until his hollowness had subsided entirely. 

There is only one entrance into the building; it will be a breeze to block it. Trevor said with a big smile as this played into his strategy. 

The meeting starts at 12.00, so we have to skip the last class on Friday, by the looks of it. Meghan’s expression matches Trevor’s excitement but skipping a class was nothing either wished, afraid of what the reprecussion might be. 

Excellent, it will be no problem blocking that entrance, and for the last lesson on Friday, I can talk to our teacher Max about being excused from class. It was he who brought this to our attention, and I am sure we will be forgiven for protesting. Sylvester sounded certain on every word he said, which was reassuring; the annoying part was that he did not look at Trevor or Meghan, only looking down at his cellular device sending information to all his contacts. Sylvester’s nonchalant attitude one can hate, but he always delivered excellent results. 

Nothing more we can today, right? So maybe we shall call it a night? Meghan sensed that everyone was tired, and it was better to call it a day to get a good night’s sleep. 

Don’t think so. We should go home before it becomes too dark. Trevor followed Meghan and Sylvester to the front door, where they said farewell, Trevor embraced both in a hug before they left. Then, watching them go a second before closing the door softly behind them, making sure they did not feel as if he wanted to throw them out of his home. His parents told him once not to slam the door too hard behind your guests as they leave, or they might not want to return. 

It was only a short second of calmness after closing the door before his little brother George started causing a stir and soon ran past Trevor in the hall without explanation with a swoosh into the next room. His thuds were heard all over the apartment, stopping only by the voice of our father’s scream from the living room. 

Stop running inside before you break something! Their father, Arthur, was keen on his collection of antiques, placed mainly in the hallway to welcome guests into our exclusive environment. George stopped running grudgingly with a sigh, still 13 years old and got bored sometimes; physical activity helped him fix what Trevor thought was his missing piece inside him, even if it was just a small act of running. Also, it was our fathers’ fault for not permitting him to join a sport or any other physical activity; instead, George studied all day after school. 

Trevor did not blame either for being agitated at each other, spending their whole day together at home as George’s school had been closed this day for some plumbing reparation. Our father, Arthur, took the day off to ensure his son did not only goof off at home but kept studying. Arthur himself was a distinguished scientist within the Pharmaceutical industry who did not like to take days off, only doing it for his sons. Having dedicated his entire adult life to being in his position and being away from work made him bitter, but it gave him a reason to work on Sunday, which is a