Is It Truly Undiscovered?

2030 July 4

They say today was once known as Independence Day, I don’t feel independent. I feel trapped. The world is being remade right now, and I am currently alone in a small rocket ship, watching through the windows as my earth, my home is destroyed. 

I need to save it. I imagine all the people's lives being disrupted, all of the homes broken. I am a 23-year-old non-binary person. I chose to be that before I was told that once the earth settled down I would be made leader. The world barely knew Briar, now for some reason I will be known by everyone, young and old. 

I never planned to become non-binary. I used to be female, but that life was so long ago. Now I am free of judgments of either sex, I can lead my people freely. I don’t think many others should choose this life, it's hard, I get stared at, and people criticize me. I agree with their judgments, but I don’t understand it, why did I chose to become genderless? I honestly don’t know. I don’t know if I will ever know. 

2050 Feb 22 

I started crossing the marshlands today. I am said to be the first to start across this untouched land. Now my footprints mark my path through. They will remain unchanged by weather. As it neither rains nor snows here. This is the first time in all my life I have ventured so far from The Mainland. My home. All the people of the earth, ruled by different gods, and different beliefs, all in one place. Under one united leader. They have sent me, my leader Briar, as I am their seasoned adventurer. Top of my class. Always looking for something undiscovered. Now here I am. Adventuring through untouched territory. It is in this diary I will make my notes. And here I will write of my home. The place I miss, but will one day return to. 

2050 Feb 25

I'm alone. There aren't even the sounds of animals in this dark night. I am writing by the light of a small homemade beeswax candle my mother made for me before I left. Using it, I feel closer to her. I am still in the ever-unchanging marshlands. 

My tent rests upon a small grassy hill. To all sides is an incredible amount of muck. Solid enough for me to step on, solid enough to allow my footprints to always remain, not solid enough for me to set up camp. If I did, I would wake up engulfed in mud. Actually, I probably wouldn't wake up at all. So I am thankful for this place to rest away from a certain muddy death. 

Tomorrow I will journey towards a massive forest yet to be named. Perhaps I will find something in its density to call it by, something to go down in history. Something young adventurers, perhaps women like myself, will remember, something they will strive for, something that will inspire others. That is my dream. To inspire others. Well, the light outside my tent grows dim. It tells me that even though I have this scented candle I must rest for a long day ahead…Brain, come up with some ideas for the name of the forest! 

2050 Feb 26 

Oh, how my feet do hurt! I have been walking through the wilderness of Lina, oh that's the forest, for many hours. I decided to name these gorgeous woods after my beloved friend. She and I have been friends since I was eight and she was twelve. We did not even notice the age gap. But anyway, I could talk about her all day, I'm sure whoever reads this probably wants me to write about my adventure. Sorry Lina!!! Love ya bestie! 

Back to the forest. It is magnificent. Thick green evergreens grow side by side with fruit trees, oaks, berry bushes, nut trees, and just about every type of plant you can imagine. Let's just say I have paused my journey to rest my feet and I am having a great lunch. A small stream flows throughout, and I have been following its path. Soon I will make it to a great lake that I have spotted from a hill. Ahh! I just checked my watch, I must get going. 

2050 Feb 28

The great lake I spotted from the hill is actually the breeding ground of the species Crocodilia or more commonly referred to as crocodiles. 

You can imagine my surprise when I walked along the shore and then had two 20-foot-long males lunge out of the water barely five feet away locked in vicious combat. The splashes they made were huge. I am marking this territory and carefully naming it on my map. I am thankful I have had enough training to know that you should never swim in an unknown body of water. It would have felt very nice though. At least till I was being chewed, or smashed between two huge beasts. 

2050 Feb 30 

At this stage in my journey/exhibition, I have seen so many things I would never have imagined. The incredible unchanging marshlands that you can walk on, but if you were to make camp you would never wake up. The wonderful forest where all types of bushes and trees grew together in an impossible harmony. And of course the sweet yet deadly mating grounds of the wonderful species of the crocodile. 

I am sure this journal will be read, edited, copied, and printed all over The Mainland. I hope it will help people understand our world a little better. Well, now that I am several miles away from the crocodiles I can rest. I didn't sleep much well I was in the vicinity. I will write in the morning. Goodnight.     

2050 Feb 31

I am awake but very confused. I packed my tent this morning and was on my way when I saw people at the mating ground. Yesterday I saw a small yellow-green female crawl out of the water and lay her eggs out of the reach of stomping talons. 

Now between my pen strokes, I can see people, dressed in skins digging up hers and many other eggs, stuffing them in sacks and now they are running off. I am baffled. I was told this land was uninhabited. After the earth shattered, back in 2030 and continents reformed with other continents, our leader was elected, they created The Mainland, and all of civilization was supposed to move there. The few people who refused to go…were removed. SO WHY ARE THERE PEOPLE HERE!?  

I must follow them. I need to figure out who these people are.

2050 Feb 33 

The impossible has happened…I have joined this group, I am a member of their tribe. Let me tell you how this impossible thing came about. 

I followed these people to their village, where I was spotted and instead of being imprisoned, as I thought I was gonna be, they welcomed me. I was given a very well-furnished tent, food, and fresh water to drink, and to bathe with. I was welcomed to stay. As long as I promised to never turn them in. I promised, but I’m not sure how they expect someone less trustworthy, like the people from The Mainland, the ones aside from me, to keep this promise if they came. 

I would have expected them to refuse my entry, I thought I was gonna be wiped out. Like our leader wiped many other people like them out of existence. They are very trusting, or they are making me feel at home before they eat me. I mean who knows? Oh, the elder is summoning me. I’ll write again soon.  

2050 April 15

I know it has been a while since my last entry, but I have been so busy! My life has taken such an interesting turn. I have really helped this small settlement grow. Now I am married to the elder's son, a young, smart, handsome man. His name is Ardia. We got married yesterday. Oh, it was a wonderful day.

 I wonder what Briar will think when I never return. For I will never return. I love my new life here. I love my friends, the wonderful man I've married, and my parents-in-law. 

I have taken up writing as I have found penning stories is something that speaks to me. I am also our small town’s librarian, and I can be found there, reading, sorting books, and not yelling at people to “SHUSH!!!” 

I will forever miss my parents, but I know they will never leave The Mainland. I have come to accept that. Oh, how I shall miss them. I think of them every day. This is the end of my journal. I will put this in the library and hope it interests people. My story is far from over, but I will leave you to guess at the rest. 

2060 Feb 22

I found this journal by my mother, Adoette, of her journey here. My mother is gone. She left on an expedition a few years ago and never returned. All I have left is this journal, I will guard it with my life and write of my doings in its many pages. This is my first entry, Althea, out. 

The End