The Book of Destiny

Corym was exhausted. He had been studying for his final exam all night. Once he passed it, he would be a professional environmental engineer. He’d stop the human race from destroying the earth. Or at least, that was his dream. He only had a few hours left to study, but he was hungry and wanted a nap. The most important book he needed to review, “Mastering Environmental Sciences: Creating a Sustainable Future”, was finally available at the library. It had been checked out for weeks. This was his last chance. He would quickly scan the book during lunch.

As Corym pulled the book off the shelf, another book fell and hit him in the head. He picked it up. The book had no title. Strange, he thought. He opened it. It was blank. Hmm. He flipped through all the pages. Nothing. Was it a journal?

He saw writing on the inside back cover. It read: "May this book guide you on the journey ahead and document your tale for those that follow." So it was a misplaced journal. Then he noticed some writing he had missed: "Ynitsed eurt ym llifluf I erehw ecalp dna emit a ot em ekat.” He blinked. He tried to sound it out. He read the words carefully pronouncing them one by one. Suddenly, writing appeared on the last page: “Open the door to your destiny.”

Suddenly, Corym found himself in an unfamiliar place. Everything was white, and there was nothing around except a stone door in front of him. I fell asleep, he surmised. Obviously this was a dream. He looked down at the book in his hands. “Open the door to your destiny.” Corym slammed the book shut. He looked around again. He had nowhere else to go. Corym shook as he reached for the handle, excited but frightened by what he might find. Then he opened the door and stepped into the unknown.

He was standing in a desert. It was nighttime. The stars glittered above. He turned around to see the door had vanished. Instead, he saw a bonfire in the distance. Corym shivered when a cold wind whipped by while walking towards the fire. He spotted figures sitting around the blaze. When he was within 30 feet, they jumped up into defensive stances. Some held spears and others swords. He froze.

“Who's there?” a gravelly voice asked.

“My name is Corym. I mean no harm. I am lost and looking for a place to rest.” The group looked wary.

“Come forward slowly,” the voice commanded. Corym put up his hands and approached. One man cautiously walked up.

“Turn around,” he directed, as he patted Corym down and searched his bag. He only found some books, an apple and a water bottle. The man held up the apple in awe and ran to the others.

“Hey, that's my lunch!” Corym yelled.

The man showed the others, shouting, “He has an apple, a fresh apple!” Everyone's mouths fell open.

The man who had spoken earlier walked over, took it, sniffed it and bit into it. “It is real.” They all gasped and immediately stared at Corym.

”I don't know what's going on, but could you not eat my lunch? It's all I have on me.” He was slightly perturbed.

They looked at each other as he heard whispers. “Is he the one?’ “The legends are true!” “I don't believe it. Those are just folktales.” They fell into silence when the man holding the apple stepped forward.

“My name is Mylar. I am the leader of the Seeker tribe. Where did you get this, and how did you end up here?” Corym was confused by what was going on.

“I picked that from a tree in the public garden. I'm not sure how I got here. A door appeared, and I walked through it.” He scanned the scenery, “I saw your fire and came to ask where I was.” *Silence* Mylar waved his hand. Everyone put down their weapons. He motioned to Corym to take a seat by the fire.

“You are in the Forsaken Plains. As you can see, this is a wasteland. Food is scarce and the earth is infertile; nothing will grow. Yet…” he holds up the apple. “You possess fresh fruit.” He handed the fruit back to Corym. Mylar continued, “We have a legend that one day, a man will appear, possessing the apple of abundance and bring life back to the world. He will come from a place of plenty and create an oasis where water flows and plants grow.”

Corym was speechless. He just stared at the apple, trying to comprehend what this man was saying. Finally he stuttered, “And... you believe I am this man... because I have an apple?” He was in disbelief.

“This world is completely barren. During the war, nuclear bombs decimated the planet. The world burned. The soil is poisoned. There has been no vegetation for decades. But you come from a place where you can just pick an apple from a tree, freely.” Mylar sounded astounded. “What brought you here, Corym?”

Corym realized he was still holding the books from the library. He opened the mysterious book and flipped to the back. Was it the unknown text he’d read? Corym read the words out loud, but nothing happened. “All I did was read that from this book. Do you know what it means?” They all shook their heads. As he looked back down, new text under the first entry formed. “Follow your destiny.” Unnerved, Corym closed the book and put it away. “Tell me more about this legend.”

Mylar told him Corym was to lead them to a sacred place that would restore nature. The legend says, “When the words are spoken and the heart is opened, the world will be reborn into an oasis where water flows and plants grow.” Corym was silent. He had no clue what would be considered a sacred place in this wasteland.

“Do you have an idea of where this sacred place may be?” Corym questioned.

“Possibly. I will show you. Let us eat and then head back to the cave.” Corym ate his apple and stored the core and seeds in his bag. He refused food offerings from the others, saying his apple was enough. He pulled out the unusual book again. Corym re-read the first two entries and then a third appeared. “Your destination is not far. You will know it when you see it.” That did not seem helpful.

Their journey to the cave was uneventful. They passed a few large rock formations until they got to a dried up riverbed. The rest of the Seeker tribe were excited to see the men back and were all curious about the stranger with them. Luckily, Mylar offered Corym an empty tent and left him alone to rest. Mylar needed to discuss this matter with his advisors.

Corym awoke to the sound of children playing. He studied the book. No entry appeared. Frustrated, he grabbed his bag and went to find Mylar. Mylar briefly introduced him to the others and began giving him a tour of the settlement. The caves were vast and deep. Most of the walls had drawings like primitive times. “These are some of the history and legends we’ve been keeping a record of,” Mylar explained. After winding through miles of tunnels, they came to a stone door with strange symbols. It looked like the one Corym walked through to get here.

This is what the book meant! How was he supposed to unlock it? Corym examined the book. No new entry. What should he do? He flipped the page. “Speak the words that brought you here.” He turned to the back and read out loud: "Ynitsed eurt ym llifluf I erehw ecalp dna emit a ot em ekat.” The symbols on the door glowed gold. There were loud clicks as mechanisms unbolted. The tribe stood in shock. Corym anxiously walked up and opened the door.

The room inside was small but held valuable treasures. There were shelves lined with plastic tubs. They contained canned food, tools, clothes and first aid items. And that was only what he could see at first glance. More tubs and crates were stacked in the corners. It was a miracle.

However, the most prominent item was a box engraved with a Celtic heart on a pedestal in the center of the room. Mylar and the tribe were ecstatic. Corym walked over to the box and said the magic words again. The box clicked and all held their breath as Corym lifted the lid. Inside was a beautiful heart shaped locket. This was it!

Mylar gazed at the locket and said, “When the words are spoken and the heart is opened…”

Corym repeated the magic words and unfastened the clasp. The locket was empty. Nothing happened. Corym was perplexed. Mylar looked confused as well. He threw open the book. “Provide the seeds of abundance so the world will be reborn.” He read it again. Seeds of abundance? The legend didn't mention that... The apple! Corym dug the seeds out and put them inside the locket. The locket floated out of his hands and sent a blast of blinding light out in all directions. Everyone shielded their faces. The light dissipated and the locket fell down into Corym’s hands.

“Hurry! Someone run to the surface and see if anything has changed!” Mylar yelled. The crowd turned and started running, clamoring to get there first. Corym stood there holding the locket. Had it worked? Was it that simple? He rushed to catch up to the rest of them. The entire tribe was standing at the entrance to the cave in amazement. Cheering erupted. Some were crying, others laughing. He could see greenery and large trees. Mylar and Corym stepped out into the oasis.

Water flowed down the long wide riverbed and plants grew as far as the eye could see. The children ran out and started playing in the grass, hugging trees and splashing in the water. Mylar knelt in the grass, looking up at Corym. “You've brought life back to our world and saved our people. We are forever in your debt. Whatever you wish us to do, no matter how big or small, we will follow your guidance and wisdom for the rest of our days.” He bowed to Corym.

Corym did not feel he deserved this honor. It had been too simple. However, now wasn't the time for him. It was a time to celebrate this new world. “Then my first request is to enjoy this day. This is the day to celebrate the new Age of Abundance!” The tribe rejoiced and ran around the flourishing landscape. He had saved these people and saved the earth. It was truly hard to believe. His dream was fulfilled. Was he really equipped to lead them though? Did he have the wisdom to advise a civilization starting from scratch?

Corym had fulfilled their legend. Was there more for him? Once again, he checked the book. Three sentences appeared. “Read your journey from the beginning. You are the author of your own life. The rest of the tale is up to you.” He moved to the front of the book and read the first page.

“Corym suddenly found himself in an unfamiliar place. Everything was white, as white as the blank pages of the book he was holding. There was nothing except a stone door directly in front of him. It was an ornate door with carvings of symbols he had never seen. Corym thought he was dreaming, until he looked down at the book he was holding. It said, 'Open the door to your destiny.' He closed the book, glancing around again. There was no other option. Corym slowly gripped the handle excited and fearful of what was beyond. Then he opened the door and stepped into his new life, his destiny.”