Kapano

Kapano

By Paige Goddard

England 2025

Planet Earth is on the brink of the inevitable six mass extinction.

The air quality is extremely poor, the toxic sea levels have risen without life and the soil is dangerously malnourished–along with the human race.

The fortunate humans rely on oxygen chambers, masks and micro permaculture to survive.

The less fortunate have nothing to rely on.

Laos 2102

It was a day like any other day, except the serene mountains whispered a subtle fresh breeze. Kapano was climbing the tallest baobab tree on the island, in an intimate search of the sweet citrus fruit, he strongly craved each morning. Unlike most of the world, Loas had a decent supply of baobab and coffee trees. This was due to a lack of tourism and trade at the end of the 21st century. As a consequence of the many land mines that desiccated half of the island.

Sweat trickled down his temples as he effortlessly manoeuvred around the fat blistering trunk. The trapped heat of the unbearable sun was beaming through a thick layer of polluted smog, causing droplets of water to gather in atmosphere. Kapano’s dark curly hair was always frizzy from the humidity and the sea salt. He blew a dark curl away from his eyes as he swung his long arms in the air for another branch.

Kapano had been born on Laos in 2093. In the isolated 9 years of his life, he unexpectedly had no curiosity for the world off the island. His mother taught him to appreciate everything and to expect nothing. And that’s what he lived his life around, his mothers philosophy. Despite the imprint of his mothers wisdom embedded into his brain, Kapano did expect something that day, he expected his sweet baobab fruit.

He climbed each branch with an effortless grace, so much so, an old man who was walking by stood to admire young Kapano. As he leaped like a frog to a twisted branch that closely resembled and old witches wand, he spotted a glistening light. The light was fleeting, as the suns white rays slithered through cracks in the polluted fog.

‘I see something!’ Kapano calls out in curiosity and just as he lifted himself to get a closer look at this mysterious source of light, the branch below him snaps. He quickly dives onto a higher and more stable level. Kapano bends over to get a closer look at the object.

“May I have your permission to view what you hold so close dear tree ?” Kapano politely asks the tree. After seconds of stillness. He turns to the old strange monk for guidance, but he remains silent, starting contently at him.

“I will return after mid morning meditation... With tools.” he states to the tree and surrounding figures. Kapano climbed down the tree and was surprised to see the old monk was no longer standing there.

He returned two hours later and immediately jumped on tree, clutching his sharp bamboo stick tightly in one hand. He starts to retrieve the mysterious item by carefully prizing the bulk off the branches. Suddenly the item falls out and lands on Kapano’s lap. He gazes in bewilderment at the soft black case. He soon realises it is a book and a very important one at that. This one was different to the other books and scriptures he’d studied.

He dives out of the tree onto the soft sandy jungle floor. Where he is greeted by the same monks as before. “I’ve found something very special, come and look with me” Kapano demanded as something told him he needed the monks wise guidance. He wouldn’t want to show Ikaika, not initially he thought.

Kapano lead the monk through the terrain of jungle and mountains. Finally they arrived at a cold grey mountain edge where a slim waterfall cascaded along the middle. They walked carefully under the waterfall and into a tiny crevasse in the mountain. inside was a large hollow cave with wet dripping ceilings and piled high with metal boxes.

“welcome to my secret sanctuary”

It was cold, dark and full of clutter.

“This is no place for a young aspiring monk” the old man stated

“This is where I learn about history, what happen here in the 20th century why my mother was killed along with my friends. I suffer and this helps with that. This place eases my pain. There is so much history here. It’s an old US military mountain base, everyone who knew about it is long gone now, it’s safe”.

The US military set up the base in the 1960s, and in the 2020s, they sent every published book on climate change to this location. It's why Kapano knows everything on climate change and the consequences of the intoxicating human race. Kapano's mother died during the morning market mine disaster where thousands of Laotians and tourists lost their lives due to hidden explosives.

Kapano found a stone to sit contently with the little black book, resting it softly on his knees. He handled it like a rare shell.

“I have seen some books and scriptures, but this one is something else!” he shouted with joy as he admired the pages. “There are no lines on the paper, but dots.” The crippling cream pages cracked with his touch. The tree had held it so tight it embedded its veins on the cover.

The pages were filled with neat notes and diagrams, there were sketches an equations, Random theories and ideals along with pages of chemistry. All of which made no sense to Kapano. At the very back of the book was a pile of red notes with numbers written, in old world ink. It was money. He knew of money, he knew that humans traded with this up until mid 21st century but he’d never seen it in real life. It felt slippery and artificial in his callas hands. It was 20,000 dollars worth, and on the note it said ‘for oxygen chamber trades only’ Behind the notes was a folded piece of paper that had been ripped from the book. It was a map. A map of Laos. Old Laos but Kapano recognised his home anywhere.

“This is right here”

“And what may that be?” asked the monk

“The red dot on the map, is right where we are now, under these rocks. If I’m correct. I must try and find it”.

“The book wants you Kapano” suddenly stated the monk. “you have a prophecy to fulfil, the only pure soul who can complete this mission. You must do as the book says and save mother nature from the human race.”

“But aren’t nature? and I’m not meant to kill or harm anyone remember?!” he trembled

“Those are recommendation not commandments, remember. This is a good enough reason. A life for a life. Or in this case; one species for many other species. Ones that would thrive without humans. The mars mission didn’t work nor did the moon scraping, Its time humans left earth too. its written and its you how must.”

After fleeting moments of doubt Kapano, closed his eyes to take in a deep mediatve breath. I will do this. I will save what is left of the animal and plant kingdoms he chanted to himself.

The rock he was sitting on rolled from under him and relived a latch - Kapano pulled the latch and exposed the red dot on the map which was in-turn a black button. According to the book, the weapon realises light particles of poison into the air, only humans die from the vapour thus on this scale, end the ever-growing human race, which had reached over 13 billion. Much more than the earths capacity.

He thought of his mum and her warm embrace and he closed his eyes and gently pressed the black button. “I’m sorry” as he glanced up to see the monk dissolve into the wind and emerge into gentle orange butterflies, ones which as Kapano knew: had been extinct since mid 21st century. In that moment he realised that the strange old monk had everything to do with that book and this prophecy and that he was the one who lead him there. Who probably wrote the book.

He panned his head around the now shaking mountain and in the white soft mist, his mother emerged, she smiled and held out her hand

He took it.

The End.