The Lost and Found Collection Read online

  “Indeed, my Lord.”

  “Very well, see to it.”

  “I will, Sire, but there is something more important you should hear.”

  “What is it?”

  “I’ve consulted with our astrologers, my Lord. They tell me a time of great change is coming. The portents in the heavens suggest the Annunaki are on the verge of a re-alignment.”

  “What of it?”

  “If this is so, then I fear, my King, your kingdom will experience a re-alignment as well.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “I have only seen a small part, my Lord. I cannot discern the extent of the change. I see fire in the heavens and a great earthquake. Then a flood, cleansing the land.”

  “That’s ridiculous. You priests and astrologers are always seeing death and destruction.”

  “I am but a servant of the gods, Sire.”

  “Is that so? Let me remind you. You are a servant of your king. You would also do well to remember from whom I am descended.”

  The priest blinked. How could he forget? The king was a giant who stood nearly twice the height and weight of any other men in the known world.

  “I have not forgotten, Sire.”

  “Good. Well then, Ombulu, go on about your burning of children. But know this, if the disease does not come to an end, I will bring an end to you. I’ll make you stoke your own furnace, before I watch you burn.”

  Four

  Layer on layer

  Dr. Jacob Walker opened his laptop and began researching everything he could learn about “Adam’s Calendar”, megaliths, ancient stone circles, and the dawn of civilization.

  It didn’t take long to find more information than he needed. There were ancient megaliths all over the world. Some were still being discovered. Who moved those stones, why and how they did it was unknown. Without sufficient evidence, most of the theories were conjecture. Many of the opinions were outlandish. His search inevitably led him back to the Bible and its account of early civilization.

  He was reminded that science had determined the Bronze Age began somewhere around five thousand, five hundred years ago. It was the second phase of civilization, right after the Stone Age and before the Iron Age. Where the first bronze was smelted from copper and tin was not known, nor how the first person to do so acquired the skill set, or even the idea.

  The Bible stated that a man named Tubal-Cain was, (the first mentioned) “instructor of every artificer in bronze and iron.” Tubal Cain traced his lineage all the way back to Adam. The generations after Adam were listed and the number of years from Adam to Tubal-Cain exceeded two thousand, five hundred years. So, if the Biblical numbers were correct, and if the Bronze Age actually started five thousand years ago, the first man (modern human-homo sapiens) appeared on earth about seven thousand years ago. That didn’t jibe with what he learned in University. He’d been taught that modern man- homo sapiens, has been around for at least sixty thousand years.

  Jake rubbed his eyes. “Back to square one,” he thought.

  Then he remembered something.

  Science was puzzled by evidence of civilizations much older than seven or eight thousand years. There were questions about what technology existed at that time and how those people were able to build some of the things they did. He’d been taught the smelting of ore into metal didn’t start until about three thousand B.C.E., the beginning of the Bronze Age. Anything before that time was the Stone Age. Those ancient people were hunter gatherers. They had no agriculture or masonry skills. They wandered the earth seeking only to survive. How could primitive, stupid, cave men, with no tools but clubs and rocks, build complex structures, even cities?

  There was also considerable evidence for an ancient cataclysmic event that destroyed those long lost civilizations.

  What if there were civilized societies with technology different from our own, long before recorded history? Maybe that was the reason none of the numbers added up.

  As a scientist, he was constantly annoyed that so many of his colleagues spoke with authority as though they knew all the answers. They looked like fools when later information proved them wrong. For him, science wasn’t about answering every question, but observing the data, asking better questions and admitting when the answers were unknown.

  Was there human civilization more than a few thousand years ago? Had there been a cataclysmic event that wiped out those ancient civilizations? If so, perhaps civilization got a re-boot somewhere. If his work had shown him anything, it was that some questions didn’t have answers.

  It was time to ask better questions.

  His first phone call was to Arizona. The rest were to local businesses.

  Five

  And so it goes

  In the evening air the sound of many voices grew louder, penetrating through the walls of the palace. It took Ubara-tutu, the Nephalim King of Atlantis, a moment to understand what the sound was. It was an outcry on the city streets. His people were screaming and wailing.

  From the way they fidgeted and looked about, he could tell it was making his guests from across the southern sea nervous.

  “Mbuto, go see what all that caterwauling is about.”

  Bowing, the servant said, “Yes, Sire.”

  He opened the doors and stepped out onto the balcony.

  On the streets of the city, far below him, throngs of citizens were looking up at him crying out in terror. No, he realized they weren’t looking at him. They were looking at the sky—behind him.

  King Ubara-tutu motioned for the leader of the southern delegation to continue his narrative.

  “Sire, the portents are clear. The celestial…” The man was interrupted by a loud, thundering boom. Odd, there wasn’t a cloud in the sky.

  Because his view of the sky was blocked by the building, Mbuto couldn’t see what the people were staring at behind him. He turned back and crossed through the room to the balcony that overlooked the sea. Just as he stepped out, rolling thunder sounded and his eyes flew wide open, wider than at any time in his life. He stumbled back into the palace.

  “Your Majesty, You must come see,” The servant said, as he knelt before his king.

  “Come see what? Whatever it is, I can’t be bothered. You deal with it.”

  “I cannot, Sire. You must come see.”

  “What is it, man? Tell me.”

  More thunder rolled, and this time it didn’t stop.

  “Your majesty, the gods are coming.”

  That news silenced the throne room. The members of the southern delegation looked at each other, wide eyed, the servant’s declaration filling them with dread.

  The king, seeing their distress, and the servant’s almost terrorized expression, slammed his fist on the arm of his throne.

  “Enough! Show me this thing.”

  The servant, Mbuto, leaped up to obey, whirling toward the balcony facing the sea. The king had to make haste to keep up. The southern delegation rushed to follow.

  What they saw was unlike anything any of them had ever seen or heard of.

  The flaming orb dominated the evening sky, its blazing orange light reflecting off the surface of the sea. The enormous cloud of smoke trailing to the far horizon diminished the lowering sun’s brightness. As they looked on, many smaller balls of flame broke away. Each time this happened their ears were hammered with thunder.

  The king’s mouth dropped open and his knees grew weak.

  “S-s-send for the astrologers and the high p-p-priest,” he managed to say.

  Moments later Mbuto returned. He fell to his hands and knees, his head lowered nearly to the floor..

  “What it is it, man? Spit it out.”

  “They cannot be found, your majesty.”

  “What? Where have they gone?”

  “I don’t know. They may have fled the city.”

  “How...”

  His words were extinguished by the sound of a distant explosion of momentous power. Everyone in the throne room stood froz
en in wonder as a gust of wind with the smell of the open sea ruffled the draperies. When the shock wave rolled through with a rumble, the palace swayed and the occupants of the throne room were knocked to the floor. Within seconds the walls cracked, and the building collapsed, killing them all.

  The last thing on earth Ubara-tutu, the Nephalim King of Atlantis saw was the falling ceiling stones, revealing the darkening sky above him. As his spirit left his crushed remains, he searched expectantly for the arrival of the gods, but in the abyss into which he fell, those who greeted him were somewhat less appealing.

  The tsunami covered the city, the plains and the low mountains, washing away every last vestige of life. The dynasty and all its glory, drowned beneath the nearly two hundred and fifty feet tall wave, ceased forever.

  The impact of the comet caused massive earthquakes. The earth wobbled, volcanoes erupted, and the continents shifted. Most man-made structures were reduced to rubble as the subterranean fountains gushed forth and the sky became black with billowing water vapor. It rained for forty days and forty nights, and the face of the planet changed. Two thirds of the earth was now covered in water. The poles had become instantly and intensely cold. There, the rain changed to snow and ice, covering nearly half of the exposed landmass, and the surface of the sea froze. Mankind, along with most other living things, was virtually eradicated

  Six

  It takes a village

  Jake met his team at the airport in Johannesburg.

  His teammates included, Harold “Harry” Truitt, an ethnologist with ancestral roots in the region. He looked like a football lineman, which wasn’t accidental. He’d been a Scarlet Knight at Rutgers only a few years back.

  A lady with a keen wit, and a love of all things in and under the earth, the geologist, Dr. Adrienne Whitaker, was a gorgeous blonde, all five feet three inches of her. The team was completed with the inclusion of the Cajun helicopter pilot, Phillipe Robicheaux. Jake and Phillipe had served together as Rangers in Afghanistan. These days, Phillipe generally worked in the oil and gas industry, but if and when Jake called, he always found time to lend his skills.

  “Welcome to South Africa, the cradle of humanity.” Jake said, as he greeted the arrivals.

  “I thought East Africa claimed that distinction.” Harry said.

  “It goes back and forth, but that’s what the United Nations calls this part of Africa.”

  “In that case, it’s good to be home. I haven’t been here in ages.” Adrienne said, with a wink.

  Jake greeted his Louisiana friend by his former call sign, “Hello, Boudreaux one. How are you?”

  “I’m good, LT. What’s the mission?”

  “Aerial recon and troop transport. I‘ve arranged for the use of a Bell 212. Will that do the trick?”

  “It depends. The 212 is a twin engine with a range of about two hundred and seventy miles. It does one hundred and thirty miles an hour, so you only have about two hours flying time. On the plus side, it seats twelve or carries a full payload. How old is it?”

  Jake shrugged, waggling his hand.

  “Local maintenance?”

  “Yep”

  Phillipe shook his head.

  “I’ll bet it’s at least thirty years old. We’d better have a look at it.”

  Harry looked skeptical.

  “I thought we were going to explore some kind of ruins. Why are we talking about flying around in an antique helicopter?”

  Jake grinned.

  “Hello, Harry. The chopper isn’t an antique—it’s a classic. The ruins we’re going to explore cover a huge area, and most of them can only be seen from the air or by satellite.”

  “I don’t see how I can be of much help doing that. To become familiar with the history, culture and traditions of the indigenous tribes, I need to talk to people on the ground.”

  “You will, but first I want you to see the scope of what we’re researching.”

  Adrienne slapped the big man on the back. Considering his size, and hers, he probably didn’t even feel it.

  “Well then, Harry, let’s scope it out,” she said.

  Scowling, he replied, “Oh man, do I have to? Helicopters are loud.”

  “Really? They’re loud—that’s what bothers you?”

  Harry chuckled.

  “I’ll be alright, if you’ll just hold my hand.”

  “I couldn’t hold one of your hands with both of mine, but I can probably hold one finger.”

  “Oh, no you don’t. I saw what you did to that guy’s finger in Costa Rica.”

  Adrienne smiled.

  “Well, He shouldn’t have put his hand where he did. A girl has to know how to defend herself.”

  “Ain’t nobody gonna touch you while I’m around.”

  “Thank you, Harry. You always say the sweetest things.”

  Jake and Phillipe looked at each other and laughed.

  Seven

  Barberton, Ehlanzeni District, Mpumalanga Province, South Africa

  After landing in Barberton, the team checked into the Highveld Inn. The hotel had mountain views, a swimming pool, a decent restaurant with indoor and outdoor dining, a bar and even a billiards room. Not that any of it would matter. If past experience held true to this adventure, they wouldn’t be lounging around the hotel. They’d all be out in the field for extended periods. More often than not, their beds would be in the bush.

  Over supper they discussed the approach to the project.

  “The goal of our research is to determine if there was a civilization here in this region prior to recorded history, that means, before the Bronze Age, six or eight thousand years ago.” Jake began.

  “I’m sure there was,” Harry said. “The question is what type of civilization. We should start by defining what you mean by the term itself. What do you consider civilization to be, Jake?”

  “Good point. Until recently it was believed that early hominids were all hunter/gatherers. They roamed in search of the next meal, always struggling just to survive. I was taught that civilization began with agriculture. Once man began to farm, we were able to have a steady and dependable food supply. That stability provided time to explore creativity. This was the dawn of civilization. We developed pottery, weaving, painting, masonry, and so on. We began to build permanent structures instead of living in caves or temporary shelters. Within short order, we began to look to the stars to track seasons and navigate our world. We were taught all this began some eight thousand years ago.

  Today that thinking is being challenged.

  The Gobekli Tepe site in Turkey is a good example. It’s said to be at least fourteen thousand years old. That means it would be about eight thousand years older than Stonehenge. The site is a cluster of multiple circular buildings with complex masonry architecture. There are stone walls, massive stone support beams, paving, and elaborate carvings. The site is so big they say it will take fifty years to research it. As of now, no one knows what the complex is, who built it, or why. The only thing everyone seems sure of is the site pre-dates the Bronze Age by several thousand years. That means it was constructed in the Stone Age.”

  Adrienne began singing, “Flintstones, meet the Flintstones…”

  Everyone chuckled at that.

  Jake continued his narrative, “Here’s something interesting; Gobekli Tepe was buried in the entirety. Someone built a cluster of round buildings that would have taken dozens of skilled workers years to accomplish, decorated them with elaborate carvings, and then they buried the entire complex. Because of that burial the site was protected from most forms of ruin and destruction.

  Here, In South Africa, we find a stone circle being called ‘Adam’s Calendar’. It doesn’t look like much because it’s been fully exposed to the elements for many thousands of years. The builders are unknown and its function is the subject of considerable conjecture. As usual, when science doesn’t know what an ancient structure is, they say it was probably a temple or a celestial observatory. They said the same thing abo
ut Stonehenge and Gobleki Tepe. It doesn’t mean it wasn’t a temple or observatory, but the fact is, like the Nazca Lines, we have no idea why they built it. We only know someone went to a great deal of trouble to haul huge slabs of stone, and arrange them in a circle with two standing pillars in the middle.”

  “You mentioned the Nazca Lines. Isn’t building structures, which can only be seen from ‘the heavens,’ thought to be the way ancient people attempted to communicate with the gods?”

  “Yes, among other theories. We can’t rule it out, but we won’t know what the calendar site actually is until we do further research.”

  “Is that site going to be our primary focus?” Harry asked.

  “Africa is rich with archeological sites. The Republic of South Africa alone has more ruins, caves, fossils and mysteries than they have resources to explore. Even I have a limit to what I can afford. We’ll limit our focus to the stone circles. That means the ‘Calendar’ site and the thousands of so called ‘kraals’ that litter the countryside. There are far too many of the latter, so we’ll limit the scope of our research to this general area.”

  “So, that’s where I come in. We’ll use the chopper for aerial recon and transport.”

  “Roger that, Boudreaux One.”

  Harry said, “What about me? I’ve seen enough from the air. I need to talk to the locals”

  “I know, that’s why I rented the four wheel drive, vehicles. You can use one of them for your local travels. When you need to go farther afield, Phillipe will fly you.”

  “What about me? What do you have in mind?”

  “…Two things, Adrienne. First, I want you to thoroughly examine the calendar site. My geology training isn’t as extensive as yours. We need to determine if there was any possible natural event that could’ve created the standing stones in the arrangement we see up there.”