1.
Homo sapiens microplasticus is a genus of late hominins believed to have existed during the Plastec and Silicon Era. Higher concentrations of Homo sapiens microplasticus have been uncovered in highly industrialized areas or “First World” population centers. The best-preserved example of Homo sapiens microplasticus is the “Rainbow Man” found in the submerged ruins of the ancient city of Jacksonville by renowned archeologist Dr. Caroline Franklin during her third expedition to the site in 505 Post Unification (PU) (which corresponds to 2829 CE or Old World Calendar).
The defining characteristic which sets Homo sapiens microplasticus apart from other hominids of the same time, such as Homo sapiens sapiens, is the fusion of microplastics to the skeletal structure (and, presumably, soft tissue). There is currently disagreement among researchers as to whether Homo sapiens microplasticus should be considered its own subspecies or if it is simply the result of a widespread condition among Homo sapiens sapiens. Complicating this dispute is evidence that while the condition may have initially come from outside of the traditional evolutionary path, the mutation was subsequently passed on genetically. Ultimately, however, this branch of late humans appears to have died out prior to the First Unification.
- Excerpt from the “Official and Approved History of Human Beings on Earth,” Unified Electronic Publishing, 702 PU
2.
We watched the beam of light from the robotic submersible wend its way through the dark waters, and I tried to imagine, not for the first time, what it must have been like to have lived here before the ocean rose and swept over what was then called Florida. Beside me, Dr. Franklin was similarly absorbed in her own thoughts, quietly chewing the corner of her lip in hope and anticipation of some new and spectacular find. I could feel the mix of her excitement and anxiety–with one week left before the stormy season, we might not get another shot at a good, deep dive before turbulence on the surface made it impossible to keep our research vessel in place.
Without something tangible and significant to show for our work, it was also questionable as to whether the research funding would be available to us again. This was Dr. Franklin’s third expedition (my second as her senior research assistant), and each time the application process became more arduous.
We watched the light spear into darkness on the screen, bits of debris and the occasional cloud kicked up by a startled fish or cephalopod, and then suddenly, the briefest flash of light. Something glittering in the void. Dr. Franklin asked Lars to steer the submersible towards it, and we all gasped as the skeleton came into view. Human, and shockingly well-preserved, given the length of time it had been down there, inside of what appeared to have once been a storm shelter. But there was something else—as the light from the submersible played over them, the bones shimmered and cast flickering prisms through the video camera and across our monitor. We were mesmerized by these ghost fireworks from the long-drowned world.
“That’s it,” Dr. Franklin said with a smile. “That’s what we’ve come for!”
Lars and I just continued to gawk at the eerily beautiful light show.
“Say hello to “Homo sapiens microplasticus, boys.”
- Excerpt from the memoire, “Illuminating the Abyss: On the Trail of the Discovery of the Century with Dr. Caroline Franklin,” by Kendrick Thomas Sr., Post Unity Press, 507 PU
3.
Kimmy is in her room, not talking to me, but what else is new? I took away her phone and tablet until she’s ready to talk to me about what happened. God, thankfully they were able to reattach Jim’s toe. Really though, I had no idea how bad it had gotten.
I mean, I know she’s been upset and acting out since I started dating Jim, but it’s been three years since the divorce and I’m entitled to have some semblance of an adult life, aren’t I?
And accidents happen all the time. I get that. Especially in the kitchen, with sharp knives, but it’s the other thing they told me that has me worried. They said that they discovered unusually high levels of microplastics in Jim’s body. The kind of levels that couldn’t have happened naturally, they said. It must have built up over a long period of time. And you know what those little bits of plastic that they found were?
Glitter. Rainbow glitter.
Just like the kind Kimmy had asked for months ago, for some school project.
I’m not ready to use the kind of words that the psychologist did. Lack of empathy. Impulsive behavior. Sociopathic tendencies. I can’t even start down that hole. For Christ’s sake, she’s just an eight-year-old girl. Precocious, sure, but that doesn’t make her some kind of monster, right?
Still, I keep thinking about how she once told me that Jim had no “inner sparkle,” but that she was going to fix that. And then there were all those tea parties she made him sit through, how she kept adding a “secret ingredient” to the tea…
You don’t think…
Anyway, I’ll call you later. Got to get to try and fill up the car before the stations around here run dry, and pick up some bottled water, flashlights, the whole “be prepared” kit. Storm season in Florida, ugh. Seems like the hurricanes just get worse every year, right?
TTYL,
Beth
- Email message from Bethany Markman to Maria Cruz, 2024, CE
