Consuming Dream
by Michael C. Keith
Genre: Fantasy/Sci-Fi
Swearwords: None.
Description: A man has a dream to become one with nature... and ultimately does.
_____________________________________________________________________
The universe is so vast and so ageless that the life of one man can only be justified by the measure of his sacrifice. – V.A. Rosewarne
There was nothing Erik Lyman loved more in the world than animals, especially wild ones. He adored nature shows on television, and when he could afford it, he would go on wildlife tours and hike remote trails to catch sight of animals in their natural setting. As a youngster, he dreamed of becoming a veterinarian. This had principally been inspired by a traumatic incident in which he had witnessed a deer being struck by a car. He was only seven and the image was seared into his mind. He pleaded with his father to go to the animal’s rescue, but he was told that it was too dangerous to stop and that the deer was beyond help anyway. It pained him deeply to watch the sight of the injured animal recede in the car window without being able to do something.
Lacking the necessary funds to attend vet’s school, Erik went to a local community college and eventually settled for a job managing a petting zoo at the local park in the small city where he lived. From the start, he enjoyed being around the small creatures but hated the idea that they were kept in captivity. On more than one occasion he entertained the idea of setting them all free, but he knew they would likely encounter dangers on the busy streets that surrounded their habitat.
Five years into his job, at the age of twenty-four, Erik began to experience inexplicable weakness and tingling sensations in his limbs that made it difficult to get through his workday. After two weeks of discomfort, his mother pressed him to see the family doctor.
“It’s probably nothing, but go, Erik . . . please. You never know. Maybe you have an infection from being around all those animals. They’re not the cleanest things, you know. Dr. Fields can give you a prescription for it.”
“I know. I have to. I’ve been putting it off, because I’m worried that he’ll find something . . . bad,” replied Erik, who had a history of hypochondria.
“For heaven’s sake, Erik, every time you have a little pain it’s not the end of the world. But go so your mother doesn’t worry and drive me nuts,” grumbled his father.
With his usual sense of doom, Erik made a doctor’s appointment. He was soon examined and put through a series of tests. A week passed and then he was asked to return for a consultation. This made him more anxious, and no words of reassurance came from his father.
“Jeez, they don’t ask you back unless there’s something wrong.”
The statement prompted Erik’s mother to cry and his apprehension to soar.
“I’m not going back,” responded Erik, defiantly.
“No, honey. You have to. Whatever it is, Dr. Fields will take care of it. He’s kept you healthy since you were a baby. If you don’t go, I’ll go myself and find out what he has to say.”
Erik finally relented and appeared for his second appointment. By then he was convinced he had a major affliction. This time his instincts proved accurate.
“Your tests revealed a potential problem, but I’m not prepared to commit to a diagnosis until we run the same test again,” announced Dr. Fields from behind his desk.
“But, what do you think I have?” inquired Erik, wringing his sweaty hands.
“Until I have the results back on the repeat test, I’m not going to say. It would be premature. No sense discussing it at this stage. It’s possible the first test gave a false reading. That is often the case with this particular . ... I don’t want to worry you needlessly, Erik.”
“I’m already worried, Doc.”
“I’ll speed up the process. Probably have the results back by Thursday. Look, I’ll see you then, Erik.”
When Erik was back in Dr. Fields’ office for his third visit, he was feeling a good deal more optimistic about his condition. The tingling in his legs had stopped and he felt like his old self. However, his improved mood was quickly dashed by the serious expression on his doctor’s face.
“Hello, Erik. Well, we’ve got the results back, and they’ve confirmed the first report. It appears you have Guillain-Barré syndrome.”
“Huh? What’s that?” asked Erik, his heart pounding.
“It’s a disorder of the body’s immune system.”
“That’s what made me feel weird? But I don’t anymore. I feel fine now,” protested Erik.
“Sorry, but it’s . . . it’s what you have.”
“So what does this mean? Do you give me some medicine so it doesn’t come back?”
“There are things we can try, but it’s not a simple malady to treat, and it could get worse. You could eventually suffer paralysis.”
“Can it be fatal?” asked Erik, about to wail in fear.
“Only in rare instances.”
“So, I might die?”
Erik began to feel light-headed and had trouble catching his breath. All he wanted to do was get away, and he acted on that impulse, running from the doctor’s office to his parked car.
Oh, my God! I’m dying . . . I’m dying, he thought as he sped home.
When he informed his parents about his diagnosis, they demanded to meet with Dr. Fields.
“No, I’m never going back there! I’m leaving . . . everything. Quitting the zoo. Going away. Not going die or be paralyzed here.”
“You’re not going to die, honey. Why do you say that?” responded Mrs. Lyman, gulping back tears.
“Because Dr. Fields said I might,” replied Erik, petulantly.
“Calm down, son. He can treat you and get you back to good health. You’re young and strong. You can fight this. Shoot, you’ll be fine,” offered Mr. Lyman.
That evening Erik conceived of a plan in the face of his greatest calamity. He would free all the animals at the petting zoo and go to Africa to see wild creatures in their natural habitat. It was his lifelong dream, and he wasn’t going to die or become incapacitated before fulfilling it.
* * *
Erik went online to purchase a ticket to Tanzania. It was there in the Ngorongoro Crater that he knew he would encounter the greatest concentration of wild animals that could be seen anywhere. He knew this from watching countless documentaries on Animal Planet, his favorite cable channel. He then rented a truck for the following evening when he planned to load up the occupants of the petting zoo and release them in a vast pasture surrounded by dense woods fifteen miles away. He did not reveal his plans to his parents, and to assuage their distress, he pretended to make an appointment for them to meet with his doctor the following week.
Just before 5 PM the next day, Fred picked up the U-Haul he had reserved. He waited until it was dark to return to his place of employment to begin loading the residents of the petting zoo onto the truck. He did not have to be at the airport for his flight to Africa until 10 PM, so he figured he had plenty of time to accomplish his first goal. He had packed little for his journey, only what he felt necessary to realize his second goal––to sacrifice himself to what he loved most. If he was going to die, and it seemed a real possibility to him, he would do so in a way that protested the harsh treatment of nature’s creatures. At the same time, he’d be satisfying an animal’s hunger. They can feed on me as we feed on them. He believed it was the noblest way for his existence to end.
Removing the petting zoo animals went smoothly, but getting them to the pasture took longer than he planned, and he had to make an end run to the airport in the rental truck rather than his car. He parked the vehicle and ran to the Swiss Air ticket counter where the attendant gave him a suspicious look when he didn’t declare any baggage.
“I forwarded everything, so I could travel light,” he told the skeptical airline employee, who returned his passport and license.
Erik made it through security and dashed to his departure gate just seconds before boarding ended. His flight took 19 hours, including a layover in Zurich. He spent the day in the Swiss city taking in the sights, and returned to the airport two hours before beginning the last and longest leg of his trip. He reached Dar es Salaam at daybreak and quickly found transportation to Arusha on the edge of the Serengeti in the shadow of Mt. Killimangaro. From there he took a tour bus the remaining 100 miles to Ngorongoro.
Erik reached the edge of the crater in the middle of the night. From where he settled in beneath a towering tree for the remainder of the darkness, he could hear an assortment of animal sounds, foremost among them the occasional roar of a lion and almost constant yelp of hyenas. They do sound like they’re laughing, he thought, as sleep overtook him. When it became light, Erik dug into his backpack and removed a gray hoody and matching sweat pants and put them on. I’ll blend, he thought. I’ll be just another creature.
He then started down to the grassy plain that he calculated was a good 15 miles from end to end. It was dotted with animals of every species. A seemingly endless stream of wildebeests moved in single file as far as he could see. Accompanying them were countless zebras and other four-legged critters he was hard pressed to identify. Beautiful . . . so beautiful, he mumbled, as he continued down the steep slope.
When Erik reached the base of the crater, he surveyed his surroundings and was overcome with the magnificence of the scene before him. It’s like a dream, he marveled, his eyes following the rapid movements of a gazelle as it was chased by a pack of hyenas. “I give myself to nature!” he proclaimed loudly, and his voice echoed across the open steppe. A profound sense of exhilaration and contentment filled him, and he galloped on all fours toward the center of the crater. I’m here . . . I’m here for you. Come feast on me.
Before him were two male lions, and Erik prepared himself for their attack. But they viewed him with only mild curiosity, making no move to approach him. They’re confused by my appearance, he concluded, and continued past them. Ahead of him were several hyenas. As he closed in on them, they stood erect and ready, but they, too, made no move in his direction.
A pack of wild dogs ran by him, also paying him no mind, and a towering ostrich meandered within arm’s reach of him with similar indifference to his presence. They accept me. They see I mean them no harm . . . that I love them. The realization moved Erik to tears, and he raised his arms toward the clear blue sky and dropped to his knees in celebration. I am home . . . truly home.
It was at that most sublime moment in Erik’s life that he heard the crack of a rifle being fired and felt a burning sensation on the side of his head. He turned and caught the profile of a hunter in the distance. Just a flesh wound, he thought, climbing to his feet. It was obvious to him that he had been confused for a wild animal, and the notion filled him with immeasurable satisfaction.
In the same instant, he saw dozens of animals pursuing the hunter that had apparently shot him. He returned to a crouched position and scampered toward his protectors as they stalked the world’s most dangerous predator.
“I’m with you. I’m one of you,” Erik shouted.
At that moment, he was struck from behind by a ravenous lion and became one with the King of Beasts.
Swearwords: None.
Description: A man has a dream to become one with nature... and ultimately does.
_____________________________________________________________________
The universe is so vast and so ageless that the life of one man can only be justified by the measure of his sacrifice. – V.A. Rosewarne
There was nothing Erik Lyman loved more in the world than animals, especially wild ones. He adored nature shows on television, and when he could afford it, he would go on wildlife tours and hike remote trails to catch sight of animals in their natural setting. As a youngster, he dreamed of becoming a veterinarian. This had principally been inspired by a traumatic incident in which he had witnessed a deer being struck by a car. He was only seven and the image was seared into his mind. He pleaded with his father to go to the animal’s rescue, but he was told that it was too dangerous to stop and that the deer was beyond help anyway. It pained him deeply to watch the sight of the injured animal recede in the car window without being able to do something.
Lacking the necessary funds to attend vet’s school, Erik went to a local community college and eventually settled for a job managing a petting zoo at the local park in the small city where he lived. From the start, he enjoyed being around the small creatures but hated the idea that they were kept in captivity. On more than one occasion he entertained the idea of setting them all free, but he knew they would likely encounter dangers on the busy streets that surrounded their habitat.
Five years into his job, at the age of twenty-four, Erik began to experience inexplicable weakness and tingling sensations in his limbs that made it difficult to get through his workday. After two weeks of discomfort, his mother pressed him to see the family doctor.
“It’s probably nothing, but go, Erik . . . please. You never know. Maybe you have an infection from being around all those animals. They’re not the cleanest things, you know. Dr. Fields can give you a prescription for it.”
“I know. I have to. I’ve been putting it off, because I’m worried that he’ll find something . . . bad,” replied Erik, who had a history of hypochondria.
“For heaven’s sake, Erik, every time you have a little pain it’s not the end of the world. But go so your mother doesn’t worry and drive me nuts,” grumbled his father.
With his usual sense of doom, Erik made a doctor’s appointment. He was soon examined and put through a series of tests. A week passed and then he was asked to return for a consultation. This made him more anxious, and no words of reassurance came from his father.
“Jeez, they don’t ask you back unless there’s something wrong.”
The statement prompted Erik’s mother to cry and his apprehension to soar.
“I’m not going back,” responded Erik, defiantly.
“No, honey. You have to. Whatever it is, Dr. Fields will take care of it. He’s kept you healthy since you were a baby. If you don’t go, I’ll go myself and find out what he has to say.”
Erik finally relented and appeared for his second appointment. By then he was convinced he had a major affliction. This time his instincts proved accurate.
“Your tests revealed a potential problem, but I’m not prepared to commit to a diagnosis until we run the same test again,” announced Dr. Fields from behind his desk.
“But, what do you think I have?” inquired Erik, wringing his sweaty hands.
“Until I have the results back on the repeat test, I’m not going to say. It would be premature. No sense discussing it at this stage. It’s possible the first test gave a false reading. That is often the case with this particular . ... I don’t want to worry you needlessly, Erik.”
“I’m already worried, Doc.”
“I’ll speed up the process. Probably have the results back by Thursday. Look, I’ll see you then, Erik.”
When Erik was back in Dr. Fields’ office for his third visit, he was feeling a good deal more optimistic about his condition. The tingling in his legs had stopped and he felt like his old self. However, his improved mood was quickly dashed by the serious expression on his doctor’s face.
“Hello, Erik. Well, we’ve got the results back, and they’ve confirmed the first report. It appears you have Guillain-Barré syndrome.”
“Huh? What’s that?” asked Erik, his heart pounding.
“It’s a disorder of the body’s immune system.”
“That’s what made me feel weird? But I don’t anymore. I feel fine now,” protested Erik.
“Sorry, but it’s . . . it’s what you have.”
“So what does this mean? Do you give me some medicine so it doesn’t come back?”
“There are things we can try, but it’s not a simple malady to treat, and it could get worse. You could eventually suffer paralysis.”
“Can it be fatal?” asked Erik, about to wail in fear.
“Only in rare instances.”
“So, I might die?”
Erik began to feel light-headed and had trouble catching his breath. All he wanted to do was get away, and he acted on that impulse, running from the doctor’s office to his parked car.
Oh, my God! I’m dying . . . I’m dying, he thought as he sped home.
When he informed his parents about his diagnosis, they demanded to meet with Dr. Fields.
“No, I’m never going back there! I’m leaving . . . everything. Quitting the zoo. Going away. Not going die or be paralyzed here.”
“You’re not going to die, honey. Why do you say that?” responded Mrs. Lyman, gulping back tears.
“Because Dr. Fields said I might,” replied Erik, petulantly.
“Calm down, son. He can treat you and get you back to good health. You’re young and strong. You can fight this. Shoot, you’ll be fine,” offered Mr. Lyman.
That evening Erik conceived of a plan in the face of his greatest calamity. He would free all the animals at the petting zoo and go to Africa to see wild creatures in their natural habitat. It was his lifelong dream, and he wasn’t going to die or become incapacitated before fulfilling it.
* * *
Erik went online to purchase a ticket to Tanzania. It was there in the Ngorongoro Crater that he knew he would encounter the greatest concentration of wild animals that could be seen anywhere. He knew this from watching countless documentaries on Animal Planet, his favorite cable channel. He then rented a truck for the following evening when he planned to load up the occupants of the petting zoo and release them in a vast pasture surrounded by dense woods fifteen miles away. He did not reveal his plans to his parents, and to assuage their distress, he pretended to make an appointment for them to meet with his doctor the following week.
Just before 5 PM the next day, Fred picked up the U-Haul he had reserved. He waited until it was dark to return to his place of employment to begin loading the residents of the petting zoo onto the truck. He did not have to be at the airport for his flight to Africa until 10 PM, so he figured he had plenty of time to accomplish his first goal. He had packed little for his journey, only what he felt necessary to realize his second goal––to sacrifice himself to what he loved most. If he was going to die, and it seemed a real possibility to him, he would do so in a way that protested the harsh treatment of nature’s creatures. At the same time, he’d be satisfying an animal’s hunger. They can feed on me as we feed on them. He believed it was the noblest way for his existence to end.
Removing the petting zoo animals went smoothly, but getting them to the pasture took longer than he planned, and he had to make an end run to the airport in the rental truck rather than his car. He parked the vehicle and ran to the Swiss Air ticket counter where the attendant gave him a suspicious look when he didn’t declare any baggage.
“I forwarded everything, so I could travel light,” he told the skeptical airline employee, who returned his passport and license.
Erik made it through security and dashed to his departure gate just seconds before boarding ended. His flight took 19 hours, including a layover in Zurich. He spent the day in the Swiss city taking in the sights, and returned to the airport two hours before beginning the last and longest leg of his trip. He reached Dar es Salaam at daybreak and quickly found transportation to Arusha on the edge of the Serengeti in the shadow of Mt. Killimangaro. From there he took a tour bus the remaining 100 miles to Ngorongoro.
Erik reached the edge of the crater in the middle of the night. From where he settled in beneath a towering tree for the remainder of the darkness, he could hear an assortment of animal sounds, foremost among them the occasional roar of a lion and almost constant yelp of hyenas. They do sound like they’re laughing, he thought, as sleep overtook him. When it became light, Erik dug into his backpack and removed a gray hoody and matching sweat pants and put them on. I’ll blend, he thought. I’ll be just another creature.
He then started down to the grassy plain that he calculated was a good 15 miles from end to end. It was dotted with animals of every species. A seemingly endless stream of wildebeests moved in single file as far as he could see. Accompanying them were countless zebras and other four-legged critters he was hard pressed to identify. Beautiful . . . so beautiful, he mumbled, as he continued down the steep slope.
When Erik reached the base of the crater, he surveyed his surroundings and was overcome with the magnificence of the scene before him. It’s like a dream, he marveled, his eyes following the rapid movements of a gazelle as it was chased by a pack of hyenas. “I give myself to nature!” he proclaimed loudly, and his voice echoed across the open steppe. A profound sense of exhilaration and contentment filled him, and he galloped on all fours toward the center of the crater. I’m here . . . I’m here for you. Come feast on me.
Before him were two male lions, and Erik prepared himself for their attack. But they viewed him with only mild curiosity, making no move to approach him. They’re confused by my appearance, he concluded, and continued past them. Ahead of him were several hyenas. As he closed in on them, they stood erect and ready, but they, too, made no move in his direction.
A pack of wild dogs ran by him, also paying him no mind, and a towering ostrich meandered within arm’s reach of him with similar indifference to his presence. They accept me. They see I mean them no harm . . . that I love them. The realization moved Erik to tears, and he raised his arms toward the clear blue sky and dropped to his knees in celebration. I am home . . . truly home.
It was at that most sublime moment in Erik’s life that he heard the crack of a rifle being fired and felt a burning sensation on the side of his head. He turned and caught the profile of a hunter in the distance. Just a flesh wound, he thought, climbing to his feet. It was obvious to him that he had been confused for a wild animal, and the notion filled him with immeasurable satisfaction.
In the same instant, he saw dozens of animals pursuing the hunter that had apparently shot him. He returned to a crouched position and scampered toward his protectors as they stalked the world’s most dangerous predator.
“I’m with you. I’m one of you,” Erik shouted.
At that moment, he was struck from behind by a ravenous lion and became one with the King of Beasts.
About the Author
Originally from Albany, New York, Michael C. Keith has paternal family roots stretching back to Clan Keith of Caithness and Aberdeenshire. A leading scholar in electronic media in the United States, he is the author of over 20 books on electronic media, as well as a memoir and three books of fiction. Much more about Michael and his publications can be found on his website: http://www.michaelckeith.com