Through the Distance
By: Adrian Angeles
Today marks the 100th anniversary of the second species to resemble human consciousness, even the word mankind came into question. The first animals were rats, known for their intelligence and aptitude to solve problems. Once they gained the power of thought, the more negative emotions took over their minds. Misery and depression became their only focus, and now they are considered an endangered species. However, people began to wonder if it would be a great benefit if they went extinct. These people had a bias towards the disease they spread and their invasive nature to crowd cities, where rats excel most.
The suburban type of rat was considered a friend. Those who owned them as pets would be excited to know that they loved their owner more than they value human thought. This remains true because those rats weren’t subjugated to experiments, but it did increase their price. Most, if not all, denied selling them.
Scientists debated what their next creature would undergo these experiments. It was argued amongst many professions. The two with the most being biology and philosophy. The first side argued it was the next step in evolution. The second side argued the ethics of that evolution. Also asking the question if it was decided by whomever or whatever, that any single species to be the ones to have the consciousness that was at the top of the food chain, they would have claimed it for themselves and revel in their progression in the same manner. The expectation being that the entire history of the world was different. They often wondered whether that species would choose humans to resemble their thoughts, or if they existed to begin with.
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Dogs and cats crossed their minds, as some of the friendlier types of animals, but eventually they chose crows, and the rest of the Corvidae family of birds. They were exactly the same as rats with the same negative emotions, but they pushed past them. Not because of their physiology or neurology, but because a certain coincidence had taken place. In the midst of their newest and numerous thoughts, one reigned over the rest. That even in the most dire circumstances they must survive, though this belief is more so a summary rather than a definite composition to their inner world.
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Once they were let go to live rather than studied. The birds flourished with their newfound experience. They lived towards the latter end of their lifespan, often forgoing the average historical age. Most of them lived up to thirty years today, but it wasn’t unusual to see them live up to fifty. Then they mastered mimicry of sounds and the human voice, though there were limitations to their speech. For one, they had to adopt many voices, to have one they would have to spend an extended amount of time with one person. Second, the way they spoke had to be copied, either from other birds who already developed speech or from people. The first birds had voices that sounded like the many members of the laboratory. As time went on, they had various voices from all walks of life. Third, if they thought or read a phrase, but hadn’t heard it in any voice, they couldn’t say it until they did. In small community’s people recognized the reused voices of fellow townspeople, friends, or neighbors. The younger birds came up with some creative, yet deceptive, tricks impersonating them.
At first, there was a huge job market for people to say things for birds, they just had to write down what they wanted to learn beforehand. This business didn’t last too long, because birds began to exchange notes and language on their own, without charge. Some of the jobs they went above and beyond were detectives, scouting, dancing, and teaching. Some even opted out of their natural talents like flight. Either out of indifference, rebellion, injury, lack of time, but this was the minority.
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It was tough for them to adapt to a human-based world. None of the technologies were designed for their feet or wings. Pretty soon, doors were always cut with a second hole for a smaller door at the bottom, and some houses were built smaller. Restaurants included bird feeder buffets, meat from small creatures, and bugs. Birds came up with inventions, pioneering wing extensions that allowed them to glide further, flashback photography, which was a camera lens that took pictures like their eyesight. A new sport called diveball, involving water, and dreamscapes, a technology allowing dreams to be recorded. Although, this one didn’t persist in science, but expectedly moved towards the entertainment business.
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When they are born, they are quick to learn and value their independence and community at the same time. Fleeing from the nest, never to see their families again. Parents don’t consider themselves as parents as soon as they did their job of feeding their young. They believed that fledging serves as admission to the entirety of the species. Solidarity between all of them was inherent, traveling in groups, sharing and gathering food. Being closely knit means word gets around fast from every part of the world. When they die, there is a huge gathering, no matter how well known one bird is. The amount at every funeral is almost always equal.
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Nonetheless, history filters itself. There is the main event and the myriad of details. There is what the bird knows and what the people know. Sometimes the truth has an unsavory taste. Ask any person on the anniversary and see their gouged-out eyes. Ask a bird how they are doing and see them without a beak. Notice there are no trees around anymore and when there are, they are for the ones who are made of high society. See recent graves dug up, but it’s not for the worm. See the abundance of quills resurfacing. And see that there are no birds with a new consciousness that fly anymore. Somewhere down the line, someone with great influence thought it taboo, and the rest followed suit. When they saw their acquaintances, that retained their old instincts out in the sky, they pointed them out, and a popular discussion always occurred. That there was a difference between “birds” and birds.
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