Rumblings (fiction write)

We like to think that we have the whole world mapped and figured out. Battling governments having laid claim to every inch of free land that they can find. Point to any place on a map and people are likely to be able to offer some rudimentary knowledge or generalization about the area or people. We like to think that we know our neighbors, any surprises that exist must be far away from us.

Humans like to believe that they know everything there is to know. There will always be those people who are eager to claim authority and expertise, to spout off as if they have all the answers. There will always be those people who are so desperate for answers and certainty, that they happily listen to and follow those spouting off their “truths”. Just look at the religions that spread like wildfire around the globe. People don’t like the unknown.

Sometimes though, that unearned confidence and belief makes us blind to the truths hidden around us. There are billions of people and millions of miles around the globe, yet somehow we think we know everything there is to know. Even if you don’t personally know, someone else must be aware of it, right? And yet, among the billions of people, it is far too easy for a small village to escape anyone’s notice.

I had heard rumblings of such a village up in the mountains north of my childhood home. Despite all of the modern day technology and documentation, rumor has it that this village is nestled into a small valley surrounded by mountains. But, if such a village truly existed, one not known or connected to modern civilization, how is it possible that it has escaped notice for this long. It seems to be some kind of urban legend passed between the hikers who travel up into those mountains – and yet no hiker has ever told of having been to the village themselves. No pictures have ever been found. No word from those supposed villagers. I tried to find look for evidence of a settlement in the mountains through Google Earth. I found no evidence, just mountains, trees and clouds. Is it possible that such a village could exist? Maybe, but how has no hike ever stumbled upon it? Why wouldn’t the people in such a village make contact, quickly leading to that documented knowledge we humans love so much?

I never believed the rumblings that I heard about such a village, not until the day I met her. Then, I learned more than I ever could have dreamed.