Chapter XXXIII: The Last Cigar

(As Told by Snorri)

In the ten thousandth year of my wanderings I came to the end of my journey, so I returned to the place where the Great Spirit had commissioned me to be an invisible observer of his creation. My companion and fairy wife was with me, sitting on my shoulder.

"This is the place, Modesty, where we first met. I remember Sage giving me the potion that made us what we are. The cave is gone, Modesty."

"Yes. The world has changed. Modernity has come to Thurlow. I hate planets that have automobiles and skyscrapers."

Modesty was complaining about the modern world when I saw two men walking down a paved street. They were wearing overcoats and fedoras. I could tell that they were out of place and out of time. I followed them and they entered a saloon. They sat at a table and ordered a couple of beers.

"Well, Quicksilver, how would you like to have a piece of that?"

The old man had been talking about the barmaid's ass; I had to admit it was nice.

"Quicksilver? Did you hear that, Snorri?"

"Yes! That means we have found Sir Basil and Quicksilver. But, they are so old. The spirits have deserted them."

"That barmaid couldn't handle me. Shit, Basil, I'd tear her apart."

Sir Basil started laughing at his friend's crude joke, stood up, and started shouting, "This is a faggot bar. Look at those pair of queers sitting over in the corner."

I could not believe my ears. Sir Basil had turned into a mean mouthed drunk. The two fellows that he called a pair of queers walked over to his table.

"Listen, grandpa, keep your mouth fucking shut and we'll let it slide," spoke the bigger of the fellows.

A stunned look came over Sir Basil's face. The old man grabbed his mug of beer and smashed it over the big fellow's head that had called him "grandpa". It was clear to me that the blow had killed him. Sir Basil's face reddened and he shouted to everyone in the bar.

"I am Sir Basil and you are fools. The gods have departed Thurlow because of your disbelief. Look at you and your fucking computers. You chat endlessly online, but you cannot carry on a simple conversation in the real world. You are no longer human beings. You are worse than vampires. You have no love for one another. Marriage to you is meaningless. You value nothing, but technology and cell phones. I, I, I that's all you care about…"

Some in the crowd was snapping pictures with digital cameras and wireless phones. A man lay dead at Sir Basil's feet and the only thing that the people wanted to do was take pictures. I could see a mix of fear and awe in their faces. And to a certain measure, Sir Basil had found a new group of worshippers. The old man reached into his pocket and pulled out a cigar. The crowd snapped out of its awe and shouted in one voice, "No smoking. Smoking is bad."

A human being was dead at Sir Basil's feet and the people were only concerned about smoking. Modesty and I watched this strange melodrama unfold. Sir Basil lit the cigar in his mouth and started puffing. In an instant, he and Quicksilver were gone and I knew that he would never come back. Sir Basil left a world that did not believe in him anymore. After a time, technology replaces the gods and humans only love themselves. Only their love is a selfish and destructive kind of love.

Modesty and I left the world of mortals and we went to a magnificent hall that the Great Spirit had prepared for us. It is here that we dwell, composing the stories that we bore witness to.

The End of Thurlow