Third Contact

THE STORY:

Deep, deep inland now, and the vessel - previously so ominous, seemingly omnipotent - now sits beached, bleached, abandoned.

Bones lie in a long-dry riverbed; the truth is laid bare.

Not landing craft for invasion, but an ark that once carried the promise of new life contained a surfeit of riches in its hold.

What happened to those riches?  Consumed, internalized, normalized?

Repurposed?

What fate awaits an idol stripped of meaning, besides a covenant of crows?

And what of this man - has he stumbled here unwittingly, happening upon the denuded carcass by chance?  Or was it by design, with a mind to design his own ark, based on its design?  Does his briefcase contain a blueprint for restoration or the instruments to instigate the autopsy of a dream?