Immortals: Slovakia

Kras

My name is Kras, and I am immortal. I have lived for more than 400,000 years, and I have seen the rise and fall of civilizations, the birth and death of stars, and the evolution and extinction of species. I have witnessed the best and the worst of humanity, and I have learned many secrets and mysteries of the universe. But I have never found the answer to the most important question: why am I immortal?

I was born in a time when humans were not much different from animals. We lived in small groups, hunting and gathering, following the seasons and the migrations of the beasts. We used simple tools made of flint, which we struck from a core in alternating directions. We called ourselves the Clactonians, after the place where we first found these tools. We had no language, no writing, no art, no religion. We only had survival.

One day, I was hunting a deer with my brother, when we stumbled upon a cave. Inside, we saw a strange light, coming from a metal object that looked like a sphere with spikes. We approached it, curious and fearless, not knowing what it was. As we touched it, we felt a shock, and then a warmth, spreading through our bodies. The sphere glowed brighter, and then exploded, sending us flying across the cave.

When I woke up, I saw my brother lying next to me, motionless. His body was burned and bloody, and his eyes were wide open. I tried to wake him up, but he did not respond. I realized he was dead. I felt a pain in my chest, and I cried out loud, not understanding what had happened.

I buried my brother outside the cave, and I returned to my tribe. I told them what I had seen, but they did not believe me. They thought I was lying, or crazy, or possessed by evil spirits. They shunned me, and they drove me away. I was alone, and I was afraid.

I wandered the land, looking for another tribe that would accept me. But I soon discovered that I was different from other humans. I did not age, I did not get sick, I did not get hurt. I healed from any wound, and I survived any danger. I was immortal.

I also realized that I was smarter than other humans. I learned to speak their languages, to make their tools, to understand their customs. I taught them new skills, new ideas, new ways of living. I became a leader, a teacher, a friend. But I also became a threat, a rival, an enemy. I made allies, but I also made enemies. I was loved, but I was also hated.

I had to change my name, my appearance, my identity. I had to move from place to place, from time to time, from culture to culture. I had to hide my secret, and I had to lie about my past. I had to live a thousand lives, and I had to die a thousand deaths.

I have seen the world change, and I have changed with it. I have seen the Clactonians become the Acheuleans, the Mousterians, the Cro-Magnons, the Neanderthals, the Homo sapiens. I have seen the Ice Age, the Stone Age, the Bronze Age, the Iron Age, the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, the Industrial Revolution, the World Wars, the Space Age, the Information Age. I have seen the rise and fall of empires, the spread and clash of religions, the discovery and exploration of continents, the invention and innovation of technologies, the creation and destruction of art, the birth and death of legends.

And now, I live in Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia.  It is a modern city, with a rich history and a diverse culture. It is located on the banks of the Danube, the river that connects Europe. It is a city where past meets present, where old meets new, where east meets west. It is a city where I feel at home, but also a stranger.

I work as a historian, a writer, a storyteller. I use my knowledge and experience to share the stories of the past, to inspire the people of the present, to imagine the possibilities of the future. I use my immortality to learn and to teach, to create and to preserve, to love and to help. I use my immortality to live.

But I still do not know why I am immortal. I still do not know what is the purpose of my existence. I still do not know if I am a blessing or a curse, a gift or a burden, a miracle or a mistake.

Maybe one day, I will find out. Maybe one day, I will meet another immortal like me. Maybe one day, I will meet the one who made me immortal.

Maybe one day, I will die.

But until then, I will live.