You, Me, We Are All Mistakes

12. THE BORROWER

"When did you start?"

The captive experienced a startling compulsion to tell the truth yet could not explain to himself why.

"What do you mean, my planet? Are you asking me when humans evolved?"

"Yes, that is correct. I am learning more all the time, and human is what I understand you call yourself?"

"If you're asking me about human evolution, you've got the wrong guy mate. I'm not an anthropologist."

Once more, the off-yellow beak flashed a glimpse of its mottled pink tongue.

"Just tell me what you know," it demanded.

The perfect cube of glass separating them began to hum faintly.

"I don't know anything," seethed the captive.

"I will be the judge of that," snapped the chicken-creature. "Just tell me."

"You mean about humans? It's not my specialty. We came from the apes."

"Okay, apes. As in, your monkeys. Do you know when?"

"Well, if you want to be pedantic, it was apes specifically. Monkeys are a different line. But anyway, I'm not so sure. Humans, homo sapiens, we descended from apes a few million years ago, via homo erectus and habilis."

"And before that?"

"Before apes? I'm really the wrong guy for this."

"Try," came the order.

Without understanding why, the captive remained compelled to talk.

"Well, the apes evolved from other mammals. And those other mammals evolved from yet more creatures. On and on and back in time. Unless..." he paused.

"Unless what?"

"Well, unless you believe in The Creator. Or a divine intervention."

"The Creator? Okay, tell me about that then."

"Look Foghorn Leghorn, I'm neither a paleontologist nor a priest..." yelled the captive. He then stretched his neck awkwardly from side-to-side. The overwhelming feeling to tell some truths hit him again. He coughed out. "I've... I've studied the basics, but just the basics, about how we hummed along as bacteria for a few billion years, and then... bang!" He squeezed his eyes together tightly before continuing. "About five hundred million years ago in the Cambrian Period all life exploded. A literal explosion with loads of life in it, and all in just a few million years. Life of different types, everywhere on the planet. Blah blah blah. And then things continued to move on much quicker from there."

He took a deep breath. These words were coming forcibly out of him and he twisted his spine in his seat trying to ease the discomfort.

"Five hundred million years ago," came back the challenge from the partially feathered head. "So, you are aware of this sudden change?"

"No, I'm not!"

"But you know it's too quick?" said the bantam flatly and again the mottled tongue licked its lower beak. "Why did it happen?

"What do you mean, why?"

"Why did all this life, all this evolution, suddenly start accelerating on your planet?"

"I don't know! It's maybe called the Cambrian Explosion for a reason. Apparently, it's still a mystery with lots of theories that don't fully stack up, and so lots of disagreement. And I personally have no... idea." It felt such a relief to say that. "Maybe you should ask... God."