Destination Eden Read online

DESTINATION EDEN

  by

  Jim Payton

  A Novel

  Published by Jim Payton

  Copyright 2014 Jim Payton

  Thank you for downloading this eBook. The eBook remains the copyrighted property of the author and may not be redistributed to others for commercial or non-commercial purposes.

  If you enjoyed this book, please encourage your friends to download their own copy from their favourite authorized retailer.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters and incidents are the product of the author's imagination and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  For my wife Yvonne with love as always

  Table of Contents

  Death

  Turkey

  Joan of Arc

  Loneliness

  Signposts

  The Valley

  The Return

  Epilogue

  The End

  About Jim Payton

  Connect with Jim Payton

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  Other books by Jim Payton

  DEATH

  Chapter1

  "Jesse Solomani. Sit down and shut up this instant"

  The shrillness and volume of the voice stopped the hubbub present in the year ten classroom. It was the period before lunch on a Thursday. The voice belonged to Joe Palmer: to be precise, Joseph Zechariah Palmer, B.A., M.Sc., a science teacher at Shackelton College in Auckland, New Zealand. His directions were aimed at one of the year ten students, Jesse Solomani.

  Written in bold letters on the white board at the front of the classroom, were the words: Evolution – Natural Selection.

  Solomani was a quiet and studious boy who until now had worked consistently hard at achieving excellent results. His argument with Palmer had come out of left field, as far as Palmer was concerned. He, Palmer, was taking the students through the Theory of Evolution based upon the Darwinian Theory originally espoused by Charles Darwin in his book, Origin of the Species, and enlarged upon by a myriad of followers. Palmer had pointed out that life, like the earth, was billions of years old. At that stage, Solomani had held up his hand, and when Joe Palmer pointed at him, Solomani had stood and said, "You are wrong Sir".

  For a moment, Palmer had been taken aback. He was not the only one. The entire classroom had fallen silent. Palmer was known to not suffer fools lightly, and for someone to tell him he was wrong was not going to bode well for that someone.

  "Oh, I see," nodded Palmer. "I suppose I must bow to your superior knowledge Solomani. After all, you are what . . . 16 years old and still at College? I am 30 years of age with two degrees. Yes indeed, you really trump me.

  "Where am I wrong Solomani?"

  "At billions of years Sir," replied Solomani.

  "Where, at billions of years Solomani?"

  "Everywhere at billions of years Sir. The earth is only thousands of years old. My Dad told me that whenever I hear the words 'billions of years old' I will know a lie is being told."

  "Are you calling me a liar Solomani?"

  "Yes, I think I am Sir."

  That was when the hubbub had started, and was when Palmer issued his directive to Solomani. Solomani sat. Palmer surveyed the class. It was a mixture of boys and girls from the middle class suburb of Mt Albert. The ethnic mix favoured the European races and the academic ability of the school tended towards the above average. Until now, Palmer had always assumed Solomani to be a follower. He was unaware of his sporting and leadership roles outside school. Solomani's questioning left Palmer puzzled.

  Palmer walked up to Solomani’s desk and picked up the notepad upon it. The page was headed Evolution – Natural Selection, but written below that were the words: false assumption.

  "So you dare to disagree with me do you Solomani? Let me point out to you that while you may relate to the name you do not have the Wisdom of Solomon.

  "Now, the examination at the end of the year will be based upon what is in the text book that is provided by the school. What is in that textbook is law, as far as Scientists worldwide are concerned.

  "It is absolute nonsense, Solomani, to presume that you and your father know more than those of us who have studied science for years. What is it your father does for a job?"

  "He works for Elders Sir."

  "Ah, yes. Elders! So, he handles farm supplies does he?"

  "Yes Sir."

  "Listen to me Solomani, and listen very carefully. You, your father, your family and anyone else who believes that this planet, solar system, universe, galaxy and humankind came into being in thousands, and not millions of years are idiots. Do you understand Solomani, idiots.

  "Tell me son, where does your Dad get those ideas from? The Bible?"

  "Yes Sir and it’s not only Dad, but the Pastor at Church and other people at Church also."

  "The Bible! I might have known. A bunch of unsubstantiated stories written by some desert nomads! You know what really gets me Solomani?"

  "No Sir."

  "The belief that someone, three or four thousand years ago, living in a tent in the middle of a desert, could know more than we do now. That is what gets me."

  "So there is no God, Sir?" one of the children in the class asked.

  Joe Palmer returned to the front of the classroom. He sat with one hip on the desk and let his gaze roam over the students.

  "How many of you go to Church, or have parents who go to Church?" he asked.

  About six children put up their hands.

  "How about Grand parents?"

  Another five or six children put up their hands. Palmer nodded his head.

  "The belief in a Creator God is an aged concept, or way of thinking if you like," continued Palmer. "The world now requires proof of what we believe. We humans are intelligent. We will become even more intelligent as civilization gets older. While you will find it hard to believe, we did not always have television, mobile telephones or even motor vehicles. They are the sort of thing that proves evolution. Your Grand parents, Great Grand parents and all before them, lived without electricity and many of the things that we now take for granted. As man has evolved, he has been able to understand more about science and the world around himself. As a result, he has been able to improve his lot.

  "When dinosaurs roamed the earth two hundred million years ago, Solomani, man was very primitive. Not even human really. Neanderthal man, our ancestors Solomani, lived five hundred thousand years ago.

  "When you get home Solomani you tell your father, from me, that he is the liar."

  Spontaneously the class turned upon Jesse Solomani and commenced systematically chanting,

  "Jesses’ Dad’s a liar. Jesses’ Dad’s a liar."

  Joe Palmer did nothing to stop it. He watched as Solomani, tears running down his face, picked up his books and left the room.

  When the students had calmed down, Palmer resumed the lesson until the lunchtime bell rang.