A Legend
I wonder how many of you Remember ‘The Man From Atlantis’ I believe it starred pre Dallas actor Patrick Duffy. He played the title role as Mark Harris.
Well! A couple of weeks ago I came across an old TV episode of the program. Although the special effects is not up to today’s standard. They did not do too bad when you consider this program aired back in the 70’s.
It got me thinking did Atlantis exist, is it really just Legend, an historical myth. Myself, I believe it is just that, a Myth. However, what if while surveying the ocean floor someone did come across parts of a sunken world. What a fantastic find. It would certainly put a damper on those who believe it to be a myth.
There are some who believe Plato’s story that suggests the island of Atlantis sank into the ocean around 9,600 B.C. and is based on historical events but, apart from movies or old television shows there is no written records of Atlantis outside of Plato’s dialogues.
However, that did not stop my imagination from coming up with a scenario – My version of Atlantis.
A Man of Atlantis
Our elders called it the great breakup. It was a time of chaos and fire that shook the very foundations of our world. They say it happened eons ago, before even the oldest coral. Some of us had survived and evolved beneath the sea. But the stories are etched in our memories, having been handed down through generations, each telling of the story weaving a tapestry of loss and fear.
A People of the Depths
My lifespan is longer than you surface dwellers. My people mature more slowly, we reach adulthood around the age you would consider to be middle age.
While we don’t live forever, our average lifespan is several times longer than yours.
We Atlanteans were once proud people, our city gleaming like a pearl at the heart of the ocean. Our technology surpassed what you surface dwellers can even imagine. We harnessed the power of the currents, controlled the depths with bio-luminescent light, and cultivated life within luminous kelp forests that stretched as far as the eye could see.
A Curiosity That Led to Ruin
Sadly, we were not content to stay hidden. Our curiosity led us towards the surface once again, driven by a thirst for more knowledge about the world above. We built submersibles, sleek and silent, capable of navigating the pressures of the deep and ventured into the surface world.
One fateful day, a team of explorers we had sent to the world above returned with news that filled our hearts with both wonder and dread. They had discovered vast stretches of land, teeming with life unlike anything we’d ever seen before. But they also brought back whispers of fire, and those who wielded powerful weapons.
We where driven by our thirst for understanding, sending a delegation to the surface. They returned scarred, their minds shattered. The creatures they had encountered were not benevolent explorers but conquerors, driven by their greed and hunger for power. Their fires burned uncontrollably, scorching the land and polluting the waters.
The Sundering
The destruction began with a seismic event, triggered by the uncontrolled use of fire power on the surface. The earth shook, volcanoes erupted, and tsunamis ripped through our oceans. Our once vibrant city was plunged into darkness, our beautiful kelp forests choked by ash and debris.
We lost countless lives that day, our dreams of understanding the surface shattered along with our homes. Those who survived retreated deep into the ocean, vowing never to return. We rebuilt our civilization in the darkness, learning from the mistakes of our past.
A Watchful Eye on the Surface
We long for the day when all beings can live in harmony, sharing their knowledge and resources without fear or greed. Perhaps someday, when the world above heals from its wounds, we Atlanteans can emerge from the depths and share what we have learned.
Now, we watch from the depths, observing your world with a mixture of fear and hope. We see the echoes of our own destruction in your actions – the insatiable hunger for power, the reckless disregard for the delicate balance of nature. We know that one wrong step could plunge you into the same abyss that nearly destroyed us.
That is why we remain hidden. Not because we are afraid of you, but because we fear for you. For if you do not learn from our mistakes, it may well bring extinction to both our worlds and the prophecy will be fulfilled.
Post image by Kazuhiro Tomi from Pixabay
Feature Nanne Tiggelman from Pixabay
Post image Gerd Altmann from Pixabay
Note:
In my scenario some survived Atlantis. Although many believe it to be just a tale it certainly fires the imagination (Shahd 2024).