Early Earth Book 1

“Belief in fanciful creatures such as elves, gnomes, and fairies was common not only in Medieval Europe but throughout Western Civilization's history…” droned the monotone teacher.

Fong's hand shot high in the air as words continued to mechanically dribble out of Professor Malkin’s mouth.

“Yes, Miss Chow, you had a question?”

“Yes sir. Isn't it unscientific to say creature is fanciful just because we no see them now? We no see dinosaur or Dodo bird now, but we believe they existed. Maybe we should no say elves is fanciful.” Fong spoke in the best English she could muster.

Heads turned to face Fong. Stifled chuckles could be heard from the back of the room. Several smirks were visible throughout the class.

Professor Malkin cleared his throat. “Well,” he said in a slightly patronizing tone, “I would call dinosaurs and Dodo birds fanciful if there were no evidence that they existed. Clearly, we have no such evidence for the creatures we call fanciful. There is no skeletal evidence like we have from the dinosaurs, nor are there eyewitness accounts like we have of the Dodo bird.”

Fong's hand shot up again before the professor could resume his monologue. He raised his bushy eyebrows as if to say, “Yes, what else?”

“But we no have skeleton or eyewitness for transition creature in evolution chain either. We have apes and we have peoples, but we have no living creature in between, not even skeletons,” Fong pointed out. “And people say evolution factual, no fanciful.”

Professor Malkin breathed deeply through his nose, growing perturbed. “Oh, I wouldn't say that.” His opinion of Fong’s line of questioning was clear now in his tone. “We do have skeletal evidence of evolutionary transition beings.” He held his hand out to the side, gesturing to an imaginary example. “Take Ramapithecus, Australopithecus and Nebraska Man, for example.”

Fong shot back, this time without bothering to raise her hand. “But no one of those is complete skeleton, professor. No one ever found whole skeleton of any creature between ape and man. Peoples can only guess what missing bones, flesh and hair look like. After study, we now know Ramapithecus is just type of orangutan. And Nebraska Man imagined and named by professor after finding just single tooth. Years later we learn tooth belong to pig. Nebraska man never exist. He only pig tooth!”

The rest of the students were now fully mentally engaged. This was in part due to the out-of-bounds subject matter and also because Fong's knowledge and tenacity were clearly agitating the professor. This was shaping up to be the first lively lesson in a very dull semester.

Candice subtly turned to look at Rocky, who was holding up his notebook for his friend to see. He had scribbled a note in large letters that said, “Fong no wight, Fong wong!” Rocky's friend muffled a laugh. Candice lowered her head and buried it in her hands. All she could think about was how embarrassed she was that Rocky knew she was friends with Fong.

“Young lady,” said the professor crisply, whipping his glasses off of his face and gripping them tightly as his hand shook, “scientists are allowed to make mistakes, and complete skeletons are not necessary to prove evolution. Around the globe we have numerous skulls on display in museums that are markedly different from those of human skulls today. Some are smaller than ours, a few are bigger than ours, and some are shaped differently than ours, but they are all of the primate family. How much more proof do you need?”

“But, professor,” Fong persisted, “some peoples born today have smaller heads, bigger heads and different shape heads. Peoples who is micro cephalic have small skull and peoples who is macro cephalic born today have larger skull. They shaped different from ours—just like those skulls in museum. Just because person has misshapen skull no mean he not human!”

The professor was momentarily silenced. A pre-med student in the class, impressed, raised her eyebrows and nodded in agreement. Professor Malkin's inability to snap back with a quick rebuttal amused some students and the entire class was now watching him and waiting for his answer. The abnormal attention flustered him even more.

Seizing the opening, Fong continued, “Since no hard evidence exist for transition evolution creature, and no eyewitness exist, why we believe in them? But for elves we have many old eyewitness reports from many countries who called them by different names, like you say. We have more reason for believe in elves than believe evolution.”

Finally Rocky spoke up and blurted out, “I thought this was Medieval History class, not Fantasy Creatures 101!”

A burst of laughter from the class followed. Professor Malkin savored it a moment and then resumed his droning lecture where he had left off. When class ended, Candice was the first to exit. Once outside, she lit into Fong.

“Alright, Fong, for all your evidence stuff you talk about, where do you see any evidence of little green men running around?”

“Elves not little green men, Candice!” Fong said, getting spirited. “Elves is noble race. They have skin like us only unblemished and much more tougher. They have hair like us only thicker and more healthy. They have body like us human, only they taller, stronger, more handsome and live hundreds of years without dying. And you can see by looking in elf's eyes that he smarter and more pure in heart than human. You think football player cute? Wait 'til you see elf!”

“Oh. My. Word, Fong! Where do you get this stuff?”

But Fong did not hear her. For at the very moment she finished her description of elves, she saw him, just ahead in a cluster of trees and shrubs. His clothing was either made of leaves or simply nonexistent. Fong couldn't tell. He was so well camouflaged that only his head was visible, but it was unmistakable what he was—he was an elf!