The Bones that Remained (flash fiction)

in #microfiction25 days ago

The archeologist tipped back his hat and marveled at the ivy-covered ruins.

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“It’s painstaking work analyzing the remains of ancient people," he said to the grave robbers who were holding him at gun point. "To recreate their way of life, we have to break up the site into discrete units of analysis starting with the activity area. A hearth or a shrine, for example. The places where stuff got done within a household, clusters of households, buildings, squares, if such they had, then villages and networks of villages within a valley region, which itself connects to other valleys in the interregional Marineris networks . Systematically, we pick through the artifactual bones of their technological remains to make the connections. It is not the bones per se that are of value, you see, but their position in the matrix of activity that allows us to hear their ancient voices and learn their way of life."

"I don't give a shit. Just take us to the tomb before I plug you," said one of his captors.

The archeologist's shoulders slumped, and he looked down at the ground. Kneeling, he picked up a broken piece of pottery and examined the patterns on its glazed surface.

"What a marvelous puzzle!”

He turned around in a swift motion then threw the shard like a spinning ninja star and struck one of the robbers in the forehead.

"Son of a gun hit me! Look I'm bleeding!" cried the ruffian. "Where did he go?"

"He went this way, let's go!" said another.

The robbers all took off running into the labyrinth and chased after the fleeing archeologist.

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Well done! I've read stories of much greater length that gave me much less satisfaction :)

I'm glad you enjoyed it. Sometimes (or most of the times) I enjoy the quick tale that is over in a flash :)

But the archaeologist knows the place and they don't... the importance of knowledge!

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