One small step

"Okay. So I watched it. Now what?"
Nebedius returned the small computer pad to Adahy. He seemed to be confused.
"So what?", Adahy repeated. "Don't you see? This video.... this comment on the empathic society is very much everything that our community is about. It seems that people start to learn."
"You're an optimist, arent't you? How many people start to learn, I'm asking you. Are they enough to save the future of mankind?"
Adahy laughed out loud. "That's how I know you, my friend! Then tell me: How many must there be to be 'enough'? One million? Two million? Or three billions? What exact figures do you have in mind?"
"I'm sorry to interrupt you", the taxi driver said without turning around to his passengers in the back of his car, "but are you sure that the address is right?"
"Absolutely", Adahy replied. "Why? What's wrong with it?"
"It's just the place. You see, 'Meadows of Heaven' was a small village set on the Pacific shore for some rich people who wanted to live in peace and silence. Some celebrities came here. But soon they found out that peace and silence are quite boring to them. In addition, non of the photographers ever came out here. Just too far away from any civilization. And what's a celebrity without having photos all around in the press?"
"It might be unsatisfying for them", Adahy explained. "But it sounds like a perfect place for us. The address is right. I've been here before."
"But what do you want out there?", the driver asked. "Nobody lives here anymore."
"Not yet", Adahy smiled.
"What do you mean by that?"
"Do you know our community? The 'Quysthali'?"
"I've read about you. You are some sort of.... advisors or.... philosophers oder something, right?"
"Yes. Our community was found in 2005 with the intention to.... yes, to help mankind through the problems we're encountering."
"Your big boss, this man with the Japanese name..."
"Jin'Enom."
"Yeah! Wasn't he a millionaire or something?"
"Yes, he was. A long story. He decided to give his money to found the 'Quysthali'. And here we are."
"I'm sorry to ask, but.... you're native American, eh?"
"Cherokee, yes. My name is Adahy."
"And you, Sir?"
"What?"
Nebedius was surprised. The whole time he followed the conversation between Adahy and the driver in silence. He didn't expect to become a part of it.
"You're American, too, Sir, what was your name?", the taxi driver said.
"I'm called Nebedius, it means something like 'the learner'. I'm American, yes."
"But this Quysthali community.... isn't it located somewhere in Germany?"
"Yes", Nebedius answered.
"And no", Adahy added.
Now the driver laughed out loud. "You're good.... like Laurel and Hardy. And what's the real answer?"
"We're both right", Adahy explained. "Originally the Quysthali were located in Germany, southern Germany to be exact. If you've ever heard of a place called castle Rosenegg...."
"No, sorry."
"But since 2005 we got new sections.... oder chapters, if you want to call them that way. Switzerland, Australia, and Thailand. So we are no longer only in Germany."
"Now I see - you're here to make a new section of your community! You want to make it in 'Meadows of Heaven'."
Adahy smiled. "You're right. It is the fifth section. And soon there will be more, in the Netherlands and Egypt."
"Are you planning to buy a house in the 'Meadows'?"
"No. We already bought it."
"Pardon?"
"We bought the whole place. It seemed to be a good place for our purposes. Although we're not sure of the name."
"What's wrong with it?"
"'Meadows of Heaven' sounds like the afterlife. But we take care of the real life. But you just called it 'the Meadows'. Perhaps that's a good name."
"I was just making it short."
"Yes, and 'the Meadows' is a good name for that place."
"We gonna be there soon."
"Thank god!", Nebedius said. "It was a hard night. The flight to San Francisco, and now this car journey to nowhere."
"Always remember, my dear fried: Every journey, as big as it may seem, always starts with the first step. So this 'journey to nowhere' is only one small step in an even bigger journey for the Quysthali."
The Pacific coast was coming nearer.

PROLOG

The big journey of mankind to conquer planet Earth started with the first appearence of the modern Homo Sapiens in Omo Kibish on the continent of Africa. Approximately 130'000 years later men left the African continent and arrived in the Arabian area. From there mankind was following different paths in three general directions. One part of mankind went south and arrived in Australia 20'000 years later. The second direction was east, those travellers arrived 30'000 years later in Asia and 50'000 years later in America. The third direction was north, those travellers arrived in Europe 35'000 years later.
Because mankind was spread so for on such a big area and separated by oceans men have become strangers to each other. They were no longer speaking the same language, they had developed different cultures and habits, and didn't understand those of the others. Aggression and war were the consequences, leading from one age of battle to another.
But there was a little hope. In short periods men did really find peace and developed the idea of not fighting each other, but working together. And don't judge others by tribe, nation, skin color or whatsoever.

20 centuries past since a man was executed because he said that it would be better if people were nice to each other.  With the beginning of the 21st century according to the timeline of one part of the world it seemed that aggression, hate and war returned into daily life. Some people just went mad about that and gave up. Mankind would not survive, they said. If it was not in a giant war, then mankind would be extinct from the climate change. The climate change that mankind itself had produced.

And then there were others. People who didn't give up. Who wanted to take the challenge of the problems mankind encountered and will encounter in future. Such people are the 'Quysthali'. Their mission are the problems of mankind. They started in 2005. And they go on.

There must be something worth trying for.