The Educated

Ejikeme stood beside the great white hunters at the waterfalls of Gurara, a perilous crossing.

“I have a craft that will safely take us across,” said Ejikeme.

Mr. Dowding, leader of the hunting party smirked, “Oh really?”

“Yes. Made it myself.”

Dowding snorted and whispered to his companions, “Probably a dugout canoe. You know how uneducated these natives can be.”

Eschewing Ejikeme’s offer, the hunters opted for fashioning a simple rope bridge. They all crossed, but bruised and bloody and missing many pieces of equipment.

They watched slack-jawed as a huge mechanical spider began crossing. Its easily traversed the violent torrents. Inside the cab Ikemba completed another NY Times crossword puzzle. He sipped his martini and noted the scientific scribbles Ejikeme composed. “What’s that?”

“Updates for the spider’s cold fusion drive. It’s more efficient.”

“You should share cold fusion with the whites.”

“Nah. They’ll just say it can’t be done.”
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Written for What Pegman Saw: https://whatpegmansaw.com/2018/03/31/gurara-waterfalls-nigeria/

Author’s Notes:

I wonder if it’s plausible that a highly advanced civilization (like the civilization in Black Panther) could stay so hidden for so long. On the other hand, given the astonishing biases that Westerners can hold, it’s possible they had seen plenty of evidence and refused to believe it. Thus advanced tech remains hidden. It’s not real if you didn’t believe it, right?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Panther_(film)

Cold Fusion is a powerful energy source, and it has been a dream for quite some time, but many say it’s not possible:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/startswithabang/2016/09/23/is-cold-fusion-feasible-or-is-it-a-fraud/