Chapter 1
Daniel Miller stepped up to the front of the class to present a history report. Of his audience of 30 people, only four were friendly, the others were not more than neutral. It was not that Daniel was an unfriendly person, it was that he was a poor boy in a school of rich kids, and the other kids simply did not understand what it was like to be a working class kid who was bright. There was a lot of class snobbery in the Imperial School. Still, Daniel was glad he had more friends than he had back in Cork.
"Today I am here to discuss chronology disputes," Daniel began. "There are three different timelines for ancient history."
"Stop boring us," Billy Howe, the miscreant of the class, yelled out.
"That�s not possible, dude," his sidekick, Tom Watson replied.
"The traditional timeline says that there is a 300 year gap called the "Dark Age" where nothing was written, produced, or constructed. I find this to be very unlikely. After all, there are similar artifacts directly before and after this supposed Dark Age. If humanity could remember what type of urns to make over 300 years later, how come humanity could not make those urns during those 300 years, or even flint arrowheads."
"Maybe they had amnesia or something?" Billy replied.
"That seems highly unlikely. Since when does an entire civilization disappear for 300 years and then continue on nearly identical line?" Daniel replied.
"I�m just trying to needle you, nerd. I don�t know anything about history, punk," Billy replied.
"Haha, good one," Tom stated.
"The original revised chronology recognized that there were multiple dynasties reigning at the same time in the major empires of old," Daniel contined.
"What do you mean by that?" the teacher asked.
"Well, I will compare it to a situation now in the empire. The Dynasty of Russ rules over the Empire, but the Dynasty of Albright rules over Bravia through the House of Alo. Since both dynasties are concurrent, one has to count both as taking up the same time, otherwise one would posit too long a length of rulership over the Empire," Daniel continued.
"Do you endorse that chronology?" the teacher asked.
"No, but you did not give me a chance to finish," Daniel replied.
"Go on then," the teacher answered.
"The problem with the original revised chronology was that it made too many a prior assumptions about which rulers in the ancient annals matched up with the Holy Book. As a result they were then 300 years too late. That chronology has since fallen into well-deserved ill repute," Daniel replied.
"What are we to do then, nerd?" Bill shouted out.
"Yeah, what are we going to do now?" Tom shouted.
"The answer is the new revised chronology." Daniel answered. "The new chronology shows some of the duplication of the original revised chronology, but without making the same kind of assumptions the original chronology made. As a result, the 300 year Dark Age disappears, and the timeline of the annals is shown to exactly correlate with the chronology in the Holy Book."
"Well, isn�t that convenient?" the teacher asked sarcastically.
"I take it you are not a believer in the Holy Book?" Daniel replied.
"Why would I be?" the teacher answered.
"Because it is true," Daniel replied.
"Where are you from, Daniel?" the teacher answered after looking at the attendance sheet.
"I am from rural Bravia," Daniel answered. "What does that have to do with anything?"
"Ah, I see," the teacher replied. "Rural Bravians still believe in the so-called Holy Book."
"Have you ever thought that we are right to believe, or are you so filled with vanity about your supposed wisdom that you deny everything that convinces you that you are not God already," Daniel replied. "Do you have anything to ask me that is not insulting to me?"
"Ooooh," the class yelled. There was little most of the class liked to see more then Daniel getting into an argument with the teacher. It was not that the class liked either of them, but they liked seeing two people they disliked squabble.
"Alright, you may finish now. I think you present a good argument in your paper, even if I in no means agree with your point of view," the teacher answered. "Besides, at least you have an interest in history."
"I love history," Daniel replied. "When history is true to its sources instead of being hijacked for anti-religious purposes, there is little I like more, besides a good looking face." Daniel winked at Delia, who blushed.
"Oooh," the class yelled again.
"Will the next student come up?" the teacher said. "Bill Howe, will you present your topic to the class?"
"Um," Bill stammered. "I think the dog ate it or something." The class laughed.
"There are no dogs in the Imperial School compound, young master Howe," the teacher replied. "That will be a zero on your report unless you were joking."
"Um, sorry teacher," Bill replied.
"Alright, how about the last student here. Tom Watson, will you present your topic?" the teacher asked.
"Um, I forgot to do it," Tom answered. The class laughed.
"You do realize that this assignment is worth a fifth of your first quarter grade, correct, young master Watson?" the teacher said tiredly.
"Um, yes," Tom gulped.
"Alright, Mr. Watson, the choice is yours. As we are done with the presentations, and I have no lecture notes for the day, you are all free to go off to recess now," the teacher said.
"Yay!" the class yelled as it went outside.
[ Chapter 2 ]
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