The Old Chinaman
I have lived at the beach for a long time and there are many stories I can tell you. One especially comes to mind.
It was an old Chinaman who moved into our neighbourhood in the eighties, and made a home and raised a family. But the old fella was always considered a bit funny. He did acupuncture without fanfare, knew of many medicines and ways that were ancient in eastern culture, and then got into diving.
He saved up to take lessons and the price came down as he went more often. Then when his children were only young they started construction in their back yard, of what can only be described as a giant upside down pyramid, made of concrete. So this upside down pyramid had huge chain links set in the middle and coming out for fifteen feet or so. The brickies and council guy spread the word real fast and we though we had a nutter on our hands.
Over the years his kids grew and got into diving and one of the kids actually really liked it. So did the mother, though she was in her fifties when she took it up.
And the old Chinaman, when his kids were in their twenties or so, let it slip to a neighbour one night that he thought the world was ending soon. Seems the planet had had enough, that mother earth was going to send a tidal wave that would wipe out huge coastal areas worldwide. Well we all thought he was a loony.
All the while this weird family lived in our midst, the kids went off to do their thing, live their lives. As the kids got to their thirties, both still unmarried, they came home. There was great activity at the house. Drilling and banging and coming and going and lots of shopping. They were always shopping. People whispered that they were stocking up and kids in the street openly mocked them.
The eruptions, storm and tidal wave built up over three days in the middle of the week. The havoc wreaked on the planet by humans over a long time finally destroyed the environment the humans lived in. By the time the meteorologists could actually guarantee it would happen, it was too late, people could not get out of the cities.
In our area the old Chinaman and his family survived though. They donned their scuba gear, double air tanked, with more bolted to the concrete slab, chained themselves to the slab and waited it out. It took a while but they had plenty of air. There were also several large waterproof steel boxes bolted around the edge of the giant plug which filled their back yard.
After the wave had receded, the Chinaman and his family unbolted themselves, and slowly drifted up 30 feet or so to the light, the surface and a new world.
Never mock what you cannot prove.