From Ezra’s Perspective:

     I arrived a few nights ago, with Victoria and Dustin. We finally got our digging permit for Kenya. I knew that near Lake Victoria there were plenty of fossils and artifacts, and I knew how important this lake was. I was hoping this could soothe my nerves. In Kenya, I was hoping I could finally make it for real. An official, important archeologist. We had some tents in the Chalbi desert, and later that day, a team of archeologists and a few scientists would come in. On the plane ride here, I couldn’t fall asleep. The tickets were amazing though. I was pondering what kind of bones I would find. Victoria’s family was quite wealthy, and always supported our archeology dream, even since we were young children. My mom and dad said medical school was the way to go, I could support a family that way. I always felt guilty about choosing to dig fossils over saving lives. But I also didn’t want a family just yet. I didn’t even want a partner yet. I liked moving from place to place, the commotion, but also being alone. I cared about my legacy more than having a family. I had only ever dug minor living species bones, never anything major. I hoped that today would be the day I make history, and hopefully make my parents proud.

     I hadn’t had much luck the first few days. It was quite serene though, digging my personal troubles away. Family difficulties cannot obstruct my work experience. Every single rock, or stick, I would throw, and think to myself, that was the last remnant of your parental issues. It was no use. I couldn’t leave it behind. I gathered the sticks and rocks. I knew they were pointless, but they were important to my personal growth. Leaving my home issues would be like missing a chunk of my childhood. Chunk…missing…that’s it! I just finally realized why archeology is so important to me, why I care so much, and why I want this to be my legacy. There have always been chunks missing from our history. My job was to discover them and to fill them in.

     After realizing this meaning of my life, I jotted it down in my scrapbook, where I would put the rocks and sticks. I knew I would remember it, but this was monumental. I wrote down the date, made myself lemonade, and exited the tent. When I got outside, Dustin and Ezra were belting (off-key) You Are My Sunshine, and I joined along. It was fun, kind of stupid, but relaxing. They were probably singing it because the Sun was burning our skin, painting it darker. I got my digging tool, and started digging, still singing, until I hit something hard. It was a bone! I kept digging, gingerly, but eagerly. There were more! I wanted to go at a rapid pace, but I had to be careful.

     “I found bones! A bunch of them!” I exclaimed, ecstatic. Everyone swarmed around me, like sharks in a huge pool of fish. Once I carefully got them out, they looked almost chimp-like, but still had human features. The scientists took them away and said they would let me know as soon as possible.

     I must’ve checked their tent fifty times that night. Until they finally found their answer. It was 1:37 A.M exactly, when they came to my tent, and shared the news. It was a hominid! It outdated all hominids previously. We told the government, and they were also excited. I got a huge payment, and it was spread in the press globally. My legacy was expansive and would change generations forever. It could even change the universe. I finally made my parents proud. They realized how important my job was. I named the hominid Sunny, after the beautiful, now the luckiest song in the world for me, I sang when I made this incredible discovery.