11.30am, Sunday 23rd May
[The camera shows a sweeping view of the lawns in front of Old Parliament House. They are crowded with people of all races and ages. The crowd is lit by floodlights that have been set up around the perimeter of the lawns. The uniforms of the police and security guards scattered through the crowd stand out.]
Newsreader Amy: "We are here at Old Parliament House to witness the ritual that is being performed by the Aboriginal elder Thidnapakanha and a number of other representatives of local Aboriginal tribes. Thidnapakanha claims that this ritual will bring back the sun. I must say, it's astonishing that so many people have turned out."
Newsreader Greg: "I disagree. People are looking for some sort of hope. The Ecumenical Council of the ACT has thrown its weight behind this ritual, as have the Chief Minister and the Leader of the Opposition."
Newsreader Amy: "Well, by all appearances we're in for a treat here today. It's rare for such a spectacle to be performed so publicly."
[The camera shows a close-up of a stage that has been constructed for the event, draped in black cloth. As the camera focuses on the stage, an elderly Aboriginal woman dressed in traditional garb clambers up the stairs.]
Newsreader Amy [hushed]: "That is an Aboriginal elder called Grandmother Mari by her people."
Grandmother Mari: "We t'ank you for comin' out today to help us bring back the sun. The ritual we gonna do is a fight between Sun and Dark." [Mari nods her head, clearly nervous in front of the cameras, and steps to the back of the stage.] "T'ank you for your support."
[An Aboriginal man recognisable as Thidnapakanha comes onto the stage from the right, and, somewhere, a didgeridoo starts to play. Thidnapakanha is dressed in a loincloth, and has symbols painted over his chest in yellow paint. In his right hand, he holds an elaborately
painted spear. He starts to dance around the stage, slowly moving from
the right to the left.]
Newsreader Greg: "Thidnapakanha represents the sun, rising in the sky and heading to the west."
[After five minutes of dancing, appearing on the left side of the stage is another older Aboriginal man, dressed similarly. But his chest is painted with symbols in black paint that shimmers in the electric lighting. The two men freeze, staring at each other, and, at the back of the stage, Grandmother Mari starts chanting in one of the many Aboriginal dialects, her voice and the didgeridoo setting the rhythm by which the dancers move.]
Newsreader Greg: "This man represents the forces of darkness, that stop the sun in his path."
[The pair, both holding their spears before them, pace toward one another like prowling cats, their eyes locked in a fierce battle of wills. A metre apart from one another, they move simultaneously, their spears meeting in the air with a resounding crack. They continue to stare, their muscles visibly straining against one another, and, after a good minute or so, the man painted with the signs for darkness lowers his eyes slightly and dances backwards. Thidnapakanha dances forward a couple of steps, pushing his advantage.
[Swarming onto the stage are other men painted with the black paint, carrying smaller spears, none of them as old as the first two on the stage. They reinforce their retreating leader, encircling Thidnapakanha so that he can't move forward any further. They dance around him in a weaving circle, clacking their spears together, producing a racket.]
Newsreader Greg: "And now the Sun has to fight his way free of the darkness, which outnumbers him."
[The camera shows the fight beginning as Thidnapakanha lashes out with his spear, tapping it against the side of one of the young men playing Darkness. The man wails theatrically, clutching his side, and falls back.
[Then the picture cuts to a ruckus in the crowd. Police are converging on a man dressed in camoflague fatigues, who is struggling with another member of the crowd. and yelling.]
Struggling man: "- and God shall strike down the devil worshippers who seek to - "
[The man disappears behind a wall of blue-uniformed bodies, who move in a knot toward the edge of the crowd.]
Newsreader Amy: "And security has quickly taken care of a protestor who apparently disagrees with this spectacle. The Christian Fundamentalists known as 'The Army of Righteousness' had promised to attempt to disrupt the event. Perhaps this gentleman was a member."
[The camera cuts back to the mock battle on the stage. Three of the men representing the Darkness are moving as though wounded, but Thidnapakanha is still surrounded and hasn't gained any ground.
[The battle continues, and the picture on the screen develops an insert which shows to scenes from around the city while the larger image continues to show the ritual: a large crowd is in Garema Place in Civic, watching a broadcast of the event on the big screen; an even larger crowd has gathered on the foreshore of Lake Burley Griffin, holding candles, praying, and singing hymns, led by the clearly recognisable Reverend Isiah Rice.]
Newsreader Amy: "That is Reverend Rice from the 'Prevent The End Coalition'."
[Then the insert image fades between similar shots from around the country, of groups gathering and praying, outside or indoors, many faces turned upwards in supplication, whether that be to a god or to the sun itself.
[Finally, it the insert disappers and the full screen shows the ritual once again, where Thidnapakanha has beaten back all of the young men representing Darkness with a terrific clattering of spear against spear, the chanting of Grandmother Mari and the rumbling of the didgeridoo. They fall back to the left, and disappear from the stage, and Thidnapakanha, moving more slowly now but with great determination, approaches the other old man painted with symbols of darkness.]
Newsreader Greg: "We appear to be reaching the climax of the rite now."
[Thidnapakanha shouts a single word - "Biringal!" - and the other elder, the Darkness, flinches, bringing his spear up in a wavering grip. "Biringal!" Thidnapakanha shouts again, striking with his spear. Some members of the audience yell with him. The Darkness blocks the blow, but poorly, and it smacks against his shoulder. He drops his spear. "BIRINGAL!" Thidnapakanha yells a third time, holding the tip of his spear to the Darkness' throat and turning to the audience, holding his left hand out to them.]
The crowd [yelling]: "BIRINGAL! BIRINGAL! BIRINGAL!"
Newsreader Amy [gasps]: "What's that?"
[The camera draws back hastily, as though the cameraman is trembling, and tilts upwards, towards the sky that has been so dark. A light is glowing dimly. Out of sight, the crowd goes wild, screaming almost incoherently. "BIRINGAL! BIRINGAL! BIRINGAL!"
[The light grows brighter.]
Newsreader Amy: "Oh Lord!"
[With a flash that whitens the screen, the light bursts into brilliance, flaring out across the crowd. In a wave, the sunlight races across the city and continues outwards, flooding the country with midday sunlight.]
Newsreader Greg [sounding shocked]: "It worked! Holy shit, it worked!"
The crowd [yelling]: "BIRINGAL! BIRINGAL! BIRINGAL!"
ARCHEOLOGISTS DISCOVER UNDERGROUND CITY
The following material is found in your local newspapers dated May 17, 2004:
Nevsehir, Turkey - AP - Twenty kilometers south of Nevsehir, a trio of boys stumbled across a cave they had never noticed before. The boys notified local law enforcement, and soon, scholars were called in to examine the site. What they found was an amazing subterranean complex of buildings constituting a stone "city" beneath the harsh desert of the area.
Researchers have based themselves at the dig site and in the nearby village of Kaymakli. Eight teams from around the globe work day and night to preserve the site and discover its secrets.
These teams were excited to find a number of bodies within the underground city. However, due to improper handling techniques by the first individuals on the scene, a number of these bodies have disintegrated into dust upon removal.
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The following is a broadcast that is aired on the Discovery Channel, Thursday May 20, 2004 at 8:00pm Eastern and Pacific.
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Inside The Underground City of Nevsehir
Discovery channel
Host: It is estimated that almost 15,000 people lived in this underground city, spread out over eight floors. These floors were sub-divided into separate walled sections, for defensive purposes.
[Large mill stone gate shown]
Host: Each of these sections can be isolated from the others by closing these large round stone gates. Each gate is approximately five feet in diameter. Between the gates are long cramped tunnels almost 12 miles long, and only narrow enough for people to pass single file.
[Interior shot of stone rooms]
Host: However, once inside the living section, the homes, meeting halls, and other facilities are much larger and more comfortable. Archeologists have also found chapel areas in the city, many with Judeo-Christian symbology plainly displayed.
[Image of stone grainery with two desiccated bodies on the ground, locked in an embrace]
Host: These storage rooms were capable of storing enough food for at least four months for all 15,000 residents. Underground wells supplied fresh water, and air shafts provided air circulation.
[Host standing in front of the caves]
Host: As you can see on this large gate stone, we have found a number of carvings in a language not seen before by scientists and linguists. So far, teams around the world have been unable to translate these carvings, even using the most advanced linguistics software and methodologies known today.
[Swipe cut to interior shot of a large stone library, filled with books, scrolls and tablets]
Hosts: However, here in the lower levels of the city, searchers found an astounding library. The texts range from ancient stone tablets to leather bound books most common in the Dark Ages. Carbon dating has begun on these texts and researchers hope to release translation of their contents to the scholarly community soon.
[Back to host at the front]
Hosts: Next week, we hope to bring you inside what archeologists think is the biggest find yet in the city. They have located a section of the city they believe to be the Grand Feast Hall. Hopefully, we will be able to open that room live on the air with you, and see what amazing artifacts are within. See you next week.