‘Took you long enough.’ He smiled
‘I prefer to use more olden methods to visit more olden places, if you will.’
I dismounted from Dusk, again, calming his agitation. My harp was strapped to my back like a backpack.
‘What are we doing out here?’ I trailed my fingers on the tip of the harp
‘You know what’s out there, the old ruins? The broken pieces of those ancient bases?’
‘What about them?’
‘Come with me.’
Leo led me past the thicket, past the oak stumps, past the pine fillings; where I saw all the squirrels, the browned leaves, the tree top greens hovering over us – filling the air with an atmosphere that felt both strange and welcoming at the very same time. I wanted to be here so much. I needed to be here so much that it struck a nerve it may have been overboard. The excitement rang through me. It was an adventure. No adults to tell us no, no machines to stop us now…
‘Look!’ Leo ducked at one of the fallen stumps, pointing over yonder, ‘See it?’
I followed his lead, crouching near him to avoid whatever animal or creature he was seeing that I wasn’t, ‘No.’
‘Look closer… it’s right there.’
Using the best concentrative effort I could’ve mustered at that time, I pointed my gaze like a hawk in the direction he urged me to pay dire attention to. It came clear to me at last. It was one of the old, ancient buildings. An instinctual fear for safety came over me.
‘We shouldn’t be here. That place may still contain uncontrolled radiation or vibrational frequencies.’ I warned
‘Unlikely. It’s been cleansed for centuries.’
‘Leo…’ I fixed my voice in a sterner tone to get his attention, ‘We should go. Now.’
‘Come on. Where’s your sense of adventure? You’ve always loved reading old, earthling books and you even have an import animal.’
‘Dusk was born on Mars.’
‘But his lineage came from earth. All I’m asking is that we check it out closer for once.’
I listened to him wisely before responding again. Seeing the trees and all of nature growing and taking over what was once a seemingly active facility, gave some kind of reassurance that maybe, we’d simply be entering an old ruin and nothing more.
‘Fine.’ I told him, ‘Why did you tell me to bring my harp?’
‘Because…’ He grew a little nervous, ‘I want to take a picture of you. In there.’
Although I was fixed on leaving there immediately, I could not help but smile at his request. Leo loved taking photographs and videos of nature, beauty or art in general. He didn’t admit it then, but Leo saw me as art too.
‘You ready?’ He asked, already getting up to go
‘Let’s go.’ I replied.
He wasn’t the type to watch where he was going. He snipped a branch or two on the way over, focused only on the prized destination. The air did not feel any different there. More or less, it was the same as the other parts of the forest. A sense of accomplishment crept into his face, I could tell he was so happy he took the chance and even happier he did it with me. I kept secure. Looking around, making sure no animal or plant or any other danger was near.
‘Wow.’ He inhaled in victory, taking a good glance of the place. The front doors were clearly once an automated. I’d take a guess and say that they would open for only those authorized. As outdated as they were, they were still sealed shut so there was no way we were able to get in without the proper tools. The best we could’ve done was take photographs outside. Leo wasted no time. He grabbed a small apparatus and started snapping shots of the area while I kept looking around for anything perilous.
‘Alright, I want you to be over…’ He analyzed the best area for me to pose in, ‘Here.’
I followed his direction, still of course, paranoid and slightly agitated we were trespassing this far without protection. I sat at a nearby rock that acted like a chair; the base’s entrance in the background and my fingers gently pulling on my harp’s strings.
‘Perfect.’ He started snapping the photographs until he noticed I wasn’t smiling – ‘Hey, smile!’
I wanted to tell him not to push me and this is all he’ll be getting today. Can’t say I was too proud of being here and the smile itself, it wouldn’t be exactly real. He didn’t complain. He took what he could get and he was content with it. It took some time before I began settling into the abandoned area. There weren’t many animals around, including the small ones. It was another indicator of strangeness.
Then it took another step forward in the strange direction. I heard Dusk becoming more and more agitated. That was enough for me to stop our photograph session to go check on the animal. When I arrived, it was in the nick of time to see him wildly stomp off into another part of the forest.
‘Dusk!’ I screamed, chasing him wildly into the unknown.
Leo followed us. At this point, I didn’t care if I alerted anything else. I wanted my horse back and I wanted to take him home. I ran after him. I ran so fast, Leo was left behind. Had to get him back. Had to get him back! Kept calling his name as I chased him. He never stopped. He kept going. Dusk never ran away from me before.
All of a sudden, I could no longer hear his wild stomping. Actually, I could not hear his running at all. He had stopped. I used the opportunity to quiet my own footsteps, carefully tracking him without the intention of scaring him away again. It was very confusing to me. Dusk had never behaved like this. Finally, I saw him at a river and I saw… someone else.
A woman. Absolutely beautiful, she had long, light, parted golden hair and wore a form fitting white dress that covered her toes. She was there, petting Dusk’s snout; soothing him and telling him it will be alright. I observed for a few seconds before inserting myself into the picture. I wanted to ask her who she was and what did she do to my horse but instead, I walked toward them speechless, unable to make as much as a click in my vocal cords. I remember her looking at me. She gave me such a warm smile with those sparkling green eyes yet I can see underneath it, a great sadness.
‘Astraea!!’ Leo shouted from behind me, closing in.
The very moment I turned around to see him coming, is the very moment I lost sight of the stranger. She disappeared. Only a calmed Dusk remained. Leo was out of breath. He kept asking me if I was alright and if Dusk was fine. I gave him short, affirmative responses while I kept searching the vicinity for the woman.
‘Hey!’ A masculine voice called out to us a little distance in the trees. Three government officials, all dressed in black form fitted suits briskly walked to us. A look of deep concern in their eyes
‘You kids shouldn’t be out here. It’s dangerous.’
Leo immediately became frozen, unable to respond
‘We were just investigating the wilds, sorry.’ I spoke for us.
They looked around the area, as if they too, were looking for something… or someone. It might have been the base, but I wondered how could that be the case? I’m sure they would know more of it than two children would.
‘Did you two see anyone out here?’ One of the men asked me.
I wasn’t sure how to respond. I was still wondering if it was a hallucination so I told him them, ‘no’. They escorted Leo and I to safety while beaming Dusk back to my family’s farm. They told us we had encountered an ancient base once used by an old supercomputer called ‘Zero’. There was more to be said but they kept it brief, and warned they had not finished thorough investigation of its origins. They told me they needed to find someone who will.
That woman, I thought. It had to be…
And it was her indeed. I didn’t know it then. Even as I look over them in my cloaked ship, seeing the younger variant of myself brought some sense of hope, and seeing Leo, as pure as he was then… I was hoping this and my other, unofficial travels would bring closure.
It didn’t…
Lilith and Pleija wanted me to stay with them for some time, especially afte
r hearing of Leo’s death. The burial contained no body. Only faces of family, most saddened yet assured of his continued existence in another life. As far as the man Leo goes, and not any other incarnation before or to come – he’s gone. The day was overcast but it did not rain. I wanted it too.
It could’ve covered my tears. I think the strangest part for everyone else was how I was taking it. I kept trying to enforce composure, despite the bleak time. Yes, there were tears but I didn’t lose myself in them. All I did, was remind myself of all the good times we had together. This is life. No matter how long you think you may live for, or what you might accomplish the next day, the next week or the coming years; sometimes, life can be so fragile. In an instant, everything you were in this lifetime can be gone. Death can come any moment. This is a fate I am very aware of, yet I never thought it would be me to bury him. I always thought Leo would’ve lived longer than me. Perhaps it’s the pain of the vacancy that kept those thoughts afloat. Nevertheless, I wasn’t delusional but still, I must confess – it hurts.
Pleija and her mother lived in a lesser remote area. They lived among a small village over a slope. The neighbors’ could be considered living a great distance away, so disturbance was never a problem. Besides, in my time on Mars, everyone lived in unity. Black, white, yellow, red and blue races together. They had a large farm, one Lilith adored. Animals were never allowed into the living complex of humans, but they kept horses, fowls, chicken and cows with a wheat field, containing a mass of their own vegetation. They were self-sufficient. It was rare for them to need anything outside their home.
They treated me well in the time I stayed. Lilith and I caught up on a lot of things, including her possible new husband she’d been seeing. Neither of them urged or forced me to do anything, or go anywhere. I still offered. To help out that is, whether it was working in the barns, handling the farm, particularly the horses. I wanted too anyway and yes, I did meet my old horse – Dusk. He was very aged, I could tell he had entered his later years. A genetically modified horse still has its day where it will close its eyes. As do we all.
Dusk was more than happy to see me. He missed me very much and it was a pleasure to reunite with the animal again after so long. And yet, there was something more that I needed to do to keep myself from being lost in an endless depression. The early days had me overthinking on Leo, our past and what our future could’ve been and even today, I still think of it, but I had to force myself to carry on, somehow.
One day I woke up earlier than the other girls. It was a day that didn’t feel like the other gloomy ones. It felt hopeful. I went to the barn and unsheathed Dusk from his quarters. I took him out to the field and we went riding in the distance. I kept his pace slow at first. I wanted to see the rising sun over my Martian lands. The way it highlighted the greens of the slope, it gave off this kind of hue that felt warm and refreshing. It forced me to open my eyes and see Creation in a new light. Leo trailed in my mind as I rode across the outskirts of the slope, eyeing the town over the horizon. The buildings were not crowded like they were on earth; it was smooth, circular, a good distance from each other and contained no skyscrapers or any other egotistical monuments that would threaten the structure of the planet. With the sunlight hitting them in the early morning, they blended into nature as if they were one. It was beautiful.
The thought of Leo was not a sad one this time. Our love was so strong, and so real that despite the physical form of him may have been completed in this lifetime, if we were to meet again, there would be no denying of that love. Love is not just a thought or an action, or a deed, love is an energy that binds all things. It is a permanence, the very sunbeam of the universal consciousness that connects all things and allows existence to be. If it weren’t for love, the human race would’ve died out, eons ago. And here I sit on my horse wondering of this eternal concept. The power of love goes beyond death; a connection that reunites and ignites time and time again. A potency so powerful that we cannot ever forget it.
So why do I decide to smile as the sun hits my face?
Is it denial? Is it a form of coping with the loss? One could say that, and would that be so wrong if it were the case? No, it’s more. It’s much more. It’s an assurance that we will meet again. Be it the next life, a thousand lives from now or the time when we translate into Creation itself, we will be one again. These human containers; these puppets are just actors or guess houses to our spirit’s residence. One day we will grow beyond the need for physical incarnations, love guiding us all the way there. Sooner or later, we all feel the embrace of it.
Now tell me, why should I hold my head down and mope around?
I’ll always love him, that won’t change. He was more than a lover and a husband-to-be. He was a great friend. I may not be able to fully let go of his death just yet, but I will say one thing. What we have goes beyond death and that could never be taken away. That gives me surety to smile again. It gives me the will to take this harp on my back and start playing again. Come Dusk, take me home. There’s somewhat of a song I want to write…
The clouds are high and the moonlight dims,
Until light beams across the fields,
The birds sing, the flowers bloom,
My tears dry to the rising sun,
There’s a plate my dear,
One that sings a tale of a girl coming home,
Her castle waits, the doors beckon her in,
Ride with me to see,
All the wonder that gushing river had been blocking,
Beauty is this tale’s key,
Only the light,
Ride with me to another place,
Maybe here or there,
Or in a far away place,
See the gloom no more,
Only rise to challenge another step in life’s mystery door
“You’re playing again?” Pleija came into my room whilst I was practicing a few strings on the harp
“Looks like it.” I smiled as I continued practicing. There was a bit of rustiness I had to shake off, but there was a renewed effort in my creative flow. She smiled back at me then left me alone. A few more strokes and then I’d receive a call from Monasos asking me to come in. The council wanted to see me.
“I’m on vacation.” I’d warn him
“Certainly, you are. However this is of global importance to the people of Mars.” He’d reply
With that being the case, I placed my feelings aside and told him I’d be there in a few minutes.
When I arrived at the council’s office, Monasos greeted me neutrally and escorted me to The Council who were all waiting for me. I asked them what’s this whole thing about and that’s when we got down to business. Monasos directed the conversation at the center of the room. He was standing as he was talking.
“As you know we have been evaluating the mission to Sirius for an extended period of time. There have been some complications, however, things have moved accordingly to the original plan. Two months ago an unexpected catastrophe occurred on route our interstellar investigative research team. The crew of SEEK collided with an unknown vessel in deep space. There were no survivors of the SEEK team, however there was a survivor from the unknown vessel. Colin Sphere. It’s taken some time to repair him back to medically stable status. We can rest assured that he has been restored. The next step in the finalization of the Sirius’ decision lays in information we receive from Colin Sphere.”
Monasos pointed his eyes to me, “Astraea, he’s asked to speak to you directly by name. We will grant this request under the condition that our mission remains first priority. Among your many disciplines is psychology, so with that regard, you are well fitted to handle this exchange along with your experience dealing with the Spheres’ and the Zero incident.”
The rest of the council looked at me.
I only gave them one response, “I am ready.”
Monasos led me to the observation room. It was two rooms; one that acted as a direct observation quarter which had a la
rge window, peering into the other room where Colin sat in a chair waiting. There was another chair in the room, vacant and also waiting. Waiting for me. I maintained a calm composure as I entered the quarters where Colin sat. The rest of the council remained in the previous room observing. Colin immediately identified me. I could tell he went from uncomfortable to forming an expression that loudly said, ‘help me’.
“Hello Colin.” I greeted him, taking my seat at the opposite end of the room, facing him
“Astraea…” He silently whispered, “Is it really you?”
“Surely, it is.”
Colin sighed in relief with a slight agitation caused by his new skin from the facial reconstruction surgery. He appeared different – no hair at all, bald with an underline frustration he was consciously working to control
“Do you know where you are?” I asked him
“Yes. I have retained my memory since the crash.”
“That’s good. How are you feeling?”
“Better. Your people have taken very good care of me.”
My eyes darted to the dark observation window momentarily, then back to him – “Good. Now, listen to me very carefully. When you boarded the ancient Sirian vessel, and set the coordinates to a random region in deep space to save the people of your time, you didn’t just warp the ship away from Mars. You entered a different time space configuration.”
Colin was very focused. He did not ever stray his attention away from me
“You jumped about 356 years into the future where you crashed into an interstellar team sent by my people. Do you understand this?”
Zero Sphere: A Space Opera Thriller Page 23
