We are Infinite ∞

LENORA - PAST

The gardens are beautiful today, but this sad excuse for a man keeps following me as I walk further and further into the garden. This man's arrogance can be seen from space! I try to ignore him and walk faster, but he soon catches up to me.

"Hey!" he yells, "I meant no offense, your ways are so... different from the rest of the universe. It's hard to understand it, but I am here to learn."

His words catch me off guard and I stop to face him. He looks sincere and worried. His deep blue eyes are shaded from a deep frown as he searches my eyes for a response.

"Why do you speak so differently now? Why bother at all? It is as your people say, 'you can't teach a dog new tricks." He smiles at that, "well you can at least try."

"Earth's treats leaders with great respect and makes sure they have the finest of things. This is because we are public servants and devote our lives to them and our positions. It's simply how respect is given." pausing and taking a deep breath in before he speaks, he softens his eyes. "When I see that you don't have enough food, and servants eat among us, that is a show of great disrespect. They are your servants that is their job, you devote yourself so completely to them you should have time to yourself, and servants sitting among us, just crosses the lines. Everyone here seems to even speak to each other with no regard to rank. That is insane! Don't you see this disrespect?"

He is red in the face and his voice has risen but my response stays as calm as the crystal river that runs through the garden, "I am a public servant to my people and share in their hardships, I have great respect for my people to dine with them and speak freely with them and they return that respect. They have given so much more than I have given, and I will not disregard that." My voice is as soft as steel, but the heat I feel in my cheeks can unfortunately not be as cool as steel. I don't let it affect me and raise my chin. " That is the difference between you and me, you demand respect without it being earned, I give respect in order to receive it." His face has become thought full and the redness has left. He says nothing but stares at me, his chest rising and falling slowly, when he takes a look around the garden and his eyes land back on me. He runs his hands down his face, dragging this skin within, and gives an exaggerated sigh.

"That is an interesting notation, see we can learn from each other and we need to in order to live peacefully," he says with a hit of annoyances. He turns to the gardens, "let's start with this" he gestures his hand to the whole garden, "who tends it, is it so lavish?"

"It is like this because I am near here. I am the child of this world, reincarnated over and over again into the soil, plants, water, the people. I am my people, and my people are me and we are off of Viggs. Viggs provides greatly for my people and I give back to it with my life force. Everything is on balance, you see."

He looks taken back by this, his eyes now widened fully, and just looks otherwise dumbfounded. "So, the rumors are true? You are mother nature!"

This statement annoys me and it shows in my voice and no doubt my face, "I am not, I am a child of nature, I come from a long line of them. I am simply recycled from Viggs and our people passed. That is why we are treated like royalty, we give our lives for our people, to Viggs' soul so that it will keep providing for them." I glance around the gardens at the river that snakes through, the large trees hanging overhead, beautiful flowers exploding color that never fades. I glance at the large magnolia trees throughout and think of my family, this garden is their tomb, and the trees their bodies. The sweet smell from the flowers is breath filling me with hope and the sadness of loss.

He says nothing only intaking in the beauty of the tomb he has no knowledge of. I wonder if he can feel the sadness here, the lives that once were. The wind blows and I catch him leaning into this with his eyes closed taking in the beauty of it. He doesn't open his eyes when he speaks with me, "I have never seen these many plants outside before, only in growaies. I have never experienced the wind with the smell of fresh flowers, earth." He takes in a deep breath. "The peacefulness that this place offers." With his head still tilted he looks at me out of the corner of his eye and smiles. Heat rising to my cheeks and I take in his peacefulness and hope fills my lungs. I smile back, "well as long as you and your people are willing to listen and learn that we can all experience peace."