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I glanced impatiently at the blue wrist watch on my hand. The time was 7:00 pm. Krishna would reach in about half an hour. Krishnasree, who I passionately called Krishna is my best friend and colleague. I sauntered towards the bookshelf, my eyes running through the rows of books, searching for something to read. My eyes suddenly fell on a diary, my diary from when I was young. Many memories were tied to this book. Memories that I did not like to think about, memories of the place which used to be my home - Earth.
It has been almost 10 years. I was barely 20 years old. The pandemic of Covid-19 was at its peak. The pandemic had snatched away my parents, resulting in me being orphaned.
No one was able to find a cure or vaccine. Hopeless souls in the world increased day by day. That was until NASA proposed a solution. A complete shift to a new planet which they had found - Apollo. A new teleportation device was being developed and was in its testing phase. It proved to be successful in a few months. Soon, I was among the millions of people being shifted to the planet Apollo. A few scientists and doctors remained on Earth to try and find a cure for the pandemic.
The planet Apollo was like Earth in many aspects, but not the important ones. The atmosphere of Apollo was very thin, and we had to breathe using oxygen masks for the first few months until NASA installed an artificial atmosphere. Water was in the form of glaciers and they were melted to provide drinking water for us. Plants were grown by the method of hydroponics, as the soil was not suitable for the cultivation of plants. Satellites were placed all around the planet to provide us with internet and help in communication with Earth.
Why NASA chose to shift to this planet is a query that still remains in my mind.
Life was very difficult over here at that time. It was the time I had lost hope in life. I longed to go back to Earth, a wish I knew was never going to happen. Within a few weeks, I adjusted to life on the new planet. But my future looked very uncertain.
It soon became a habit for me to go out and look at the space. The view of the sky from Apollo was amazing. Hundreds of tiny stars, the other planets in the solar system, and sometimes a comet that just rushes by. In those constant meetings with the stars and planets, I recognized a burning passion growing inside me. The feeling that I wanted to be the person who unravels its mysteries started thriving stronger in me.
I started reading books, surfing the net, and asking experienced people about the wonders of space. Today, after years of hard work and determination I am Dr. Shivapriya - a space scientist working for NASA. The ringing of my phone woke me up from my memories.
"Shiva, come quickly. I'm waiting," Krishna spoke over the phone.
I grabbed the telescope and headed downstairs. She was waiting over there, staring at the stars. We walked in silence towards the open ground behind our flat. The magnificence of space was clearly visible from there. I started positioning the telescope while she watched me.
"I heard that you got a promotion transfer back to Earth," she stated after a few moments of silence.
"Hmmm," I hummed in agreement without looking at her.
"Are you going to take it?" she inquired.
"No," I answered calmly, turning around to look at her.
"Why? Earth is your home. I saw how difficult it was for you when we reached here first. You just wanted to go back. What happened now?"
"Earth is not my home. Earth was my home. Apollo is my home now. It is from here I discovered myself, my capacities, my love for space. It is from here I had the epiphany that I need to fly too. Fly to heights that nobody has reached before," I avowed, looking at the vast sky filled with stars, waiting for its mysteries to be unraveled.
She hugged me without uttering a word. I wrapped my hands around her, praying silently to God to be with me on my journey.
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Romanceೃ⁀➷ IKIGAI (N.) a reason for being; the thing that gets you up in the morning. ❝You are the IKIGAI of my life.❞ ೃ⁀➷ veni's collection of one-shots ೃ⁀➷ Amazing cover by @aethrastic_dreamxx © Sreeveni 2021
