Overlap

Chapter 48-B: Love or Memory

<04/09/2011 - 21:05 | 1010 Link Street, Marietta, GA, USA>

The quiet lure of the night sky had us in a vice of calm. I laid my body flat on the soft bed of grass beside the empty public park, letting my clothes get a little dirty to behold the sight high above me. The clusters of stars in their mesmerizing beauty and infinite mystery painted the black skies. Observing so many of them at once removed any tension or stress I built up over the day. But even more entertaining, I shared this front-row seat with someone who admired the stars as much as I did.

When I spoke, I kept to a near whisper, preserving the serenity of this moment. "You know how many times I've stared up at the sky in wonder? Now that I know what I know, it feels so different. It feels like the world is a much bigger place."

"For you, it probably is. Most people believe that the Earth is the center of the world. Others believe the Milk Way is the center of the universe. Humans can be so selfish like that." I convinced Lumina that talking with our physical voice in private is just somehow more rewarding. It feels more real, more genuine, especially when we call each other by our names.

"Yeah, I know about all that. But I wonder about all the other distant species aside from us two."

"What about them?"

"Don't you ever wonder who else is out there too? Think about it Lumina. The human race is one, and the Altiri is another. But considering that we both exist, what other species of aliens are out there besides us?"

"Of course I wonder. But thinking about it that long doesn't do us much good. Some of the Scryers still search for that type of life, only to find nothing. Think about how rare and lucky it is Reed. Our Altiri Scryers can find any remote location in the entire universe if they aim their waves in the exact right direction while using clairvoyance. But in all this time, we never discovered another source of intelligent life at all. That's what I find amazing. The Fermi Paradox still applies even with both of us on the map."

Lumina really is amazing. She thinks about this kind of stuff too, though I still had not considered it first. "It really makes the whole friendship thing more important to me. Speaking of which, why can't I know about the identities of the ten other purged people if all I want to do is be friends with them?" I didn't forget the reason Lumina told me earlier, but I figure it's something she should be able to work out somehow.

"If I actually knew something about it myself that could help you, I would tell you. I really mean that. I've seen how much of a struggle it is for you to find any friends."

"Yeah, I know." It's a fact we both caught onto by now. I've blessed myself and god for putting Lumina into my life the way she is now. I mean, it's been so long now and I still have no human friends, even with everything I've learned.

"Seriously," she repeated. "At first, you came a long way just to try... But now I'm beginning to see that you just have unfortunate luck with other people. You could try to be more outgoing, but then that's not really your style either... Maybe your disposition towards heathens is what's turning people off?" Even Lumina wasn't sure why.

I know that if she isn't sure of the reason, it's something I may never learn in life. The whole topic is starting to ruin my mood. "Even if that last part is true, I won't change that about myself. However, I think I will stop randomly getting angry at heathens. I mean, it's just not worth it."

"It's not?"

"No, it isn't. Think about how all of that hatred and negativity bleeds into our day. It can easily put us into a bad mood for several hours at a time. Most of all, there isn't anything we can do about the heathen situation here. So, I no longer worry about it." It was fun while it lasted, but I can't keep feeling such hostility all the time, simply because I'm in the presence of an idiot who thinks being a real man is the ultimate purpose in life.