Echoes of Proxima

Chapter 1: The Inheritance

In the evergreen-shrouded city of Portland, Oregon, David lived a life as methodical as the rain. His days were mostly filled with the quiet management of his online business, selling eco-friendly bar soap to a niche market that appreciated his commitment to reducing plastic waste. It was a modest operation run from his small apartment, yet it was fueled by a passion that transcended its humble profits.

David's world shifted unexpectedly on a gray February afternoon. He had been spending much of his time at the local hospital, where his grandfather, a man of sharp wit and secretive smiles, was spending his final days. During one of these visits, his grandfather had taken David's hand with an urgency that belied his frailty. "For your eyes only," he had said, his voice a rasping whisper, "be extremely careful once you open and read what's inside." David had laughed it off then, a nervous chuckle for what seemed like the delusions of an old man lost in his fading memories.

But the laughter had died in his throat days later when, after his grandfather's quiet passing, David found himself sifting through the old man's belongings. Amid the dust and faded photographs, his grandfather's words echoed in his mind, guiding him to a secret drawer beneath an ancient mahogany desk. There, precisely as described, was a thick envelope, aged but meticulously sealed.

With a mix of skepticism and reverence, David slit open the envelope in the solitude of the emptied house. Inside was a document with a header that sent chills down his spine: **Top Secret: Evidence of Non-Terrestrial Communication**. The report detailed a series of intercepted communications from Proxima Centauri b, suggesting not only the existence of intelligent life but their attempts at reaching out to Earth.

David sat back, the paper trembling in his grasp as the weight of his grandfather's warning settled over him. The shadows of the room seemed to deepen, a tangible reminder of the caution his grandfather had urged. What had begun as a whispered secret in a sterile hospital room had morphed into a revelation that threatened to unravel the very fabric of his reality.

As the night crept over Portland, wrapping its dark arms around the city, David knew his life would never be the same. The path forward was fraught with unknowns, and the assurance of his quiet existence was left shattered on the floor of his grandfather's study. Tomorrow, he would need to decide how far he was willing to go to uncover the truth—how much he was willing to risk to bring this hidden knowledge into the light.