Crying Metal

Chapter 1: Nightmares

My footsteps crunched on the leaves. The scent of earth and green and life saturated the air, and I took it all in. My fingertips brushed across the still-green boughs of the trees and bushes I strode past. Even as I walked, my fingertips and footsteps left trails of gleaming silver droplets shining in the air. I felt... At home.

My ears began to ring and a vibration, distant but ominous, shook the ground. Looking upward, I saw the harshly white manmade air vehicle descend towards the earth - towards me. In seconds, the force of the rotating motors uprooted all the trees and bushes around me and yet I was paralyzed, unable to move, as the shadow descended onto me.

~

I woke up gasping, my chest heaving. Cold sweat trickled down my spine. Taking a deep breath, I willed my heart to slow.

It was just a dream.

Brushing my unruly brown hair off from where it stuck to my face, I turned and examined the digital clock beside my bed. 3:05 A.M.

I sighed and slumped back down into the Auto-Cool bedsheets. The plush technology cooled my skin where it came in contact with the simplistic white material.

I couldn't tell my parents. I had dreamed of First Earth every night for weeks.

First Earth. The green foliage and soft, cool dirt. I felt a yearn to be there. I was scared, though. It was thousands of lightyears away. And... I had never been there before.