I wonder what will happen to
me when this planet finally gives up its fight with time. It
will remain a desolate ball, spinning erratically around the
grotesque sun until the swelling of the sun swallows it up.
As for me, will fire end my suffering? Will I be incinerated
along with everything else? Only time will tell!
Who is it that made me untouchable
by death?! If I could I would go back in time and plead for
mercy, beg to have this gift taken back. I would
threaten and kill anyone to die. But I dont know how I
am the way I am now, only that it is irreversible.
Once, long ago, when life was
vanished, an alien ship arrived. I spoke to them, telling them
there was nothing for them here. They asked how is it you are
here, and I could not say. I cannot tell you how disappointed
I was when they left me here.
I take a deep breath of air,
and exhale slowly. The air is metallic and bitter, clean and
acrid. An electrical storm gathers on the horizon. Its beautiful
flashes of blue-white and great purple sheets are among the last
of aesthetically pleasing phenomenon left. The auroras, ion
storms and dog fire are other atmospherical delights that serve
to liven up my otherwise dull life.
Does it rain? No, not anymore.
The Earth does not turn like it once did, and the only wind
that blows are solar winds, powerful gusts rare and frightening.
I say frightening but I am
not really afraid. All fear stems from death. Whether it is
the death of a loved one, death of an idea, or death of ones
self, death is the root of all fear. I don not fear any kind
of death. No, I welcome it with fins wide!
The water is so still I can
see my reflection. Do I look old? Yes I do. Scars mar my features,
my stars have faded, and wrinkles pinch the edges of my mouth
and ring my ear dimple. Only my eyes are still fiery and vibrant.
They have stars in them, echoing an eternity of life and an
infinity of time. But the fire is cold, the stars desolate and
alone. I am alive, yet only just so.
I slip below the waves and
allow my mind to recede into the past. Its the only thing
I have left to do. I return to days of warm waters, sparkling
sunshine, and colorful fish. How young and blessedly naïve
I was! When all of life was a great game frolicking below the
waves with my companions, pestering the gentle whales, and taunting
sharks from a safe distance. When the sun was still a small
disk burning fiercely in the sky, not the vulgar behemoth it
is now, swollen and ponderous. Life was a joy back then so long
ago. But even then the stars upon my forehead set me apart from
all the others. A sign of destiny! How exciting. The pod
elders would whisper behind my back, saying strange things.
I didnt care of course.
Then the vortex came, great
sucking fiends of death and destruction. When I found myself
the only dolphin left, it seemed as if it were true that the
winds of fate were sweeping me along to this maelstrom of life.
So began my many excursions through time and space. I defeated
the Vortex twice, after numerous journeys to and from the past
and present. Not after the second triumph over the Vortex did
we dolphins finally reveal our true intelligence to man, and,
using Vortex technology, we rebuilt Atlantis and made preparations
to travel the cosmos.
It wasnt long before
yet another alien race bent on usurping Earths resources
appeared. The Foe, as we came to call them, were a tough and
wily bunch, but together with the help of the humans, we dolphins
fought off these would be conquerors.
By now I was in my prime,
and my name was sung throughout the seas. The Asterite disappeared
from common knowledge and in its place, the Guardian was built
using ancient Atlantean designs. Only I knew of the Aterites
location. The metaspheres disintegrated, and the Guardians
ancient power of metamorphosis was used instead. So things changed.
The Foe returned once again,
much like the Vortex did. See how boring and predictable these
chitonous fools were? Again it was up to me to save the world
and defend the future. Again I went to different eras of time,
this time to different possible futures, where I met such
characters as Pilot and Mutaclone. I finally restored the true
path of time, and no one has bothered with Earthly fauna since.
So life went on. I first noticed
my immortality when it became painfully obvious that while the
rest of my pod was dead or dying, I was still strong and spry.
One by one my loved ones and friends died away, leaving me to
a younger generation that feared me as a god. For a while I
entertained the position of pod leader, but it difficult to help
those that fear you. Many would refuse to meet my eye, and all
conversation would cease the instant I swam up. I had made my
first acquaintance with loneliness, which would serve as a lifelong
companion.
I finally made up my mind to
leave my kind behind and seek a new life elsewhere. But it was
all in vain. Everybeast knew my name, my song, and of course,
the damn stars. I even went as far as covering them up but no!
The damned things GLOW and shine through even the thickest mud.
Time rolled by in hours days
and years, all driven by the spheres. A thousand years. A hundred
thousand years. Dolphins evolved and I remained primitive and
unchanged. Human left this planet altogether, finding more enticing
things off planet. Good for them. What has happened to their
species I will never know. Probably long extinct by now, or
assimilated in some alien species, their genes mingling with
the genes of some exotic race. All I know is that in their absence,
dolphins took over. They
of course they and
not we as I was not a part of them
took to the
air, rising above the sea and developing gaseous organs that
enabled them to float. Their fins and flippers elongated to
compensate for air currents and wind. As their world expanded,
so did their minds. They developed powerful telepathic abilities
and could carry things with their minds. The Asterite also reemerged.
Then I met Trellia again.
During my encounters with the
Vortex and my many travels to the future, I met an intriguing
female dolphin named Trellia. She looked so strange to me back
then, but still very beautiful. When we met again, she had no
real memory of me, as the sands of time had erased all other
paths and therefore it was as if I had never been anywhere.
Even so, we somehow found one another again, although she did
not know me, we somehow connected, and she and I became fast
lovers. We shared many blissful, happy years together.
Immortality is a curse.
I watched her die of course.
Not even the Asterite can stop nature. We could not even have
children for so much time stood between us that our genes were
no longer compatible. Such is life though, isnt it?
Eventually the dolphin race
stagnated and became extinct. Other races took their place and
they too shared the same fate. Eventually the Asterites
power failed and I was again left with y old friend, loneliness.
For the past couple eons I
have spent my time alone, learning everything I could, trying
to keep my sanity, at first. I gave up talking with the other
creatures for their language is far too bizarre. These crab
things at present dont even sing. I long for death to
end my suffering. Or at least insanity to take my mind but neither
will grace me with their gift.
Right now, the barren rocks
below flicker with the dancing water-webs. I nose the silt at
the bottom, startling a few pale crabs from their resting spots.
They dont even need to hide nothing hunts them. I stare
at them for a moment, tempted to kill them, but the urge soon
passes. I have killed many things to satisfy my anger, but it
still burns deep inside, so I see no point in crushing a few
senseless crabs.
The darkness of an abyss calls
to me all of a sudden. Having the uncanny ability to withstand
the crushing force of deep water, I have ventured many times
to explore the previously unknown territories of darkness. I
made a few remarkable discoveries, but having no one to share
them with, they remained trivial.
However at this moment I begin
to think of the volcanic vents far below. Could extreme heat
finally end my suffering? I ponder this notion while I swim
slowly to the edge of the abyss. I am so desperate for death!
Without a second thought I descend into the trench.
Down down down down. Miles
and miles of seawater gather above my small body as I swim for
minute hours. I sent sonar ahead of me, expecting to hit the
bottom soon, but I am greeted by emptiness. Perplexed, I keep
swimming for hours more, but still no seafloor.
Suddenly, a small light catches
my attention. Curious, I swim over to investigate it, but another
small, winking light catches my eye. As I turn to look at this
light, dozens more bloom in the darkness. Tiny dots of sparkling
light unveil themselves before me the farther down I swim. They
are like
like
Stars!
Indeed they are stars! I am
swimming in a sea of stars! How
how is this possible? In
all my years I have never before experienced this phenomena!
More stars flare, bright and
blue, clouds of stars, voluminous and beautiful. I smile and
laugh for the first time in I do not know how long. I am completely
surrounded now by these cosmic baubles. Up down left right
all
directions studded by jewels.
A delicate pink and purple
haze spreads below me
glowing from within. A nebula! Eagerly
I swim to it, enveloping my body within its vast mists. A great
white light pulsates below me
I cry for it is so beautiful!
My eyes squint against its fire, but I race ahead, never stopping.
Soon I have reached the light and I pass through it
and
below me are the warm, flourishing waters of Earth as they were
when I was young. I can see dolphins frolicking amongst the
waves
my podmates, my friends
and Trellia.
My heart! Oh my heart just
bursts inside of me to see their smiling faces again! They do
not yet see me; I must hurry forward and greet them!
Oh Delphinus! My heart
.my
heart is exploding within me! Oh gods the pain! NO! My strength
is failing
I am so close yet I cannot seem to swim any farther
Am I
am I dying?! NOW?!
How can I die now when I am so close? After all this time
Trellia
.you
see me! Oh you can see me look how you fly to me!
* * * * * * * * * * * *
The body o Ecco the dolphin
floated listlessly among the gently waves. Two young dolphins
spied him and swam over to investigate.
Oh no Niatto, its
Ecco, murmured one.
Niatto nodded. Yeah
well
the old dodger had it comin. They say he lived the
life of three average dolphins. He was ancient!
I know but still
he
has always been around.
It is a shame isnt it?
Well, I think its all for the better anyhow, Bteel.
Poor phin has been in his own world for years now, not
talking to anyone, just sitting there dreaming his strange dreams.
Well, we have to go tell the others. First that storm
now this
Yeah. Shame. Hey I
hear that Caelsia is going to enter the races this year
The sound of their young delphine voices faded in the distance
as the two swam away.
Eccos corpse bobbed in
rhythm with the sea, his body withered and gray. His eyes stared
sightlessly through a thin glaze of death, his final journey
having come to an end.