Up Loaded June 27th 2022
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Artwork by Frank Moth.
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This is a short story, based on true events.
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HERE'S WHAT HAPPENED
Elan stood in the meadow of long grass up to his waist, silently lost in his own thoughts, looking out over the sea as the gentle waves rose and broke. The grass went up to the edge of the waves. The luminous purple was cloudless and all around him the grass, trees and flowers were abundant and vibrantly coloured. His military uniform almost allowed him to blend in with the surroundings, if it wasn't for the slight glowing light around the edges of his body. He watched the waves come and go. He had an idea, a hunch, as to what the meeting was about and his stomach was in knots. There was a rustle in the long grass behind him. He turned to see Nathaniel making his way towards him, his military officers uniform buttoned tight, the edges glowing with the same diffused light. The knot in Elan's stomach tightened. They had sent Nathaniel, which meant Elan's hunch was right.
“Hello old boy,” said Nathaniel, smiling thinly, “how are you?”
“I'm good,' replied Elan without turning, “until now.”
Nathaniel continued to smile.
“None taken.” he said.
Nathaniel stood next to Elan and looked out at the sea. His eyes followed a wave forming out in the sea as it swelled, reached the edge of the meadow, about ten feet from them, and broke against the grass where it disappeared into nothingness, like the illusion that it was. They were both silent for a while. Elan was the first to speak.
“The answer's no.” Both kept looking out to the sea. Nathaniel took a breath.
“Of course. We knew that. You made it very clear last time”
Elan turned to him.
“Then why are we here?” Elan hoped the fear in his voice was coming across as mild annoyance.
“It's a situation,” Nathaniel said, gently, “that only you are able to handle.”
Elan shot back quickly.
“That's not true”.
“Ok,” Nathaniel sighed, “there are others but they are otherwise engaged. You're the only one that here, and you're the only one with the skills that are needed for this mission'.
Nathaniel opened the palm of his hand and a pin point of light appeared in the middle of his palm, grew into a floating ball and, rising into the air in front of them a holographic image appeared and grew into a circular screen on which scenes played out, like a movie but incredibly quickly. Elan saw the history, the complete lineage of a family. He took all the information into his consciousness in a split second, and instantly understood why he was being asked. He felt the breath leave him as his eyes welled up in tears. The images faded, the screen shrunk back to a ball of light, then a tiny spot and finally dissipated in Nathaniel's palm. Both men stood there once again in silence. The waves broke gently against the flowers at the edge of the sea. Elan turned to Nathaniel, looking him straight in the eyes.
“I can't. Not again. You of all know how bad it was for me last time. The suffering of my vehicle was unbearable, and as for the 6 billion other vehicles...it was all too much. I vowed to you then that I'd never go back and nothing you can say will make me break that vow.”
Nathaniel spoke as gently as he was able.
“We never give you more than you can handle.”
Elan tried to keep the anguish in his voice under control.
“But it doesn't feel like it at the time. At the time, it feels like leaving is the only option.”
Nathaniel nodded slowly, and again both men fell into a silence. Nathaniel decided to try another avenue of persuasion.
“Aren't you bored here?” he said.
Elan laughed.
“Ooooh no, you won't get me with that one, ' he said, shaking his head. “Yes, it's quiet and there's not much to do but it's always my favourite time of the day and I'm never touched by any emotional turmoil or physical pain so why would I want to go back to that?”
Nathaniel nodded slowly, ruminating.
“Yes, I get it..” A pause. “If you do it you can be bumped upstairs sooner”. Elan finally turned to him, a look of mock disdain on his face.
“Your negotiating skills leave a lot to be desired old boy. How can the word 'sooner' have any meaning in a dimension that has no conception of Time in the Earthly sense?” Both men stood there, tense and silent.
“I'll go to the next level,' said Elan, ruefully, “when it's the right moment for me to go. In the meantime this place, quiet as it is, will do fine.”
He turned and walked away, leaving the swishing sound of the tall grass behind him. He'd taken about five steps when the Nathaniel spoke, stopping Elan in his tracks.
“She'll be there.”
The knot in Elan's stomach tightened even more and he winced, his back to Nathaniel. He closed his eyes slowly for a second, then turned to look at his handler.
“That's not fair.”
Nathaniel said nothing. Both men just stared at each other. There was an edge in Elan's voice as he spoke to Nathaniel.
“There's not even a guarantee that we'll meet, let alone spend our lives together.”
“No,” Nathaniel said, “There is no such guarantee. You know as well as I do that free choice can get in the way of even the most meticulously planned encounter, and we have no control over a person's free choices. We can only provide the situation and possibilities of a meeting.”
Nathaniel held out his hand again and the small pin point of Light appeared again, and again expanded into a cicular screen. This time the images and people, friends and soul mates Elan had known before many times, albeit in different vehicles. Elan took it all in and the Light faded back into the pin point of Light in Nathaniel's hand, and disappeared.
Elan looked down at the ground, at the long grass, and then out over the sea.
“We'll do our best for you old boy,” Nathaniel said in as re-assuring a voice as he could.
It seemed as if all the sound had suddenly stopped. There was absolute quiet. Elan looked up at the beautiful purple sky. It was always twilight here. His favourite time of day. His voice was a whisper.
“OK,” he nodded gravely, “ a small chance is better than none.”
A pin point of light appeared in the air in front of both men. It grew, expanding into a ball of bright white, soft light full of swirls. It kept expanding until it was about seven feet high but narrower in width, and slightly oval shaped. Elan held out his hand to Nathaniel. They shook hands. Nathaniel's eyes were wet. Of course he knew how difficult it was down there. Elan held his gaze for a few moments. Then he turned and, with a slight hesitation, stepped into the light.
And that is how I was born.
