Eamon had never been incredibly successful in the actual work of
school. His talents were more in the area of people, specifically in getting
them to like him. And of all the academic areas, the sciences had held his
attention the least. So when he felt his mind leave his body as if it had been
strapped to a rocket ship it threw him for a loop. At first he was floating
above the planet but it disappeared along with all the stars in the sky until
he was floating in the empty darkness of eternity. Then in the distance he saw
a dazzling wave of infinite colors charge toward him. It passed over him and he
turned to watch it makes its way through the infinite darkness leaving the
elements in its wake that would gather together to become suns, planets, gas
clouds and nebula. Before his eyes A star was born and within the range of its
heat and immediate light planets formed and began their journey around the star
that had helped form them. Some of the planets developed life and that life
inevitably reached space and began to reach out to other stars.
Eamon’s consciousness pulled up further until he could see
galaxies like tide pools, some more active than others. Some of the species
that had reached the stars were able to create vast stellar empires. Until
Eamon saw the ribbon of lights at the edge of his vision, retracing its steps. Washing
over dead planets and galactic empires without care or mercy, when the wave had
gone there was nothing but the beginnings of matter again, pulling together to
form stars and go through the entire dance once more galaxies rose and fell in
the empty spaces between the passages of the ribbon of light. The interstellar
tide did not always travel to the same point, some waves were weaker than
others. The weaker waves gave the races on the outer edges of the tideline a
chance to escape, racing into the stars always aware that they would never know
just how far the tide might reach and that likely no planet was safe for
permanent settlement. He saw the Starseeds in their great spacefaring trees in
a constant drive to stay ahead of the next galactic high tide. They were
further out than any previous race had ever made it as far as they were aware
and it was beyond the edge of known space that they found this furthest of the
human colonies. It had to be life from a wave so ancient that no galactic tide
had reached this area of space in uncountable eons. Some of the Starseeds
wondered if the tide might ever reach this far again.
Eamon heard no voices in his vision, he saw no words. He was aware
of the history of the Starseeds and their quest for survival as if he had lived
it himself. The impossible beauty of the galactic span went dark again and he
opened his eyes. He was back in the forest with his sister and the Starseeds.
The one touching his forehead lowered its arm.
He gave his sister a mistrustful glance. “How can I prove that I
wasn’t just brainwashed?” He asked.
She glared back. “How successful is a brainwashing that allows the
subjects first question post brainwashing to be ‘how do I know I wasn’t just
brainwashed.” She spat back.
Eamon shrugged and pointed to the Starseed standing next to his
sister. “So, they’re here now, they’ll eventually leave, what’s this all got to
do with us? He asked.
She shook her head. “Close your eyes. Remember what you were
shown. Tell me when you have it in your mind.” She said.
He closed his eyes. I’ve never been off planet but I can remember
what it looks like from space.” He said confusedly.
She smiled. “That’s not a memory, that’s our planet now. Some of
their consciousness is still in orbit around the planet and we’ve both been
loosely tapped into it.” She said.
He shuddered. “Because that’s not creepy at all sis.”
“Shut up and listen to me, you can complain later.” Look away from
the ring. Like opposite side of the planet and focus as hard as you can.” She
told him.
Even with his eyes closed he scrunched up his as if he was trying
to squint at something. “Oh my god, it’s that ribbon thing!” He shouted.
“Actually that would be a ribbon coming at us from a completely
different direction.” She said.
His eyes opened in a flash. “There’s more than one of those
things!” He yelled.
