by Anna Lewis
Amelia sprinted harder as a loud ringing filled the air and vibrated the very fabric of existence. Heart pounding, she came upon a clearing that seemed to sit outside of time, every minute stopping in that moment as she crossed the threshold into it. She spun around as her eyes danced across the stalks surrounding the area, their stems pushed down to the ground to create a gentle circle. Looking up, she found a metal structure that hummed faintly in the evening breeze coming from the north. It clicked a few times as a circle formed above her head, watching as the metal separated to allow the same light gradually to come into view. It enveloped her and defeated the darkness around the small circle while pulling her up towards the sky, a floating sensation overcoming her body.
Light of weight and filled with hope, Amelia smiled while floating up into the metal craft. It was as if everything had finally come together and she would be able to see the true nature of this elusive detail in her life. All of her dreams had featured this moment where she was weightless in the glittering light that catapulted her into another world enveloped by mirrors. She looked around to find herself looking back in every direction, turning only to find more clones of her image. They floated in a vast black hole dotted with bits of light that shimmered brightly. It seemed such an odd thing to be caught in a small space that seemed so large, but that’s how she had always felt on earth. This place offered a sense of refuge from the daily torment she felt being trapped on that planet, having mostly nothing to do with social norms and regular human contact.
It wasn’t that Amelia was a hermit, not exactly. She simply felt that her life was meant for something much greater than attending college and obtaining a degree in astronomy. Her eyes yearned for the great sights beyond the atmosphere, a universe filled with endless possibilities that stretched towards the far reaches of existence. But how could she discover that by engaging in the ridiculous social demands of her town? She didn’t find much of a need to be part of a group or even to hold a relationship, yet she yearned for the intimacy that the cosmos might provide. Her desire was to know the world and that beyond it, to become one with everything all at once.
Unfortunately for Amelia, in her cream she would always begin to fall from the mirrored room that depicted the many different forms of her against the cosmos. The lightness would fade and her body would hit the sheets as she gasped for air, realizing that oxygen didn’t exist past the atmosphere where she was catapulted. As she sat up, she reached for the ceiling as she so often did after the wretched dream; a dream which teased her with the hope of escaping the mundane and made her feel as though she might never be able to discover anything other than this ridiculous life she led. Looking about, she found her dorm room in a heap of clothes and books, the shelves cluttered with planetary models and sci-fi figurines.
There were space ships lining the ceiling and glowing stars decorating the walls. The majority of her decorations had something to do with space. A little blue box next to her bed read 3:03 AM and she sighed upon seeing it.
“What am I doing?” she asked herself out loud. “Why am I awake at this hour every night?”
But soon, drowsiness overcame her, and her body began to drift back into the sweet slumber. She would have the answer to her question, though she did not know it yet. Time was moving forward whether the purple-haired beauty liked it or not, and she would soon meet her destiny.
Chapter 2
Pacing nervously around the cockpit of his ship was the prince of the planet Degau. All of the accomplishments in the universe had made Ero’an one of the most popular Degaurians in history, yet he still felt as if something was missing from the wonderful life he led. While contemplating what had him feeling so incomplete, a miniature blob was sitting atop the gray chairs near the navigating equipment fumbling with a ray gun. The noise the blob made caused Ero’an to twitch with displeasure.
“Herman, would you please stop fiddling with your atomic ray? I’m trying to think!” snapped Ero’an, stopping in front of his incredibly short companion.
The little green blob looked up with his round eye at the prince, who was fuming from his nostrils. What a sight the prince made when he was under great duress, the gills on his neck flaring as he huffed.
“My apologies, your highness,” said Herman, setting the gun down on a nearby control panel. “I was simply trying to fix it. What has you so vexed, sir? You’ve been in this fit for weeks.”
“I have been very discontent, Herman, very discontent!” replied the prince loudly while waving his arms. “It’s as if the universe has conspired to make me the most accomplished, yet unfulfilled man in existence!”
“You are to be the next ruler of a wondrous planet and you have achieved every success known to the galaxies. How could you possibly be unfulfilled, my good lord?” asked Herman.
The green glob rolled down to the metal ground, his eye appearing on the other end of his body, making a soft popping noise. Perturbed, the prince peered down at the giant iris and studied it briefly before replying.
“I have no lover, no girlfriend, no wife. I have no one to travel with me, save for you. You have been such a wonderful companion, but I yearn for a woman’s touch. Moreover, I fear my age requires marriage in order to properly rule my planet,” said Ero’an.
Herman considered this thought for a moment while rolling his eye, his wiggling lips curving into what might have been a smile or a grimace. No one could be sure with Herman, for he was such an oddly shaped alien with no real bones or skin. The amorphous blob was indeed a common genetic trait of his planet who sought only to help others. They made great companions, though when they died, usually without warning, they simply melted into their surroundings. It was truly an awful sight for anyone who loved the little gelatin creatures, but it was also the way of the universe. While rolling forward over the prince’s boots, he left a little inkling of a print on the surface that Ero’an scuffed out while huffing again.
“Have you considered consulting the mystics, sir?” Herman asked while rolling towards the navigating screen. “They are not far from us.”
“Hmm. Agreed. Take us to the planet of the ancients for consultation! Use the hyper speed so that we may make haste. And don’t fiddle with that gun until I’ve received my news,” said the prince. He stepped up to the platform in order to view the blackened skies filled with magnificently colored clouds.
Without hesitation, Herman rolled over to the navigation board and began pressing buttons with his gelatinous fingers – or whatever one might call those strange, stubby arms – and they zipped off into the direction of the planet Mykonos, which was named, oddly, after a Greek island on the planet earth that was mostly a tourist location.
They arrived at the docks and registered, choosing one of Ero’an’s favorite mystics, whom he frequently visited during his most stressful months. Inara was such a wise woman who knew so much about the universe that she was to live on Mykonos for the remainder of her life. It pleased Ero’an to have such an honest, insightful woman nearby for him to see, especially when he needed advice. Inara, though, would rather be off on a merchant ship, making a living telling fortunes to stray sky pirates.
This particular meeting would pay for the next year of bills as the prince always tipped handsomely, so Inara greeted him with her biggest smile as he embraced her in the way common to Degaurians. Ero’an sat down and shooed Herman away from their table, telling him to gather some items while they were here at the local shop to use on their trip.
“You come seeking a hidden truth,” said Inara while holding his hands over her crystal ball. “It has you disturbed, and you wish to relieve yourself of it.”
“Yes,” whispered Ero’an while closing his eyes.
Inara swatted his hand and then proceeded with her reading, waving her fingers over the glass that Ero’an held as smoke filled the center. There were no gimmicks here on Mykonos. Everything was as it was, or so their slogan claimed, and none of the tables and rooms were fancily decorated with mystic
al hogwash. Save for the coverings and paintings, it was a rather empty room without table cloths where visitors could be sure they were getting the most honest readings.
“I see numbers,” said Inara while furrowing her brows together. “They seem to be...coordinates?”
Ero’an leaned forward with fascination and hope bubbling in his gut, the void in his heart pulsing with the potential love for a beautiful woman.
“Yes, I see it clearly now. Take down these numbers,” Inara said.
Pulling out a sheet of paper, Ero’an wrote down the numbers given to him and stood, feeling the victory of his trip overcoming his entire being. His blue skin shimmered as he called for Herman while Inara attempted to gather his attention, saying there was much more to his reading that was pertinent to his journey.
“That was all I needed, fortune teller,” replied the proud prince while tossing metal money cards on her table. “Be well. I may never see your age-cracked face again.”
With that, the two companions left the stammering mystic who begged for them to stay for the rest of the reading. It had only been ten minutes and they still had twenty remaining. The information flashing before her eyes was that of bloodshed and horror, a dismal future that would only be avoided if the proud prince would listen. Inara sat with this knowledge in quiet peace, accepting the scenes and releasing them to the universe as was custom to do. Their fate is not my responsibility, she thought while gathering her payment. And I will not chase that which is not my responsibility.
Chapter 3
Back on the planet earth, Amelia was wandering about a frat party located in a barn. It wasn’t her usual scene, but some of her friends had dragged her out in an effort to socialize her.
“Melia, come on, you look beautiful in this outfit. You have to go,” said Sara, a classmate from biology.
“But I feel so weird around people. I’d rather be looking at the stars,” Amelia replied with some hesitation.
“Have a few drinks, talk to people, and then go look at the stars. Just try to talk to somebody other than yourself for once,” Sara said while patting her hand gently. “It’ll be fun. I promise.”
Groaning, Amelia walked around the edge of the party while Sara bounced from circle to circle, her short blonde hair bright under the flashing lights as she jumped to hug people. Amelia sighed. It wasn’t particularly crowded and the music had an edgy sound, beats rumbling into each other and then smoothing out into softer tones that penetrated the dancing bodies. Everyone seemed preoccupied with each other or drinking, both of which Amelia had no interest in, so she wandered towards a ladder on the other side of the barn that looked like it might lead up to the roof. As she studied the sturdiness of the wood, a young man intercepted her vision with a wide smile.
“Hi,” he said while leaning against the wood. “What’s your name?”
His eyes glittered a bright blue, resembling the pattern of clouded galaxies from her space books. An awkward smile crossed her lips and she twirled a lock of purple hair around one finger, adjusting her blouse with the other.
“Amelia,” she replied while holding out her hand.
“I’m Jax,” replied the tall, slender figure before her. “It’s nice to meet you. Where are you from?”
This conversation clearly didn’t interest the distracted Amelia who was still trying to find a way to get up to the roof of the barn. Her eyes darted away from the cosmic blue and up the wooden ladder to the loft area covered in hay, stacks of it falling over as she wished for a way out.
“Jersey,” replied Amelia while looking back at Jax. “Are you having fun yet?”
It seemed an odd question, but it had just popped out of her mouth. Just then, though, the hay above began to vibrate violently from a terrible rumbling that caused the entire party to fall silent. Jax looked up towards the ceiling that gradually shook harder the closer the noise came towards the barn. The partygoers mostly assumed it was a farming plane that was about to land and had flown too close to the roof; whatever it was had caused hay to fall down from the lofts and fell on top of the unsuspecting party boy. Amelia laughed loudly and climbed over the stack, wishing the boy well in all his life’s endeavors. Up the ladder she went towards the loft, hastily pushing the wood under each foot and catapulting herself up into the small space that was now cleared by the rumbling vibrations.
Out the window she climbed to the clay-tiled roof. She climbed all the way to the apex of the roof and looked out over the fields. The rumbling had stopped as soon as she stood still, but there was no evidence of any plane or flying vehicle anywhere around. Not even the farm house in the distance had a plane next to it, so she felt certain it must have been something else entirely. The music below her feet was back on, causing the roof to vibrate slightly and her heart to pound to the regular rhythm.
Without warning, a whirling shriek filled the air, cutting through the silence and sounding like metal sliding against metal. In the corn field appeared a stretch of light coming from seemingly nowhere. The shriek finally stopped as the light dipped down under a tree and landed. Its glimmer filled Amelia’s eyes. She smiled uncontrollably ear-to-ear with the most delightful gasp escaping her lungs. She looked about wildly for another ladder, hoping perhaps there was one leading down to the ground below that beckoned for her feet to run on it.
Before long, she had shimmied down the pipes, and was dashing between the cornstalks like she had a million times in her dreams, swatting at them happily with her hands.
“Amelia!”
It was likely Sara calling after her, but she didn’t bother to respond, for her dream was coming to life right before her eyes. The green stems glittered in the darkness while the beam of light slowly came closer, its shimmering white a beacon of hope to the sprinting Amelia, now panting heavily under the dark sky. The rows of corn parted to reveal the path she had followed each night in her dreams and she relished the moment of relief as she dove forward into the clearing. Landing in a pile of cut stalks, she rolled over and looked around for the light that was once there. Where had it gone? Up above was the gentle and familiar hum from nights spent clutching her sheets and she looked up with a hopeful gaze as the clicking noise began, signaling the light’s release. Amelia rose and greeted it with longing, sighing as it swallowed her and lifted her body up towards its source.
Chapter 4
Once again, Amelia found herself inside the cosmic shell of mirrors, multiple dimensions reflecting her image across galaxies in different times. It was every version of her universally possible, every piece of her that she had lived and forgotten. Beyond the mirrors stood Ero’an, impatiently tapping his foot as the earthling appeared in the center of the cockpit. Amelia turned and found the prince in his regal cape, the same color of her hair. She leaned forward to poke his nose to see if he was real.
“May I ask what you are doing, earth woman?” asked the annoyed prince.
Amelia, startled, jumped away from the talking prince who seemed to her to be a rare shade of blue. It was almost the same blue of the boy’s eyes who she had met earlier in the evening, and perhaps he was the same boy, but his face was different. His jaw wasn’t rigid and his lips were a little thicker, not to mention there were gills in his neck that she was sure were latex. As she moved to touch those, the insulted prince grabbed her arm and started yelling.
“Have you no manners?! I am Prince Ero’an Sol of the planet Degau! How dare you reach out to my personal space and expect no consequences!” cried Ero’an while stepping back.
“Excuse me,” said Amelia while crossing her arms. “I am Amelia Stone of the planet Earth and we have manners in my world.”
Herman chuckled behind the prince’s legs, which was met with a disgusted glare. Rolling forward, Herman greeted the now frightened Amelia who squealed as soon as she laid eyes on his one eye. Aggravated, Ero’an threw his head back and groaned loudly, turning to check the coordinates on his dashboard.
“It said here!” he cried.
“We’re here,” said Herman.
“Where?” asked Amelia.
“Silence, earthling!” yelled Ero’an.
“You will not yell in my direction after you have taken me from my home!” Amelia yelled in return.
“I did no such thing! You’re simply trying to hitchhike on my vessel and assuming I’d be nice to you because you’re so gorgeous!” yelled Ero’an while pressing buttons.
“I swear I have no idea how I came to be here!” Amelia cried once more before huffing in the other direction.
Below their knees, Herman rolled his gigantic eye in a loop around the entirety of his body – quite a feat for such an extraordinary creature – and made his blobbish way over to a modulator next to the dashboard that was blinking. He pushed the blinking button and the whirling sound ended abruptly.
“Your highness, the beamer was on,” said Herman while staring at the flustered prince.
A brief silence fell over the trio as Amelia attempted to stifle a giggle and the prince’s pale blue skin began to flush.
“I knew that, Herman,” he said while tapping his foot. “I was just checking the controls.”
While Ero’an and Herman got into a bit of a verbal spat, Amelia floated across the pit towards the window to admire the expanse of the universe sitting before them. It was the most exquisite sight she had ever seen in her life, only something her dreams had shown her that was even more magnificent in its physical form. She couldn’t be bothered by the blundering fool to her right who had begun ranting about finding a wife and child. How can someone be so dismally distracted by love when he has the universe at his fingertips? she thought while pressing her nose to the glass. Pictures did not do this justice, not one bit. Her nose was beginning to hurt from pushing it into the window.