“It turned out that too many people had become fixated on producing more and more of the Blasto. This led to them sleeping inside containers of water. A lot died from drowning. Others caught ailments related to cold. And gradually the population fizzled away.
“Their leaders had tried to warn the people but they would not listen. Ages before, long before the coming of the Nivrus people to Xernin, a prophesy had been told that whenever the people of Nivrus visited Xernin it would lead to their demise. The people of Xernin had been warned not to entertain them. But they forgot the prophesy. Nivrus was destined to be their apocalypse, their ultimate doom. But they did not heed the prophesy. Just see what happened to them. The people of Nivrus destroyed the planet of Xernin simply by associating with them.
“In the order of things, every action of an individual or a race will lead to consequences. In the case of the people of Xernin, they refused to heed the prophesy, so they lost their world and all of the Blasto that had been the source of their sustenance and survival. For the people of Nivrus, it was only a matter of time before they began to discover their own mineral resources, and then they started to over-exploit them. Even the numerous warning signs were not sufficient enough to warn them of the impending catastrophe that was about to befall the once vibrant planet. They just kept on and on. Now look at how they are going to reap the fruits that they had sowed on Xernin.”
All the crew members had been listening with rapt attention to the tale the maker was relating to them. By the time he stopped, they were looking downcast.
“Why are you all looking sad?” the maker asked after observing their low faces. “Sir, it is really heart-breaking to observe that we are not only the cause of our own problem, but we are also a bad influence on other people as well,” Kristen replied.
“Indeed,” the maker agreed. “This is the dilemma I and my counterparts were contemplating a while ago. You see, on the one hand, some of you—like those of you on this mission—sincerely believe you can change the course of things. But on the other hand, the thought of the collective impact of the influence of your kind can be disastrous and devastating to any good thing. I mean, if you people could bring to an end the wonderful and beautiful world of Xernin, and then turn around to cause your world even more harm that would eventually lead to its ultimate destruction, what else will you not be capable of doing to other unexplored regions of the universe?”
“Please, if there is anything you can do, just do it for us and for the sake of those of us who still care,” Kristen said. “We will do all within our power to convince our governments and people to change from their destructive ways, and to have more regard and attention for Nivrus.”
“What impact can a handful of you have on an entire planet like yours?” the maker asked. “How will you be able to reach out to all of them?”
“We will try our utmost. We have seen, heard, and experienced so much on a firsthand basis all through this journey. That would form the basis upon which we will embark on the task to sensitize our world of the dangers involved in going back to our wicked ways. Besides, those on Earth are already experiencing the fallout, as the world is gradually being disintegrated and on the verge of being consumed. Once they get another chance, I am sure they will have a change of heart. They will be able to see reason with our arguments because they cannot deny the effects they have also experienced.”
“I think that will be enough for us as makers, we will raise your case to the supreme,” he replied, crossed his arms and closed his eyes for few seconds.
“What we strive to see is effort on a people’s part to make amends. If you add dedication, zeal, and commitment to such a noble cause, and sprinkle in a dose of faith, then your efforts will be greatly rewarded. As they have been on this mission. The Supreme approved.”
“Approved? So, what happens now?” Kristen asked excitedly. “I can see your expectation, and your expectation is going to be met,” the maker replied. He raised his two hands and held them apart. The Atlantis crew members saw lightning start to form in between his hands. “From this moment onwards, Planet Nivrus is restored,” the maker commanded.
The maker stood there, smiling. “You may leave now,” he announced simply. “The device the messenger gave you will lead you out of here to your world. After that, it will self-destruct.”
“Thank you very much, sir,” Kristen said. “But how will we be able to contact you?” “Why would you want to contact me again? Are you suspecting that your efforts will not yield the desired results?”
“We just want to know,” Kristen replied. “You all pray. You all have what you believe in. And then again, you all now have a united vision of the world you want to live in. Those are enough for you.”
Before they could say anything more, lights started to shine everywhere. Atlantis crew members shielded their eyes from the glare of the light.
By the time they were able to open their eyes when the bright lights had subsided, they found themselves back on board the Atlantis.
Kristen walked to her seat and sat down heavily. She picked up the microphone. “Is everyone accounted for?” she asked. The crew members began to search amongst themselves. Eventually, the verdict came. They were all on board the Atlantis.
“Then let us commence departure proceedings,” Kristen said. “Let us start heading for home.” In a matter of minutes, the Atlantis was airborne and flying out of the surreal world. Kristen checked her app and saw that it could not record or map anything at all.
It must have developed a malfunction, Kristen thought to herself. The journey back was quiet and peaceful. At some point, they must have space jumped through numerous black holes. While they were on the trip, Kristen did not bother checking with her app anymore. As far as she was concerned, they had already achieved what they were sent to do. All that mattered was that the device was going to get them safely back to Earth.
A lot of the crew members were either sleeping or lost in their own individual thoughts when the radio crackled to life.
“Atlantis Mission. Atlantis Mission. Come in Atlantis Mission,” came the call.
Kristen almost fell out of her seat as she reached for her radio. “This is Atlantis Mission. Captain Kristen speaking,” she announced. Other crew members also sat up and were watching with expectation.
“Thank God we have found you,” the voice replied. “This is your director of space programmes at NASA, Director Edwards. Where in heaven’s name have you guys been?”
Kristen smiled as her crew members shouted for joy and hugged each other. “It’s a long story, Director. I really don’t know where to begin.”
“How soon can you get back home?”
“We are on our way. We shouldn’t be too far from Earth since you can reach us.” “Then you’d better hurry home. Earth is now back to normal. It’s like some unexplainable miracle. No more natural disasters anywhere. It’s like they all vanished. We are now back in our orbit and there are rescue and rehabilitation efforts taking place all over. It is simply unbelievable.”
Kristen thought about their encounter with the maker and smiled. “No, Director. I think it is very believable.”
By the time they arrived back to Earth, everything was gradually coming back to normal. Two weeks later, NASA, in conjunction with the United Nations, hosted the first International Summit on Preservation of Planet Earth. The lead speaker at the event was none other than Captain Kristen.
THE END
ABOUT LAMEES ALHASSAR
Lamees Alhassar is a prolific, inspirational writer, artist & a philanthropist.
You can visit her website http://www.lameesauthor.com and you can send her an email [email protected]
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The End Of The World Page 19