New world

“Fuck.. me..” I say as I peer out into the new world which is yet to be scouted.

Oh right.. you’d be reading this like.. “new world… huh?”. Let me catch you up here. So yesterday was the last day of Earth as you, well not ‘you’, but ‘future you’ knew it… because you see, you’re reading this in 2021 as for some reason that’s the year we (the community of still living) are sending all these brain thoughts and compiled memories written for the pleasure of your brain’s squishy curiosity section. Yesterday the planet known as Earth ceased to exist when an unknown planet which we now know is called Denduro, collided with Earth. Now two planets colliding may make you think, “how can anything still be living and how is….” okay just hold up, I understand that it seems, well, frankly it seems insane. Two worlds colliding in the physical and literal sense as apposed to the metaphorical sense, but it is true. There is just more to the universe than anyone could have anticipated. When Denduro came hurtling at a rapid pace towards Earth with no warning and only 3 minutes for people to frantically race around trying to find their families or a phone to facetime their loved ones, well everyone was scared shitless as can be predicted. It was the most gut-wrenching, horrific sight. People lost their humanity in those few minutes. While I clutched tight onto my younger sibling Andaya’s small hand.. yes, I have a .. well.. just listen. My younger sibling Andaya who was only 10 years old was stabbed and died in my arms. It appeared that whilst some were calling their loved ones, others likely without loved ones were taking it upon themselves to depopulate Earth, as if what was happening, was happening because humans ran the world into the ground, and them decreasing the population at the last minute might save them.

Andaya, for the lack of better phrasing, was my other half, my better half, my soul mate in the vague and plain existence I was trapped in.. and for the most part, I was their guiding light and protector. But I failed my sweet Andaya. Andaya’s stomach was pouring out with blood, leaving me but a simple 30 seconds to comfort my baby whilst they left me for the other realm. And I get it, you’re probably wondering when I’ll get to the part of how the planet’s collided, yet refrained from turning into dust, but just remember that I am not writing any of this to you.. I know that’s a strange concept, you’re receiving this on your.. whatever you are reading this on and yet somehow the words are being created and determined by sheer memory and thought, by what? A futuristic machine? An … alien? Let’s just say that one day you’ll understand.. well, that’s if you are part of the community of still living.

Time is moving quick so let me try to as well. Denduro was only what I can gather to be 2 seconds away from wiping us all out on Earth, but at the last moment there ended up being some sort of blue light that encased both Earth and Denduro. I honestly cannot tell you what it was, I have no idea, but that’s what I mean, the universe is just so enormous that if you were to think too hard about all the uncharted trillion places that reside within various solar systems and milky ways you might just explode your own brain. But whatever that blue light thing was, saved many of us. It made the planets absorb each other until it was one planet left standing.

Now here comes the fun part – Denduro was not like Earth, well it was in many ways, like the vast areas of land, but Denduro's hills were loftier than Earth's, it’s waters were bluer, it’s trees taller, it’s rainforests were greener and it’s people…. tougher, but they could also be kinder.

Here’s the thing, we began this with me looking into the unscouted terrain infront of me, with anticipation in my gut. And the reason I have all this knowledge on Denduro prior exploring it myself, is that I woke up with it. When Andaya died I clutched their head to my chest and kissed their blonde hair as tears of anguish and deep sadness rolled down my face like floods and I shut my eyes.. I shut them and I was going to let the world swallow me, but at the last moment I opened them, and saw the blue light right before the planets essentially ate each other. Andaya was swiftly taken from my grasp by moving clay, I tried to regrip onto them, but only managed to grab their heart shaped locket from their neck before they were dragged down into the tumbling of soils and rock. I kept running on the parts of land safe to stand. Eventually I passed out and awoke with knowledge that was not within me before. And it was a surprise to discover that I no longer felt the excruciating pain from losing Andaya.. something I’d never think I’d say as how can I no longer feel ‘that’ pain? I’d say it doesn’t make sense, yet there’s this calm air around me keeping me from being so concerned about things I cannot change, however, even with the knowledge I do have, there’s still plenty I don’t and I came to quickly learn that even with this calming air around me, I can still feel the dirty f word.. fear.

Right, so where were we. Ah, yes, “Fuck.. me..” I say as I peer out into the new world which is yet to be scouted. Around me is mostly dirt and rubble with some patches of bright purple grass. I look around me and see a mixture of old and new. Just eyeballing it I’d say there’s about 20 humans and about 50 of… well, I’m really not sure and they aren’t all the same. Some look elvish in nature, however ‘Elf’ is a term Earth dwellers created so I’m sure they aren’t called that. Some of the other people I see look like they, it’s hard to describe, but almost like very tall humans with horns on the sides of their heads, these particular individuals are very attractive. There are even large wolves, the size of 3 wolves in one, ranging in colours. And in all their glory, I see dragon-like people standing at 8 feet tall. There’s all sorts of people varying in shapes, sizes, heights, colours, textures. It’s truly a sight to behold, remarkable.

After everyone adjusts their eyes to the new surroundings and stumbles to their feet, we all look around at each other, and as I go to speak to one of the individuals who obviously came from Denduro, I’m stopped by the unencumbering throaty roar of one of the dragon-like folk. Surely that scared me right? But if anything, it made me feel warm and like I was hugged with possibility. I went straight up to the dragon-like creature and said “Hi, my name is ..”, but before I could get anymore words out one of the tall and eye piercingly attractive horned creatures said to me, “Evorners don’t speak other languages than their own”.

I asked how they knew English and they responded, “I don’t know what English is, all I know is that on Denduro, all languages can be understood by everyone, except for Evorners whom only speak Dragor.”

I learnt the name of this person is Kiahna and that their species is called Drayer, and within a couple minutes we shared with each other our experiences of what happened within the last moments of Earth and Denduro. Then suddenly in my right peripheral I see this incredibly familiar shade of blonde at a height I’ve known before. I turn quickly to spot what it was and to my disbelief I see Andaya…. but it’s not Andaya is it. This darling is in every way identical to my baby, however this child has horns, leaving me thinking about the possibilities of ourselves being in multiple realms and worlds living separate lives, unknowing of the existence of others out there also living their lives possessing the same visual characteristics as we do. The child walks up to me, “Have you seen my mom?” they say with their eyes welling up and their nose running.

I look at Kiahna with a ‘what do I do’ expression then I look back at the child, “I’m sorry sweetheart, I don’t know, but I can help you find her.”

I take the hand of the little Drayer and walk them through the assortment of humans and others, selfishly for a quarter of a second I thought about a world where we didn’t find their mother and I looked after them. I just didn’t want to have to walk away from Andaya’s face, even if it wasn’t Andaya. But with great appreciation, we found their mother who I quickly passed the little Drayer to and let them be.

I made my way back through the crowd and met back up with Kiahna. I asked Kiahna why everyone including myself seemed so calm and if it always felt like this on their planet. Kiahna wasn’t sure what I was meaning, I suppose if that’s what you’ve always known you wouldn’t know any different. Kiahna told me that there is a place, or at least, there used to be a place on the Northern side of Denduro that could bring people back from the dead and into physical form as long as the person attempting the rebirth had some part of the deceased’s old body with them, whether that’s a piece of hair, nails, an eyelash. I fell to my knees, I had nothing. I pulled out Andaya’s necklace from my pocket, “All I have is this.” I clutched the necklace to my face and then felt that calming air and rose to my feet, this was just out of my control. Then Kiahna inserted, “but look.” Kiahna saw a glimpse of something between the chains of the necklace and pulled out a little piece of blonde hair. Kiahna quickly opened the locket and placed the hair inside for safe keeping. I had Kiahna draw up a map showing how one would have reached the re-birth site prior the collide and a manual of how to complete this ritual of sorts.

The map, as expected was useless, I learnt this in the first day, but I decided that I’d just have to search the entire new planet then, just in case there’s a chance the re-birth site is one of the materials that stayed on this plane.

I searched for 12 years.

And I found it.

At the top of a tall mountain, I found the re-birth site and I followed the list of steps Kiahna gave me all those years ago, I followed them exactly as Kiahna set out and as per the last step I pulled the necklace out my pocket, opened the locket and I placed Andaya’s hair in the concoction of other materials and then… I passed out.

When I awoke, I was angry, like the calming air was only effective on the shallow landscape.

I don’t know why this didn’t work.

Then I hear a euphoric voice call my name… I turn to see Andaya and I hold them with all of my being.

You may not know why you’re reading this, I suppose this may give you a chance to change the future, but even if you do change the future, mine will always stay this way, I’m simply in an alternate reality to you, but that’s okay, I’m whole now.