Evenstar

We’re, still finding skeletons. That ones wearing a dragon ball shirt, this one still has a necklace on...

“Shut up and clear these so I can go home on time tonight, nothing is in this old barn!” the boss cuts in with his stern blank demeanor.

You can tell by the trees this was one of the areas that “Went Big”, ...one of the areas “the pulsation” happened...about 2 decades ago before we started leaving Earth, I started to say to Lin. Just then Bosco heaves an arm bone at me, laughing and taunting Lin and I for thinking of our childhood.

Bosco being the bosses kid is a bittersweet recollection; kind of letting you know that even at the end of the world, the bosses’ kid is still a prick. Is it cynical that I find solace in this? Before I daydream too much into it, Lin makes a face at me, subtly telling me to shrug him off. Always liked Lin: funny, beautiful smile, clean (some people let the after math take them and didnt keep up with standard day-to-day grooming of the 21st Century). In another lifetime or should I say daydream I could see us together, but DBag-Bosco isn’t that first depressing thought every time I wake up to that makes me dread working through this muck to salvage resources for trade. Its’ that I know this is the end, not death, but when youre younger the limits the sky, and with all this now, you see the skys been reached. Survival puts the damper to your dreams you took for granted. The time you thought youd have tomorrow is now a struggle to just exist. And realization, ...realization is the big one that when it hits you, you stop, your heart skips big, then skips a little until you can breathe again. I use to tear up personally, but everyone shares that commonality now.

Realization is, Im never going to be a rockstar, whats left of your neighbors are never going to be famous actors and actresses, & hell that teenage kid isnt going to be a barista. Youre either one of the well-offs that got to leave when resources were maxed. Or you were someone like me that has the privilege of representing Earth.....”whoopy”. Rysium: the place created on the star was the lie we all believed in, while we helped build sustainable pods for “Us” to live on a star, before the elites of this place took the first years of the ships and left us to deal. That stings a lot less than the realizations. Funny huh? We heard about the new life being planted and the new forms of entertainment on Rysium from Youtube, but that felt like ages ago.

First it was lame, something conspiracy dipshits could vlog about on their Twitch, now I guess you can say “you couldn’t Twitch to save your life”, and we’re all dipshits.

Sure you had your fake Purge fanaholics & your Mad Max cosplayers for a couple of months, but when it all sunk in, we coward-up, bought all the toilet paper, and stayed in our houses, at-least the majority did. When the first pulse took out Hawaii we thought the military were testing defense weapons and accidentally vaporized a state. When New York went, the panicked screams placing blame on aliens was deafening. “We didnt listen”, I remember that saying, but all the Prius’s in the world couldnt stop mother nature from countering our own stupidity and harnessing centuries of noise we’ve made into ultrasonic waves that literally make your organs explode inside you. Turns out we had more than carbon footprints to worry about and we shouldve always been on thee librarian honor code. Scientists called it “experientia phainomenon sonus”, before the best of them left too.

My names Jeremy, I could say that because Im telling you all this like the lead of any story, that the lead is me, but Id be lying. I made it out on one of the first years ships,...but where there is opportunity there is crime and just because we’re in a whole new world doesnt mean there arent people that demand to see what the old ones up to. Thats where I come in. My team and I didn’t explore other stars like the fables they told about the second years ships that they blew up because Rysium was only for the richest of the rich. We come and go as we choose and bring anything someone with an old vice left behind. Dont care where you are humans a corruptable if thats a word, the ones who arent want to watch. For instance have you ever been stuck in traffic only to see that when you get to the reason for said traffic theres just a bunch of sheep looking at an accident they couldve easily just kept driving past? Exactly, we hate when it happens to us but we love to watch. They love to watch grainy camera footage of when the first pulses happened, also they need to see how the people left behind are surviving AND we’re the market for that. I have a strangle hold on this content or monopoly if we’re talking politics.

A door is closed lightly and the sound of feet can be heard coming to the top of the stairs.

“Thats enough for tonight sweetheart”, grandpa says while closing the pretty butterfly notebook. “Don't tell your mom about these stories okay”, Amiliana promises as they lock pinkys and kiss the tops of their hands, smiling in each others eyes signifying the secret.

“Mommy!” Amilliana leaps into Lins arms. “hey you” and whatre you both doing, reading? Lin smiles.

Yes grandpa hurries to stand, “just fairytales while we wait for you.”

Nothing to crazy I hope

Grandpa smiles halfheartedly

Amiliana asks, “mommy can I got to the ship one day”,

Maybe Lin kisses her and hugs her tight

She takes Amiliana to the clawfoot tub and sets fire to the kindle to heat up water for her bath.

where’d you get this bracelet with a heart mommy, and whats a “dipshit”

Lin’s heart skips big, then skips a little. Then she breathes and yells for grandpa.