The King addressed the crowd. “Fellow Firmicutes today is the day. We have cowered in the folds and crevices too long. Today we take our rightful place. ” Thousands of cilia waved in response. “The Bacteroidetes will rue the day they tangled with us.”
…
I yawned and turned off the alarm. After a sip of water I stood on the scale. “Damn, I gained two pounds.”
“Look what I found,” he said. He picked up a shiny silver disk. “It’s a coin,” he said. “I thought they all melted.” “Nah, some metal survived. I’m not sure why,” she said. They looked at riot of green that covered the land as far as they could see. “I wish we knew more about them,” he said. “Me too,” she said. “It’s sad. Almost everything we know came from those electromagnetic waves we received. I wish we could have met them.”
I drifted off and never woke again. Surprisingly I still exist. Just not where I was before. I am in a new place. It’s not better or worse, just different. I am not in a human any more. I am not in a plant or animal. I know where and what I am but this old language has no words or concepts to describe it. There is no way back but that doesn’t matter. Time’s arrow rules here also. That is the only thing that is the same. Now I know. It never ends.
No one thought it would ever happen. The last holdouts joined today. The human race is one. There are no more countries. Because of AI and machine translation we can all talk to each other. There are still different languages but they are mainly used for cultural purposes.
How did it happen? For awhile we thought everything was going to go boom. It seemed like all the big powers hated each other and crazies were sprouting everywhere.
Nothing big caused the change. It happened little by little. Maybe the kids started learning not to hate in schools. Maybe people got tired of the bloodshed. Maybe they didn’t want the stress every day.
But it happened. I still can’t believe it. Now we can get started with the fun stuff.
I look at the water and see nothing. My pants are rolled up and I am carrying my shoes and school bag. This is the worst part. Once I’m in the water I forget and move as fast as I can. My legs pump against the water and it seems that I will never get to the other side in time. I try not to think about the ones who didn’t make it.
I’ve tracked it since it left the blue sphere. It is headed straight for us. I am not sure what to do. It is not possible to discern its intentions and it has not communicated with us. It is a rather ungainly object. I can’t understand why they would send it to us. I do not think we can allow it to land. After all, this is our home. Who knows what havoc it might wreak. I suggest that we deflect it instead of destroying it. That way whoever sent it will believe that it malfunctioned. We must keep our existence secret.
Agreed.
It’s cold. My body is turning reddish orange. I’m pretty dried up and my veins are sticking out. I’m almost ready. The wind is blowing me back and forth and I can feel the abcission layer weakening. There it goes.
What a view. I’m floating on currents of air. I see my buddies coming down also. I am headed for a beautiful green patch. I make a perfect soft landing.
What a great ride.
He wore a shirt with black and white stripes. His beret gave him a jaunty look. While the crowds milled around he shifted from foot to foot in a pathetic dance. The bucket on the ground in front of him contained a few coins.
On and on he danced with an expression of utter boredom on his face.
…
Aha! Let the game begin. I see a big brute with blonde hair holding hands with his petite girlfriend. He looks harmless. I sneak up behind him and begin to imitate his walk. The crowd wakes up. I hear the whispers, laughs and titters. He looks back and I change into my dance and give him a warm smile. He smiles, turns around and keeps walking.
I step it up. I openly mock him now with funny faces and gestures and the crowd is roaring. I bet that will get some coins in my bucket. The girlfriend notices me and starts to laugh. She elbows her boyfriend and whispers in his ear. His face turns bright red. The girlfriend tugs on his arm. He whips around and confronts me with a tight smile on his face. I murmur apologies and shake his hand. The crowd applauds.
I walk back to my spot and dance.