The If Story: Part I

    I found myself standing on the edge of the universe, nothing below my feet and yet I didn't appear to be floating in the vastness of space that surrounded me. The surreal vanished in a moment as I gazed around awe struck, I could not see the sun nor the moon. The realization sunk it, I had no idea what universe lay before me.

Why had that singularity of thought triggered the onset of anxiety, after all I was but a man seemingly utterly alone in the cosmos, being in one universe or the next shouldn't make any difference.  Suddenly I became painfully aware that I was being watched a tingle went down my spine as I looked over my left shoulder, no one was there.

The feeling lingered and for several moments I stood there in silence, gazing out into the stars. When I brought my gaze back to face forwards there beside me was a girl, she was nearly my height with long brown hair dressed in a white jumper that would suite someone going into space, though she made it look majestic. The moment I noticed her, she also seemed keen that my eyes were upon her form, she turned her head my way to reveal white-grey eyes with red iris.

The young girl in the battle suit looked just as lonely as I, trapped in the isolated obsidian of space. I held my hand out towards her, without turning to face her, and said 'want to hold hands... and pretend?' She noded, extended her hand towards mine and for the first time, at age 15, I had a girl friend; even if it was just pretend or even a dream...

It was then that we noticed something moving off in the depths, it was large, silver and moving at great speed, a star ship. We stood side by side in silence for what seemed like a mellenia as it drew close. As it flew by I could see into the windows scattered about the hull of the vessel. The ship was gigantic, it must have held hundreds, possibly even thousand of people. When it was nearly passed I saw a young girl in one of the portals, it was the very same girl at my side. She must have noticed me, because she raised a hand to the glass, the same hand that was holding mine.

Realizing this, I looked up and the girl had vanished. I was alone again on the brink of space. For the next hour I watched the ship on its course through the darkness, it appeared to be heading towards a planet or possibly a moon that lay still a great distance off. How I knew that was its destination I could not tell, I just knew. Something deep inside my soul, possibly a long forgotten memory hidden in the back of my mind was rekindled when I saw the beauty of the planet. I could see the wonderous shades of green and the majestic blue from space. Vast forests untouched by the greed of mankind mingled themselves about the clean waters of the oceans.

I blinked, nearly blinded, from the bright reflection light off the particles in the air as the ship entered the atmosphere or was it leaving? I suddenly became very aware that the planet was no longer beautiful, it was... Black.  A massive creator on the surface from the trajectory of the ship, left by a massive explosion.

Overtaken by awe I stood there in silence, forlorn and mourning for the loss of yet another world. The ship passed by once again, I knew it where it was headed, off to another planet to call home. The vessel was nearly empty, as far as I could tell, from the thousands of people on board, only a few remained. I knew at once that the girl, who had once held my hand at the brink of  loneliness at the edge of space, was not aboard the ship.

Had she been lost to the tragedy that occurred on the surface of the planet? Was this all just some crazy nightmare if it was how could I remain asleep through so much loss of life...

 In Working Partnership with Paul O'Donnell, Site Administrator for The If Story: Check out Chapter I here: http://theifstory.com/where/