THE UNIVERSE
KAREN JERZYK
She floated through the ether, a stranger in a strange land. The flicker of dying neon cast lightning storms across her brow. What was it about this place? So familiar yet so foreign. That old song played in the background, the vinyl crackling to the beat. Faded remnants and dire consequences were strewn as far as the eye could see. Her kind were known to be whimsical, sometimes brilliant, but sometimes nonsensical, unaware, without care, floating through the ether, estranged in a spectacular land. the world turns quiet at night . The once-busy streets lie in the shadows, distant music and laughter now only emanating from select doors and windows. The wind glides through the streets, carrying a lost bus ticket and a flock of flyers toward the next corner. The hectic movements, the millions of voices and vehicles, pause. Night is her favorite time to explore the world and the people who thrive in the dark. Time to think and create. With her camera, she captures the true essence of our species, not what we think we are, the true face we all try to hide so well. The essence of humanity. The fleeting moments when the world is whole and connects us all together. Yet we float through our world, everyone shielded in their own suit. We’re surrounded by millions of voices, yet isolated. Our suits give us a sense of exploration, freedom, and creating a new world with new purpose, yet we’ve never been so lonely. We’ve trapped ourselves inside, alone. She steps off the lit streets and moves toward abandoned buildings and neglected alleyways. The windows are shattered, and the crumbling facade represents a forgotten era. The last sounds of the streets behind her fade away. As she ventures deeper into the darkness, she gazes at the sky. The dilapidated roof perfectly frames the stars and galaxies far away. As long as humans have roamed the Earth, the stars have been flirting with them. They wink from unattainable distances and flash galaxies ripe with the distant prospect of life and hospitable climes. Is there anyone out there? And could their planet support our form of life? Nations across the globe task their brightest minds to find out. Humans are inherently explorers, wanting to push the boundaries, discover, and sometimes, colonize. Funding for something as sexy as being the first to find a thing in the sky always seems to be readily available. A handful of years ago, NASA scientists excitedly announced the discovery of a little faraway exoplanet system, named TRAPPIST -1 after the telescope it was first seen through. This system, much like ours, consists of seven planets orbiting around a star. It’s the largest discovered batch of Earth-size, habitable-zone planets around a single star. So much potential. Truly amazing.
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MOTHER VOLUME THREE
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