Curiosity
High above the evening sky, casting its perception down upon a blue and green planet, was the Entity. It was not a physical thing one could see with the naked eye. It had no visible form. It did not exist entirely inside our reality.
It was a thing of somewhere else, another plain of existence. Ancient, it was, by human standards. Yet, it was considerably young compared to the rest of its kind. Merely a child in relative terms. It was a curious being. It yearned for new things, to experience what it previously had not.
It lowered its perception down through the clouds and marveled at this planet’s unprecedented beauty. The sun cast an orange glow across the clouds in the sky and the waves in the ocean. The Entity took its time examining how the waves crashed against the sandy shore and receded again. Over and over.
Beyond the shore was a long stripe of forest, trees reaching high upward, as if they were trying to touch the sky. Past the forest, the Entity perceived something different.
Grey clouds rose from somewhere on the ground. There was a feeling of … damage?
It stopped the Entity in its tracks. There was something unnatural about this feature. Curiosity was still flowing, but caution creeped into the Entity’s mind as it moved on from the forest.
The forest merged into rolling green hills, sparkling form the warm orange sun. But that’s where the harmony ended.
Giant craters littered the ground, smoke billowing up towards the sky. Large structures, unnatural to nature’s designs, stood broken down and crumbling. Some were burning. Other unnatural contraptions lay ruined, charred and melted.
The most horrific thing, however, was the vast amount of deceased organic beings spread all around. They were bipedal, fleshy, with varying colors of skin ranging from light pinkish to dark brown. They wore fabricated coverings of strange green and brown designs.
The corpses leaked red fluid. Some were burned to the point of being almost unrecognizable as a member of their species. Some were missing limbs and other body parts.
The Entity ‘moved’ closer. What had happened here?
Its curiosity was equally mixed with horror and disgust now. What had caused all these beings to expire? What had ruined the landscape that was once so appealing?
The Entity expelled a wave of sorrow. The thought of these creatures expiring so violently was too much to bear for one so young of its kind. The desire to help, to aid in some way billowed up inside of it.
Just then, as if an answer to the Entity’s wave of emotion, it sensed something. It was like a small ember, barely surviving in harsh winds. It was the feeling of life, flickering.
One of the creatures was still alive.
The Entity reached out with its perception to find it, center on it.
The creature was lying on the ground near one of the ruined structures. Its chest slowly heaved up and down, and intermittent sputtering emitted from its mouth. It had dark brown skin, and the red liquid leaked from multiple slashes around its body. A jagged shard of metal jutted out of its lower abdomen.
The Entity reached out with its thoughts and touched the mind of the creature. Memory and pure thought flooded between them.
Jean Moreau, a designation ... It stood on a beach, smiling to another which it held with its arm … It swam under the ocean, with a strange contraption attached to its face and a long cylinder attached to its back … It stood inside a structure, holding a small offspring … The offspring was now bigger, skipping and running around …
Their minds disconnected, and the creature gasped.
“Is that … is that you Lord?” it said. It took in some more broken breaths, struggling to stay alive. “Please, if you’re out there, just let me see my girls again. That’s all I want.”
It gasped again, then its eyes slowly closed.
It was clear the creature would not last for long. It was going to expire if something was not done. The Entity pondered. Would it be right to save its life? Would the Others approve?
A faint noise rang out some distance away. It was piercing siren, and it was getting closer.
The Entity reached out with its intention, hesitated for just a moment, then touched the creature, Jean, with its will. It wove strings of life through its body, slowing the leaking and strengthening the body. It should be just enough.
Jean’s breathing became more rhythmic and softer.
With that, the Entity drifted away. Away from this world and back into the safety and comfort of its own reality. Did it make a difference, it wondered?
Perhaps.
***
Jean awoke.
He could feel soft bedding supporting his back, and a pillow under his head. Light sheets covered his body.
Upon opening his eyes, he was greeted with sunlight, and he snapped his eyes shut. He would wait a few minutes before opening them again.
Once he did so, and had adjusted to the light, he examined his surroundings. He was clearing inside a hospital room. The light was coming from a window on the wall.
“Ah, Mister Moreau. You’re finally awake,” a gruff female voice said. “The doctors weren’t sure if you’d make it.”
She was adjusting a small bag on a metal pole. An IV?
“What … happened?” Jean asked?
“Well, after the attack on your forward position, the evac medics came in and searched for survivors.” She paused a small beat. “You were the only one.”
Jean let that information still in his mind.
They were all gone. He was the only one left from his platoon.
He closed his eyes and drifted in memory. Why did he survive where no-one else did? What made him special? Then it hit him.
It was because he had asked, and the Lord had answered. A small smile spread across his face.
He was going to see his girls again.