People on Earth
I was an astronaut. In my suit, I had been to many planets; nearest the Moon and furthest the Neptune. Likewise, I had also seen numerous asteroids. Asteroids are fallen stars. They are fast and heavy, therefore very dangerous. But let me tell you something, asteroids are cars driven by small creatures living on those planets. I witnessed this overwhelming wonder. As I went back to the Earth, I told my fellow men of the same- planets are homes and asteroids are transportation- but they didn't believe me. They all laughed and laughed and laughed whilst pointing at my head, 'This astronaut must have missed his home too much!' It was true that I missed my home, but that had nothing to do with my discovery. They continued laughing and pointing. These are the people with zero imaginations and beliefs. I felt sorry for them instead.
As I managed to shoulder the weight of an astronaut's suit, I was almost half the time in a year out of Earth's atmosphere. The government was always telling us to search for things outside Earth. I had to follow their commands. But I never preferred it, not because it was a tough job. It was because of its absurdity. People are like this, they look always so far beyond them and never look near. They fantasize of what lies far outside, yet never seeing the values of what stands right next. So, my job was to import stones and pebbles from different planets to Earth. They were the same stones and pebbles, only of higher price. People are like this, they are willing to pay for things that come from the outside, but never even glance at things that are right there. I always laughed at their comical faces and gestures whenever winning the auctions. It was because they paid so much for stones and pebbles, just as the stones and pebbles here.
When I was an astronaut, I had a colleague. We were very close and we spent a lot of time together. One day during lunch I asked him out of nowhere, 'Why are you an astronaut?' He gave me a look at first. Then, he held up his right arm, while rubbing his thumb and index finger back and forth. He laughed so heartily that I felt guilty if I didn't match his laughter. So I laughed too. After that lunch I could no longer look at him straight. To me, he became so different. His speech and gestures that didn't mean anything significant, now brought up a different air of something. People are weird creatures. They see values only in things that come in numbers. They ask too often and brag too much about numbers. The more zeros they have, the more contented they are. But, the number zero is of no value, just as their questions. Why are they so proud of being valueless? Of that, I could never comprehend. People are just that odd.
I woke up every morning to my alarm at 6.30. I prepared myself so that I look clean and presentable at work. At 7.00, I walked every day to the transportation hub to take a railway. The place was always so packed with people. I had loved observing them every morning. They all wore different faces; happy faces, grumpy faces, tired faces and so forth. But they all had one in common- restlessness. They walked so fast as if their journey to offices were walkathons, they talked so quickly into their phones that I thought they were talking aliens, their eyes always never settling in a spot and always scanning back and forth. I on the other hand, preferred a relaxed stroll to my office building, talking face to face with people instead of gadgets and mesmerizing the beautifully secretive morning mist. I always wondered why were the people always so busy and restless. They had beautiful things all around, but they took no time to realize. Beautiful things all just went to waste.
I was a married man and I had a family. I had a wife and two beautiful children. I had always loved her and my children, but we were down with a divorce and a broken family later on. She said I didn't love her anymore. I had always thought I gave her enough love through my actions and deeds. It was true that I came home very seldom because I was an astronaut- I had two homes to go back to; the space shuttle and my little house. For I was a reserved man, I spoke very little of feelings and emotions, not to mention. My wife one day came up to me and threw a tantrum. She was at that time seeing a man. She blamed me for the happening, and for the eyes of the people on her. She wailed and shouted. I pulled her into my arms but she gave me a slap. She wanted words, but I gave her actions. I never knew that, words were more important than actions. I didn't know that, merely 'I love you' could give more comfort than my steady hands. I could do her nothing more, because I was only an astronaut.
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| Doodles by Maxdy |
Free writing, free thinking,
Shae
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