Eden

I didn't know what we'd find here. I didn't really know what to expect. But even in my wildest dreams and my craziest fantasy would I have guessed this...

Eden

 

 

            "Ugh...my head," I quickly moaned as I struggled to sit up. I felt a heavy weight on my back, but it quickly rolled off as I pushed my self up. I opened my eyes slowly, replacing the darkness of my eyelids with the thick unceasing darkness around me.

 

            "Where...where am..." I struggled to remember. My mind was clouded and fuzzy.

 

            "Shawn!!!" a shrill voice cut through the darkness. As if a floodgate, everything rushed back into my mind.

 

            "Mary?" I yelled back. "Are you alright?"

 

            "I'm fine. Is Shawn with you?" the voice came back.

 

            "Stay where you are, I'm coming." I replied, slowly getting to my feet. I cracked my neck slightly before reaching to my belt, finding my flashlight missing. I swore lowly before reaching into my pocket. I pulled out my emergency pen light and clicked it on. The small beam of light barely penetrated the thick darkness around me but allowed me to walk with out stumbling.

 

            My mind was still a blur as I struggled to remember what I was doing. The last thing I remembered was a bright flash of light before I blacked out. I shined the light around the small cave, seeing nothing except for the "Origin". The solid reinforced steel drilling machine, meant to pierce anything. It still remained stuck in the walls of the small cave around us. I could see the “Ragnarok” logo on the side. The entire cave encased us, a large sphere of thick rock surrounded us.

 

            The three of us were to pilot the Origin, the machine built by a company known as Ragnarok for one specific purpose, find the inception of life. We had spent the last several days, drilling downward, deep beneath the earth and into the core. After what felt like weeks of drilling into the core, we broke through. The rock was something I had never seen before, something that shouldn't even exist on this planet. It was harder than diamonds but so light it felt hollow. The last thing I remembered was running a test on internal structure of a small rock I found before a bright light encased me and I blacked out.

 

            "Where are you?" I called out before a bright light in the distance answered my question. Mary had found her flashlight and had unleashed the 1 million candle watt power light. It lit up the cave, pushing the thick darkness away.

 

            “We're on a multi billion dollar expedition to find the reason for human life and thats all the light you have?” Mary asked as I distinguished my tiny flashlight. I only grinned in replied, an expression she didn't return.

 

            “You see Shawn?” She asked, expression scared. I shook my head slowly before looking off into the darkness.

 

            “I'm sure he's fine...” I said, not really believing my own words. I could tell she didn't believe me either.

 

            “You're bleeding...” She said softly, thoughts obviously elsewhere.  I looked down and saw the large gash on my arm, completely covering from my elbow to the wrist. I struggled it off.

 

            “I'm still alive...” I said before instantly regretting the words. “What do you think that was?” I asked, trying to change the subject. Mary only shrugged before she began searching around the small cave, searching for anything. The whole cave was bare, not a single rock out of place, aside from the rubble the Origin caused, the walls were completely flat and smooth before growing together in a large dome shape. Even the floor was smooth.

 

            Mary continued to sweep the light around the large cave, illuminating in a large arc. My eyes strained to pick out any details at all but I saw nothing. Just an empty cave in the center of the earth.

 

            “Wait wait, what's that?” I said quickly, grabbing Mary's arm and pulling her light back. The light quickly returned, illuminating a large object, jetting out of the ground into the sky.

 

            “What the...” Mary said, dumbfounded. I was in an equal state of stupor.

 

            “That shouldn't even be able to exist...” Mary continued. I agreed. Jetting out of the entirely smooth dense rock was a large tree. It shot up into the sky, it's thick branches covered with lush green leaves, brushed the top of the dome structure.

 

            “How...there's no water...no sunlight. Nothing!” Mary said, utterly confused. “It's impossible!”

 

            “Apparently not...” I said, my brain working a mile a minute. During the drilling, we had a bit of down time so I had read up on creation myths, stories I knew couldn't be true but something to pass the time. I thought it might have been helpful to research before hand and now, my mind was searching through every book, every sentence to try to remember anything. I just stared, mind a blur, at the tree in front of us. It was larger than anything I had ever seen before, taller than anything. man made or otherwise, I've seen on the surface.

 

            “No...” I said, my brain striking a reference. A small single sentence. One word. Four letters.

 

            “Gaia...” I said, eyes widening.

 

            “Huh?” Mary said, glancing over at me, confused.

 

            “It is believed by many that the creation of the world happened with a bang. Everything falling into place perfectly. Well, something had to give it life. Life couldn't just come from nothing. It had to have an origin! It's believed the Gaia started the bang. She was the spark causing the implosion, an explosion bringing everything into existence but it was her that actually created the life and kept giving it. With out her, we wouldn't exist, life couldn't be.” 

 

            “And this...plant...is the Gaia you talk about?” Mary said.

 

            “What did you expect?” I said, walking forward, towards the large object, wanting to get a closer look.

 

            “It is believed that the Gaia created the world, bringing life into it, but now she is trapped here, stuck continually giving life to the planet.” I said, pace increasing. Mary struggled to keep up, both with my pace and my tale.

 

            “It was said that she traveled the stars, living for millions of years, flying across the universe until she could find a place where life could grow. She started as a seed...growing slowly into this...Our solar system...our sun was exactly what she needed to grow. With it, she was able to literally, grow the planet together, giving it life, trapping herself in the core.” I said, pace both with words and steps increased.

 

            “Do you hear that?” Mary asked. I stopped for a moment and listened. Music. Almost like a ghostly beautiful wail that echoed through out the entire room.

 

            “Come on!” I said, running now. I could see the shadows dance off the bright green trees as my companion rushed behind me, light bobbing up and down. The music grew louder, words indistinguishable but the melody sounded beautiful, something that pierced my very soul.  

 

            We arrived at the base of the tree in moments, my frantic pace lead me there first before Mary arrived behind me. I looked up in wonder and awe at the marvelous object in front of me. I stared with a reverence and awe at the life giving being. The music had increased, the soft singing almost making me weep openly. I smiled as the soft sounds caused my heart to lift. I could feel power resonating off the tree. I reached outward, wanting to touch the dark bark in front of my face.

 

            “I wouldn't do that if I were you...” a soft familiar voice called out from my left. I quickly snapped my head over as Mary dropped her lantern.

 

            “Shawn?” I asked. I had been with the man for almost six years now. I was the best man at his and Mary's wedding, heck I introduced them. He was my roommate in college and I had spent months in close quarters with him in the Origin. But as I stared at the man in front of me, I had to ask, confirm it was really him.

 

            “Shawn!” Mary said, rushing towards the man. I quickly grabbed her arm, holding her back.

 

            “Wait...” Shawn and I said together. I quickly picked up the torch and pointed it directly in the direction of the voice. The face certainly belonged to Shawn but the body was changing. His arm was extended, holding on to the tree, didn't look human. It was stone. The stone had quickly covered his entire arm, his shoulder and left leg. It didn't stop there however. It slowly continued outward, covering the rest of his body in the dark stone that made up the large cave around us.

 

            “Shawn?” The figure in front of us asked, confused. He cocked his head, looking at us through cold lifeless eyes. I walked forward, towards the figure slowly, Mary in toe. My mind blurred again, trying to remember what I had read about this.

 

            “Don't touch him...stay back.” I instructed, holding Mary back about twenty feet from her husband. She only watched him, staring back at her through his cold eyes.

 

            “I remember you...but I've...” Mary said, looking forward towards her own husband.

 

            “The Gaia has a defense trigger. Anything that tries to harm it or come in contact with it turns into stone. Ok, that makes sense. That's perfectly reasonable. But that doesn't explain...”

 

            “Who was he?” Mary asked me through the corner of her mouth.

 

            “...that...” I said, looking over at her confused. I turned her, staring her directly in the eyes.

 

            “That man is your husband...” I said, reminding her. But even as I had said the words, I didn't even believe it. I shook my head, trying to clear it but with every second, Shawn’s memory faded. With in seconds, he had gone from being my best mate to a passerby, a stranger. I tried to hold on to his memory but it was trying to keep water in the palm of a hand. It slowly started to fade. He was becoming a half remembered dream.

 

            “Listen to me. We have to go.” I said, grabbing her arm and starting away. “Mission aborted.”

 

            “Mary?” A shrill weak voice called out. We both turned back to see the man, now half stone, calling out to her. Mary stopped.

 

            “That voice...I remember. But how...who...” She said, turning back.

 

            “He is your husband...or was...I don't know who he is anymore.” I said, my memory racing through everything I've read on the Gaia, hoping something will click.

 

            “The Gaia has a secondary defense.” I said, trying to keep Shawn's memory in my mind, trying to keep the water in my hand. “Anything that touches the Gaia doesn't just get turned to stone, the very essence and memory of that person gets wiped out. Every memory, every indication of him, gone.” Even as I said it, I slowly tried to remember the man in front of me.

 

            “Shawn...” Mary said, walking forward. “My husband.”

 

            “Yes, yes” Shawn said as Mary advanced toward him.

 

            “No, no” I replied, grabbing her arm. “Mission aborted. We're returning to the surface.” She quickly broke the grip and continued onward.

 

            “Get back here,” I yelled into the air as the singing grew louder. Something didn't feel right. I felt a slight breeze push through my shaggy hair and whistle through the branches above me. I stared forward at my teammate advancing forward before I realized something was wrong. 

 

            “Mary, get back here now.” I yelled as the wind, coming seemingly out of nowhere, increased. I had no idea where the wind was coming from. It seemed impossible for the wind to increase anymore but before I knew it, my jacket whipped around the air as the light breeze turned into a large gust, causing me to cover my eyes as dust swirled around the two advancing teammates.

 

            “Shawn?” Mary asked. She couldn't hear me anymore, the singing and wind had completely blocked me out. I yelled louder but she didn't pay any heed. The man in front of him slowly began to fade from her own memory, as she was sure she was fading from his. She looked down, noticing the dust around her had begun to settle on her own body, solidifying. With in seconds, her entire arm had solidified in a thick stone encasement, matching Shawn's arms.

 

            “How come...how come you remember me?” He asked, confused. He looked down at her arm, concern on his face.

 

            “Get back here!” I yelled again, trying, and failing, to yell over the loud wind around us. I couldn't even be seen anymore through the thick swirling dust around the pair. The longer I was away from the two, the more I just wanted to cut and run, leaving the strangers behind.

 

            “I'm your wife...” Mary said, walking slower as her feet solidified. “...And you're my husband...Do you remember?” Mary said, trying to believe it herself. She had no idea who I was anymore and struggled to trust me, trying to believe what I had told her.

 

            “I...Mary?” Shawn said, eyes widening. She smiled.

 

            “Do you remember? Do you know who I am?” She asked, the thick dust hindering her movements as she struggled to step forward. Pebbles broke off her legs as she struggled to move forward. She reached her arm outward, watching it solidify in front of her as she did.

 

            “I think...I think so.” Shawn replied, staring forward at her, the rest of his body completely frozen in stone now. His head was only free but the stones slowly crawled up his neck.

           

            “You have to remember me...You need to...Do you remember what you told me? What you told me on our wedding?” Mary asked, trying to remember the words herself. The more she believed that the man was her husband, the slower she forgot. She held on to his memory with both hand, focusing on one thing. Nothing else mattered. Nothing. Not that they were in the center of the earth. Not the Gaia tree. Not the swirling dust around them. Not even her body solidifying. She just focused on one thing, a single fleeting memory.

 

            “I told you...something. I was...it was outside...we were...staring up at the stars...” Shawn said, trying to remember. The memory seemed so far away, so distant and yet, so real.

 

            “Yes...but what did you say?” She said, smiling. She still continued forward, trying to span the distance of ten feet with two stone legs.

 

            “I said...I want to...Spend...” Shawn said, thinking hard. “Forever with you.” He said, remembering instantly. The stone had covered, most of his head and moving towards his face. Mary quickly fell forward, leaning outward. With one last ditch effort, she threw herself outward, feeling her body slow under the weight of the rock but she sailed a foot through the air before her stone arm connected with his body. 

 

            In an instant, everything stopped. The dust, the wind, the music, everything. I only had time to see a bright white explosion before I blacked out again.

 

            I woke up again, in the same position as before. I pushed myself up into a sitting position, quickly noticing the thick dust around my body. In a panic, I quickly brushed it off, revealed to see the dust brushing away to reveal skin. I searched around for Mary's flashlight, fully aware of the bright light in the room. I found it a couple feet away from me, dead. I snapped my head up, looking around quickly for the light source.

 

            The cave was empty. Totally bare except for one single object in the middle of the room. A bright white hot object in the center of the cave. I slowly got back to my feet, noticing the large gash on my arm had gotten worse. Applying pressure to the wound, I quickly made my way across the smooth earth toward the strange image in front of me.

 

            A single structure stood in the middle of the cave. A statue, monument, stood erect carved of a bright crystal, something I had never seen before. Something told me not to touch it, but I just studied the large statue in my sight.

           

            A man and a woman, standing together, locked in an embrace. They seemed familiar, but something out of a haunting dream. I couldn't put my finger on it but they looked really familiar. I only stared at the sight in front of me, memorized by the image. The statue was beautiful, the material glowing, bringing darkness to the otherwise dark room. I had no idea why I was so attached to the two figures, but something seemed to draw me to them.

           

             After what felt like an hour of staring at the effigy, I started to turn back, retreating to the Origin before something caught my eye. I looked down to see a dark green object on the floor. Bending down, I quickly scooped it up, holding it to the light. A dark green leaf, maybe the last of the Gaia tree, stood in my hand, bright and full of life. I could feel its life in my own body just after picking it up.

 

            I felt a sharp pain in my arm before I grabbed it quickly, applying pressure, covering it with the leaf. With in a second, the pain subsided. I looked down to see the large gash, completely gone. Healed in an instant. I looked down at the leaf in my hand, feeling the energy and life that it contained before turning back, walking towards the Origin.

           

            I had no idea if I could pilot it on my own but that thought was far from my mind as I took one last look at the figure behind me, trying to remember who or what it was. I shrugged slowly before trudging away toward the machine, faintly hearing the soft echo of singing behind me.