Ура! Мой первый рассказ на английском! Не знаю, будет ли вам ясен смысл… Не с точки зрения языка, а с точки зрения самого рассказа 🙂 но я старался.
I was sitting under the blooming tree.
Its white petals were slowly falling to the ground covering it with a thin layer of tenderness and it looked so fragile that seemed these were dreams covering the ground. I looked around. The day was ending and the sun obviously merged into sunset, spreading the soft and warm light all around. Light breeze filled every leaf and every blade of grass with life, causing barely noticeable movements and rustling whispers.
It looked like Earth.
Like Earth used to be.
For more than a century we were travelling in space and time trying to find a new home. Humanity’s remnants, we looked at the stars and dreamt to turn back time to find ourselves home – inhaling the fragrance of forests, feeling the touch of an ocean breeze… But instead we moved from one star to another investigating the planets where life could possibly exist and many of us remained there – like dust of an extinct star, like ashes of the past – settling on grounds of destiny which was pretty cruel and inescapable.
We were disappearing.
Each new planet couldn’t substitute the one we had before. It was a struggle for life – in frozen worlds and hot deserts, in poisonous woods and rivers which couldn’t ever give a sip of potable water… And in hurricane skies. Exhausted, we couldn’t continue any longer, but we did, longing for the place we could call Home.
And then I suddenly found it.
In the middle of nowhere, at the far edge of known universe.
A new world – small planet, little bit smaller than Earth – but it had oceans and seas, plains and mountains, fields and woods – so I called it Terra. It looked so friendly… And it was.
I was sitting under the blooming tree and listened attentively. Quiet sounds of creeping insects, murmur of leaf… one more petal slowly descended to the ground. One more dream settled on a green grass. I closed my eyes. It felt like a dialog between earth and tree. Like give-and-take between two old friends, helping each other not to survive, but just to live in peace. Like being one instead of being apart. Like being whole instead of being divided into pieces.
I was entranced by the harmony which reigned in every square meter all around me.
There were only few minutes more to stay at that place before I leave. I had to transmit the signal that I’d found a planet to live but it could be done only from the outer space. So I looked around silently trying to remember every small detail. Something shrank inside of me when my sight caught the silhouette of a giant ship standing in a few miles from me, dropping a menacing shadow on that promised land. Being built long ago for war purposes it looked like echo of the past – but the more I looked at it the more I understood that it was not an echo. It was our essence – always being at state of conflict with ourselves.
– Time to go, captain, – quiet voice in my ear called me back to ship.
– I know, ship. I’m coming, – replied I. Many people gave names to their ships… but I didn’t. Even though it has become my shelter in that cold and unfriendly world called Space.
When I was closing the gate a stunning sunset brushed me with its beams.
– Ship. Prepare for the flight.
– Five minutes to start, captain. Please take your seat.
I’ve taken. Control panel shimmered with lights – so usual and predictable that I felt like everything was going right.
– Ready for take off. Go.
Point of no return was passed.
Whole ship vibrated. Vibration became stronger and then I heard a sound.
– Engines activated.
– Power 40%. Hide pylons.
Sound of engines turned into roar. I felt it with every cell of my body. Once you hear this you can never forget that feeling of furious power which blasts from somewhere deep beneath. I turned my head left and glanced out through a small illuminator. My lonely tree was at the same place. Fire blazes danced on its white petals.
“Sorry”, I sighed.
– Pylons hid. Circulating system engaged. Starting to increase altitude.
Slowly, ship began to crawl up.
– Power 55%. Stabilize traction. Incidence 80 degrees.
– Stabilizers activated. Incidence aligned.
Speed was obviously increasing. Clouds passing by illuminunator turned into solid stream torn from time to time by lightning bursts. Lightnings always appear when such ships are piercing into sky.
I was full of thoughts. Being so impressed by the peace on the planet my mind simply couldn’t accept the fact it can be. Unconsciously, I controlled the flight and did all usual operations to keep it safe and stable, thinking about what a true friendship is and if we could ever be a friend to a planet.
“But it’s not about friendship”.
There are such moments in life when everything just stops for a while – but it feels like that while lasts longer than all your life.
I heard the voice of the planet.
It was everywhere. In trembling of the ship, in clouds, in color of the evening sky.
“It’s about love”.
My breath hold. Shimmering lights of the panel blurred when I heared what I’ve felt all that time I stayed on the planet. My mind gave up and hid somewhere far away – but it didn’t matter because nothing else was to be spoken.
Silently, I revealed myself from a seat belt and flew up. Without even noticing that the ship had already reached the orbit and gravity disappeared I moved to the illuminator and looked out.
There was a planet outside.
So small… And so vulnerable. I could easily place it in my hands.
“There will always be a place for you in my heart”, – I whispered quietly.
Stars gazed at me without twinkling.
There was only me and my beautiful planet, and the whole universe around. I smiled and took my seat preparing for the flight.
And nothing else mattered.
April – June 2010
Замечательный рассказ, который раскрывает душу автора, его мысли и чувства =) Получила истинное удовольствие от прочтения. Наверное одного раза недостаточно, читая каждый раз будешь открывать новые вещи.. Клим, желаю тебе искренне успеха на этом поприще.. у тебя хорошо идёт =)
Удачи, друг!
Ммм… 🙂 я уже прям чувствую себя писателем.
Спасибо, Ленка! Очень рад, что тебе понравился мой рассказ.