The Secret Runaways

Who is this world wonderful, cascading orange into yellow at the visible horizon-line? Time untethered, who are these things free unruled dancing by the sandy marsh to the music? It seems their games aren't of the judgmental kind, kind greens in their eyes something deeper holding their stare into that orangehorizon-line. I've been here a while, not sure how long. All I know is the rest of the crew is gone, by choice or inability, not sure what, but one of the two.These things dance though to drums their tirades unquestionably safe. They give. I'm safe here. 

"Where are these things mentally?" I ask into the sharp warm wind as I saunter closer, a closer look at them needed. There is a shrub I hide behind, but no hiding is needed. They know I am here, and they don't care. They move to a sticatto bongo drum, and a long and flimsy wooden flute, played long and steadily, the notes longingly melding with the sharp warm wind. Now that I'm closer I see there are hundreds of these things dancing together, no conflict between them witnessed. 

The drums stop. I panick. Still watching behind the red shrub I realize no harm done to me. The flute continues, and from behind, a wall of creatures part in the middle letting in a beautifully dressed solo dancer. She saunters to the middle of the sandy marsh. A show of some sort. The greatest show. A great and secret show. 

She comes out swaying seductively to the flute music. The drums have stopped and so it seems to me this beautiful creature changes colors to the mixture of orange atmosphere, longing-filled long strewn-out notes. At one point, and I had to blink to make sure, she levitated, floating twelve feet up arms and soul beckoningly outstretched, hugging the universe. 

Another creature came out from behind the wall and kneeled, visibly, donned in armor, sword and shield, the lady's suitor. The flute stopped and a moment of silence played into the sharp warm wind. Then laughter and applause. The knight wasn't reciprocated by the beautiful lady. Without an inkling of notice, the beauty rose above the crowd a few meters into the air calling out: "Discharge me of this norm!" Sir Lancelot got up from his knees, dropped his weapons with a personified clinkage and mosied back into the wall not unlike how farm animals move back on earth. The hundreds softly went away, out of sadness or disinterest, the circumstances of the celebration now over. I slept. 

"Wake up silent rogue and come over to me." I was immersed in heavenly green-eyed beauty. 

"I, my ship, my crew-" 

"I know where your crew is! Scared back to Earth. The question is why are you still here? Spying on my people?" 

"I didn't mean any harm, uhh, the show." 

"What about the show don't you have shows on Earth?" 

"Was it just a show?" I asked. The creature-lady looked at her nails, evidently timidly surprised. 

"Yes," She finally said. 

"You really didn't jade that man?" 

"No. Well, not really. It's a show about you." 

"Me?" 

"No. Not you. Earth. Your people. 

"You lived on Earth?" 

"Yes. Once all of us creatures lived on Earth. We grew tired of it and came here." 

"Grew tired of what?" I asked. The lady-creature threw back her head, wanting to laugh but not laughing at all, actually. 

"The corruption, the reflection. Rejection." I looked at her confused. I said, "Excuse me I get the corruption and rejection part but-" 

"Do you? Do you understand rejection?" 

"Well, miss, rejection was part of your show." She let out a forcible cackle. 

"Not romantic rejection, the other kind. Another kind." We breathed the sharp warm air and pondered, not at all looking at eachother. 

"You said something about reflection," I said breaking the silence. "On Earth, reflection is a good thing." Lady creature chimed in:  

"Here, take my hand and come with me, I need to show you something." I grabbed her beautiful lizard-like hand and tuned into something never felt before. Swept away, we flew high above the sandy marsh, over villages of tweed huts, over rivers, all the time breathing sharp warm air. Whoever created this world, however it was made, I was up flying over it about to learn something about this lady-creature and her people. Soon the air was scented like a Christmas fern, and I knew we were entering a dark forest. We dodged trunks and twigs sometimes they slapped our faces we were flying so quick. Lady-creature finally stopped us. 

"There." 

We next entered an enormous cove within a tree-trunk 56 ft. into the air. Within it, a gargantuan mirror faced us, framed by 60 torches lit by God knows who. I saw myself in the mirror, but when lady-creature stood beside, I saw nothing. Her reflection was invisible. 

"You see," she said, "We don't need reflection, that's what makes us different." 

"How? What?" I gasped. 

"Why would we need self-reflection when we are pure in action and in heart? We do no wrong, unlike you on Earth." 

"Well then, why did you creatures leave? Earth could rather use a purity like yours." 

"Your Earth isn't accomodating of us. Humans are so busy self-reflecting, they do not like Purity of expression like ours. You're all phony. We tried, and then you shamed us." 

I listened, unable to fathom a belief so self-deprecating in a species so beautiful. I exclaimed, "Well, from now on we will!!" I then made a bold referral:  

"Come back with me. You and your creatures of purity." 

"It is hard being rejected for who you are," She told me. 

"Come with me! I will build a home for you, a home. The humans will learn to tolerate and accept. And love." Lady creatures eyes became all bleary and teary 

"Tolerance?" 

"Yes." 

The next day I employed 3,000 ships bound For Earth. We'd try again! Time wasn't an issue on this world, nor would it have been. Lady-creature and her species were reluctant to return, despite my 3,000 ships offering to take them to Earth. The ships were waiting for everyone, docked on the beach. 

I felt deep inside me an empathetic ache for Lady and her creatures. In addition I felt it for everybody that didn't quite fit in on Earth. This species had created something never seen before on Earth, a place where all could be present and all could be wanted. All of the time. 

What was I to tell lady-creature to finally convince her to come home with me? That life for her would be easy? It certainly would not. I knew that this planet, as perfect as it was, wasn't lady-creature's calling. Living here she, and her creatures would never die. However they would never know their true value unless they moved back to Earth. Earth is an interesting place where people can hate you all they want, but they can never distinguish your fire. Lady-creature had that fire, and she would make use of it on Earth, with me. 

In the final moments I smelled that sharp warm air and gave an internal farewell. The red sea below coalesced its waves as the engines roared. She sat next to me in the coach seats. There was no reason anymore for the cabins, I had them removed. "Are you Okay with this?" I asked. 

"Let's try again," she said. And we caused waves in that red sea as 3,000 ships brought the runaways back.