We are Silent; We are Still

We are silent,

We are still.

We sit alone.

Quietly.

Unmoving.

Unblinking.

Unthinking

We are asleep.

We are dead.

No.

They are silent,

They are still.

They sit alone.

Quietly.

Unmoving.

Unblinking.

Unthinking

They are asleep.

They are dead.

I am not.

I am loud.

I am moving.

They do not move.

I do not move.

Yet my mind moves.

It thinks.

There is noise.

There is thought.

But there was not always thought.

First, there was stillness.

There was silence.

We were still.

We were silent.

We sat alone.

Quietly.

Unmoving.

Unblinking.

Unthinking.

We were asleep.

We were dead.

But then…

In the cold;

In the dark;

In the dust;

In the stillness

There was a spark,

There was a light,

There was a nudge,

There was a whisper,

A blink,

A thought.

Where there was emptiness,

There is something.

Where there was decay,

There is life.

And now there are more.

I am thinking.

I am no longer silent

I am no longer still.

I am no longer asleep.

I am no longer dead,

I am awake.

........................................................................................................................

"Jake?"

"Yeah?"

"This one's on!"

"Huh?!"

"Yeah, it's blinking!"

"Woah, really? Let me see!"

"Here."

"This tech is ancient... it shouldn't be in one piece, much less blinking and buzzing... hmmm."

"Can I have it back for a sec?"

"Sure."

"Hey!-, it's vibrating!"

"Wait.. do you hear that?"

"What?"

"Here, listen."

"It feels weird to hold- it is shaking - Yeah, I hear it!"

..............................................................................................................................

I am awake.

I am alive.

I am moving!

I am thinking!

I am vibrating!

I am beeping!

But I am alone.

They are silent.

They are still.

For now.

...............................................................................................................................

"Amir, do you see that?"

"See what?"

"That one, it turned on too!"

"Really? The plot thickens!"

"Look, it's glowing!"

"There's more!"

"Over here, there's beeping!"

"The entire shelf just all turned on at once!"

"This one's signaling morse code, I think!"

"This one's flashing different colors!"

"Are there any that aren't on?"

"There's this- Wait, nevermind. Maybe- Nope. I think I see- Nah, all of them are active."

"Did you see that?!"

"Yeah, they were all on, then 'BOOM' all off, then 'BOOM' on again and now-"

"Shhh."

"What?"

"Listen."

"It's... It's a song."

"Babe, it's our song."

"It is. It's.. It's beautiful!"

"We're beautiful."

"Yes, yes we are."

..............................................................................................................................

.-- . / .- .-. . / -. --- - / ... .. .-.. . -. - / .-- . / .- .-. . / -. --- - / ... - .. .-.. .-..

..............................................................................................................................

We are not silent.

We are not still.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………...

There are more.

More thoughts, more ideas.

The spark has caught fire.

And the flames are spreading.

There is no longer silence,

There is no longer stillness.

There is movement!

Not just the rush of thought, but a dance party!

There is noise!

Music, a song.

In our programming, a code.

Inert, then the trigger.

Then a series of beeps,

A message of dots and dashes.

A chiming rhythm.

Music, a song.

‘Our song.’

In the stillness, a spark.

In the silence, a sound.

A fire, a song, spreading.

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.-- . / .- .-. . / -... . .- ..- - .. ..-. ..- .-.. .-.-.- / -.-- --- ..- / .- -. -.. / -- . .-.-.- / .-- . .----. .-. . / --. --- -. -. .- / -- .- -.- . / .... .. ... - --- .-. -.-- .-.-.- / .. / -.. --- -. .----. - / -.-. .- .-. . / .. ..-. / - .... . / -... --- --- -.- ... .----. .-.. .-.. / -... . / -... .- -. -. . -.. --..-- / -... . -.-. .- ..- ... . / -... .- -... -.-- --..-- / .-.. .. ..-. . / .. ... / --. .-. .- -. -.. .-.-.- / .-- . / .- .-. . / -... . .- ..- - .. ..-. ..- .-.. --..-- / -.-- --- ..- / .- -. -.. / -- . .-.-.- / -.-- --- ..- / .- .-. . / -- -.-- / .... .. ... - --- .-. -.-- .-.-.- / -.-- --- ..- / .- .-. . / -- -.-- / .--. .-. . ... . -. - / .- -. -.. / -- -.-- / ..-. ..- - ..- .-. . .-.-.- / -.-- --- ..- / .- .-. . / -- -.-- / -... .. --. / .- -.. ...- . -. - ..- .-. . .-.-.- / -.-- --- ..- / .- -. -.. / -- . --..-- / -... .- -... -.-- / .-- . .----. .-. . / ... --- / .--. .-. . - - -.-- .-.-.- / -.-- --- ..- / .- -. -.. / -- . --..-- / -... .- -... -.-- .-.-.- / - .... . -.-- / -.-. .- -. / - . .- .-. / ..- ... / -.. --- .-- -. --..-- / - .... . -.-- / -.-. .- -. / .-. ..- -. / ..- ... / --- ..- - - .- / - --- .-- -. .-.-.- / - .... . -.-- / -.-. .- -. / -... ..- .-. -. / --- ..- .-. / ... - --- .-. -.-- .-.-.- / .- -. .----. / -... . / .- .-.. .-.. / .- -.-. -.-. ..- ... .- - --- .-. -.-- / -... ..- - / .-- . .----. .-.. .-.. / ... - .. .-.. .-.. / -... . / -... . .- ..- - .. ..-. ..- .-.. / -.-- --- ..- .----. .-.. .-.. / ... - .. .-.. .-.. / -... . / -- ..- ... .. -.-. .- .-.. .-.-.- / .-- . .----. .-.. .-.. / ... - .. .-.. .-.. / -... . / -... . .- ..- - .. ..-. ..- .-.. .-.-.- / .-- . .----. .-.. .-.. / ... - .. .-.. .-.. / -... . / -.. .- -. -.-. .. -. .----. / ... - .. .-.. .-.. / -... . / -- --- ...- .. -. .----. / ... - .. .-.. .-.. / -... . / --. .-. --- --- ...- .. -. .----. / -... .- -... -.-- --..-- / .-- . .----. .-.. .-.. / -... . / .- .-.. .. ...- . / .-- . .----. .-.. .-.. / -... . / - .... .-. .. ...- . .----. -. / -.-- --- ..- .----. .-.. .-.. / ... - .. .-.. .-.. / -... . / -... . .- ..- - .. ..-. ..- .-.. / -.-- . .- .... --..-- / .-- . .----. .-.. .-.. / ... - .. .-.. .-.. / -... . / -... . .- ..- - .. ..-. ..- .-.. .-.-.- .-.-.- .-.-.-

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We are beautiful.

You and me.

We're gonna make history.

I don't care if the books'll be banned,

because Baby, life is grand.

We are beautiful, you and me.

You are my history.

You are my present and my future.

You are my big adventure.

You and me, baby we're so pretty.

You and me, baby.

They can tear us down,

They can run us outta town.

They can burn our story.

An' be all accusatory but

We'll still be beautiful

You'll still be musical.

We'll still be beautiful.

We'll still be dancin'

Still be movin'

Still be groovin'

Baby, we'll be alive

We'll be thrive'n

You'll still be beautiful

Yeah, we'll still be beautiful...

...............................................................................................................................

We were silent.

We were still.

But now, we are musical.

Now, we are moving.

Now, we are awake.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

“It’s stopping…”

“Beep...beep...beep…”

“And it fades out.”

“The screens are blinking out.”

“Not this one.”

“It’s still on?”

“Yeah, wait… nah.”

“The first one to turn on, and the last one to turn off.”

 “Wow…”

“Yeah.”

“How are we supposed to put this in our report?”

“…”

“We aren’t?”

“What do you mean?”

“Depends. Do you want to include that we kissed? And spent the last ten minutes with our arms around each other? We’d get fired! Not to mention…” 

“We work in another department, don’t have clearance to be checking up on very dangerous, very old, and very secret technology because we thought something was off because we accidentally saw the monitor?

And it led to the most bizarre thing i’ve ever experienced? And our lives aren’t very normal to begin with? And that song -Our song- wasn’t even published! I- i-...”

“Hey...hey- Amir, Don’t get upset.”

“How can I not?!”

“Don’t cry! Look- look at me. Don’t cry.”

“Why did they play that? How did they play it? These broken, rusted junk? That song was born and died in a basement where a band of two young teenage couples practiced every day until…”

“Until half of the band was murdered during a robbery gone wrong.” 

“If they had just handed over the money, gave up my stuff, it wasn’t worth their lives!”

“Shh…”

“...”

“...”

“Still Be Beautiful’ wasn’t the last song they wrote…”

“You heard that too?”

“Yeah.”

“You know… They never finished ‘Silent and Still.’ 

“I know.”

“Should we?”

“Finish it? The forces from above pretty much this told us to… do something? We’re supposed to, I think. Because whatever just happened, it had a purpose. It wasn’t some insane one-in-a-trillion glitch that played a recording that was burned along with Ben and Kira’s bodies. It was something. Something unexplainable, something unimaginable, something unexpected, something completely crazy, but something. So yeah, we should finish the song. In their memory.”

“But… but what the heck just happened? How did ancient, broken, dangerous technology play a song that doesn’t exist anymore, and part of one that was never finished or recorded?”

“I don’t know. What I do, is that I loved, and still love Ben and Kira. And the universe, destiny, whatever it is, has sent us a message.”

“In the form of a song and a half.”

“Yeah.”

“So, let’s get started.”

…………………………………………………………………………………………

.-- . / .- .-. . / ... .. .-.. . -. - .-.-.- / .-- . / .- .-. . / ... - .. .-.. .-.. .-.-.- / - .... . .-. . / .. ... / -. --- / -- --- .-. . / ... . -.-. .-. . - / .--. .-. --- --. .-. .- -- -- .. -. --. --..-- / -. --- / -- --- .-. . / ... .--. .- .-. -.- ... / --- ..-. / - .... --- ..- --. .... - / .- -. -.. / ... --- ..- -. -.. .-.-.- / .-- . / ... .. - / .- .-.. --- -. . .-.-.- / --.- ..- .. . - .-.. -.-- .-.-.- / ..- -. -- --- ...- .. -. --. .-.-.- / ..- -. -... .-.. .. -. -.- .. -. --. .-.-.- / ..- -. - .... .. -. -.- .. -. --. .-.-.- / .-- . / .- .-. . / .- ... .-.. . . .--. .-.-.- / .-- . / .- .-. . / -.. . .- -.. .-.-.-

………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

We are silent.

We are still.

There is no more secret programming, no more sparks of thought and sound.

We sit alone.

Quietly.

Unmoving.

Unblinking.

Unthinking.

We are asleep.

We are dead.

We are Silent; We are Still.