I dream,

Within moments the small craft was lifted high into the sky. A pillar of smoke from the exhaust trail spreading out as it rocket out of sight. A lush green planet could be seen. The oceans vast and fruitful, life exploding out of every inch as the small rocket barreled out of orbit. The lone pilot watched in horror as lights lit up across the beautiful land that once held his home. As the oceans crumbled and cracks seemed to rise from the pressure of their moon colliding with their stratosphere. Fingers against the tiny little capsule’s glass panel curled as his tears fell into the mask he wore over his nose and mouth. No other pods followed after his. A promise that these pods were for everyone rang through his mind. A promise that his family would be right behind him echoed. The pain that seemed to ring out in his heart was enough to make him curl in on himself. There was hardly room to stand in this tiny shuttle. There was no navigation. Simply a force to propel him to the next planet’s solar system. There were estimated weeks that went by. Maybe months. Many empty void travels with only the soft sound of the shuttle’s light telling him he was still moving. The man, Still draped in colorful traditional garb of his people, went through many phases of grief in that span. He had to face that his family was gone. There was anger. He wished many times to simply smash the small cabin to bits as then he might be able to stand. He dreamed of that soldier who placed his wife and child into that pod’s chamber and told him to hurry. He wished to punch his face and shove them in instead of him. Next came to him in a dream, He dreamt of the gods they use to worship. He placed his hands together and fell to his knees. His antler adorned hat falling to the ground as he groveled and tried to plead that they trade his place. They take his heed, they take his head, anything to allow his family to come back from the dead. Next he felt denial. As his head fell against the glass and he watched the empty void of space pass him by he refused to believe this was reality anymore. It was a bad dream. Things were just fine yesterday, he would wake up and pray. He would take his youngest daughters hand and guide her to the school gates just down the way. Her would kiss his wife’s cheek as she cooked before tending to the fields himself. Obviously, this was some sort of spiritual awakening. No way was the entire planet failed to evacuate. It was all just some god awful dream and he would wake up soon. The next time he awoke, he sobbed. The man lost count of how long he had sobbed but all he could think of was how many people he had lost. How many people lost their own children. So many were lost and yet he some how by the god’s grace had fled a moment in time. There was suddenly a loud crack. It pierced his ears and caused them to begin ringing. He cupped his head and tried to cover himself as best as he could. Unsure what to make of the new development. The entire cabin was suddenly warm to the touch, the glass on the windows red with sparks. Yet, within moments it was blue. His heart of hearts dropped as he stared in awe at the change of scenery. He still hadn’t fully come to realize just what was occurring but the change of darkness to a blue clear sky was so inviting. The man was simply overcome with emotions before suddenly crashing. The entire pod threw him forward. It bounced. It rolled. It bounded forward in the soft wet dirt before popping open bent and smashed primarily on the left side of the cabin. He held his head, the crash had swung him around this way and that yet he was mostly unharmed. Smoke billowed and alarms began to blare before he had fully wrapped his head around the fact people were staring at him. Slowly he lifted a leg over the edge of the cabin and fell to the sand beneath. The air was dry and humid. It smelt dusty and hot and the sand currently enveloping between his fingers felt so real he could hardly grasp it. His knees wobbled and people continued to stare, almost as though he were something terrifying. He lifted the sand up to the sky, watching it pour out over his palm as he laid on the solid ground for a moment. He made it. By gods he made it! He made it alive and in one piece, he had done his family proud. He was alive and had found a new home. A child began to cry, a mother shushed it and the scene before him continued. He rushed on his hands and knees towards people, reaching out. He pleaded with them in his native tongue, begging them. Each time he crawled towards them, they simply backed away. Speaking their own tongues before walking off. He held his hand out, looking for mercy. He begged and yelled and cried to anyone who would hear him, yet people just continued to attend their markets and merchants. The people were scared, confused. They looked as though they didn’t understand him, they looked as if he may pose a threat. They passed, hoping someone who knew how to help might pass by instead of them. He fell, his forehead meeting with the soft wet sand as he intertwined his fingers in the most intense prayer, he had ever done in his lifetime. Even compared to the complications of his daughter’s birth he had never felt like so much was against him. To have no one listen or attempt to understand him. To be in a place where he had no idea of their culture, their religion, their history. He was scared. A tender touch rested on his head, The man raised his weary eyes and placed them upon a young man with streams resembling that of tears down his beautiful cheeks. They glowed a faint luminescent blue. He pulled off his straw knitted hat and knelt on one knee before him. His gentle touch moving to his shoulder as he smiled gingerly at him. The man could hardly believe his blessing had been heard from so far away from his home. A home now destroyed. His lips parted, soft and supple and all the kindness in the galaxy could not match up with those tender green eyes. “I am an android. Like you, I crashed here many years ago. “ He gently took his hand, standing and assisting in helping the man stand. “ Do not hold it against these people, They rarely have people travel to their planet. Even rarer do they see people outside their village. “ His voice reminded the man of wind chimes, of a gentle spring day with birds singing their songs. Of a gentle wind carried through on a rainy Autumn day. “My branding number is 32-z4 But I have since become more fond of the name Erza. “ The android politely said, He took the hand, assisting him in standing on shaken knees. His eyes were blown wide as he had understood the android and realized he had only ever been talking to himself for lord knows how many months. The man stumbled as he finally placed weight on his feet. He dared not look away at this glorious savior. The man—The android? Who answered his prayers. “My—” He voice rasped, surprising the man as he suddenly was taken aback at the sound of his own voice. He cleared his throat and tried once more. “My name is Jagish Khatri “ He answered tenderly. The android looked fondly at the man, Now known as Jagish, and Jagish could feel how softly and tender his fingers were despite him proposing to be an android. How warm that smile was and how kind those eyes were. “Its nice to meet you Jagish. Let me show you around the planet and explain their culture. I can teach you their language and how they perform trade and currency. By…By the end of it you can choose to leave if you like.” He appeared almost saddened by the proposal. Which confused Jasgish for the moment. Yet he dare not question it for right now. He simply nodded, once he held his own weight on his knees and felt confident in walking he began to remove his lower face mask. This planet’s air was more humid and warmer than his previous planet. It was almost as though they were polar opposites to each other. His chest still ached for his home land. “Have you ever met with an android before?” He asks softly, beginning to guide the willing Jagish along. Jagish, who folded his head beneath his hat once more and tried to look less frazzled as he was, shook his head no. “We had travelers very rarely. From space I mean—And we weren’t advanced enough for android life yet. We had only just discovered pods that could carry someone away should we need it. “ That caused the conversation to sour a bit as he instead found himself looking down at his blackened hands. They trembled. “…I was the only survivor.” He rasped breathlessly. It hurt to admit such a thing out loud. It shook him to make sure this wasn’t all a bizarre dream again. Warm silver fingers moved over his hands, slowly moving to his palm and causing Jagish to move his gaze upward at the beautiful silver haired android. You could hardly tell he was one. His eyes shone a beautiful hazel as his face gave away his only android trait. At least as far as he could see. “Im sorry. Did you have a lot there?” His lips parted gently and this caused Jagish to ponder those words. “I had a family. They were my everything. I was just a simple farmer. I just wanted to provide for them until I died.” He wished he could admit he had planned on dying young. That he wanted to die before his family. That he planned to work himself to the bone on their tiny plows in the hot dirt as he turned the fields. The memories still stung like a distant memory. He would never forget their faces. He never could. How could he? That was his life for a long time. The android, Erza, Simply nodded sadly and continued to guide him off down the busy market ways. This started their long journey. He followed Erza. He taught him step by step how this planet worked. He taught him how to speak their native tongue and what their culture was. He occasionally slipped up and did things considered rude. Yet, Erza was never upset. Simply taking his hand in his own and guiding him through their culture. Erza provided him with a small home on the edge of an oasis in this dessert. He taught him how to dress to survive the sand storms. He taught him which animals and plants to eat and which to befriend. Most importantly he taught him which to avoid. Erza taught him the way to travel be it at night or day. He provided him with a map, with a pack animal, and with a bed which he often slept in beside Erza. He taught him the history and squabbles of these simple people. He taught him how old their world was and how they behaved. They sat and observed the stars of this planet’s solar system. They sat the the rooftop and often found themselves laughing. Speaking in his native tongue as that was how he spoke to Erza when he was comfortable. They would often speak for hours, sitting up there on their rooftop. Gazing at the new array of stars that formed over head. The lights that sometimes illuminated the grim darkness. The colors of this beautiful planets atmosphere. Jagish often found himself staring happily at Erza. He found Erza over taking his thoughts as two years had passed within the blink of an eye. They had traveled far stretches and they had gone all around the sources of this planet. A majority of it held little to no life. Only ever hosting small creatures and plants that could withstand its harsh environment. “You can leave now.” Erza stated one day, out of the blue. Which startled Jagesh. Who turned as he was cooking their supper for the day to look astonished at Erza. He didn’t move. Simply stayed there leaned against the wood of their front door and stared out over the vast land in the middle of no where. It was how Erza liked it. It was how he found himself enjoying their time as well. “Why would I ever think of leaving?” He replied, wanting to shrug it off. That was the end of the conversation. A sad smile on the androids lips and the image of thought that he may leave him alone left a bitter taste in Jagish’s mouth. It came suddenly. Swiftly. A night not long after that as things seemed to return to normal. Jagish dreamed of his old family. He dreamed of his daughter and her smiling brightly as they walked to her school. How she pet the wooled animals as they passed other farmers and ranchers. How she laughed. How she cried. He remembered his beautiful wife. He remembered when they first met, how they fell in love and deeply were fond of eachother. He remembered how scared they were as the Sirens blared out. As people they had never seen lifted technology they had never gazed upon. How they promised everything would be fine. Everyone would be fine. He was shoved into a small capsule and when he tried to shove his way out and demand his daughter and wife go first he was simply shoved back in. He was promised that everyone would leave together. That was a promise never once that didn’t haunt him. Because they truly didn’t know he would be the only survivor. A lone farmer among his neighbors. Among the people who ran their small planet and world. A simple farmer carried their names on his tongue. He hugged them. He embraced them both and held them so close he wished to never wake up. His daughter spoke with tears in her eyes as did his wife. Yet they both took his hands and pressed them to his chest. He was confused. Looking at himself suddenly beside them. Or, It was him. The old him. The him who didn’t believe in many other things other than their religion. Things he previously thought fitting no longer fit. They pointed and waved, beginning to walk away with his copy. Jagesh stood, confused by this as a soft, warm hand came onto his back. He awoke with quite a gasp as he sat up in bed. He looked at the fire outside. The soft soot still occasionally crackling in a short lived blaze. He looked at Ezra, sleeping soundly. He swallowed. Nodding. Jagesh knew well what that vision entailed. He knew it well. He began to sob, weeping loudly as Ezra awoke and coddled him. Rubbing his back and concerned for why he was crying so profusely. Jagesh turned to Ezra. He smiled. His chest felt so deep with this feeling it was overwhelming. How could you describe this? He simply took Ezra’s palms and pressed his thumb into the creases. “Im home."