What color is blue? Is water wet? How many sides does a ball have if you don't know what a ball is? And on top of that, a bunch of similar questions, each one harder to answer than the last. And time-consuming. It felt as if we were a fixed point in space, with the future rushing past us faster than light. But we were as slow as an eternal yawn. In this strange and colorful bubble, nothing goes hand in hand with common sense. Does it have hands at all? At the moment my own are doing their usual work of writing. Dig is still sleeping in her seat, and Babaru is keeping watch. I’ll just go through our experiences.

  The pillars of the Mumenos power are now nothing more than a pile of dust. Their current power is based on something so ancient that it’s only a matter of faith. This species has existed since almost the beginning of time. The moment the young universe became transparent, the development of the Mumenos began. I watched their history like a documentary film while in the state of deep observation. It may not have been intended for my eyes, but no one could control me. The transition into observation happened completely unaware. It was nothing like the sideways slip leading between realities. This time, I just fell.

  Babaru came with me. Before we went she was on my lap, her antenna pressed firmly against my forehead. My little friend understood perfectly what needed to be done and did it without question. We looked into each other's eyes for a moment and had the kind of conversation that people with a deep connection have. For a nanosecond, an image of Dig and Pearl flashed before my eyes, and the look they exchanged after my clumsy question. I understood perfectly what was between them.

  The fall felt immeasurable. Finally, somewhere in the depths, we were caught by a soft, jelly-like but dry and warm embrace. It began to pulsate with the four main colors, sliding them between each other so delicately that the beginning of one was not the end of the other. We spun slowly in the center of it all, like two planets embracing each other. Eons’ delicate fingers caressed my cheeks, counting and subtracting the minutes passing between them. We were a twin embryo floating in the heart of the universe. We were the seed of the next cycle.

  I clung to Babaru like a lifeline. And she was nothing less than that. The assumption that deep observation would take place internally proved to be false. There was no sitting in lotus position eyes closed, listening to questions. Or looking closely at things pointed out and searching for what others couldn't see. Reality tends to be much stranger than expectations. So instead, I floated with my friend in a soft jelly of colors in the middle of nowhere.

  The Mumenos are so slow that I thought everything would end before we were ready. I got used to measuring my days on Earth in one way, then at Café Stardust in another. When we came here through porous space, time went into hiding. And there it stayed.

  If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

  All my answers seemed to satisfy the Mumenos. I tried to find philosophical solutions, partly to be clever, partly to be truly useful. I don't know if I was either. I just have a slightly more open mind, which the modern world or the course of evolution had not yet closed. I’m old and ossified. The express train of the future had sped past my little village’s station.

  What was my real task? Was it to measure the loyalty of all species below the Mumenos? Or was this species so wrapped up in itself that it had to ponder for eternity what colors and shapes really are? The Mumenos seem like creatures that fell off the ever-galloping horse-drawn carriage of the universe long ago.

  As we floated with Babaru in this strange space, I didn't worry about our future. There was nothing to be done about it, so I just went with the flow. Eventually it ended. There were no fanfares or victory parades. We were just simply lifted up, down, and in between them. Simultaneously. I hugged my friend closer to my chest. Her antennae had retracted, and she trusted me.

  We approached Dig's ship from all sides like a giant cloud of mist. The leather seat on the bridge served as the center of gravity, pulling us towards it. Gathering ourselves on the go, we snapped into place. Dig sat in her place. She stared at us expressionlessly. We had disappeared suddenly and returned in much the same way. If Dig had previously seemed somewhat aged, all signs of it had disappeared. Had we been gone for more than a moment? Did we arrive back before we had even left?

  The Mumenos surrounding Dig's ship disappeared. Earlier, they had swarmed behind the window like magical jellyfish, but now the sea was empty. Dig continued to stare silently. Babaru was immediately up to her built-in task. If our captain could hear us, she would understand. But nothing got through. There was something in Dig's eyes that made us panic. As if she were fighting a battle inside her head. No. It wasn't a battle. It was a full-scale war.

  Buhr's mind-control worm found a use in someone else’s ear than I had originally imagined. Cook must have been aware of this when he got the worm for me. Becoming a field doctor had never crossed my mind, but Cook's foresight in this matter is more than disturbing. Let's hope the Aldebaran people aren't allergic to it. The worm seemed to work as intended, though.

  Using the worm on Dig didn't feel right, but I believe she understands. The forces battling inside her head had to be subdued. If we’d returned with Babaru even a little later, something from the other side of time and space might have hollowed out our friend from within.

  Now all that remains is to wait. How long is hardly our biggest problem. The bigger problem is probably where. The ship is moving, even though no one is at the controls. Our mission is over, so the Mumenos are apparently pushing us away. I'll write more when there's something to write about.

  Till next time.

  

  
• Johnny