The Seeds of Sand

Chapter 6. Gemda

Whoop, whoop whoop the sound of the wind brushed gentling at the back of my ears.  Wind whistled through the pine trees.

I could hear insects scraping in the bark of trees nearby.

On Earth, I wake up from my day dreaming. I am still staring up into the pink sky with white clouds. I can control my heart rate and the ability of my white blood to flow in my green vesicles. It was one of the adaptations given to me by my creators to survive after the destruction of Earth. That power and the gift of Muq was what would help me to survive. I did not know what force motivated me to push forward, but I followed the instinct.

Muq was laying on the ground next to me. His eyes were closed. He looked so calm and peaceful. I know he did not require sleep, but that he did need to rest. I woke up Muq by shaking him gently. "Muq, please get up. We have to get going. I need water and more energy to move forward. I want to find other hybrids, and we must do so before the last of the watery mist of our planet disappears."

Muq woke up. "Good morning, Gemda. It looks like I slept through the night. It is hard for silicon to sleep much, but I managed it. I feel well rested and ready for today's journey."

Muq was amazing. We both had the sun as our fuel source, but he derived more energy than I did. I didn't need to eat at all, just rest at night. Muq, on the other hand, had so much energy. On Earth, his kind was used to capture the sun's rays and convert it into energy. His species was used to organize data. His species was used for many things. Many of the tasks of his race were used for good. But it was the evil few who did corrupt his kind.

We awoke on this day for the next test. What I saw before me was a labyrinth of sand.

"Come on," I said, "Let's get going."

I walked over to the labyrinth. Today was cloudy and gray with pink clouds. The sand was pink. The labyrinth was the remainder of what used to be called a parking garage on earth. In one of my incarnations, I used to get stuck in this labyrinth. You see I was never good at logic. I could never have been like Muq. Muq represented pure logic to me. Reason. Muq would help us get through the labyrinth. I had to ask the right questions.

"Muq, do you trust me?"

"Of course I do, Gemda. You are the leader. I am the follower. My maker told me that I must trust you with not only my being, but my life force. I have much to learn. There was a saying once on earth, 'When the student is ready, the teacher appears'."

"Well I need to you trust me." I said. "If you and I, if our race is to survive, you must trust me."

On that cloudy day, I entered the labyrinth. In the world called Earth, it was known as the human brain. This labyrinth looked, talked and felt like a brain. The human brain had creases and folds. It was pink, soft and chewy like a piece of gum. It was sticky and it oozed and secreted thick white mucus that was sweet like candy, sugary and addictive. The labyrinth was a brain with a heartbeat. It would beat, thump, thump faster and fast and faster. It would race, race, race like the beat of a good song that gets your heart pumping.

I was ready to enter the labyrinth to get the answer to at least one, but hopefully more of our questions. Walking through the portal was easy. Bu, once we got inside, it was tight, and tiny. There was blood inside. Shattered remains of human civilization and green slime, part of my race?

"Labyrinth." I called out. "Are you there?"

The Labyrinth whispered back to me in a gentile maternal voice, "Yes, Gemda. I am. Did you and your friend rest well last night?"

"Yes we did. And we want answers to our questions." I said.

"Before you ask those questions, Gemda. May I offer you a beverage? I've just made you a sweet nectar to drink. Just place your hands on my walls, and I'll give you a sip."