WHEN THE LIGHTS TURNED DARK

WRITTEN BY NANDA NAIR A

At first, I thought those were random flashes of light.

I enjoyed it, until I really discovered what they were.

When I realised what they meant, I was astonished.

I told no one. I kept the gaping hole on my face shut.

This was our secret.

“Hello,

I am Proxima Centauri from Alpha Centauri system. With that huge, bubbly eye of yours, you watch me, yet to be ignored. I knew you noticed me. I noticed how you love to hear those two-legged earthlings study about me, being the nearest star to your father’s kingdom. I would love to talk with you. You seem to be an interesting fellow who can tell me fables day and night.

Yours and yours only,

PCen”

From then, I started calling him PCen. I directed my father’s light to send messages in the cosmic language to PCen, so that he can decipher it.

“Hi there,

In case you don’t know my name, it’s Earth. It might sound manly, but like you already know of, I am not so manly. Thanks for reaching out. I really needed some friends. Growing in a conservative system, I was protected by my 8 brothers, my dad (famously called as sun), and my grandmother Oort cloud. All my life, my only entertainment being the stories told by my human beings. Lately, they have become slightly destructive, but a bunch of them have decided to rectify their mistakes. Mistakes happen to everyone; I appreciate it when they realise it and correct it. I am so glad to have you as my friend.

Yours,

Earth”

It started like this. We no longer cared about anything that bothered us. Slowly love blossomed between us.

Have you felt the bliss when you watch a flower that you nurtured all day long blossom one fine day?

It will feel like the entire universe aligned for your happiness. That’s how I felt it to be. Without my realisation, I fell for him. I fell in love with PCen.

One day, I got these quick, sharp flashes of cosmic rays from his side. I knew it was something urgent. I knew I had to quickly attend to those. It read,

“Hi my sweet dear Earth,

I love you!!! I can’t express what I feel for you. Every day as I realise how beautiful of a metallic sphere you are and how failure of a red dwarf I am, I lose the fire in me. If you feel the same towards me. If you love me as much as I love you. If you believe in our friendship that took years to be translated to love, be mine! Do you mind coming to my system? None will be there to control you. Just three of our exoplanets that silently orbit around us. But if I decide to come to your solar system, it’s impossible. Even if your oort grandma permits me, even if your dad sun accepts me as I am, I will have no orbit for myself. I will literally be killing your brothers as well, due to my eccentric orbit.

Yours faithfully,

PCen”

I can’t really express how much I waited for his ultimate confession. I wanted him more than a black hole needing negatively energized particles.

I reflected back in the cosmic languages,

“Love you, PCen. Wait for me.”

It was morning for the Indians and night for the Americans. Moon just thanked me for providing enough centripetal force to help him orbit around me. He thinks I am possessive, but I am done with him monitoring me every single minute piece of time.

“Dad”

He was busy spinning, like always.

“DAD!!”

“Earth, you don’t scream at dad”, Jupiter, my eldest brother warned me. I don’t wish to defy his orders. He is the one who protects me from catastrophic asteroids.

“Jup, could you please call him then? Am not loud enough.”

“DAD. EARTH WANTS TO SPEAK TO YOU.”

“Yeah, sorry for my ignorance to your callings. Yes, what is it my sweet little daughter?” dad is pretty cool at times. He tells me stories of our origin and how we were all metal balls of fire causing tantrums when we were kids. And how Jupiter wanted dad’s position, but unfortunately failed to. From then on, he decided, even if he doesn’t get a chance to foster children, he will take care of his siblings. Hence the birth of my sufferings.

Family relations are complex in the cosmic realm. It’s not how it works on earth.

“Dad, um… uh…. I really want to tell you something. If I don’t gather the courage to tell you now, I can never tell you again ever.”

“dad’s all ears. Tell me, earth.”

“I am in love with Proxima Centauri. He cannot be accommodated in our already brimming solar system. I wish to stay with him, hereafter.”

SOLAR FLARES!!!! I HEARD EARTHLINGS SCREAMING.

“Earth! Do you realise what you are talking about?!” this time it was Saturn. My younger brother. Literally everyone in the system has control over me, being an only female.

“Brother, why don’t you understand. I really do love him. Have I ever come to any of you with any of my wishes, until now? Why don’t you let love prevail?”

“Sat, Jup, everyone, quiet! Earth, tell me about him.” I was relieved. At least am given a chance to speak.

“Proxima Centauri is his name”

“Yes, I know his brother, Alpha Centauri B. It’s a lone family. One of them is even a dwarf!”

Pluto winced.

“Dad!”

“what’s his caste and creed?”

“Dad… please dad….”

“Why don’t you answer my question, Earth? And Venus, just because you are a failed twin, doesn’t mean you can back her!”

“Failed twin, dad? How can you!” I was sobbing. I couldn’t take the insults anymore. Now my poor little Venus is suffering as well. Abashed was I.

“ANSWER MY QUESTION, EARTH!”

I was whimpering enough to disable myself from speaking anything.

Jup gave me a death stare.

“He is from the Alpha Centauri system. He has two brothers: Rigil Kentaurus and Toliman.”

“Enough of the details! What’s his creed?”

“Red dwarf.”

“A dwarf?! A dwarf is what you have got to love?! Do you even realise how amazingly beautiful you are and how ugly that fellow with two brothers is? Do you plan to bring disgrace to our family?! Solar system is considered to be the most prestigious in our entire galaxy! NOT JUST IN OUR NEIGHBOURHOOD! BUT IN AN ENTIRE GALAXY! Do you realise how much work me and your grandmother have done to bring this to stability?! How much we have suffered?! How much we have contributed for those beating hearts on your surface?! And now you found love in a lost man? A man who isn’t even a planet?! Cosmic law says only bodies of the same type can gravitationally love tangle! Else, you are either a king or a slave. That sly Proxima Centauri has failed me, good lord!”

SOLAR FLARES!!!! I HEARD THEM SCREAMING.

Dad wouldn’t stop:

“Oh yes! They do have 3 planets. I forgot! HOW CLUMSY OF ME! IS THERE LIFE ON ANY OF THEM? I HAVE 8, BESIDES THE DWARF!”

“Dad!! Pluto is ours! You do know that! You needn’t put shade on my siblings because of the stain that I have brought on your honour!”

“Earth! Learn to respect your dad!” This time it was Neptune. His blue colour shone due to rage.

“I have NOT lost respect for any of you. But it doesn’t seem vice versa! I claimed my love and is this how you deal with it? Throwing shade on my siblings? Poor Pluto is almost in tears.” I pointed out the obvious.

Dad was still in rage. He wouldn’t accept PCen, no matter what. The decision was upon me.

I couldn’t help myself from weeping. Everyone was silent. Grandma moved a little closer to us to eavesdrop the ongoing fight, hence bombarding Pluto with debris. I never wanted to be the reason for their suffering.

“Dad. I am a grown woman. Been existing for about 4.6 billion years. It’s high time I take up my decisions. I truly love PCen. He is the first man I have ever loved. He is the only man I can ever love like a lover does. This love didn’t start yesterday, it has been going on for about a million years and yet each one of you failed to notice it. You claim to care for me, but instead you mentally exhaust me. I am going for my love. He is waiting for me. I will bear the consequences of the aftermath.”

“Sister!” Pluto was sobbing heavily. I felt really bad for him. But I wasn’t remorseful for what I was committing, until…

“JOSEPH!! DID YOU HEAR MOTHER EARTH’S DECISION?”

“I DID!!!”

The folks were terrified. Utter chaos. Havoc everywhere. The UN Secretary announced,

“This is a sad news. Never expected our end to be like this. Mother earth has decided to move to Alpha Centauri. With immense grief I am announcing adieu to every being on earth.”

People silently watched the tears flow down her cheeks.

“While standing on the threshold of death, we ought to realise how despite the differences between all of us, survive on the same set of rules and regulations.”

People have begun to pray.

“The only way we can survive this is by manipulation. Constructive manipulation. Let’s all together try to plead our mother earth from leaving our solar system. Let’s all help her understand how she is costing billions of lives.”

Creed, race, religion, that kept people separate disappeared. Everyone came together for their and their fellow beings’ survival.

“Mother, Mother Earth,

All’s fair in love-

But not at the cost of lives.

Together we wish for another sky,

For another breath,

For another day.

Together we plead for your mercy.

The love that you seek for dwells on you!”

People chanted and chanted and chanted.

Sun knew she was not going to step back. She was gathering energy to leave her orbit.

Venus knew she will end up being a lone twin.

Pluto hoped Proxima would take good care of her in that dark new system she was going to end up in.

Mercury hated to see her suffer.

Mars tried consoling Earth.

Days passed. All animals bowed their head down to pray. Lion and sheep sat together. All humans chanted. Trees spread love in the minimal time available.

And it was then that Earth realised:

Once she is out of her orbit, none of them will be alive. Her beings would be dead. There will not be a single soul on her to whisper her secrets and fables.

Like those flashes she had first got from PCen, it struck her how much she loved her beings. How much she nurtured them. How she is the reason for their flourishment.

She reminisced those days when an asteroid hit her and killed her dinosaurs. She had sobbed so bad that day. SHE LOVES THEM MORE THAN ANYONE ELSE.

“Not for you dad, not for you brothers…. BUT FOR MY BEINGS I SACRIFICE. I SACRIFICE MY LOVE.”

She directed her dad’s light to PCen in cosmic language:

“With love and regret here I say,

Never will I be close to you,

For that marks the death of my beings.

But that wouldn’t stain our love.

Love you then and now.

Yours and yours only,

Earth”

And it rained. Tears of sadness. Everyone’s wet and soiled. Everyone cried, even the toughest of the toughest.

As it rained and rained for days, they realised the love of Mother Earth.

And on the 4th day, clouds moved apart to reveal the sun.

Those 4 days, she had decided to cry for him.

And for the rest of her life, she will think of the lovely days she could have spent with him.