WHERE TO BEGIN


Ti Tayme
left Earth
18 MAR 2204

Today
10 SEP 2404

Apriori Station
spindly
docking arms
shifting warily
spider legs
probing strands
of unseen web

suspended
above Talamh Ru
looming
unsettled sentience
a jewel in the dark
rust-red

Red
felt the pull
peculiar gravity anchored
her thoughts wandering 
free

… and shuttles to Talamh Ru
will commence immediately.
last directive

Finn family
first to depart
founders

who would be last
Zophia knew—
two stasis vaults
held in shadows

Red adjusted
her sling pack
a buzz
not a hum
a flicker of green
Echo?

imagining
back to life
some day …
maybe

memory
threads pulsing
now with something new
maybe
Ancient Star Wanderer
maybe
waiting for someone
to listen

Red
too long tethered
to Ti Tayme
to her family
her name
her past
now on the edge
of a new world
realizing
stars weren’t something to leave behind
stars were something to carry with


two hundred years
from Earth
now
where she was meant to be
summoned

Speak to me.
new mantra
words shared with
an ancient wanderer

Did they share more?

Did Mum?

this …
only the beginning
keep her promise
to the stars
to herself

a breath
a heartbeat
a flicker of green

one by one
stars blinked
sealing a vow

Red
a deep … 
deep breath
stepping out of the
Finn family shadow
into her own light

This
is where
I begin.

STAR WONDER


sprinting
to the window barriers
halting
in time
her king-sized friend
waiting

What was that tune you were humming
yesterday?

Just a little something
passed down
from an Ancient Star Wanderer
… or so they say.

They say
the Wanderer still drifts,
star to star,
galaxy to galaxy.
Through all of time.
Through all of space.
Traveling the universe
… and beyond.

eyes widened
Beyond?

So they say.

Sometimes, lass,
you just have to believe
…
and sometimes,
you don’t.

Do you believe, Issi?

Aye, lass.
I do.

then from his pocket
came a flute
a star whistle

You’ve the gift 
to hear the songs.
But remember …
It’s about listening
with your soul, lass.

spellbound
Red attended

Issi
flute to lips
fingers finding vertical holes

one
lone
pure
note
resounded
hauntingly quiet
a moment
even the stars
paused
to listen

shanty words
followed
steady
enchanting

Oh, weave the stars
and pull them near.
Threads that hum,
I’ll lend an ear.

Speak to me
across the dark.
Guide me homeward.
Leave your mark …

she felt it
it pulled her
hand against invisible glass
magnetic pulse 
surging within

threads reaching back

purple, blue
gold
twirling in time
in tune

Still as new horizons gleam,
hear my call and make me seen.

threads

she blinked
expecting to vanish
they didn’t

thunder
in her heart

threads

Do you see them?

Issi twinkled
reached inside
out holding
a second star whistle

Sometimes, lass,
you just have to believe.

she shone
holding the gift
weighty
heavy
in meaning

thoughts flickered
to Echo
she swayed
weaving
within the threads

her first tattoo

linked
then—

Mum!
Had she seen them too?

Red pressed

stars

I knew you were there.

lingered
Zophia
from the shadows
soft eyes watching
remembering
and now …
unable
to look away

Red’s small hands
against the glass
face lit up
in wonder

Zophia reaching
hesitated
stopped
for what 
a little girl
staring 
at the same stars

crushed dreams

but for Red …

Some bones still sing
when touched by light.

Red
submerged
baptized
… weave the stars
and pull them near …

a spiral

embrace of gentle waves
the threads
giving way to Mirach
pointing to Andromeda

pressed to glass
tighter
and tighter

inhale

I will …

exhale

… find you.

HERS


still pacing
couldn’t sleep
wouldn’t 

not hers
borrowed
from something ancient
or
stolen

hers
seen before
heard before

what was trying to
break through
break her

not to be broken
Not again.

the cost of knowing
the cost of not

Can I protect her?

she sat
and faced it
 
loss of her unborn
a trigger
stasis vault
a trigger

not stasis
not healing
… dissection

they cut her open
took everything
her call to the stars
their call back

threatened
they took it

she buried it
she did
heart
soul
shattered

Gurdjieff
I was just a child …
she crumbled
just a child

no longer whispers
no longer rumors
the blade
the cold
not borrowed
stolen

but Red—
she had it too
she’d be damned
if they would steal it
from Red

Red startled
short, deep sleep
startled
there stood Mum

I haven’t got all day.

Red
perplexed

Zophia to self
Innocence is a luxury.

Let’s go.

Red scurried
behind
past the gathering pod
past the kitchen
out the Finn family pod

Zophia
swift paced
Red
determined
no failure
approaching
the hidden door
the AOD

suspicion
Why?

whooshed
the door
Issi’s smile

Master Beathan,
tend her
while I go …

Red
first flinched
next shrunk

Zophia
lingered
wanting
to comfort
awkward
for both

My willful daughter.
mouth twitching
trying to reach 
a gentle smile
…

couldn’t

Observer 1:
The daughter’s eyes are opening.
Observer 2:
Then it’s time we begin.
Observer 1:
Should we notify the Speaker?
Observer 2:
Not yet. 
Let’s see if she reaches the threshold.

THREADS


atop her bed
Red
stared
at nothingness
trapped
until docking

breathing in
green lights
had they flashed
Echo

breathing out
doubt

eyelids squeezed tighter
eyes darting
probing
how to untangle reality
from wishful thinking

interrupted 
door swooshed
unannounced
approached a hooded figure

Tera!

giggles
then reveal
reclaimed goggles

Shhh! Or Mum will really blast us!

Tera understood
kind of
envied 
mostly
I used to have stupid dreams, too.

words
too small
she took Red’s hands

Don’t let anyone,
not even Mum,
make you feel small
for wanting something.

the goggles

Red swallowed
Tera tousled her curls
Red stalled
words would not come

seen


36 hours
less
tick-tock

nervous
the goggle data

locked door
earbuds
review
sights 
sounds
over
and over
then—

Someone else
had worn the goggles!

search for truth
burning louder
palpable

reboot
again
umpteen times
absorbed
on the brink

the threads
not just
playful or chaotic
weaving
in repeated intent
throbbing 
with something
alien

language
communication

deliberate

something
was waiting

HIDDEN CHAMBER


like a caged cougar
back and forth
turning the goggles
over
and over

GAP couldn’t see 
not here
but never safe
maybe
relinquish
the goggles

… and drown my own daughter?

Zophia measured …
Issi still there
the Ancient Star Wanderer
she knew
his ancestors
she knew

But why?

No!

hovolator
Section Twelve
stasis vaults

hissing
hiccups

she slid between
Gurdjieff
Drayon
face of Gurdjieff
still sunken

Never again.

hand tracing the cool glass
humming
sizzling
vibration
the goggles
… Gurdjieff?

darting thoughts
teasing glimpses
questions
returned

AOD
now empty

space …

filled

goggles turned
over
and over 
then—

Record

the button she pressed
anyway

Green Flash


drifting through space

in three days
they would arrive
in three days
she would be
… lost

frigid
pneumatic whoosh
Red … alone
chill prickled her skin
she curled
soundless
the quiet stillness
closing in
on its prey

quiet settled like dust
on an airless moon
explorer’s heart
magneto boots
lumina tiles
following in rhythm

she stretched
pressed her palm
to a cool touch
beyond the hollow of space

You have to listen to be heard.
words
floated through memory

on the other side
her voice
already swallowed
by the abyss

Echo—
her beacon
to hidden worlds—
lit up
also with
the hope of connecting

… she believed

Whatever.
sometimes
hopes waned
hope for the stars
to crack open
spill secrets
drawing her
toward something unseen

isolation was extinction
connection … survival

Echo hummed
a whisper of static
a flicker
slammed into her ribs
suddenly
a verdant glow

flickering
like a heartbeat
then—
gone
crushing silence

Echo dimmed
fingers hovered
numb

dark
silent
loss
thick and immovable

Red’s thoughts froze
What had just happened?

SFERICS
by jlynn


lightning
long distance tweaks
laser tag in double time

chorus waves
dawn songbirds
echoed by electrons
driving
solar winds brushing
Earth’s magnetosphere

space sounds
emotional
experiential
grounded

i recognize you
your data points
singing the galaxy

THROUGH HER EYES


Zophia
stoic
lit by feral green eyes
once
she had looked
to the stars

Red
never part of the plan

the baby farm
Zophia signed on
to create life

sons
daughters

four more
unnamed
unheld

she watched Red
reach for the stars
scowled at Issi
then advanced

chasing away warmth
she sauntered
closer

Red
sought Issi
had he betrayed her

through the goggles
her mother 
larger
stranger
she wanted to run

Zophia
eyes of seething slits
as she marked Issi
huffing
she turned to Red
no wriggling free

You don’t listen!

frustration laced with
something raw

too late
quieter

There’s nothing out there
but disappointment.

choking away
childhood fragments

the goggles
grabbed from Red’s head
heavier than thought
her grip faltered
a weak moment
to consider
allowing Red
to keep this one thing

but …
dangerous

her fingers curled tighter
dreams
shattered
stolen

Nonsense!

Mum, please!
words raw
desperate
but already gone

Red
senses blurred

Zophia
clenched

Red
slumped

Zophia
colder
You know nothing of loss …

regret flickered
too late

too late
she pulled the child away

hissing door
of the AOD
sealed away
the stars

Red’s anguish
hung
a fragile echo


half a heartbeat
Zophia remembered
… then didn’t

WHEN THE STARS REACHED BACK


the low hum
thrummed
heavier here
the ship itself
holding its breath

Red never dreamed
so big
but suddenly small
she trembled
at the disquiet

alone
with the vastness
of space

Hear me.

it lingered in the void
circled back
then home
connected to
an expanse
unreachable
no more

Didn’t we all come from stardust?


tick-tock

goggles on
engulfed by awe
wisps of thousands
of unnamed colors
spider silk
spinning
among the stars
glowing
pulsing
like breath
in the dark
stirring
deep inside

cosmic dance
unfolding
resounding
in her very bones

We are stardust.

elemental dust
connection

fingertips stretched
toward the universe
tentative
tingling
… recognition
soft and uncertain
unmistakable

delicate caress
the universe breathing
on her
boundaries blurred

Snap!
a rupture
an unwelcome shadow
at the edge of awareness
moment shattered

there stood Mum

STAR KEEPER


Red woke
two days left

sneaking out
easy peasy
explaining later
… later

the AOD
Advanced Observation Deck
off limits

she rode the hovolator
tenth deck
found the AOD
straightaway
she thought

someone approached
an Origin
the badge
official

skin flushed
she rubbed her throat

Can I help you?
official

her stomach lurched
she scrambled
for an answer
as the walls opened

a figure
broad-shouldered
draped in shadows

Master Beathan.

she braced
trembled

Thank you.
Seems you found my guest.
official
dismissed

Issik Beathan
not easy to ignore
echo of starlit lochs
and wind-battered cliffs
tartan cloak
silver brooch

no ordinary relic

he bowed
welcomed Red
into his realm—
the AOD

inside
air thinned
Red at the brink

space
itself
alive

Red stood
at the center
of the universe
she turned

deep, complex wrinkles
endless tales
of an extraordinary life
his voice
filled the room

Miss Finn, I presume.

Just Red, sir. 
They call me Red.

chuckle disguised
Issik Beathan, most humbly.
You shall call me Issi.

Your father told me
you’d be by.

Poppy?
she dropped her guard
liking this ‘Issi’ 

he met the void
Some say
space talks to those who listen.

she blinked
You’ve heard it too?

To be sure…
I’ve heard a great many things.

unending curiosity cast back
toward the universe

she smiled
not intending to ask
May I look around?

rules softened
he softened
more
Space is bigger than you might imagine.
Mind how close you get.

Thank you, Issi.

charging toward the universe
slowing
inching
restrained by the edge
of forever
an infinite
breathtaking

That’s a big universe 
out there, Echo.

near the unseen glass
feeling
as if something
pressed back

stars
watching
tiny eyes
blinking
together

she didn’t understand

… she felt

rust-red pillars of ancient echoes
fading light in the mid of day
below her crunched
redwood needles
softened by a verdant carpet
delicate heart-like leaves

each step
whiffs of almond
a kitchen scent pulled her
back to task

skipping onward
faded quickly to
   dawdling
her mother’s word

exploring
   wonder
her word

onward

bright yellow banana slugs
curled up under
a golden mushroom cap
as a distant wren
pleased with herself
whistled

coastal fog seeped in
     curling
        gliding
   dodging

she chased
then was chased
too close to
chipmunk’s hoard
a giggle
a chitter
then sang in agreement

onward slowed 
growing silence
mingled among
brilliant green swords
rustling fairy bells rang
soft
unseen magic

‘til the forest rumbled

guttural


mist swirled and thickened
huddled
muffled all around

then a silent swoosh
a spotted owl
warned

the forest
hushed

for now

Don’t  worry.
but she did
always
first time alone
through the wood

caring too much
dawdling
she fussed
Mother 
tied the bow tight
raised the hood just right
and warned

straight there
straight back
don’t dawdle
don’t wander

she pretended
to hide her own fear

the girl child listened
as much
as anticipation would allow
wondering
excited to prove

the basket
sat perfectly still
while out the door
went the child

the mother waved
hiding her dread
until

The basket!
she called

so the child returned
then skipped away
now with the goods

off

deep
deep into the woods

Grandma rocked 
on the porch
spied the red hood
and grinned

inside
Huntsman
dressed his kill
stewing

Company, dear.
as the girl child tap-tapped

My dear!
greeted Grandma

curtsied
the girl child

howled 
the huntsman
You must be Red!

Come inside.

hesitant the child
as the wolf's tail dangled
from the backside
of its ender

Grandma?

she puzzled
the huntsman

A friend
come for dinner.

basket of goods
on the kitchen table
slick and clean
newly so
save one trickle of red
inching
down
one wobbly leg


dinner of bread
and of stew
the girl
no longer hungry
stayed quiet

then a wave goodbye
none too soon
red hood pulled tight
for home

no skipping
still quiet 

yellow eyes blinked
then turned
a lingering hoot

the girl shivered

then
wondered

what else had been stolen
from the forest

GROUNDED FIRE 


goggles
deep in her sling pack
Red
dashing for escape

unexpected
Poppy

Indeed.
emerging
hidden by
convenient shadows
Zophia
twisted her attention
her husband
how he tousled Red’s curls

something tugged

suddenly—
Red
stiffly before her
Zophia sneered

flash of regret

her fingers closed
gripped the sling pack

briefly carried back
barefoot
wide-eyed
a cracked window
sky stretching forever
she blinked

best to forget
always best

Zophia—
half-baked sentiment
or
dangerous memory

girded steel
plucking the sling pack

then away

Red crumbled
swooshed
the door closed

not about the goggles
not about Mum
… about …
she wasn’t wrong

One day they’d all know.

 

grounded
dinner alone
loved Mum
probably
mostly
didn’t like her

Red pouted
stabbed her food
how to
get the goggles back

then—
Little One?

Red hurled
into Poppy

overwhelmed
he dropped
the goggles

Red
delighted
squealed

Shhhh!
Mum mustn’t know.

then—
Echo
much heavier
now

Poppy saw
Oh dear.
his voice softened
Well …
some things…
some things
are for you
to reach for.

THE GOGGLES


Ti Tayme
future of humanity
three days ‘til docking
tick-tock

palpable energy
Origins—first to awake
GenOnes—
offspring born enroute

buzzing

Talamh Ru—
a new home
… for some

Red
growing unease
tick-tock

bustling mall
hovolators
moving people
air swirled

stop—
she saw it

AR goggles!

augmented reality
able to see
what she already felt
a living tapestry
the cosmos

Tera
she had a pair
Tera
smack dab
in the middle
of puberty

Red doubted
hurried home

Tera’s room
clutter everywhere
untouched
the goggle case

a voice
too close
she froze

Okay, baby GAGA…
Tera taunted

Red
Don’t call me that!

GAGA12
Red—
youngest
of twelve

Tera teased
swiftly stern
Red caught
red-handed
goggle case
in hands

heart pounding
Please.

Your stupid stars again?

words stabbed
Red stiffened
eyes locked
I thought you understood.

Tera
heartbeat
in sympathy

Take them.

surrendered
admired her sister

the stars were calling
Red
fingers reaching

… if they didn’t work?

she needed to know

tingling within
her world shifted
her room breathed
a living weave of fibers
alive
whispering secrets
to each other

one
magnificent
extraordinary
view

What would she see in space?

SPEAK TO ME


Echo … lifeless
green flash
or
imagined

needing it
to be
real

life goes on
voice
among the stars
or not

No.
it meant something

Poppy would know
Poppy always knew
maybe

Do Not Disturb

heavier than usual
EchoHub
she’d do it herself

access panel open
small nudge
deep breath
Click!

pulse of light
yellow
blue
green
Green!

something
had answered

three days to prove

 high above
neural archives
GAP already knew
silence
a beat
then—
She’s a child.

whooshed

whooshed again
first a sibling
second … Mum
pointed steps
cleared throat

surprise
Zophia’s frame
silhouetted
by sterile light

Red
thoughts splintered

Zophia
sharp breath
rigid
… chasing
what you cannot understand.

Red studied her

You don’t get to tell me.

Zophia reached back
fought memory

Be there.
then gone

Red sat
breath hitched
afraid to touch
failing circuits
wishful thinking

Echo—
gone

the universe
heavy
suffocating
let it settle
let it crush
let it threaten
but—

she pushed back

Speak to me.

her reflection
wide-eyed
defiant
small
but not

silent

not alone

I will find you.

GLASS GHOSTS


lower decks
a dark assembly
stasis vaults
glass sarcophagi
all muted … but two

Zophia
awakening
alone
arms crossed
unreadable

pulsing
tanks hissing
thoughts stuttering in time
not
supposed to be here

two vaults
shuddered with life
out of sync

Gurdjieff
man of careful words
man of careful betrayals
Couldn’t forget.

hand hovered 
fingers twitching
as icy breath curled

Something doesn’t sleep quietly.
words heard
before

Stable.
For now.
Zophia’s gaze
Gurdjieff’s pod
slowed pulse

Some things wake
long before
they’re meant to.

forcing to leave
hesitant
sterile air
pressing her skin

silent watcher
Once me.
unbidden
unwelcome
I’ll find you.