Science fiction. The civilisation

 

Science fiction. The civilisation

It revolved around the main city square, with a very slow, but highly coordinated motion. It was an extraordinary manoeuvre accomplished by them in mid air because the size of the ship was bigger than 15 football fields. It was a world traveling in air, and right now this moving and technologically advanced world was moving in the sky right above our world. 

And its exact location is the city where I live. The city is called FloatOn. And I have been watching this mid-air spectacle just like others for 30 minutes. All of us have moved out of our homes and are wondering whose spaceship could this be, and how can a civilisation be so advanced?

Like everyone else, I too have got no clue at all. But like a few in the crowd I am worried and considering all possible reasons that might have led them to our world. The 20th planet in the solar system that lies in the galaxy of HalioTron. My planet is a young planet and we call it, BlissEver.

Right now, every citizen of BlissEver is living under the shadow of this huge spaceship. And we are scared. Few children who like being naughty and remind me of my own younger days, are hurling pebbles at this metallic giant with their catapults. The pebbles rebound and fall back to the ground, as these kids squabble over claiming these magic pebbles that managed to hit the surface of this spaceship. Right now they are the only heroes among us, the grown up and terrified men and women. Although they are our children, they are more fearless and determined not to let BlissEver belong to someone else, no matter how powerful that civilisation might be. 

And for some reason, these children have made up their minds to scare them away with pebbles and catapults. These children remind me of Napoleon Bonapart, because the bravery of these “naughty children '' is nothing short of his likeness, especially when it comes to their attitude.

Whereas for us, the adult men and women, we are caught between the wonder and preponderate feeling of fear. And it has crippled the foundation of our attitude.

The spaceship began descending as soon as many mini drones returned from somewhere and attached themselves with the spaceship. The ship changed its direction and moved towards a lake. A huge lake, and the only flat area that is larger than this spaceship. I suppose, the spaceship will land on the water surface of the lake. 

And this will be another wonder. How can such a huge metal base stay afloat and not sink, and that too, when it is being constantly bombarded with pebbles by our child warriors. While I was still busy understanding the scientific and logical explanation for this water based landing, the spaceship gracefully rested on the water like a goose. And its weight dispersed a lot of lake water. So much that it created huge waves that flooded the roads and few homes that overlooked the lake.

Now the children, the naughty ones, felt extremely excited because they believed it was due to their constant shower of pebbles that the spaceship had crashed into the lake. It only meant they should collect more pebbles and pull the rubber strings of their catapults even harder. So that they could shoot the pebbles with more force. In this excitement, few of them put too much strain on the rubber strings, snapping them instantly. But the young comrades knotted them and managed somehow. 

The metallic beast was unfazed by these stone showers. A spaceship that travels through the unforgiving space, these stones would have been like snowflakes teasing its durability and hardiness. While it smiled at these little children who wanted to be the rescuers of BlissEver. In particular FloatOn. And right now the metallic monster was floating in the lake, and the children believed they had managed to make the spaceship crash into the water.

After being there, floating in the lake, two shutter-like doors on its upper surface opened, and everyone was now curious to see what would emerge from the spaceship. The brave children, didn't stop shooting pebbles at it, but as if by some telepathic stimuli, all of them held their catapults and drew the rubber strings closer to their nose tips, holding their breaths, as their index fingers and thumbs tactfully held the pebbles placed within triangular leather straps, only to release the grip and unleash a shower of pebbles when someone emerged from the spaceship. I had never seen such a display of patience among children who were not older than 8 years. But at the same time I worried about them, because anything could happen. And if the occupants of the spaceship felt too agitated, they could launch a counter attack and target each one of them easily. Very easily!

But for whatever reason, the spaceship operators had shown extreme levels of restraint and they had not retaliated. So, I had every reason to believe, they are not only advanced but civilised aliens.

Anyway, the naughty children held their ground, whereas other children, either held their parents' hands, or fled to their homes. Who were now peeping at the spaceship from the glass windows. Our city had a new centre of interest!

Finally the wait ended and so did the moment of climax too. A few men and women walked from these two passages, and they were shielded by a light blue bow from above, that on sides covered them up to their feet. And when the children let go of the pebbles, they fell on this blue shield like a swarm of million locusts. But, all of them were deflected by this shield, and it surprised the children. Now they were a little shocked, if not afraid, because they were still unable to understand what had happened. Their shocked faces looked like baboons who live in troops, and whenever they spot something unusual they put up strange faces where defensive sulking flashes in the ferocity of the unusual stretching of their brows, and concurrently their jaws flex to their extreme ends, revealing their canines with pinkish gums. And their gums being larger, highlight the white canines with the look of a beast that nobody would dare to mess up with. This look is countered by the prominent shadow of defensive sulking. And right now the naughty children were nothing less than this surprised troop of baboons, with just one difference. The children's gums were proportionate and not unusually broad as in case of baboons. They were not that dominant as far as colour pink is concerned, and luckily for all of us, the children in FloatOn city have canines that are not vampirish. However, their overall persona resembled that of the most surprised baboon troop.

So, they ran towards a small park where they regrouped under a small pine tree that was as young as the children. And began arguing among themselves to arrive at a possible reason that might have led to this debacle. But their morales were still undampened. They were only busy thinking from which angle to hit them now. Again a baboon troop like instinct!

While the children were busy thinking what might have caused the pebbles to miss the target, the passages merged on the roof of the spaceship and formed a round pad like structure, where these men and women stood in a semi circle like formation. And the blue shield reconfigured itself. One of them came forward and addressed all of us witnessing this unusual event.

“We have come here in peace and we do not want to mean any harm. Please advise the children to stop shooting pebbles at the spaceship so that we could remove our shield and interact with you freely.

We will wait!”

Immediately, but in a state of panic and confusion, few of us went to the park and asked the children to surrender their pebbles and their catapults. Thankfully they agreed to obey after some persuasion. And we assembled them near the lake where the members of the spaceship could see them.

As soon as they saw them, they resumed.

“Our spaceship has developed some technical problems and we need to repair the ship. According to our engineers it will take more than a month. We noticed that our landing has caused damage to many homes, roads and lanes, we will repair everything before we leave.

We would like to meet the president of this city along with other city residents, so that we could discuss our stay and other details with them.

That is all from our end!”

The president of our city along with a few members of the city council came forward. And as soon as they reached the lake, we all saw a transparent flat board approaching towards them. They stood on it and it transported them to the ship. Where the passages that had merged at the top, jetted forward and connected with the flat board; and our president along with city council members took this passage to meet the aliens. Who were still standing on the flat pad on the roof of the spaceship.

They all were warmly greeted by the aliens, and as they turned around, the flat pad floated in the air and disappeared behind one of the entry doors that had opened earlier.

And now we all were left to think what would be the outcome of their discussion? While the brave children were still finding it hard to deal with what was happening right in front of them, as if it were magic. And there was every reason for them to feel surprised and think of magic as the only answer. Because they were used to a hard core mechanical logic, that launches a stone released by a catapult with a lot of force. And the way the children executed the delivery of each pebble, there was no doubt they were aware about the science associated with catapults and pebbles. But what they were witnessing right now was a  flat board floating over water, a pad that floated in the air like Aladdin's carpet, And the blue shield that deflects the shower of pebbles; launched by these completely shocked children. 

But it had not dulled their instincts, many of them were already hitting the water where the flat board stood, and were trying their best to understand what had caused it to float and not sink. They had many questions, and most of them, no, all of them, just like me, were thinking, why did not the aliens take us instead. So that we could ask them how they achieved these scientific miracles. The kids were least bothered with roads that had got flooded and homes that had water inside them. They only wanted to know how the flat board floats on water and not sink. How?

For the time being their interest in catapult had diminished because they were possessed by the wonder of science that to them appeared to be as naughty as their naughty meddling with logic. Because it always seeks the impossible, it always seeks the unreal, and then somehow turns it into possible and real. Almost like when each one of them must have held the stone in the catapult for the first time and launched it. It was the same wonder, the same excitement that the spaceship had brought to them.

We often visit the lake shore and watch the aliens repairing the spaceship. Today is their last day. And tomorrow they will be again bound for the stars.

They dried every lane in just one day. They used some technology that vaporised the water and then their mechanical bots filled the cracks and potholes with some mixture that expanded and took the shape of potholes and filled each gap. And as it had settled in these gaps, it hardened. The naughty children often smash these fillings with hammers, pick axes, but they don't break. Whatever this material is, it is as hard as toughened titanium. Thank God they are not targeting their pebbles at them!

As for the damaged homes, they repaired them too. They fulfilled their every promise. And there is a rumour that they taught a few of the city council members the secrets about their advanced technology. And we are waiting to learn something new from them.

It is early morning and the spaceship is ready to leave, the children have placed their catapults in the back pockets of their pants, and they are waving at the spaceship as it lifts above the water surface and gains height. The children turn their heads skywards and watch it get smaller, tinier and then finally disappear somewhere in the blue sky.

As the city returned to its normal life and daily routine, A small thing fell from the sky. Before it touched the ground it formed these words in the sky: Only for the naughty children who dare to go beyond their imagination without any fear.

The object that had an arrow-like head ploughed itself into the loose soil. And as its top end opened, it ejected around 100, V shaped objects. Each one bearing 6 buttons. And now the children of FloatOn city play with them instead of the catapults. Because now they have digital catapults that shoot beams, in different orientations. My favourite is the circle. When you shoot it at someone, the blue colour beam forms a circle around the target's head. And only when he/she says, “ok you win!” the circle dissolves into a line and returns to the V shaped device. 

But I am sure, when they must have been a young civilisation, they too must have played with catapults and launched pebbles of imagination into the world of fantasies. But today, they are advanced and shooting for the stars. It is all a matter of time and perseverance.

Just like they say: Few of us do not know when to quit, whereas most of us quit too soon!

And the alien civilisation that landed in the city of FloatOn had decided never to give up. Because the Universe never gets tired of throwing new puzzles and new secrets at you.

Being inspired by this event, I wrote my science fiction novel titled, They Loved in 2075. It has many moments where you will witness fearlessness similar to that of the naughty kids. And it talks of advanced technology in the midst of a war that has broken between two civilisations that exist on Earth in 2075. All this is taking place in the lives of two persons who love each other a lot. But somehow they fail to realise this initially.  

What happens once they realise they are in love in 2075, when humans have forgotten to love like human beings used to before? Read the intensely romantic science fiction novel, They Loved in 2075 and feel the real thrill that a true scifi can offer!