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“I volunteer.”
This caught Kim Namjoon’s attention. He turned his head to see an old man, around his nineties, raising his hand with eyes boring holes through him.
“E-Excuse me?” Namjoon replied, shocked with this ridiculous offer.
“I volunteer to go to earth.”
Namjoon stood there, his teammates mirroring his expression of unbelief while they stare at this frail old man.
“I’m sorry sir but I’m afraid this mission would be too strenuous on your body. You might die the minute we set foot on earth.”
“And? I know the risks.”
“Sir- but-“
“Son, I’m already 95 years old. I have seen many wonders during my life time and I am so grateful for them but...”
The old man trailed off, his eyes glassy filling with tears. His gaze landed on the open space above them. The Glietian’s Space Observatory prided themselves having a glass dome that shows the open space that is yet to be explored. Namjoon knows because he is the one who started the project.
The man still stared at the vast nothingness, silent tears streaming down his face. He looked back at Namjoon.
“I want my final moments to be in the place that holds dear in my heart.”
Namjoon is at a loss of words. He knows that this is against protocol, he should not bring a suicidal person on a mission with them but... he could feel the peace and sadness emanating from this man’s eyes. He knows his time is almost up.
“Alright.” Namjoon said, his teammates looked at him, bewildered by his response.
“You can come with us.”
𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘴𝘶𝘯𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘦
𝘔𝘺 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘴𝘶𝘯𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘦
The ground beneath them crackled, heavy boots marching on gravel beneath them. They finally landed on earth. The place that once held all human life, their culture still visible within the never decaying monuments and buildings that is still holding their forms. When the last group of people left the earth, they decided to shut down all the oxygen plantations and leave this place to rot. Oxygen is the element responsible for decay, it bonds and destroys living and nonliving things, Namjoon is proud of himself for still remembering his high school lessons.
His team quickly went to work taking samples and pictures of the environment. They are tasked to document the current situation of the earth and so far nothing is amiss. Time stopped the minute the last humans left the earth. Though the most that changed are the colors of certain things, must be the intense heat of the sun that tried its best to incinerate the surface of the earth.
Namjoon watched the frail old man hobble out the space shuttle with the weight of the bulky space suit engulfing his form. He looks like he might collapse any minute now.
“Sir, allow me.” Namjoon walked over to the man, politely grabbing his arms to steady his footing.
“Thank you young man, there’s not a lot of strength in these old bones.” he gladly accepted Namjoon’s help and rights himself.
“Where do you want to go, sir?” Namjoon asks, parting himself from the old man but still wary of his frail stature.
“Ah, I remember the way, it’s not terribly far from here but would it be a bother to have your company?”
“No sir, I don’t mind.”
“Thank you, young man. Come, let me lead the way.”
𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘮𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘺
𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘬𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘺
Namjoon was born several decades after the humans settled on Glietian soil. His parents were the first generation of children who were born and raised in the new planet so they could not share stories about the earth. The most Namjoon can hear about the old planet were tales from the grannies and grandpas who spoiled Namjoon for his cute chubby cheeks. They said it reminded them of a hamster, Namjoon researched about the creature the next day.
He always had an odd fascination about the earth. What it was and what it could have been. He would sit in the library scouring through every book about the earth or watch shows that detailed about the planet’s beginning and demise. That is when he decided to be an astronaut for the Glietian’s Space Exploration Team, he knows that his thirst for knowledge will not be satiated by second hand information. He needs to see it for himself.
While Namjoon stared at the place full of awe and wonder, the old man in front of him seems saddened by his surroundings.
“So uhm, sir, is there any reason why you want to go to this place?” Namjoon asked, his curiosity still getting the best of him.
“It’s not a want but more of a need.” the old man replied back, still walking with purpose.
“I see... you are one of the people who last left the earth, correct?”
“Yes.”
“Why would you want to come back?”
The man halted, his face stiffening. Oh, Namjoon should not have asked that. He swears his mouth gets the best of him sometimes.
“I... have fond memories of this place.” the man started, going back to walking again. Namjoon follows.
“I remember when apples were scarce, I had to steal one” the man quietly laughed at himself, his face melting in fondness. “Now we genetically engineered every fruit to our liking.”
The man continued to prattle, closing in on a rundown area with broken roofs and shabby buildings.
“I remember the zero-gravity football matches I used to watch. It was fun.” they finally arrived in front of an abandoned house. Tarps are covering the holes of the decaying roof, it seems like so much effort were placed to keep the elements out of the house.
“Here we are.” the man said. Both of them looked at the house as it loomed over both their figures. The old man trudged up the steps of the house, opening the door.
“Be my guest.”
𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘳
𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘐 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶
The place was, well, for lack of a better term, shabby. This was not part of the pictures Namjoon saw when he read those books about the earth, but strangely it does not feel out of place. He has a feeling that the earth would not look as pretty as he expected it to be, and his expectations were met to say the least.
The old man walked across the hallway of the house. His steps smaller each time he grows closer to the destination he has in mind. Namjoon followed closely behind, making sure to keep a respectful distance from him.
They arrived in a living room, or from what Namjoon can guess is a living room. It has a television, a coffee table, and a couch. What is on the couch caught his attention.
There was a boy, sleeping on the couch. His face peaceful and angelic as the faint rays of sunlight hit his face. There was a book clutched on his chest.
He is not wearing a space suit, this made Namjoon raise alarm bells in his brain, wondering if this boy is trying to kill himself. Namjoon was about to tend to the sleeping boy when the old man went over to him and kneeled in front of him.
“H-Hello again, Jimin. Sleeping again, aren’t we?” the old man said in hushed tones. He swept a stray lock of hair from the sleeping form’s face.
“I saw many fruits during my time, you wouldn’t believe it. Apples everywhere!” he cupped the boy’s face. Looking at him in pain as tears flowed down his cheeks.
“I brought you something.” the old man reached into his pocket, taking out a small clear box with a flower inside. “I brought you a cherry blossom, I told you we can make them.”
Namjoon stood there, at a loss of words. Until he asked-
“Was he someone you wanted?”
The old man looked back at Namjoon, tears streaming down his face as he smiled painfully.
“No, but he was someone I needed.”
The old man looked down at the sleeping figure as he said, “I told you I’ll come back for you.”
𝘗𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦
𝘔𝘺 𝘴𝘶𝘯𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘺