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Somashekara Bhat [MAHE-MIT]
SHISHIR
“It all started with it. Everything was right before that. I still remember the night. The night which raised curtain to this play. I was here, in the woods, enjoying the beautiful sky which was emitting purple, pink and yellow lights. I never saw something like that. It was astonishing. It was like a painting. The breeze was cool enough to chill my bones – understandably its winter and around me was a forest.
I knew a meteorite was going to crash into earth, but I did not know that it would bring something like this to earth - A polyextremophile from outer space – something which can live in extreme conditions where humans cannot survive. I had no idea about that while taking sample from the meteorite. I warned all the space communities that a meteorite was on its way to earth which went into vain due to their differences with my ideologies which go against their corrupted lifestyle. Not only did they dismiss my argument, but they did not believe my word. If only they did their job, we could have predicted this might happen or could have been ready.
Anyway, I decided to examine it on my own. Studied the path of the meteor. Got to know that this is the place where meteorite might crash. Got here, took sample, went to my laboratory. End of the story – It is not until these weird things started to happen that I understood the polyextremophiles which I got from the meteorite sample are the reason for all this.
The polyextremophile I examined have high reproduction rate in higher temperatures where humans evaporate. It gets attracted to heat. I still cannot determine its origin, but I reckon it was initially in earth like temperatures and when their planet disintegrated, some of the species could have been deployed into other planet by meteors like this, which was near a G type mainstream star like Sun, and they undergone evolution and got adapted to the extreme hot temperatures and then that planet also disintegrated due to its proximity to the G star and somehow that species travelled along with the meteors to other stars in near solar systems which had less temperature. They must have somehow survived – at least some of them due to their original genes before evolution which does not seem to have happened long ago. Those survivors must have sucked the energy somehow from the core of the stars disintegrating them and some of them could have survived the disintegration by getting deployed into other stars where some of the survived reach core and regenerate again sucking the energy out of its core. This could have happened quite a few times until they reached earth.
I do not know why or how but these seem to prosper in hot temperatures even though they survive in cool temperatures. I tested them in very cool and extremely hot temperatures, but they survived both. I do not know how to kill them. I even tried high acidic and basic environments which they survived. These seem to not die at all! I do not know what to do now. All I know is, they somehow reached the inner core and are rapidly regenerating. If we do not do something – which seems to be the case, our planet will disintegrate in no time. And I am not sure if our species will survive. Life will sustain but our species may not.”
“I am not well educated like you sir. I came into this forest to hunt wild boars. Suddenly something came out of sky from nowhere. I thought I was high, but it really did. Some big rock fell near me, I was blown away, knocked down to unconsciousness. After gaining consciousness, my ears were ringing. I went to see it. All I could find is nothing but the wreckage that rock did. It was laying there in the big depletion it caused on the ground. I could not see anything else. No creature, nothing but the rock. All the trees were burned down to ash. Many birds and animals were dead. The ground is covered with blackness while the sky is pouring distinct colours and this rock stands out peculiarly. I did not know what to do. That region was destroyed. The villagers did not believe me until they saw it with their own eyes. Then after days, some government officers came, to make us leave our village because they must study the rock and the surroundings. We did not leave sir. It is our place. We built our houses with our blood. We will die before leaving the place. But then you came. I do not know what you are telling is true or not. Maybe you are fooling us for your profit. But you do not look like that sir. I know one thing for sure. That rock... That rock brought something bad to us sir. Right after it came, our community head died. Trees started to fall. Flowers did not bloom. We could not grow anything. I saw how many birds, animals, and trees it killed while coming. I almost died sir. People started to move out. You can live with me sir, take whatever you want but please do something sir. Those officers took that rock, and we were happy that they took it, but it does not solve the problem. All our hopes lie in you now.”
Out of tiredness, Shishir threw the book onto the table laying on his bed thinking about the novel he was reading until now. He exclaims what is the difference between those extra-terrestrial extremophiles and humans who are degrading the earth’s environment and are trying to get into another habitable planet. We will be in pursuit of another habitable planet after we destroy the found one. One after another. What is the point!? What’s the use of finding another planet when you can’t even live harmoniously in this planet? Inequality, corruption, assaults, rapes, frauds, politics and discrimination at every level, jealousy, what not. What difference does it make even if we find 1000 other habitable planets except for using them to discriminate each other more. Who knows we may have one planet for women, one for old people, one for children, one for sick, one for each caste, one for queer community etc. Or maybe most of them would not even get a planet. What is the difference between us and animals. One may say there is nothing - we are also social animals. But there is, there is a difference. Animals are not cunning like humans. Our discrimination came from the purpose of exploiting people for one’s own wealth, comfort and pride. Does we even deserve this planet let alone another planet. What does another planet’s native organisms feel when we get into their planet. Is colonising other planets the answer? What is life? Wh..... Shishir goes into dreams from deep thoughts half past 2 at midnight.
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