TRL 3

¹The traveler finds herself lost. ²Her memory is fuzzy since exiting the vessel, and she stands atop some sort of overpass, looking down at the humans of this world, who fly past, so fast, it seems. ³A cold snow falls from the sky, but not quite like the snow on earth, and the traveler cannot help but think of home. ⁴“Be careful, traveler.” ⁵The representative stands behind the traveler, but she does not turn, and only gazes at the concrete halls below. ⁶“Where am I?” ⁷And although she is confident, as she has prepared well for her journey, she is anxious, too, because she worries about time. ⁸“I know, the walls are thick and the wind is harsh sometimes. ⁹But at least I’m here with you, right?” ¹⁰“I should give you something, dear representative. ¹¹I don’t quite know what it is, yet, but you deserve it, all of you, the humans of this world. ¹²And it’s not anything perfect, but it’s something, and even just by speaking to you, now, I am creating it, putting it out into the world.” ¹³The representative is silent for a moment. ¹⁴“You are free to do as you wish here, traveler. ¹⁵But please, promise me that as you wander these walls, you will be careful, and more importantly, you will be precise, because the stairs are many, but the doors are locked, you see.” ¹⁶The traveler finally turns around and looks into the eyes of the representative. ¹⁷“But I need my ship. ¹⁸Where is it? ¹⁹Tell me, please, dear representative, because I really should get going by now.” ²⁰The traveler is frustrated, for she does not understand this world, as she wanders its streets and steps, searching. ²¹But even in the maze, the representative always seems to follow her close. ²²“I can help you, traveler. ²³I do not know where your ship is. ²⁴But let me ask, is it hiding from you, or are you hiding from it?” ²⁵The traveler does not listen, and sits in a dark corner of an empty corridor. ²⁶And her eye catches something peculiar, fluttering softly in the wind, a page of an old book, perhaps. ²⁷She examines it, for a moment, but she cannot understand its mysterious symbols. ²⁸And the traveler wishes she could read it, for she knows that it must have meaning, but she can only wonder. ²⁹And she feels contempt towards the representative, in this moment, and she almost wants to cry and scream, but she stops herself. ³⁰“I will accept your help, dear representative, and I am grateful, but I hope you know that although this world is impressive, you can do better, I’m sure of it.”