TRL 5

¹“Wow.” ²The traveler stands in a peaceful garden, high in the sky, and does not speak to anybody in particular, gazing at the white arches and elegant columns around her. ³She is at ease, but exhausted, certainly, for the journey has been long. ⁴She notices the vines, especially, climbing up the walls, gracefully yet relentlessly. ⁵“It catches up to you, doesn’t it?” ⁶The voice comes from behind the traveler, out of sight. ⁷And she smiles, turning around. ⁸“It’s gorgeous.” ⁹“I hope you enjoy our world. ¹⁰It has not always been so pleasant here. ¹¹But we have overcome our struggles, dear traveler, and built a paradise among the stars.” ¹²The traveler and the representative sit, together, overlooking the world, their legs swinging freely in the open air. ¹³“Dear representative, you impress me. ¹⁴For I have seen many worlds on my journey, gold and grim, barren and nonsensical, and everything in between. ¹⁵But there is always more to see, as every world is something new, something unique, but it can be lonely, too. ¹⁶And I enjoy my travels, I really do, but I love your world, with all my heart, and I would love to stay, to live and die here. ¹⁷But it would not be the end of my journey, no, but a new beginning, I’d hope.” ¹⁸The representative looks at the traveler, and she notices an expression of deep sadness in the representative, something she has not seen in a very long time. ¹⁹“I’m sorry, beloved traveler, but you can’t stay.” ²⁰By now, the traveler and the representative lie down, together, gazing at the sky. ²¹And as she looks at the unfamiliar stars, she is overcome with a deep nostalgia so profound that it is almost unbearable, the feeling of home so close, but she still cannot quite grasp it. ²²“But why? ²³I trust you, dear representative, and I promise that I can offer you more than you could know, so don’t you trust me, too?” ²⁴But even as the words flow out, she is distracted, and she only thinks of her home and her bed. ²⁵“I’m sorry, I really am, but it’s just the way it is. ²⁶You are a traveler. ²⁷This is not the place for you.” ²⁸And the traveler is heartbroken, but she understands, because she knows that the representative is right, in a way, her humanity no match for that of this world.