Spark’l ~ Part 1
In a single instant, a being of pure energy was created by a Supernova. She left her birthplace, at the speed of light, never to return. Her journey through the galaxy began, taking her through many star clusters, and planetary systems. She travelled on a beam of light, feeding off the energy from nearby stars, growing larger as she came closer to them and smaller as she moved away. As the distance, she had travelled increased her speed began to reduce. She was slowing down as she approached a planetary system, orbiting a rather ordinary yellow star, way out on a spiral arm of the Galaxy. She became aware of radio waves; coming from the third planet out from the star. It was then that she realised there was life on that planet. She knew nothing of living creatures then; she wondered what they would look like and if they would be able to communicate with her, maybe she could visit their world, and learn about them.
She listened in on the radio signals trying hard to make sense of them so that she would be able to talk to them. She could pass through solid matter, without causing harm, but would she prove harmful to living creatures? She listened to and experienced feelings and emotions. She learnt languages; the radio signals were very informative. Then, as she drew nearer, she began to receive television broadcasts and for the first time, she discovered what the creatures looked like. Television was good; her favourite story was ‘I Love Lucy’.
At this time she did not have a name. She was a baby, feeding off stray sunlight and slumbering when it grew dark. But, she had an insatiable desire to learn which she realised would only be satisfied if she were able to visit the inhabitants of that third planet. She was very close now and soon discovered that she was able to read their thoughts; she assumed that this was normal. She also found that sometimes she was able to share their memories. This was not always good because sometimes they were very sad.
.-…-.
Karen’s border terrier growled and snarled at something and despite her soothing noises, he wouldn't be quiet.
“What’s bothering you Scruffy?” she asked. He shook his head and tail vigorously and seemed to be pointing towards a large clump of deep red peonies at the end of the garden. Karen went closer and knelt beside him to discover what might be causing his agitation.
“Grrruf Ruf rururf yap!” said Scruffy excitedly his tail wagging like a metronome.
“There’s nothing there Scr…” Then she saw it, a pinpoint of light, shining out from one of the mature blooms. Odd she thought, bending closer; it was as if somebody inside was shining a tiny torch. She sniffed, aware of the heavy perfume coming from the flowers. Suddenly the tiny beam grew brighter, dazzling her, she closed her eyes protectively. She felt calmness, and a sense of wellbeing, as the light bathed her mind. Then she heard a voice inside her head.
‘I came from an exploding star. I have been very lonely. I came here to find friends. I found Scruffy. He is funny. All he thinks of is food, play, and being here with you. He listens and he talks to you, all the time, but you do not understand him.’
“Who are you, what are you?” said Karen suddenly fearful.
‘I am nothing you can feel or touch, I just am,’ said the voice.
‘You can talk to Scruffy?’ Karen thought.
‘Yes,’ came the reply.
She opened her eyes and saw a star-like ball of sparkling light, the size of a golf ball, just six inches from her nose. “Spark’l!” She said at once, the word just popped into her mind, “Spark’l is perfect. That is what we should call you. Would you tell Scruffy one bark for yes, and two for no please?”
“Yap ,” said Scruffy.
She smiled, “Scruffy is clever, he’s a linguist, he understands English even though I do not understand dog-ish. Do you like her new name Scruffy?”
“Yap .”
“Then that’s settled,” ‘but only if you like it,’ Karen thought, stroking Scruffy to calm him.
‘I have never had a name. I do like it. Spark’l,’ she thought, ‘it’s good to have friends, and it’s good to have a name also.’
.-…-.
That evening Karen lay in her bed, in the darkened room, with Scruffy beside her in his basket. She closed her eyes and immediately a pattern of stars appeared in her mind. As she watched a tiny insignificant star, in the lower half of the constellation, grew rapidly brighter until all the other stars were engulfed in its magnificence. Karen remembered, a few months earlier, Dad had shown her a new Supernova that had appeared near the Orion constellation.
‘That was your birth?’ Karen asked.
She got out of bed and went to the window, searching the sky for Orion. There it was, the Supernova, much smaller but still the brightest object in that part of the sky.
“It happened more than ten thousand years ago,” Karen whispered shaking her head, ‘ten with three zero’s. Were you travelling all that time?’
‘What is time?’
“You have no family and no friends?”
‘Just me,’ said Spark’l.
“Yap yap yap.”
‘Me and Scruffy and now you…’ she added.
“One – Two – Three – Four – Five…”
‘What are you doing?'
“Counting seconds, a second is a measure of time, sixty seconds is one minute, sixty minutes one hour, twenty-four hours one day, 365 days in one year… Ten thousand seconds would be…” she paused and thought long and hard “almost a week,” she yawned and returned to her bed. Scruffy was already snoring.
‘What is wrong with Scruffy, he is making such strange noises’ said Spark’l.
“He’s snoring in his sleep,” Karen whispered in amusement.
‘Is it painful, snoring?’ Spark’l displayed genuine concern.
“It doesn’t hurt him in the slightest, he doesn’t even know he is doing it, but it hurts my ears and keeps me awake,” said Karen with an expression of pain on her face.
Spark’l went closer to Scruffy until she was almost touching his wet nose; his breathing became easier and he slept on in silence.
“Shhh! He needs his sleep,” Karen whispered. ‘Do you remember being part of a star?’
‘Not at all, my first memory was of being ejected from a warm comfortable place where I had been safe and content. I recall passing planets where I detected life and intelligence, but I was unable to stop, so my journey continued.’ Spark’l moved towards Karen’s oversized teddy bear, Boris, disappearing inside his head. The bear stood up and looked around experimentally.
‘’Boris cannot see or speak, and he has no brain,’ said Spark’l.
‘That is because he’s a toy, he isn’t alive, he’s a pretend bear.’
‘Does he know that?’
‘No, he doesn’t because he’s not a living creature. Only living things have feelings. If he were a real bear he would be far too ferocious and dangerous to be allowed in my room. Mum would never allow it! His eyes are buttons, his fur is artificial and he is stuffed with pieces of foam.’
‘Why did you do that?’
“Foam makes him soft and cuddly; it’s nice to pretend you can be friends with animals. Go to sleep, we must be up early tomorrow,” she said turning out the light; a tiny spark persisted where the light had been as Spark’l slept.
.-…-.
“Dad?”
“Yes, Sweetheart.”
“Do you think there’s really life out there?” Karen asked the next morning.
Dad turned the page and folded his paper in half. “Life? Out there? The garden is teeming with it,” he said from the other side of his paper.
“No, I mean out there,” she said pointing and waving her hand above her head.
“Like ET? On other planets? In other star systems? I would think it’s extremely likely,” he nodded.
“Then why have we not found it? They’ve been searching the heavens forever, with radio telescopes, but they’ve found nothing.”
“It’s true we’ve not found evidence of life but that doesn’t mean it isn’t there. The Universe has been around for 13.8 billion years, it's a vast place so the astronomers tell us,” he said, putting his paper down.
“Maybe there is life but it hasn’t yet invented the radio, or maybe they are an older race with a better means of communication,” said Mum.
“Then again they could have existed and died out before the dinosaurs roamed on earth,” said Dad.
“Maybe they had this same conversation with their children,” said Mum.
“The size of the universe, and the time scale involved, is beyond understanding; so we may never really know,” said Dad.
“What if they were beings of energy created by a Supernova,” Karen asked, “Born of a dying sun?”
“Mmm,” said dad.
“Breakfast is ready, come and get it,” mum called.
“Beings of energy? Created by a Supernova? Wherever did you get that notion, Startrek?”
“Is that so ridiculous?” asked mum. ”What about life here on earth? We are told it was created in a muddy soup, of volcanic ash, and stirred by bolts of lightning.”
“Mmm,” said dad.
“I know which story I would believe and it doesn’t sound so ridiculous to me,” Mum said.
“If there are beings of energy and light spreading out from that Supernova near Orion they could well be with us right now…” said Dad thinking aloud.
“Assuming they were travelling at or near the speed of light, in that time, they could have developed intelligence,” said mum. “You talk as though you’ve seen such a creature,” she laughed.
“Yap, ” said Scruffy.
“That means yes,” said Karen before she thought to bite her tongue.
“Would that be one bark for yes and two for no? Tell me you’re joking,” said mum.
“Yap yap,” said Scruffy.
“Oh my G.. what is it called?” asked mum.
“Spark’l,” said Karen, getting an answer in at long last.
“Very apt,” said dad, turning another page.
“C-can we see it?” Mum asked nervously.
“Yap .”
Karen left the room returning with an eerily glowing yoghurt carton. She placed it on the table and removed the lid. There was a small mirror inside and a one-inch ball of light.
“It feeds on sunlight,” Karen explained as it expanded slightly.
The ball rose slowly into the air, keeping its distance.
“Does it speak,” asked mum, pushing her wooden spoon gingerly towards it. The ball edged away, maintaining the gap.
“Heavens to Milligoon,” said Dad jumping to his feet knocking over his chair and spilling tea down the front of his shirt.
“It’s alright dad, it won’t hurt you, just close your eyes,” Karen warned them. They did so, more from surprise than belief.
“Mmm,” said dad a secret smile appearing on his face.
“Utterly amazing, just like meditation class,” said mum.
The light receded and they opened their eyes again.
“I had no idea Scruffy was so intelligent. I now know his favourite food is my vegetarian sausage, I must make him a special batch,” said mum.
“Yap !”
“Is she staying here with us or just visiting?” asked dad nervously.
‘What difference would that make,’ Spark’l asked. ‘You measure life in tens of your years’ then your spark is extinguished. I have existed for more than a hundred of your lifetimes; I could visit until Karen’s children have children.’
“Mmm,” said Dad, “you’re the Trekki mum…”
“I know what Dad means, we might lose our anonymity. When people know where you are staying they will be curious and want to visit you. We should be taking steps to hide, or disguise you, and think of a way you can travel around without being seen by too many curious people?”
‘You want to hide me? Have I done something wrong? You wish me to avoid people?’
“No, what Mum means is, that when people know about you, we will be treated as curiosities. The newspaper and TV journalists will be camping in our garden. We will be prisoners in our own home.”
‘People can look at me if they wish and if I decide not to cooperate I can leave.’
“Mmm,” said Dad.
“What does that mean?” asked Karen.
“It means that when people know she is here we will never be left in peace.”
‘Then they should not know that I am here.’
“How could we prevent them from knowing?” asked Dad.
‘I could contact your authorities and cooperate with them until they lose interest.”
“Now that’s a good idea,” said Mum.
‘Don’t stay away too long though’ Karen thought, wishing she had kept Spark’l’s existence secret a while longer.
“Yap yap.”
‘Where should I go and who should I speak to?’ asked Spark’l.
“Wait a moment,” said mum. She left the room and returned with a small silver trinket box. “Could you fit into this?” she asked.
Spark’l shrank to the size of a pea, whilst increasing in brightness, before slipping into the box. Satisfying herself that the box was lightproof, Mum said, “If it isn’t too uncomfortable it would be adequate for travelling. Tomorrow we will visit the Jodrell Bank observatory where the radio telescopes are. You could say you were attracted by their radio dishes, and allow them to carry out whatever tests they think necessary. Then, if you wish, you can come back home to us; you would be very welcome.”
To be continued/...
