All Alone
By ElJay
I can't sleep. The tesseract device worked - why can't I sleep? Maybe because we've all been changed by it. Forever? Maybe. Maybe, it's just that I'm being kept awake by all the ghosts that linger in the shadows just beyond the light. Too many ghosts populate that darkness. Sometimes, I long to traverse the light and join them. My friends, my family, my life - all gone into the dark. Here, lingering in the light, are just a few, all gathered here - balanced on the knife-edge with me. One mis-step and we all plummet. So I lie here, in this lesser darkness and think about those gathered in that greater darkness. I miss them. I feel so small and alone, naked against the night. And I feel afraid for those who are here with me, too - afraid to add yet another ghost to the shadows. Afraid to fail. They need me; they rely on me. If I fail, they could die too. I don't dare show my fear to any of them. Fear is weakness. They need me to be strong. I've always tried to be strong. But I've endured so much, lost so much; I wonder just how strong I really am. I tried not to let them touch me. Once people touch you they can hurt you. They can leave you. So I tried to keep them at arm's length. But I can't; not really. I need them as much as they need me. I don't want to be alone.
I can't stay here any longer. I've got to move. My room is too full of ghosts - no room for me anymore. I pull on some clothes and head out to walk the corridors. I wander for a long time. Andromeda is a big ship. There are miles of corridors, but my ghosts walk with me. Eventually, I wind up where I always do - the Observation Lounge. It's dark in here; the only light comes from the stars that surround us. As I approach the starfield, I become aware that I'm not the only one here. As I look around, five sets of eyes meet mine. Looks like I'm not the only one keeping company with ghosts tonight.
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