DARK HEART

Long gone were the days when the human race dreamt of space exploration and expansion. Gone were the days when humankind fantasized about journeying between the other planets and the stars. No sane person now ever thought about terraforming other planets or covering the vast expanses of space with the assistance of antiquated ideas like human hibernation or travelling through wormholes - what childish concepts!

There was still space exploration though but it was mostly done via unmanned spaceflight and it was usually done because some eccentric geologist or trillionaire wanted to own a bit of Moon stone or expand their collection of Mars rocks. Most of humankind's space exploration these days was in the Earth's thermosphere; where the Earth orbiting satellites still had to be repaired or fixed and also when an excess of space junk had to be cleared away. There were still a few space stations orbiting the planet and every once in a while an astronaut would be shipped up there simply to demonstrate how much fun it was to live and move in zero gravity; no or very little scientific study was carried out.

These days most scientific endeavours were concentrated in preserving and maintaining the decadent lifestyles of the occupants in the domed cities.

Those magnificent domed cities whose atmospheres were kept clean and pristine by technology unimaginable a century or two ago...those magnificent cities where there was very little crime or violence.

After all only the rich, powerful and elite resided in these cities; even the domestic help were well looked after. Even the 'lower classes' in these cities were much better off than the luckiest people that resided outside these domed cities.

It all started many decades ago when quantum gravity computers were invented. These computers could provide solutions and answers even before the user thought about the question. Their extrapolations and predictions were so precise and accurate people began to wonder how they could have ever lived without them. Of course that meant these computers could process unimaginable amounts of data and accurately calculate previously undecipherable codes and equations. That meant they soon accurately calculated one of the largest equations known to humankind. This equation was the size of Manhatten and proved that a solid object could exist within a higher dimension.

It was the quantum gravity computer that informed humankind that we were probably the only sentient life in the entire universe, it was the quantum gravity computer that informed the human race that if life existed on other planets it was far too simple and basic to be of interest to humankind and that any other intelligence that existed would not be confined within the universe of the human race and would be beyond the comprehension of man or woman.

Due to these revelations, humankind soon lost interest in space exploration. The only popular form of space exploration these days was astronomy; were dreamers could go '00h' and 'aah' at the sight of the pretty and colourful stars and galaxies.

Long ago due to climate change and global warming, the seas rose gradually and destroyed vast lengths of coastlines and sunk most of the small islands on the planet. Also human population continued to swell at an alarming rate; so the habitable surfaces of the planet's continents began to shrink at an unprecedented rate. Soon the gap between the wealthy and the poor grew and grew; resulting in some 'bright spark' to come up with a radical idea. This idea took fruit and soon the rich and powerful began to build the domed cities. The rich and powerful took refuge within the confines of these domed cities, leaving forever the poor and powerless to eke out a living in their crime-ridden cities where the thick smog and toxic air reduced the average lifespan to less than forty.

Also these domed cities were no ordinary cities; these glass covered cities existed on a higher dimension. These domed cities occupied the same space, place and area of the other cities. Neither occupants of the domed cities or the other cities could interact with each other but because they existed in a higher dimension the occupants of the domed cities could at times catch glimpses or hear snatches of sound or conversation from the denizens of the 'lower cities'; whereas the occupants of the lower cities were unable to see or hear the occupants of the domed cities. In fact the people that did not leave within the confines of the domed cities could not see the buildings within the domes or even the very domes that covered the cities; they only knew these cities existed because they could of course watch the old newsreels and documentaries that covered the construction of the futuristic cities.

Teleportation was of course the mode of transport between domed cities, whereas not a single person or group or organisation outside the higher dimensional cities had access to teleportation devices.

Interaction between the residents of the domed cities and the 'Outsiders' was virtually nonexistent.

However, there was Evol. Evol who had recently turned sixteen...Evol who had virtually blossomed overnight from an awkward and gangly child to a tall regal young woman with a grace that belied her youth.

Many described her as possessing an ethereal or otherworldly beauty, at times it was embarrassing to watch grown and mature men gasp and splatter over their words when she walked into a room. All the teenage boys, both straight and gay, had a crush on her and the girls were either envious of her or wanted to be like her. However, it was difficult to make an enemy of Evol, she was always so kind, gentle and considerate.

However, Evol had a secret. Evol had a crush of her own...in fact it was no crush...in was a deep intense love that both scared and thrilled her.

Evol was in love with Ht'aed but Ht'aed had no idea that she existed at all.

Her parents, in fact anyone who knew her, would be horrified because Ht'aed was one of those 'filthy dirty' Outsiders. Ht'aed was one of the inhabitants that occupied the city that existed in the same space as Evol's domed city.

Evol had always been a sensitive soul. Many of the inhabitants of the domed cities are able to tune out the existence of the Outsiders, so when they catch wraithlike glimpses of these outsiders they are able to totally ignore them; even when they do hear the sounds or conversations of the outsiders they are able to react as though they have merely heard the distant sound of a far off radio.

Not Evol. Evol was even able to discern the features of those poor unfortunate souls if she chose to, she could hear long conversations between those unfortunate souls if the mood took her. That is why she knew the rake thin boy with the dark brooding eyes was called Ht'aed.

She only 'discovered' him a few weeks ago, just before her sixteenth birthday, but already she was madly in love.

Tonight as she stared into his soulful eyes she toyed with the purple heart-shaped amethyst stone that hang at the end of her silver necklace.

The necklace was a sixteenth birthday gift from her mum.

Her mum indeed would be shocked to see her lolling about on her bed and staring intensely at a boy she had never actually met.

The various pictures and posters of stars and galaxies on Evol's bedroom wall showed she had a keen interest in astronomy but tonight the only heavenly body she was interested in was tall broad-shouldered and was not billions of years old but was nineteen.

Recently some astronomers had discovered a far off galaxy that they had named the Dark Heart Galaxy due to its shape and the unusual number of dark stars within it.

Evol had of course heard about the heart shaped galaxy and had shown keen interest in its discovery but tonight she only wanted to gaze into those dark eyes.

From the little she knew about Ht'aed, she knew he earned a living searching through scrapyards, trying to find something or anything remotely valuable that he could sell or salvage.

Evol watched him toil away through the night as she continued toying with the rock around her neck.

Soon, she drifted off into a deep sleep. That night she had a strange dream. She dreamt about a beautiful immortal woman who had fallen in love with a mortal man. This union had so angered the other Gods that they killed her lover and banished her to Earth - the realm of the mortals - and took away her immortality.

Being now a mere mortal she was to suffer the fate of all mortals - she was now to spend all eternity as all mortals - to repeatedly die and be rebirthed but never to remember her true origins.

Her heart was placed in the Heavens as a direct warning to all immortals and as a subliminal warning to all mortals to never again form an unholy union between humankind and the divinities.

Evol tossed and turned in her sleep, her hand firmly gripping the gemstone. If she had stayed awake just a moment longer she would have seen Ht'aed discover a heart-shaped silver locket amongst a heap of twisted metal. If she had stayed awake a moment longer she would have seen him pop open the silver locket. The locket was empty but she would have noticed how snuggly her amethyst stone could have fitted in the locket. She also would have noticed a brief ghostly memory play across Ht'aed's face.

In the end, Ht'aed merely shrugged as he relocked the locket and placed it in his trouser pocket.

He then resumed his search through the scrapyard, oblivious to the sleeping girl who he occasionally 'walked through' in his search for trinkets and various bits of metal.