Planet 84

Number 6,208,320, Number 6,208,320 a voice calls out from a distance. An announcement boomed through the speakers. A new soul has arrived. Confetti cannons blast off in celebration of the newcomer. The speaker exhaust into silence, leaving nothing behind but the sound of the forest that is nearby. Manifesting into reality number 6,208,320 lies there, not moving. The forest floor is warm to the touch, providing comfort for the little fox. The glow of the moon highlights the fox’s fur, reflecting off his pitch black back. The fox open his eyes and looks around curiously. “Where am I” he asks even though he is the only one around. The little fox stands up and walks forward towards a cleared out path. He does not know where he is going or who he is looking for, but he knows he can not stay here. The fox walks, exploring the unfamiliar place with wild wide eyes. His black coat twinkles in the moonlight, revealing little white dots of light that cover him. The trees blow against the wind as the night goes on. “Hello” the little fox calls out. He stops and looks, listening for a noise that would show any signs of others. The fox continues on his journey through the forest, searching and hoping for someone to guide him through his new path.

“Hello” the fox said once again stopping and waiting for any signs of life. Nothing but the sound of the fox’s feet crushing beneath the grass. “Hellooo” the little fox called out, stopping and listening. “1..2..3..” The fox closes his eyes and waits. The fox looks around the dark empty space, not seeing hearing anybody. The little fox did not know where he was or what he was, but he was determined to find out. Growing tired of aimlessly walking around, the fox found a little spot where he can rest at. The little fox sat in silence, wondering why was he here. While resting, the fox heard a sound that was faint and light almost like a light flittering on a candle. The fox stood up and looked around carefully stepping in the direction of the sound. He couldn’t see anything but the sound kept getting closer to him. “Hello” the little fox said whispering, as he squint his eyes he saw a white light glowing in the distance.

“Hello” A bright white butterfly flutter passed the fox. The fox lifts his head up to see the butterfly fly pass him. “Huh” the fox said running after the butterfly. The butterfly turned around to see the fox running towards her. The butterfly flutters faster trying not to let the fox catch her. “Hey wait” The fox speeds up to match the pace of the butterfly. “Wait, I just want to talk” The fox said. The butterfly flew faster, flying out of the little fox’s sight. “Please come back” the fox stopped and watched as the butterfly flew away.

The fox looks into the night, tired from chasing the butterfly. The fox turns around to look for another friend. The fox would stop every so often to listen for anybody who can tell him where he is and what he is supposed to be doing. The fox walks and walks deeper into the forest becoming lost to his surroundings. The fox continues down the dark narrow path of the grassy forest floor. The shadows that cast off the trees make the forest even bigger than the little fox could ever imagine. The footsteps of the fox against the grassy floor echoed throughout the forest becoming the fox’s only source of comfort. The fox walks along the path carefully looking, searching for someone to help him with this strange situation. The fox was put here to do what exactly was the main question that lingered in his mind. Someone or something brought here him with no direction.

The fox’s heart grew heavy wondering what did he do to deserve this. Is he being punishment for something that he did? The little fox has no problem with serving his time if someone could only tell him what he did wrong. The fox stops again, waiting, listening for a sound other than his own. “Oh” the fox said, more than a little disappointed that he was still alone..in the dark. The fox, feeling defeated and determined at the same time, kept going, allowing his emotions to be his driving force. “What’s this” The fox said tilting his head slightly. Two paths instead of one. They both look similar to each other. The fox looks back and forth between the two paths that stand before him.

The fox examined each one carefully, noting even the slightest difference between the two. “Oh” the fox said. “This is going to be hard” He sits at the fork, still debating about which path he should take. “Psst” the fox heard. It was a quiet whisper that passed through the fox’s ears. The subtle whisper made the fox’s ears twitch. “Psst” the voice was a little louder this time catching the fox’s attention. “Hey you, over here” the voice said.

The fox stands at attention, looking around for the source of the voice. “Hello” the fox said, stepping towards the left side of the path. “Hello” the voice imitating the fox. “Is anybody there?” the fox asks in a low voice, creeping slowly towards the left side of the path. “Do you need a friend? Because I can sure use one.” The voice said. “Yes, actually I do. Do you know what this place is or how to get out of it?” The fox asked the mysterious person. The voice let out a nasty, congested laugh. “Of course I know what this place is. If you come with me I can show you the way out” “You’ll really do that for me” the fox said, delighted that he now has someone to walk with him. “Of course. What are friends for?” the voice called out. “Oh boy thank you so much mister” the fox beamed with glee. “What are you waiting for come on?” “Okay” the fox walks closer towards the voice. The sound of growling gets louder as the fox gets closer to it. “What’s your name?” The fox asked. The voice laughed again, and the growling got louder. “Are you okay?” the little fox asked out of concern for his new friend.

“Hey mist..”

“Get away you vicious beast” A man jumped out of the brushes that were behind the fox. The man threw a pure white light ball at the monster that was hidden from the fox’s view. “You are not welcomed here” the man said, while throwing another ball of light. The monster let out a loud growl again, scared of the man’s weapon. The balls of light that the man was throwing at the monster caused a slight glow that the fox could see an outline of the thing that he was talking to.

The fox grasp, now terrified of who he was about to follow. The monster was big, dark and not what the fox imagine, The fox did not see any white dots on the monster like the ones on him. The fox backed away terrified. “Wha…wha..what was that?” The fox asked the man still terrified of that thing. “That was an other” the man said still on look out. “A what” The fox looked at him. “An other. Those nasty creatures. You have to be careful around here, it’s not safe. Now you should be lucky that it was only one and not a whole pack.” “What would he had done if I would have followed him?” The fox said curious to know more about the others but also fearful of what kind of trouble they bring.

The man only shakes his head and look at the moon. “I remember my first time running into an other. I was new to this world, number 6467. I was bright eyed and curious just like you when I first arrived. Every new moon cycle a new soul arrives. You can hear the announcement no matter where you are in this world. The others eagerly wait until there is new soul so they can steal their light or make them become one of them” The man said walking down the right side of the path, carefully listening out for any more others.

“So what happened?” The fox asked struggling to keep up with the man. The man stopped. “Lets just say that I learned the hard way about trusting people in this world too easily. Instead of going with my first mind I gave into others, which lead me down a dark path that I vowed to never follow again.” The man looked at the fox and kept walking.

“Wow” said the fox.

“You’re lucky that I had to be walking past of else you would of learn the hard way like me.”

“Thank you for saving me” The man winked at the fox. “Come on kid I’ll teach you everything you need to know about this world. Something tells me that you are going to be here for a while.”

“Oh”

“Don’t worry I’ll be here so you won’t be so alone.”

“How long have you been here” “80 new moon cycles and counting”

“Wow that is a long time. I think” the man chuckled at the fox’s innocence.

“You have a lot to learn my friend” the man said.

The pair of new friends walked until they came along a campsite. “Is this where you live?” “Yes it is. Welcome to mi casa. Home sweet home.” The man walked towards his area sitting on the log nearby. The man motions to the fox to make himself comfortable. The fox stepped closer easing his way to a spot near the man. “It’s okay” the man smiled reassuring the fox that he is safe with him. The fox sat by the man’s feet getting comfortable on the soft grass. “You know I’ve seen so many come and go in this world that it is hard to connect to people because you never know when they will leave.” The fox lifted his head up to look at the man.

“Leave? You mean there is actually a world beyond this?” The fox asked

“Maybe, I’m not sure how that part works. All I know is that when it’s someone’s time to leave this world, a bright white beam of light shines on them and then they get taken away.” The man looks at the sky and smiles. “I don’t know how or when but it does not happen that often. So many of us search endlessly to return to what feels familiar to us but only a few select get the chance to figure out what lies beyond this place.”

“What happens when you don’t get picked?” The fox stands next to the man and looks towards the sky. “Well then you’ll be stuck here but what happens after that is all up to you. We each have free will here, we get to chose our own path” The man looks down at the fox. “So kid what path are you going to take?” The fox looks at the man and then down at his feet. “I don’t know” the fox said sadly.

The man kneeled down to meet the fox at his level . “Hey it’s okay. You’ll figure it out. You’re still young and full of light. You’ll make it out of here as long as you don’t give up” The fox looks at the man with tears in his eyes. The little fox brushed against the man for comfort. The man pet the fox fur, making the tiny dots of light shine brighter. The man allowed the fox to feel his warmth and give the fox that security that he has been craving. The man looked down at the fox who was resting against his chest and felt something that he never felt before. The man’s heart swell and his head started to throb. The man winced in pain, making the fox flinch. “Are you okay sir?” The fox said, looking at his friend, who was leaning over in pain. “Sir?” the fox carefully touched the man. “It’s okay, I’m okay” the man said, still looking down at the ground.

The fox looked the man in his eyes. The man chuckled. “Don’t worry, I’m okay. See” the man lift his head. The fox studied the man’s face carefully. The man’s black hair was messier than before, but everything else was the same. The man stood up and spread his arms out wide. “Told you I was fine. Are you hungry? Let’s go get some fish” The fox watched the man walk away until he was not in his line of sight anymore. The fox could not figure out what was wrong, but something about the man did change. The fox moved carefully, following the direction that the man headed in.

“Okay, so you want to take this net here and throw it into the stream like this” The man threw the net into the stream, showing the fox how to gather food for him to survive. The fox nodded, understanding the task at hand. “And then you wait for the fish to get caught in the net and when it is done you pull the net out and boom food.” The fox nodded again. “While we wait, let’s build our fire.” The man lead the fox into the forest to collect firewood. The man and the fox ate that night in peace, listening to the sounds of the forest that is around them.

After cleaning up dinner, the man sat on the ground leaning against a tree. “Come” The man said. The fox crawled toward the man. “It’s late, we should get some sleep,” the man said. The fox laid down next to the man and give the fox a little pat. “Don’t worry, I’ll teach you everything you need to know about this place to survive” “Okay” the fox said. “But for now, let’s just sleep. Fighting that beast can take a lot out of you” The fox looked at the man who was already asleep. The man and the fox slept under the moonlight sky together.

The fox was happy in that moment because he is finally not alone anymore. The little fox dreamed peacefully, feeling protected and safe because of the man. The man and the fox spent their days together. The man showed the fox how to survive in the forest on his own. The little fox was grateful for the man because without him the fox did not know where he would have been or became if it wasn’t for the man. Over the next month the fox did some of the task on his own and knew when it was the best time to travel to a safer area in the forest. This world was becoming less scary for the little fox.

The fox was happy that the man saved him on that faithful day. The fox looked at the man before heading to get more firewood. The fox noticed that the man was changing but still couldn’t figure out what was going on with the man. He looked the same, but he didn’t at the same time. The fox knew something was off but did not want to bring it up to the man in fear that the man would get mad at him. “What?” the man asked the fox.

“Nothing” the fox said, continuing on his daily duties.

The fox and the man settled into the night, watching the moon and enjoying each other’s company. “Little fox look” the man said. The man pointed towards the moon. “Today is a new moon” the fox looked up at the moon, recognizing the moon as the moon he first saw when he arrived in the world. “We should be expecting someone new soon”

“Who do you think it could be?” “I’m not sure” “Maybe a new friend” The man shrugged. “Maybe” the man petted the fox’s head. The fox wagged his tail, excited to meet a new friend. The fox listen to the sound of the forest and the man snores before drifting silently to sleep. Sometime that night, the announcement echoed through the forest “Number 6,208,321”

The man and the fox spend the rest of their days moving, searching for missing pieces of the puzzle. The man was determined to find the secrets of this world and how to move past this. Each day that the man and the fox spend together gave the man a sense of familiarity. The fox is playful, native and curious. The man can not help but to laugh when the fox gets into something that he shouldn’t. The man at first did not want to bring the fox along because he has seen too many get lost to this world and he has seen very few actually make it out. The man could not go through that pain again of losing a friend, but seeing how scared the little fox was, he could not leave him there. The man felt different, his emotions were changing, and he was feeling things he never had before. Everything felt surreal. The man was getting blurry flashbacks of things that he does not remember happening. It was strange, but comforting.

The man looks towards the moon and then at the fox. “Can I ask you something?” The man said to the fox.

“Yes,” the fox answered, curious of what the man is going to ask him.

“Look, the moon is always bright and beautiful, don’t you think?”

“Yes. I do” The little fox said as he looked at the moon.

The man puts one hand behind his head, getting more comfortable. “Do you think that someone lives up there?” The man asked. The fox looks at the man and then at the moon. The man was staring at the moon in complete awe. The fox has never seen the man look at anything like that before. The fox walked slowly towards the man and cuddle up towards him.

“Thank you for being here with me” the man said petting the fox. The fox brushed against the man’s chest more. “Everything feels more peaceful now. My little fox promise me something” the man said. The fox lifted his head up, looking towards the man. Without taking his eyes off the moon, the man took a deep breath. “Promise you won’t give up hope? Promise me you’ll find your light and don’t let those beasts become you?”

“I promise” the fox said.

“There’s more to this world. Find your own path and see it through,” The man said, closing his eyes.

“Okay” the fox whispered gently, putting his head on the man’s chest again before drifting to sleep.

The night was peacefully whimsical as the fox’s dreams danced in his head. The moon shined bright casting a spotlight on the man and the fox. Little fluttering sounds wakes up the fox. The fox lifts his head and looks around the area. Nothing other than him and the sleeping man was around. The fox puts his head back down on the man’s chest. Before he could sleep again, the fox heard the light pitter patter sound again. The fox gets up, looking around. “Hello” the fox whispers, careful not to wake up the man who was still asleep. “Hello” the fox said again. The fox waited and looks around but nothing. The fox walked back to the man, hoping to get some sleep before they travel again in a few hours. Before the fox could make it back to the man, he came face to face with someone he was looking for.

The butterfly who he had been looking for since his first day in this world was fluttering around him. “Hello again” the butterfly said.

“Hi” the fox said shyly. The butterfly zoomed around fox and flew to the man who was still asleep. “Hey no wait” the fox ran over to stop the butterfly from waking the man. The butterfly ignored the fox and flew straight to the man landed on his nose. “Oh no” the fox said. The fox lifted his paw to shoo away the butterfly. The fox made sure that he did not hurt the butterfly, but he did not want to wake the man. The butterfly did not listen to the fox because she was curious about the sleeping man.

“Hello” the butterfly said softly. The man did not wake up.

“Please don’t wake him” the fox pleaded with the butterfly.

“Hello” the butterfly said louder. Nothing. The man stayed sleep, snoring louder than the butterfly’s voice. “Shoo” the fox said swiping his paw at the butterfly. The butterfly moved just in time before the fox’s paw could clash into her. The fox’s paw however, collided with the man’s face.

“Ouch” the man said jumping on to see what had hit him in the face.

“I—I-I’m so sorry” the fox said backing away from the man.

“What’s going on here? Why would you hit me?” the man said looking at the fox.

“I was trying to” the fox said, too shameful to look at the man.

“You what?” the man said getting up from his spot.

“I-I-I” the fox said in a shaking voice. The man walked closer to the man.

“It was my fault” the butterfly came from behind the tree.

“Huh?” the man turned around to see the glowing butterfly.

“The fox told me not to wake you but I didn’t listen to him. Please punish me instead” the butterfly landed on top of the fox’s head.

“What? Nobody is going to get punished. I only want to know why I was hit. Little fox?”

“I didn’t want to the butterfly to wake you so I tried to make the butterfly leave” the fox spoke up.

“Hm I see” the man walked closer to the duo. The man studied the butterfly. “Have we met before?” The man asked the butterfly. The butterfly came closer to the man so he can get a closer look at her. “I don’t know but it feels like we know each other. Can you feel it?” the butterfly said. The man looked at the butterfly once more before being hit with a splitting headache. “Ah” the man falls to his knees. The fox moved closer to the man in panic.

"Sir? Sir?” The fox said.

“Appa?” the butterfly said

“Huh Appa?” the fox looked at the butterfly confused as what the butterfly was talking about.

“That’s not this name” the fox told the butterfly. The butterfly ignored the fox moved closer to the man. The man looked up at the butterfly and everything hit him all at once.

“I remember” The man said as his eyes glows white as he was taken back to his past.