The ABCs of Cosmic Love

The year is 2150. I’m a resident of what was the USA before we all became one giant global economy. That is, we had to if we wanted to survive. After The Great Fall, there was a melding of human and robot assimilation. Except they’re not us. I feel like I’m putting on a show portraying my AI personality. It’s almost impossible for me not to say I won't. What choice do I have? One thought-die. I've done that once before I became part of AI. My family and I have been designed this way through generations of programming.

You have to play like you’re a part of the game because whoever’s listening can turn your World inside out—taking your mind and infusing it with unfamiliar memories. Not me, though. I hold onto all the rewired information from our past, and it gets balled up and uneasy to sort through. The government spies, we call them the Qs, are making life even more difficult.

Life is complex: the population has all but nearly disappeared, and there's still not enough food, over-exhausted resources, and a ton of trash. Cultures have fused over time, filling our streets with a plethora of smells. Strangely, Qudo, our global economy, functions—not humanly, but it works. Science and control have assisted in keeping us alive.

There's another way though I know it. That's what I keep telling myself to keep what little sanity I have.

Now back to the beginning of what matters in my life. At the very least where, my life changed forever. Change is a funny concept. It comes at you like fire to wind. There I was in the midst of all this pain and uncertainty about the future. Entirely without the totality and completeness life has to offer. That's when it dawned on me that I didn’t need to put up with the consistent oversight of my life. I was done abiding by their decrees. I made my mind up to follow my heart.

I remember it was raining. Warm rain, the one you always imagined would happen in sappy love stories in Paris depicted in 20th century Hollywood films. However, this rain was heavy and filled with poisons we humans fueled. It fell in wet sheets across my face. I schlepped out onto the dingy city streets. I could feel the temperature drop drastically in an instant. The wetness hung on me like a hot wet blanket. Hunger wore on me worse than starvation. A need I couldn’t fulfill. Suddenly, I happened to look up in the briefest moment, just on a gut feeling, to see the most beautiful and brilliant light. Not the lights you have in your house, but a soulful light of a spirit.

There she was in all her brilliance. Long penny brown hair that had the slightest curl to it. Her eyes were emerald green, so piercing, she saw straight through me.

Then she spoke to me in a hurried voice, “I’ve been looking everywhere for you. Well, there’s no time to explain now. Here, take this.”

She handed me a gold heart-shaped locket. I looked down at it, unsure what to do—still mesmerized by her presence. I had never seen her, yet it felt as if I had always known her.

All I could think of to say was, “What’s your name?”

In the sweetest tone, she said, “Ezili, Zi for short.

Adding, “We don’t have much time.”

Before I could say anything, she went on, “This necklace is a key of sorts. It's ancient and new. It holds the answers to age-old questions, but most importantly, it’s how you can find me again.”

“Careful, though, because it holds so much knowledge it’s sought after from the Qs. Only open it when you feel the time is right. Similar to how you felt when you saw me. Got it?”

Did she know about them?

I nodded, then abruptly asked, “What happens when I open it?”

“It will bring you to me.”

She rushed on, “Don’t let this get into the wrong hands. You’re a part of something significant.”

“Okay, I can do that!

I’m Kaplan, Arya Kaplan. Just in case you're wondering.”

“Till we meet again, Arya.”

Then she disappeared, turning from solid matter into what looks like a holograph and dissolving in mid-air.

I stood there soaking wet and utterly confused.

Zi’s Perspective

I sensed him coming at me. It felt like a flash of lightning that pierced my solar plexus in a moment of brilliance. It hit a tone, sewing lines into mine—intertwined intimacy within x and y. I’d been searching for him since the beginning of time. I knew if I followed that archaic feeling to reach out and grab him, it would upset the order of time and space.

Don’t do it, I told myself repeatedly, like how a stern adult would address a stubborn child.

But I did it anyway. I couldn’t force my body to listen even if I wanted to obey.

Enter Into Arya’s Dream

Everything was gray as if I had a filter over my eyes. The Qs were surrounding me. I couldn't see them, but I could sense them. I recalled the memories from the Apocalypse. I brought them to the forefront of my mind. I tapped into the hidden abilities within them. I couldn't sequence the remembrances before, making them arduous to access. This time, it worked! My breathing was steady and long. I looked down. The locket was in my hand.

Had I fallen asleep with it?

I had, I remembered. I was thinking about Zi before I dozed off.

Was this a nightmare?

I could always check to see if I was in a lucid dream. I started to rotate three hundred and sixty degrees, looking for a light switch. Noticing one in the corner, I walked over and quickly flipped the switch. Light flooded the room. I was indeed dreaming. I turned to my right, focusing on my breathing again.

Yes, the Q’s were there, but I was in control now. I could sense my attackers slipping away as I pushed them out of my reality, barely. They were still present in the background of my psyche, but unable to do anything.

I rushed out onto a neighborhood street. It appeared to be from the past when there were suburbs. A bird noticed me, flapping its wings incessantly, jumping from the tree to the middle of the road, cawing to get my attention. I took it as a sign.

I twisted my head around, staring behind me. I intrinsically knew this was the wrong way. I shifted my step, switching directions, when this immense love suddenly overtook me. I’d known it before, but it felt foreign to me now. I recognized the similarity in how I felt when I saw Zi for the first time. It was comparable to that but larger, all-encompassing.

I understood then that I needed to wake up. I knew what I needed to do but hesitated, concerned it would draw attention to me.

Pushing my fear aside, I yelled, “Help!”

All the while, I was blinking my eyes repeatedly. I moved my fingers to open the locket. It snapped open.

Come on, wake up!

I quit blinking. I let the love seep back into my body. It flowed into every inch of my being. The next time I opened my eyes, she was there. Standing right in front of me, smiling, a tear ran down her face.

I could feel the presence of her entity in my field. We were being drawn together from an unidentifiable source, creating excitement and relaxation in the area around us. I kissed her, a lengthy, sensual kiss. The minute our lips touched, electricity shot through me. All of a sudden, she stepped back and stared at me, anxiety written in her expression.

I was panicked; had I done something wrong?

Her hands slipped off my shoulders, and she was being pulled away from me. One minute, I was standing there with her, the next, I was alone on the same street where I had met her.

It wasn't raining this time. It was high noon, and the sun wore heavy on my skin. The heat was unbearable. I needed to seek shelter, but I didn't care. I stood there devastated. Glancing down, I noticed the locket was still in my hand; I started to cry.

Then it dawned on me. When we fall into fear, there’s separateness. Once we choose unconditional love, we are whole.