The Existence of Anton

What has happened to this world, she thought, as she stared off into the corner of the room. Veirana had just been taught about the events leading to this desolate world, filling her with more questions than answers. The thought of her being the last person did not make sense to her. She grasped the back of her neck, battling the possibility of this fateful truth. What if there were more people out there? She contemplated. “There has to be more!” she exclaimed.

Veirana had not known much outside of this place. The only person she could talk to was not really a person, but a unique creation. His name was Anton. His body was formed of thousands of tiny metallic spheres which seemed to take the shape of anything he wanted. He did not make much sense to her when she was younger, but now, she felt as though she understood him. Most days he took the shape of a quite average looking man. Often, Anton would look to resemble that of a scientist, wearing a lab coat that had been aged and worn down from its excessive use.

Two weeks prior to learning about the devastation of this world, her only struggle was her inability to pay attention during Anton’s instruction. Now sitting at a table made from concrete protruding from the wall, she regained her focus and brought her attention back to the screen. The screen that she used was one of many in this place. She remembered only using them to draw when she was little. The concrete shelter was placed in the side of a mountain where it remained a cool temperature. There were large letters in the main room that showed I.A.C. on the wall with the words Information Access Center below each letter. Most of her days were spent watching this screen or listening to Anton teach her various subjects.

“That is enough for the day,” Anton told her. A few moments passed and with her eyes wide and now fixed on him, he began to disassemble. The metallic spheres appeared to roll down to the floor one by one and collected in a glass storage box near the wall. When all the spheres had stopped moving, she ran to her room with excitement as this meant her studies were done for the day.

In her room, one wall contained a large sheet of glass, resembling a larger version of the screen she used for training, but instead this glass wall illuminated with many of the pictures she had drawn. All the walls were gray and contained a strip of light that wrapped around the ceiling. The light framed the ceiling like a beautiful piece of art. There were pictures of trees, a large waterfall, and a self-portrait of Veirana holding hands with other kids in a circle. She would often spend her evenings drawing or just laying down thinking about a reoccurring image of a waterfall, or how she longed to meet someone else like her.

Anton reassembled and asked Veirana to join him in the garden. She knew that it would soon be time for her instruction. Anton held up part of a leaf from the first square planter and, put it to his chin. “How do I look?” he asked smiling sphere to sphere. A giggle escaped her mouth. “You look silly Anton” she said as she found and held a leaf up. “How do you like my hat?” she said. “You appear to possess style,” Anton replied with his eyes raised. He now stood straighter than before. Veirana quickly ate some vegetables from the garden and then ran over to her seat, still chewing her food. Anton instructed her that it is imperative for her to focus despite her having a hard time with that.

Anton, after noticing her drawings, turned towards her with a smile, “Where have you learned about waterfalls?” She replied, “It’s usually the same one.” As she continued there was a long pause and with a sigh, “There are times I also hoped to have other kids to play with, like in the stories.” She went from a state of joyfulness to a sudden sadness that overcame her. Anton does not understand this emotion or how she knew of things that have yet to be instructed. She is not due to be taught geography and history yet. In her sadness she preferred to be alone, and before Anton could leave, she ran down the hall. She was sitting in the dark with thoughts that were racing through her mind on how she would and should leave. She had decided that she would wake up early and venture out of this place.

The next morning, she found her way to the main entrance which was a one-foot-thick sheet of insulated glass. Having pushed it with all her might, she exited through the main glass door. Her body immediately felt the sensation of overwhelming heat. It was not just warm, but hotter than anything she had experienced. As she gazed around, everything looked new. The day seemed to pass as she walked through this very different environment. Stopping only for a moment, she realized that she is completely alone. Now far from her home, she began to miss Anton.

The strange trees, the sunlight, and most of all, the incredible temperature was all unfamiliar to her. She frantically searched for anything that could help her escape this heat. The trees are not as green as they were outside of her home. How far had she gone? she wondered. Coming upon to a concrete mound, her movement began to slow. As she drew closer, she saw a door and ran to open it. She hoped to find a safe place.

When she grabbed the handle, she burned her hand. She screamed in pain and then blisters suddenly formed. Her head grew heavy, and everything went dark all whilst a sharp pain pierced her mind. She was no longer searching for shelter. She was now on a swing, as she flew backward, a heart shaped locket pounded against her chest. There were birds and blue skies overhead, and a new, refreshing wind in her face. In the distance she could hear kids playing all around her. What is going on, she thought to herself.

The moment passed just as it came, she had another sharp pain in her head and, once again there was darkness. She blinked a few times and realized that she was back at the entrance to this newly found location. The little bit of water that she had brought with her was gone. This shelter was not much, but it would help keep her from dying from the heat, a reality that would approach if she did not act quickly. It was dark but she saw a faint glow from something up ahead. Slowly, she approached a small room at the bottom of some stairs. There was a control panel to her right which was producing the light. She looked at it but could not make out the words on the buttons. She pushed the brightest button and suddenly the lights became brighter. She could now feel a breeze on the back of her neck. She must have somehow activated the power in this shelter. Thankful that she had escaped the heat, she now knew that she must return home and learn how this world came to be.

Overwhelmed from exhaustion, she had fallen fast asleep. Her deep slumber produced the most vivid dream she had ever experienced. In front of a waterfall, she stood and felt the mist on her face. She dug her feet deep into the mud, reached out her arms, and stuck out her tongue to enjoy the water. The dream was a nice break from her current reality, but she knew it was now time to leave.

Having found the green trees, she was able to find her way back. She felt like she had walked forever. Immediately greeted by Anton, he explained. “I was concerned for your safety and do not believe you made adequate preparations prior to departing.” She only thought of how tired and thirsty she felt. She spent the next few days sleeping, with Anton occasionally checking in on her and bringing her food and water.

Anton finally encouraged her to resume her studies, and after some much-needed rest, it was time to learn how this world came to be. Anton explained “The next bit of information might be difficult for you to understand.” With a newfound desire to learn, she sat at her table and eagerly waited for Anton to begin instruction.

After what seemed like hours of watching various videos from previous generations, Veirana felt like she had a basic understanding of how this world developed. There had been a creation of a new molecule. It was initially designed to help humanity with problems such as energy consumption and carbon reduction, but instead had devastating consequences. It was unintentionally released into the atmosphere where it self-replicated. It was designed to help create substantial storage for artificial intelligence mapping, and energy, but instead resulted in a massive spike in global warming. Drought and fires also led to a drastic reduction in the population. While the science behind it all confused her, she felt as though she understood what happened. It was humanities connection to this new molecule that resulted in the population having struggled with what were deemed reality shifts, much like what she was sure she had just experienced.

Taking a break in the garden, Anton collected food for Veirana. Doing as he always has done, he grabbed some fruit, whilst part of his hand falls to the floor. She looked at him with a frown and quickly bent down to pick up what had just fallen. Offering the partial hand to Anton, she asked, “Are you ok?” Anton proceeded to respond, “My is core was bonded with molecules, I am last” She looked at him with her head slightly tilted and an eyebrow raised. Anton pointed over to the screen, “W-a-t-c-h” he said softly and slowly. Veirana watched a video showing her multiple Anton’s interacting with one another. Now that the Earth was much warmer, he had lost the connection with the others and the ability to connect his core. “Eventually … cease to … function” he said.

That night she did not sleep well. She could not stop thinking about how big this world is, could it be possible that it only contained her and Anton? She also thought about how Anton said he would not be around much longer. Being aware that his knowledge was vast, she knew should choose to use it while she could. She found a new motivation within herself and decided to learn all that she could.

Over the next months she learned how to draw water from deep within the earth and even how to use every part of the plants she grew to make things like clothing. During this time, she noticed that Anton was unable to keep his shape other than a face on her table. You could now see drawings all over the walls, and it appeared she was trying to find a solution for Anton. She cared deeply for him, but he insisted that it is beyond repair. It had been two weeks since Anton last made an appearance. She missed him, and Veirana knew she would not want to stay here alone forever.

Rather than limiting her risk by staying in her home, she instead decided to take her chances in the world, hopes of finding other humans. With a purpose, and considering herself educated, she embarked unto the ruined terrain more prepared than when she left so long ago.