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Why do the birds go on singing?

The sweet feminine voice crooned from some broken recording device within the hearts of the desolate city, its only audience that of a slender form draped in a dark cape. As the slightly distorted sound filtered through his ears, the language was parsed instantaneously into his native language. Without so much as a pause, he continued forward, his liquid-like form sliding over the ground smoothly. Turning once to the left and then the right, he took in his surroundings with nary an expression on his silver-colored face. His single grey eye never blinked, roving around as he moved through the empty streets.

He was not a being of this planet and so his stay would be brief. He had only set foot on this foreign territory because of a calling. A calling that had awoken not only him, but others from different sections of the universe. It was a call that needed answering and so, he had left his home planet immediately to travel to this distant land. The others should be close behind or possibly, already here on this rock to observe and put to rest the last of the crying souls.

Not many beings knew this and certainly not the species that previously dominated this land. But every planet has a voice and a spirit. They are sentient beings, powerful yet humble and graceful. They bless the soil and air around them, welcome new species into their embrace and allow them to live on their grounds.

Alas, there exist those that dare to exploit their open and trusting spirit. Such was true of the two-legged species that dominated this rock which they called Earth. What resources the Earth provided, they took for themselves and lusted for more. When no more could be offered, they decimated its natural landscape and carved out their own.

And so their Earth screamed of pain. But their kind did not listen. The few that did cried out for action but their pleas fell on deaf ears. Soon even the few petered out and the species called Man continued walking down their path of destruction.

Unable to put a stop to Man’s actions using their passive ways, the Earth’s screams turned to rage. Tsunamis rained down on major cities, earthquakes tore large cracks into the land, and volcano eruptions melted all their manmade structures. The Earth was cleansing itself of the ungrateful species who walked its land.

So as per the tradition of his century-old civilization and that of the others’, he had arrived to conduct a last ceremony. Moving through the destructed city, he took in the tall structures that hung limply, broken, and shattered. His eye scanned over the multitude of beings of Man, lying bloodied on the ground. Their limbs were sprawled in all manners, their two eyes opened wide in fear or in resignation as they watched the Earth take away their souls.

Why do the stars glow above?

He did not feel rage or pity for Man. Only a deep sense of melancholy. As he entered the center of the city, he threw his two hands to the sky. Whispering a few sentences in his language, he gestured a few times to the bright stars that twinkled high above, asking that they guide the souls of the taken into their embrace and bless a new species to flourish on such a beautiful land.

Don’t they know it’s the end of the world?

He touched the ground beneath him reverently, humming under his breath as he felt the life force that pulsated underneath its surface. It sang back to him of peace and tranquility, and of a fresh start. Its voice was full of anticipation, ready to begin the process of preparing its land for the new beings who would once again live on it.

Satisfied that the Earth was once again at one with the universe, he looked up, ready to leave this rock and go home. Yet something caught his eye, a movement of some sort from up ahead. He moved towards it, his eye focused on the area which he had detected the movement.

Drawing closer, he noticed a bundle of white cloth tainted with the brown soil of the land. A hand laid limply near it, its owner a being with long black hair. Its eyes stared, unmoving, at the bundle. Observing its body, he noticed how it was oriented as if this being wanted to protect whatever rested inside the mysterious white material.

His curiosity piqued, he used a single finger to unwrap the material. As it fell apart, exposing its contents, his eye widened at the sight of a small being of Man lying within. Its two legs kicked out as it squirmed uncomfortably, unused to the sudden exposure to the harsh air. The youngling stared straight at him, its black eyes unknowing to the state of its world or that of its kind.

To say that he was surprised would be a severe understatement. The cleansing of a planet was thorough, with no exceptions left alive. Yet a youngling was alive right in front of his eyes. He pressed his hands to the ground once more, awaiting an answer. Squeezing his eye shut, he listened carefully until moments later, he heard a silent whispering of forgiveness.

Understanding the wishes of the graceful soul of the planet, he gently picked up the bundle and held it close. The youngling squealed in delight, its two hands outstretched as it tried to touch him. He held out a single finger and the youngling took it, grabbing on.

With the youngling secure in his arms, he headed back towards his spaceship, gurgles of its laughter echoing in the empty land. He would take this small new being back to his homeland since that was what the Earth had wished for. Though it had performed a cleansing of this being’s species, it must have seen some potential in them after all. A potential that could only be reached through the untainted souls of the young.

It ended when I lost your love.

And so as per the Earth’s wishes, he would educate the youngling in his culture and his ways. But always would he remind the child of where he came from, of why his kind died, and of how it would rebirth. A place called home. A place called Earth.

Because like this youngling, there would be others of his kind, living in different colonies. And when all of them reunited back on their home planet, they would rebuild their species once again as the new generation.

Generation XI