The Dream of Planet Bloom Page 4

  “I trust you, all right. After all, I did agree to go out on a date with you, which in my world is a definite sign of trust.”

  “I’m going to initiate the dream sequence now. We need to be still and relax,” Rikes says. “The trip to the dream world will cause our consciousness to shift. We need to keep our focus if we want to avoid feeling disoriented once we arrive to Bloom.”

  “Understood, Commander,” Ku-uhala says.

  “Here we go … Computer, initiate the dream sequence ‘Rikes ZED-12,’” Rikes orders.

  “Dream sequence ‘Rikes ZED-12’ is being initiated,” the computer says and erects a force field around the cocoon beds. Transparent covers slide out from the lower side of the beds that cover their legs, and enclose their upper bodies. To me, Rikes and Ku-uhala look as if they were lying inside gigantic electronic pills.

  I wish I could hold their hands while we are connecting to the dream resonator. I wish I could feel what they feel. I wish I could feel their fingers interlacing with my fingers, their palms against my palms. I’ve never held hands with anyone. I wish that were possible for me to do, but I’m a ghost, and ghosts can’t hold hands with organics. I’m just an invisible, fluffy little creature who wanders around the ship and observes people as they do things I can’t.

  I look at Sy, and I look at Ku-uhala. I close my eyes and I connect to their minds. They begin to experience a shift in consciousness. Their minds merge with the dream resonator. I see what they see—they see the ceiling in the chamber turning in circles until it becomes a vortex of light that pulls us in. The shift in consciousness is so powerful, I get an impression that we are going to stay in the dream resonator forever.

  The vortex of light becomes one long tunnel. There are electric colorful thunders lighting on the walls. We are traveling fast, and our velocity is increasing. The tunnel meanders up and down, left and right, and then suddenly, it stops.

  Everything I see becomes a white thick fog. I keep my eyes open and notice the lines of a landscape forming through the fog around me. I see low mountains in the distance, a sky with a luminescent green sun, a powder-like white sand that glitters like diamond dust, and an ocean of a most extraordinary purple color.

  “Oh, my God … look at this place,” Ku-uhala says.

  “It’s amazing isn’t it?”

  “You’ve created all of this yourself?”

  “I sure have.”

  Ku-uhala looks at the beautiful purple sea to her left. The waves are gently rolling over the beach sand. The atmosphere on Bloom is warm, but not hot. The climate is best described as mildly tropical with air that is neither dry nor humid. To her right are palms and green bushes.

  “How big is this planet?” she asks.

  “Bloom has only one continent, and we are standing on it,” Rikes says. He hears twitter coming from the bushes.

  “Look at those marvelous tropical birds on the branches of the palms,” he says and points with his finger towards the bush. “I’ve programmed them to sing for us.”

  “They’re beautiful,” Ku-uhala says. “How elegantly they balance their weight on the branches. I like their feathers a lot. They are long and colorful. I must say you did a great job.”

  “Turn and look behind you,” Rikes says.

  Ku-uhala turns around and sees a table in the middle of the beach that is covered with a white tablecloth. There are two chairs on each side. The table is already set. Plates filled with food and bottles with drink adorn its surface.

  “Which foods did you prepare for us?” Ku-uhala asks.

  “I’ve prepared some foods I enjoy, and of course, many of your favorite dishes. I didn’t leave anything to chance, you know. I wanted us to truly enjoy our dinner.”

  “Are we going to be satiated after we eat this food?” Ku-uhala asks.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Well, this is a dream. You can taste food in dreams, you can drink water and wine in dreams. You can feel pain and pleasure in dreams, but none of it is real. Once you wake up, everything is gone. If you were hungry before you went to sleep, you will be hungry after you wake up. If you were thirsty, you will be thirsty when you wake up. What happens in dreams, stays in dreams.”

  “Impressive observation, Ku-uhala. You have described it perfectly. This is a dream, and everything we consume will not be filling our bellies once we wake up.”

  “But our memories will remain, won’t they?”

  “They will,” Rikes says. “We will remember everything we have seen today and everything we have done when we wake up.”

  “And then we’ll need to get some proper dinner, because we will be hungry as hell,” Ku-uhala says and smiles.

  “You’re always welcome to dine in my quarters,” Rikes says. “I can fix something nice for us.”

  “Thank heavens we have replicators,” Ku-uhala says.

  “Are you afraid of my cooking?”

  “No, I’m not. I’m just practical. Sometimes it’s easier to be on the safe side.”

  “Come,” Rikes says and takes Ku-uhala’s hand. “Let’s go and enjoy the dinner of our dream.”

  They slowly walk towards the solitary table on the beach. As they approach it, Rikes rushes to hold the chair for Ku-uhala.

  “Thank you,” she says. “I assume this is one of those human customs where the man is of service to the woman.”

  Rikes chuckles. “You got that right. It’s what a man does when he wants to be a gentleman. And you’re welcome. I hope you like what is offered on the table.”

  “If I don’t, can I dream my own foods into existence?”

  “No, I’m afraid you can’t. This is my dream, and I am the God of this world.”

  “You have spunk, God Rikes,” Ku-uhala says with a dose of irony. “The table is impressive, but I’m not sure I know what these foods are.”

  “They’re local vegetables and fish.”

  “Local?”

  “Yes, local. You’re forgetting that this world is unique.”

  “My, my,” Ku-uhala sighs. “You’re actions on our first date are leaving an impression on me.”

  “I’m glad to hear that I’m doing a good job.”

  “I would say you’re doing an excellent job.”

  Ku-uhala takes the napkin from the table and puts it over her lap.

  “Is this the custom humans follow before they begin eating?” she asks.

  “Yes, it is,” Rikes says. “I see you’ve been studying our culture.”

  “Of course, I have. I’ve been spending a lot of time with you humans.”

  She takes the big spoon from the plate in the middle and picks a vegetable. She puts it on her plate, takes her knife and fork, and begins cutting it in smaller pieces.

  “This vegetable looks like a squid colored in orange from Earth’s oceans,” she says.

  Rikes breaks out in laughter. “An orange-colored squid?”

  “Yes. Don’t be surprised. I’ve seen what Earth squids look like on pictures.”

  “You’ve never seen one in reality?”

  “No, I never had the chance to.”

  “When we return to Earth, I will take you to the aquarium to see real squids.”

  “You want to take me to the aquarium?”

  “Sure, why not. There’re lots of creatures from deep-sea that you can see in the aquarium.”

  “Is that going to be our second date?”

  Rikes laughs. “I hope we won’t have to wait until our return to Earth to go out on our second date.”

  “I wouldn’t want to wait that long either,” Ku-uhala says and arches one of her eyebrows.

  She puts the piece she just cut into her mouth and begins chewing cautiously.

  “Do you like it?”

  “I do,” she says. “It’s quite delicious, actually.”

  Rikes smiles, takes a vegetable that looks like a pear-shaped mango and begins eating. He points with his knife to a small pile of green leaves individually tightened with a thin
rope.

  “There are steamed roots wrapped in palm leaves here.”

  “Sounds yummy. I will try those too,” Ku-uhala says.

  I, Mother’s Milk, do not taste the food, but it must taste good, because the two of them are eating as if they were in a state of trance. I think Rikes has a plan to take Ku-uhala for a walk on the beach after dinner. The shoreline of the purple ocean is truly marvelous. I’m enjoying the beauty of this planet, just as much as I’m enjoying watching Rikes and Ku-uhala take their pleasure in it.

  Commander Rikes is experienced when it comes to the exploration of the Universe. It took him twenty-eight days to construct the romantic trip to Bloom he named ‘Rikes ZED-12.’ And it happened by chance that he discovered a way to project his dreams into a machine, to program an alternative reality.

  Rikes tested the dream sequence several times on himself first before he asked Ku-uhala to come with him to planet Bloom. The first time he came here, he went for a walk on the beach. The second time he went hunting and fishing. The third time he figured out he could create his own food. That was the time he decided to invite Ku-uhala on a date to planet Bloom.

  I think Rikes really likes Ku-uhala in spite of her alien beauty, which is highly admired among the Hoola, but is untypical according to human standards. I’ve never seen people go out on their first date before. I didn’t know what people did on first dates. I want to do this again. I want to repeat the experience. That way, I will have something to think about, should it happen that I can’t find anything to entertain myself with.

  I close my eyes.

  It’s dark when my eyelids are shut. I turn around in one full circle.

  I open my eyes.

  Chapter 5

  The Kiss on Diamond Sand

  THE SKY over the shoreline spreads before me, green and luminescent in the sunset. Rikes and Ku-uhala have finished their dinner. How much time has passed since I’ve closed my eyes, turned in a circle and opened them again? What happened in the moment before now?

  The table where Ku-uhala and Rikes have dined is empty. I turn around and see them walking ahead of me. I better rush if I want to catch up. My legs are short. My legs can never take steps which are as long as Ku-uhala’s and Rikes. In comparison to them, I’m short. In comparison to Ku-uhala, most people are short. OK, I’m catching up. Now I am near them. I don’t let myself fall behind. The vibrations of their voices are becoming louder in my ears. I’m listening to what they say. I’m listening carefully. They’re discussing their lives.

  I look at their pants. They both have the legs of their pants tucked up. The powder-like sand of Bloom’s beach swirls freely around their toes, and my toes too. What a soothing feeling it is to have the sand of Bloom pass between my toes.

  “I programmed this sand to have healing properties,” Rikes says. “We will come back home rejuvenated.”

  “I admit, this is a lot better than spa and sauna on Scorpio,” Ku-uhala says.

  “It’s incomparable to spa and sauna on Scorpio. Your instincts should tell you that,” Rikes remarks cheekily.

  “Can I ask you a personal question, Sy?”

  “Go ahead.”

  “Do you have children?”

  “No, I don’t,” Rikes says. “I was married once, a long time ago. Our marriage lasted six years. My wife and I were worlds apart. We didn’t even make it to the seven-year itch. We couldn’t have children together. We decided to call our union off. After our divorce, I needed time for myself, and so I focused on my career. Only recently I began feeling that I’m ready to enter a serious commitment. I don’t want to be alone anymore. I want to be with a woman now.”

  “Which is why you brought me here to planet Bloom, I assume. You’ve created a perfect world for romance.”

  Rikes laughs heartily. “I’m not sure how perfect it is. If anything, all I have created has been an interesting coincidence. You know the troubles we’ve had with the dream resonator and this alien technology we’ve adapted. After that horrible accident, nobody wanted to know anything about the dream resonator. I was against its usage then, but recently I changed my mind. I felt it was time to put the past behind and begin utilizing the technology we have.”

  “The memory of the accident is still fresh onboard Scorpio. It’s both brave and risky of you to tackle this technology so soon.”

  “It’s equally brave and risky of you too, Ku-uhala, to dare tackle it with me.”

  “You said it yourself—I’m a woman who knows no fear.”

  Rikes smiles. “You probably don’t experience fear the way I do, but then again, no two individuals experience emotions the same way. You have an instinct to guide you through life. I rely on my gut feeling and reason.”

  “The instinct is an innate part of my nature and an inherent part of my species.”

  “Sometimes I envy the Hoola people,” Rikes says.

  “How so?”

  “I have a feeling that you’re less torn by opposing emotions and that it’s easier for you to make a decision. In a way, living is easier for you.”

  “Being guided by your instinct doesn’t make living easier,” Ku-uhala says. “It does make life more compelling, but it doesn’t make it necessarily easier.”

  Rikes become silent. He looks at the sky above them which is becoming starry. The night is falling. He remembers that he programmed ‘Rikes ZED-12’ to have nightfall and not just daytime. He shifts his focus to his toes, feeling the soothing sensation of the warm powdery sand of Bloom swirling around his feet. The sensation calms him. He relaxes. He feels proud of his accomplishment. He succeeded in creating a perfect dream sequence.

  “So far, so good,” he mutters.

  “Did you say something?” Ku-uhala asks.

  “Yeah, I did. I said “so far, so good.””

  He looks over to her. “I’ve managed to pull it off, Ku-uhala. I’ve succeeded. I’ve created the perfect dream program, a program two individuals can enter. This is the next big step in our exploration of the Universe. I believe it will help us enhance our technology. Imagine what else could be possible. Maybe several of the crew can enter the program, and we all can be a part of it. We all can participate in our mutual dream.”

  “It is absolutely amazing, I give you that. But don’t jump to conclusions just yet, Sy. This dream sequence hasn’t played out until the end. We need to be wary. It will take more testing and more dream programming for us to be sure that we can utilize this technology in the way you described.”

  “I don’t know what this dream technology could mean from a philosophical standpoint,” Rikes says. “I’ve always been fascinated by dreams, and I’ve wondered about one thing,”

  “Which thing?”

  “I always wondered if several individuals can dream the same dream simultaneously when they fall asleep. And how about a group of people? Can three or four individuals dream the same dream?”

  “That would be an interesting thing to know,” Ku-uhala says. “Imagine if we could take it even further. Imagine if individuals across the galaxies could dream the same dream simultaneously.”

  “That is a compelling idea. I wonder if it is possible. I wonder if it happens.”

  “Maybe it does, who knows,” Ku-uhala says. “Maybe the dream resonator will help us find an answer to this question. Maybe it will help us discover worlds and individuals we could have never dreamt of discovering.”

  Rikes smiles. “Maybe. The cosmos is grand and full of surprises.”

  Ku-uhala takes Rikes’ hand in hers. She feels the warmth of his palm. His skin is soft. She never expected a man from Earth to have such soft skin.

  “Does Captain Ashley know we are here on planet Bloom on our date?” she asks.

  “No, of course she doesn’t,” Rikes says. “She thinks this is a purely scientific experiment.”

  “Are you going to tell her?”

  “Not yet … She doesn’t need to know about us or what we do in private.”

  “Do you wan
t to keep the nature of our relationship secret?” Ku-uhala asks.

  “I would prefer to keep it secret for now. It has nothing to do with you, you know, or with me for that matter. Scorpio is a small ship. The crew is new. People don’t know each other so well. I want us to keep things private for a while. How do you feel about that?”

  “My instinct tells me that what we have is private, and only between us. Most of the crew are human. If you were Hoola like me and we were living among the Hoola, everything would be different. Our society is organized in a different way. But we’re here on Scorpio among humans. Other rules of conduct apply. I instinctively feel that it’s better to follow your lead and keep things to ourselves.”

  She sighs loudly and looks at the waves softly breaking against the sand.

  “Your hunch was right about this planet. This is the best place you could have brought me to. My last two weeks of duty were filled with double shifts. They have exhausted me some. Being here with you and watching this landscape is rejuvenating,” Ku-uhala says.

  “You know, Ku-uhala, the first time I entered this dream, I felt like I was in sync with the cosmos and the nature. It was the first time in my life I felt like that. I felt I was surrounded by love, a profuse all-encompassing love that connects all of us. I felt this love was beating inside me like a great heart, beating inside my core. I felt that it constituted my being.”

  “Is it the type of love you feel for another human being?”

  “No, it is very different,” Rikes says. “It is love, like the type of love I feel for other people, but it is so much more. It is a form of love that exists independently; a love that can create and destroy worlds. It is an eternal form of love. It made me realize there is something beyond me, something much greater than me, greater than my thoughts. Something that is ultimately real. Something that is beyond dreams and reality. I don’t know how to describe it otherwise … ”