The Station, Part 46

My own clumsiness may have just saved my life. It’s my own stubbornness and inability to see the obvious that only prolonged my suffering. As I stumbled along, I managed to trip. I’m sure you’re not surprised at that. But in attempting to regain my balance, I instinctively threw out my arms, and in doing so, accidentally threw the crystal. It hit the wall and then the ground, breaking it in two. At first, I could have cried. I’m so tired. And now in the darkness. Or so I thought. Even as the last bit of light faded from the shattered torch, I discovered something new about myself—the ability to see in the dark. Apparently, I never really needed the crystal, but it certainly needed me. I took it out of its native environment. Or rather, I took them. Whatever lived inside it. The microscopic colony of life that died as soon as its home was destroyed. I can only surmise that once I removed its base from the rest of the colony, it no longer had an energy source from which to feed. In desperation, and a sheer need to survive, it found the next best thing—me. My life energy. After all, I am a biomechanical machine am I not? I have a store of energy that would suffice, even if not ideal for a colony of oh so tiny lives. My fault. I never saw it. But without their draining influence, already I can feel my strength returning. But in my redoubling my efforts I did really push myself too hard. Just to stay moving you see. Now I am merely tired and need a decent rest. I don’t fear stopping now.

I’m really fascinated by my new ability. I took stock of myself for the first time in while and discovered new things. I see my hands have gone through yet another alteration. They’ve become rather hirsute of late. When did that happen? What must I look like sans the undersuit? My eyes can also see that there is some kind of light, ever so faint, resonating from the cave interior. The walls themselves it seems. A mineral perhaps. Has to be. If there were a total absence of light, even the most acutely sensitive eyes would be useless. That is why the troglodytes are blind and pale. Perhaps that and the presence of the crystalline dwelling life forms are the reason for the absence of other life. Tiny lives would most assuredly avoid their life draining quality. I’m alive because of a stupid mistake.

But Poor Fred. He never learned the secret. He must have been like me, struggling to find his way through, straining not to succumb to his torch, never knowing that the very thing that he thought would help save his life was the very thing that would eventually extinguish it. I was no smarter than he, just luckier. Thinking of his bones lying back there, and the clear, yet unbroken crystal at his side, I wonder of after its food source had died, did the living things inside their protective mineral world know of their own fate? It seems like a tragedy for all parties. I hope that the ones that I ripped from their home didn’t suffer for very long. And to top off all today’s revelation, I can see in the dark