The Station, Part 66

They still have not noticed my presence and I decide to tale myself up on a dare. The light that I saw is a lovely pale yellow beam that shines into the chamber of insect beasts, a sharp contrast to the creature that surround it. My dare is to slip into the chamber and take a look up into that gap in the ceiling. Whatever for you may be asking?

I need to see what’s coming, that’s why. I need to know that all of this effort to reach the summit of whatever world this may be was worth it. I was supposed to go down. Horizontal then down. Never upward. Some instinct, calling or whatever you may wish to call it drove me into that impossibly gigantic tree. It makes no sense. How could it? I’ve done nothing but ascend for I don’t know how long. I was remade yet again to do so. It has to be the right thing to do. Now I face another seemingly impossible thing—these slumbering amalgamations of flesh. Huge and unlike all else that has come before, just like all that I have seen here. I am but an insect here. It is not difficult to think in this way. I have seen nothing that is comparable in size. I will continue to narrate, but it will be at an extreme whisper for the time being.

I am moving inside. The closest of the creatures, a pair that is nestled closely together do not seem to detect my presence. I am a mere fraction of their size, perhaps the size of one of their hand-like extremities. It is very possible that my footfalls are not heard I am so small. That is assuming these beings possess apparatus for hearing. I see nothing of the sort. But that is no reason to become complacent in any way. Their eyes must be huge, thin membranous lids cover their huge orbs. But it is their mouths that draw my attention most. Thin, almost nonexistent when closed, they reveal nothing of their dietary habits. I would be relieved to know if they had nothing but flat, even teeth for processing vegetation. The alternative is too unsettling to consider at the moment. I’m sure you understand, considering my current situation.

I slip past these two massive giants and am almost to the center. The roof of this chamber has an opening about three meters in diameter, far too small for these creatures to climb through. The only other way in an out was the route to took, and that is wide enough for at least three of these creatures. I’m now in the center, looking up into the opening. It is rather bright, painful to look into directly. My eyes need time to adjust. But that leaves me temporarily blinded. I will just stay in the beam until my eyes are used to that too bright light and try again.

I’m now taking the time to examine my hosts even more closely. It is apparent there is a uniformity of size among my unconscious hosts. They may be of the same age, sex or other criteria that I am unaware. Looking closer at the bigger hind limbs at notices something. Their proportions seem uneven. That is, these larger legs, although much larger than the arm-like forelimbs are still remarkably small when compared to the body itself. Far too small to act as effective propulsion. In effect, these creatures may be more or less helpless. Which would mean they may depend on something else for basic survival. Some kind of caregiver that has yet to reveal itself. The very thought inspires a cold feeling within me.