In Search of Yesterday (Science Fiction Story)

                 Illustration by: Noel N. Villarosa using Microsoft Clip Art and Shapes

In Search of Yesterday (Science Fiction Story)

By: Noel N. Villarosa

October 23, 2017

"There was totally no trace of certainty, everything that you will see has no resemblance of whatever connection in the past," mumbled by Oberon. In his mind, there was something a passage of time that needed to fill in the nexus.

Oberon was a young biologist who lived in outer space in a biodome. What brought him into the cosmic void was completely out of his understanding. There's even bigger reason to bring a bigger picture of the connection in the past. Strange things happening inside the biodome, people started to hate or got bored of their everyday life. Advanced technologies were pushing them in the inept handling of their daily tasks. As everything in this little world of capsule they lived in was right off the bat a torpid condition.

All communications were being transmitted in a microchip installed inside their brain, no handheld devices, and everything existed in thoughts just pairing in the outside place of not having a concrete existence. None of them knew about the blue marble planet called Earth.

The space habitats have no idea what really happened to planet Earth. It has become a barren wasteland and never recovers from its asphyxiating atmosphere augmented by the continuous casting of UV radiation. It was the habitat's ancestor who tried to salvage what could be saved in the planet Earth but only a single ecosphere that they could assemble in a miniature glass was able to settle in the biodome. The ancestors tried to terraform the planet Earth but only little they could put in place. It has been a cautionary tale to reconnect in the past so the ancestors tried to expunge the face of Earth from the survivor and try to introduce them an automatic environment where everything was applied in visual illusion.

Oberon being a biologist was curious of what has been left to them by the ancestor--the ecosphere. From here he started to learn on why the living things stayed alive in spite of its only access into an artificial light. Oberon considered it as the greatest breakthrough in the field of science and he wanted to stretch more his study on this matter. Oberon tried the process of DNA replication of the species and as soon as it multiplies in generous numbers, Oberon immediately put this in an empty transparent glass. Every day Oberon has become a creator of a magnificent discovery and was planning to implant this back to the so-called lost Earth. Oberon needed few more time to put all of these into the final stage. But where in the vast galaxy the planet Earth could be found was not a serious dilemma because the ancestor left a spaceship for them to explore the galaxy and to find again the blue planet Earth. As everything was already, the team of Oberon launched a search for the lost Earth. Long before the ancestor left planet Earth, they put a tracking device on planet Earth and connect it into the spaceship, this made the journey of Oberon and his team easy in tracing back the planet Earth. It was very splendid for Oberon and his team to finally see from the distance the blue planet Earth. They have brought with them many cryogenic tanks of O2 in order to breathe under an asphyxiating atmosphere.

In the beginning was overlaying the microorganisms into the ground like the nitrogen-fixing bacteria; they see to it that there is enough water reserved under the ground. And the rest would be a process in contributing to the nitrogen cycle. They have to fill-up the atmosphere with its two important main components --nitrogen and oxygen. Oberon and his team had established a proper selection of the organisms, animals, and plants to form an ecological balance and along the process of photosynthesis by using the sunlight's energy to take those carbons released by plants and tethering it to make sugars thus releasing the oxygen.

The next important thing they did was proving that the greenhouse effect has its primary gases all put in the earth's atmosphere.

Oberon and his team seriously considered that if they could replenish the earth with all the natural greenhouse gases could be a great chance in supporting life back to earth.

Finally, when everything has begun shaping the atmosphere back into its original form, the earth evolved into a breathing planet where humans, plants, and animals contribute to conserve and recycle the resources in order to maintain a breathable atmosphere.

A long time ago when earth's essential energies ruptured against human time, the effect was so devastating that the new inhabitants of the earth have enough in deciding to preserve the blue planet earth and to avoid putting life in a strange capsulized world.

Many years have passed and the transformation was an image of earth with protective atmosphere overshadowing many forms of life.

Oberon and his team have succeeded in making Earth fit for occupation, putting life inside their own home. They started educating the new inhabitants of the catastrophic effect of atmospheric deterioration and warned them to be vigilant of the earth's condition.

"One day we will explore more about the physical universe beyond the earth's atmosphere, who knows maybe one day we will find a near replica of our planet earth," Oberon said.

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The Overseas Worker and the Talking Bird (Personal Short Story)

Illustration by: Noel N. Villarosa using Mircrosoft Word Clip Art and Shapes

The Overseas Worker and the Talking Bird

By: Noel N. Villarosa

October 9, 2017

It was in the year 1973 when Filipinos first came in Saudi Arabia. During those years, Saudi Arabia has become the job destination for OFWs (Overseas Filipino Workers). With a flourishing economy and high wages offered, the fears and worries could no longer stop Filipinos in looking greener pastures abroad.

Leo, a hardworking, family oriented Filipino decided to avail his early retirement and applied through an agency to work in Saudi Arabia, luckily he was accepted for a job in a company recognized as one of the largest desalination plants in the middle east.

They were ten Filipinos who landed a job at the same company. Leo remembered the principles that must be followed while traveling in Saudi Arabia that if one will bring old bad habits, they should not come in this place. One must obey their laws and show respect to their culture, and you will not meet any troubles.

When they arrived at Riyadh airport, they were greeted and welcomed by the company's representatives and have led them into a domestic airline that would bring them to Dammam. It was a very tiring destination considering the weather condition was so humid. Upon getting off the plane, they were escorted to a bus that will bring them to the plant site. Most of them have already visited Saudi Arabia, but for Leo, it was his first time to go in a foreign country. Nobody knows that it was Leo's birthday when they arrived at the accommodation. At first they were happy with the fact that they were with their fellow Filipinos, being friends and all staying at the temporary apartment, and they were only for a couple of days to be together, and later will be dispatched to the flat which should be inhabited for the rest of their stay was a dismal moment. Leo and one Filipino whom he met during the pre-departure orientation in the Philippines has become his closest friend. It was the month of August where humidity was at elevated scale when Leo and his friend searched for their flat. The condition of the surrounding was moist, and unexpectedly Leo's left knee struck pain uncontrollably. Leo almost squeezed his legs just to get a fix of the pain. The two Filipinos continued and did not want to delay the search for their flat; what made it harder was the numbering of the houses was confusing because it was inconsistent with the sequence of the houses.

When they identified their flat, they were very thankful and they were welcomed by their fellow Filipinos. In the flat, there were other three Filipinos that will be living with them. Leo has accepted the reality that living with others that were not blood-related would be difficult of getting comradeship with others.

Many months passed and turned into a year. Leo has accepted the fact that the rest of his stay will be empty and the painful truth of having an intangible communication with loved ones. But in all the more admirable news that gave the kindest regards into Leo's existence was the vital information heralded by his wife that Leo will soon become a father. In Leo's uncontrolled excitement, he told this to all his housemates and declared that all of them will be his son's godfather, while everyone acceded, they shared the feast that Leo has prepared.

Just after a year and a half, Leo's friend was not taking it so well to stay longer in his assigned department and not for long; Leo's friend went on vacation and did not come back. Only four Filipinos were left in that flat. And just after three years another Filipino resigned and transferred into another company with a high salary and more attractive benefits. From the original five now down to only three Filipinos staying in the flat. After seven years, another housemate decided to join another Filipino in another flat and permanently moved there. Now only Leo and another Filipino named Rolly were left on the flat. In Rolly's account that he will be soon retiring, only waiting for one year more and only Leo will be left in the flat. Rolly preferred to leave a good memory for Leo and he learned that Leo was not easy to get along with somebody who's having bad manners; he decided to acquire a mynah bird and planned to train it to talk. He had taken one fledgling that had dropped from its nest and immediately took hold of it and run away from its mother chase. He brought it home, put inside the cage but apparently, the mynah bird was indisposed of its new home. Rolly tried hard to comfort the bird, gave it water and food to consume but the bird did not respond to the kindness and eventually died from intentionally refusing to eat its food.

That was the first attempt of harboring a bird inside the flat. Rolly was not giving up in finding another mynah bird, he looked again for another mynah fledgling, and someone taught him that a brood of chicks was easy to teach a language. One day, as Rolly opened a door leading to the terrace, he saw a fast flight of a mynah bird, when he looked around at every paved area of the terrace, just at the top of the door was a collected twig, leaves and grasses forming a cup-shaped empty nest. Rolly began to think that any time the mynah bird will come back and will lay its eggs. Rolly took time to wait until after a week he quietly made a furtive look at the nest while the mother bird was away foraging for food to feed its chick. Rolly was surprised to find a tiny unsteady chick. Rolly decided to take the chick out of its nest and brought it inside his room. This time Rolly changed his approach in taking care of the new bird. Every day he would sit nearby the cage and would talk to the bird, he even let the bird out of its cage and freely roamed around inside the flat; he also put a mirror to reflect its image and tricking it to be with another bird. The new fledgling developed its wings and builds and introduced the bird to Leo. Leo started to befriend the bird and every day he would introduce simple words for the bird to imitate. In the morning, Leo would greet the bird "good morning" and upon leaving, Leo would say "goodbye." Leo let the bird knew its name, in every talk, he would say "hi mynah" and pointing to the bird, "your name" and pointing to his self, "I am Leo."

Every day this has been the routine until the bird got acquainted with all of these. It was like another roommate had come to fill camaraderie. Leo started to feel complacency with the newly found friend. The flat was filled with fun for the three companions. Mynah was allowed to roam around the flat and whenever the two Filipinos will leave and attend duty for work, they will provide foods for mynah. After one year, Rolly reached his retirement age and it was time to exit. Leo and Rolly made a promise that they will see each other when back to the Philippines. That moment was so sad; Leo accompanied Rolly to the airport and parted ways. Leo returned to his flat feeling empty and all alone, but all the loneliness was relieved by the sound of mynah who greeted him "hello welcome back," and that phrase made Leo come alive again with so much hope to sustain a longing companionship. Leo has still three years more to keep before his expected retirement, with his companion mynah, he made every single day ordinary and more interesting with setting a family talked on the other side of the phone or video call, it made him everyday struggle of homesickness into the negligible matter. After one, two and the third year and final year for Leo, it was time for his most awaited retirement and to be reunited again with his loved ones was also a feeling of melancholy for such an occasion that he will also be separating from his companion mynah bird. It was past three in the afternoon, all bags were packed and ready to go. Leo held mynah for the last time and whispered to the bird, "Thank you my friend, for the years that we established a good rapport with each other, but we have come to the point of our life that we need to part ways and say goodbye, we are both destined to meet and fulfill our dreams, our purpose and most especially finding what happiness really means to us, I have come to select you and be my companion and you by chance accepted the fact that I needed you, and in return gave you a gift that other birds won't have and that was the ability to talk, keep that skills as unique just for you and maybe that will hold our communication alive again, who knows maybe we will meet again, for God is so kind to make everything possible, who knows." Mynah bird bobbed its head and said, "Goodbye" "I will miss you."

Leo held mynah and massaged its black hooded head and they both went to the balcony where there were many trees, and Leo put his hands holding mynah outside the window and softly released mynah from his hands and waved goodbye.

Leo picked up all the luggage, one more time looked around at every corner of the flat where he lived for almost 20 years and went down the stairs, but at the very moment that he will be embarking inside the car, he heard squawks of mynah just above the rooftop of the flat, again Leo waved his hands to mynah and went inside the cab. Leo saw mynah flew around making one more contemplating of the place and then vanished completely.

In our life journey, we have been accompanied by somebody and somewhere in an amazingly circumstances by an unexpected someone who by the good gestures of our great creator has been sent to us for a purpose.

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