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| "Ender's Game - Sacrifice" By, Ziwu |
He found it hard not to run to his quarters at the end of the day, but the promise of gravity was something that constantly tugged at his instincts. Training inside of the simulation rooms day in and day out muddled his sense of being and made him question his reality.
The humans were preparing for a battle. Against who, they didn't know, and it made the fear that much more potent. Some called them aliens, others had dubbed them bugs. The names varied among continents and colonies, but the strangers' intentions had been made clear to all races and ethnicities across Earth and the space beyond: they wanted the galaxy's resources. Initially, the strangers had intended no harm under the condition that the humans cooperate and ultimately swear their allegiance and service to their cause, but the humans had not taken kindly to the idea of an invasion and a submission to slavery.
After the human leaders demanded the retreat of the strangers, a war broke out and blood began to spill. Any world or civil wars that had been currently taking place on Earth came to a halt, and the human leaders announced a worldwide alliance. That was when Aleksander, a young man from a small Ukrainian space colony, was summoned to join the World Army.
His trip to the lunar training facilities was much shorter than those traveling from Earth, but it didn't take long for homesickness to kick in. Immediately upon his arrival, he was thrown into his exercise uniform and placed into his first battle simulation. He trained day and night, seven days a week, 365 days of the year. The majority of the facility had little to no gravity, and Alek came to miss the feeling of something solid beneath his feet. There was little time for breaks, but when the opportunity arose, Alek would hurry to his living quarters and take his violin into his hands.
It was heavy. Smooth. Substantial. Every tool and weapon used in space was created with either aluminum or some other light metal alloy, and while it was easy to hold, it made Alek miss the feeling of something solid in his hands. When he was a boy still living on Earth, he had carved the violin from a Hollyleaf Cherry tree with the help of his great-grandfather, who had now been long since passed. From the time he first touched his violin, to placing it under his chin, to stroking the first string with the bow, Alek's thirst for gravity was temporarily quenched. The sound that resounded through the thick wood was monumental, and it coursed through his entire being, all the way down to wake up his numbed toes.
It had been a long time since he had last been able to play his violin, and he was afraid he wouldn't remember how. He knew it was silly since he had mastered the violin from a young age, yet he couldn't shake the feeling that while he had lived his monotonous days in training, the violin had gone on to live its life without him. Hesitantly, he balanced it on his shoulder and rested his chin on the pad where it fit as snugly as a puzzle piece. He lifted the bow with his arm in one languid swoop, and rested the horse hairs on the middle string. He wasn't sure how long he had stood there like that, seemingly frozen in time, but just as he became unsure if he wanted to continue, a mysterious breeze slithered into the room and brushed the arm holding the bow.
Encouraged, Alek slowly dragged the bow downward and a lethargic yet powerful sound emitted from the instrument's core. He then began playing more notes, then chords, then eventually he started playing beautiful melodies that bore no name, but roused all of the emotions that Alek had long since forgotten he could feel. He missed his family, his friends, his home. He was tired, sore, and scared of what was to come. Would he survive this war? Would he even live past his first real battle? Could he save the entire human race against this enemy they knew next to nothing about? Ever since he had arrived, Alek had quickly learned to cast away his emotions. He had been told that his emotions could hinder him from making a life or death decision. He had to be cold, calculated, and indifferent. If a few lives had to be sacrificed to save the whole, then it was a practical choice to leave the few to die for their race.
He was afraid, so afraid of so many things. He wasn't sure how had been able to carry these heavy burdens all this time, but something about the music that echoed throughout his heart eased him into a sense of calm. His feverish playing gradually became more fluid and deliberate, and soon he realized that his body and mind were exhausted. He dragged the last note out as long as he could, and eventually his bow reached its end. Alek carefully returned the violin to its case, and commanded the operating system to shut off all power within his quarters.
He navigated his way through the dark and reached his bunker, not bothering to change his clothes as he laid down on the paper thin sheets. He looked thoughtfully at the ceiling as his eyes continued adjusting to the dark. He could still hear the last note ringing in his head, and it remained there as a beacon of renewed hope. His eyelids finally heavy from the long day's work, Alek closed his eyes and smiled.
Author's Notes:
So, what do you think? I wrote it in one sitting (with the exception of a dinner break) and it's the most I've written in a verrrry long time. I'm sure there are consistency mistakes and plenty of run-on sentences, but oh well. I'm not aiming for perfection, just practice. I wasn't really sure how I wanted to end it, so I kind of rushed it a bit.
A little bit more about the prompt and how I used it...
The prompt was taken from something in my bedroom. In this case, it was a wall outlet. When I first think of the word 'outlet', I think of someone using some form of medium as their outlet to release their emotions, whether they are angry, happy, sad, or all three. Then, I thought of how I usually release my emotions, and that is through music. Playing, singing, writing, or listening - music is my outlet. Violin was my choice of instrument to focus on because I believe it to be one of the most powerful and emotion-invoking instruments out there. Whenever I play the violin, I can literally feel the music in my body and it is a wonderful sensation.
Question of the Week: What is your outlet?
Also, this is my very first piece of science fiction writing! It was influenced by Ender's Game and Ender's Shadow, both of which were written by Orson Scott Card. If you haven't read them already, I highly recommend them. Even if sci-fi isn't your thing, give it a try. I would say that I'm not a big fan of sci-fi, but after reading these books, my eyes were definitely opened and it has become a genre worth exploring.
Anywho, I think that's all I have to say. I'm happy I've accomplished my goal this week, and I even rose to my challenge and am publishing this 3 hours before my given deadline! /flex
I'm looking forward to next week! If you have any questions you'd like to ask me about my writing process and anything else related to this story, please don't hesitate to ask =) Also, if you have any suggestions for the next prompt, drop a comment and let me know!
Constructive criticism is WELCOME!
Love&&peace... IIIIIIIN SPAAAAAAACE,
Sarah
P.S. I really wish I could indent my paragraphs fufu~
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