01/13

'A mark'

They set out from Earth to go further than any other. To go beyond the horizon, through the unknown through the infinite, to find meaning. The journey begins with a touch. The fingerprint on the screen was soon to be an eternal mark on mankind’s journey.

02/13

'Breath'

The endless space perfectly matched their unbound curiosity. Unknowingly floating, into the void.
The monitor beeped. A signal, detected.
Destiny finally called. And they chose to answer.

03/13

'Space/Sky'

The signal was tracked down pretty easily.
It was always meant to be.
And eventually, they saw it.
A celestial body with a dozen moons embracing it.
Mesmerised by the beauty of her, the attraction grew stronger as they got closer.

04/13

'Surrounded by clouds'

She wore her atmosphere like a dazzling silk saree.
The moons and clouds, tending to her like drones to their queen.
The sight hypnotised them, as they stood staring, for what felt like decades.

05/13

'Covered in'

Initial analysis revealed that she was covered in organic matter, as complex and varied as human emotions.
And just like emotions, it was hard to describe what it actually was.

06/13

'Life'

For centuries, we’ve tried to define what life is. To understand it’s significance.
And even during a monumental moment of clarity, as we literally discover new forms of it, we’re still at a loss of words. Maybe that’s what life is.
Maybe it’s meant to be never truly defined or understood.
Maybe that’s exactly what drove us millions of miles away from a tiny blue dot in an infinite cosmos to this particular moment in space and time.
Where life, once again, is discovered. And once again, leaves us starstruck.

07/13

'Vessel/Space craft'

With new found life, both metaphoric and literal, they prep their vessel for descent.
Their ship, designed by a few life forms back home, who might seem insignificant in the grand scheme of things in this vast universe but are sorcerers to have created something to understand, survive and thrive even when the fabric of reality itself is redefined.

08/13

'In/Through the sky'

Their ship enters the atmosphere with little to no resistance. Almost as if they’re welcomed with open arms. Almost as if, thousands of years of longing is finally answered. Their ship hovers on for a moment longer, held lovingly by the clouds.

09/13

'Decent through'

They continue their descent. Suddenly hit by nostalgia, they are possessed by a sense of familiarity.
Felt like a hazy memory written off as a forgotten dream.
Felt like being pulled inside-out and everything locked away, is suddenly free and gloriously still alive.
Felt like going back to the beginning. Back to the start. The origin.
Felt like coming back home after a long day.

10/13

'Heaven'

The system indicated the air was breathable. So they removed their helmets and breathe, they did. Abandoned structures, ancient ruins lay bare all around them, accented by overgrown vegetation. The wind highlighted a harmonious dance of the organic and the inorganic. It dawned on them that they were standing where an ancient civilisation once thrived.
And yet, they weren’t surprised by this.
They made their way to the centre of the ruins and found a single tall slab with ancient hieroglyphs, engraved into it. They had found the source of the signal. And it was decoded.

11/13

'Path of stars'

The path of the stars. We were always destined to walk on it. We’re children of space, all of us made of stardust. As the end of our world draws near, we must set out on our journey, through the stars. As we’re meant to. Our hope is out there. Legend has it that there’s a planet similar to ours and we’re destined to find it. All we know is what they call it. “Dharti”. The stars are calling and we’re going home.

Fellow traveller, if you find this, know that we belong to the stars. And they will call you one day. And when the time comes, have courage and go forth. Go beyond. Destiny awaits.

12/13

'Endless/Infinite'

Their lives had been changed forever.
These young children of the stars (mankind), just took a colossal step forward in this journey of theirs.
They collected all they could, like hand-me-downs from a previous generation and started their journey back to Earth.
From their shuttle, they look back at the galaxy they had just visited. And they saw something they couldn’t before. They saw the infinite void, full of possibilities. Of dreams. Of discoveries. Of new realities.
And the endlessness of space suddenly became very intimate and personal.

Profoundly awestruck at the infinite out there and within them, they started their journey back home.