Chương 41: Chapter 3: Wandering

I'd never been in a crowd in my life. I kept my guard up as the lingering feeling of someone spotting me would send me running, but it never happened. None of the bird people seemed to give me a second thought and all of the people that looked like me seemed to be focused on doing their various tasks, not paying attention to anyone or having any conversations. I remembered the one in the elevator, he didn't have the glowing eyes and he seemed to be properly 'present' with me.

It only made sense that there were more somewhere, possibly down in the lower decks. Walking through the seemingly endless city streets felt completely new, I felt like a stranger in a strange place. The sounds were interesting. The most obvious sound was of the bird people talking to each other. They seemed to talk a lot and as I wandered the streets I focused on what they were saying. Their language sounded simple, without much tonal shift between words and phrases like English had.

Instead it was fairly monotone but with heavy enunciation to each word. When I focused on what they were saying I felt like I could understand them to a degree. Their words sounded strange, but despite their monotone nature I felt like a part of my brain was waking up, remembering the emotions and feelings behind the words they were saying, giving me an idea of what they were talking about. There were two girls talking about food and how they weren't happy with whatever they'd just had.

There was someone else who must have been talking on a phone since he was talking to nobody, but he sounded like he was excited about seeing something later on. Most of the conversations I picked up on were about earth, about what they thought might happen next, there was an overall anxiety toward reaching out to the people of earth. They sounded worried that they might be violent or cause problems for them in the long run. I walked past shops, a place where people were working out, a small park, some restaurants.

It was set up a lot like the cities I knew with people running the various stores. I couldn't help but notice the people running the stores tended to be of my species, rarely of the birds. I came to a more open area which turned into a street, giving me a good look in both lateral directions of the ship. I could barely comprehend how large the whole thing was, giving me a slight sense of vertigo as I looked up along the inner walls of the ship.

Along the giant street there were some people walking, but it was mostly occupied by small open top cars. I couldn't help but recognize them from the memory my father had left me. They looked like they carried both species in groups of two for the birds and four for the people like me. On the other side of the road there were high speed trains that looked like they traveled the entire inner circumference of the ship. They were a lot faster than the little cars and they all traveled the same direction.

Looking out the giant windows, I could see they traveled in the direction that made them spin slower in relation to the spin of the ship. As I noticed this, I realized that almost all of the small transporter cars were traveling the opposite direction compared to the trains. I looked up to see I was getting closer to the lake I'd seen earlier so I set off in that direction, following the length of the larger street for a short while before turning back into the main city.

The organic looking architecture made everything feel warm and welcoming. It felt as though it was designed for comfort and leisure with a lesser focus on practicality. None of the streets were straight, none of the buildings had a square shape to them, everything was rounded or bent in some way. I was looking up as I made my way across a small pedestrian bridge, looking at the way the different trains and cars were passing through the city at the opposite side of the ship from me.

They all looked like tiny dots at the very edge of my vision. The mesmerizing dance from the vehicles and the people moving about the streets kept my attention as I made my way toward the lake I'd seen when I first came to the surface. I wasn't keeping track of how long I'd walked, but as I approached I realized I was starting to get hungry, which was aided by the fact that I started to smell food. The shops seemed to be broken up into sections and I smelled something cooking in the places I was approaching.

The tiny side street had several stands and restaurants that had a wide variety of foods in it. Everything was alien to me, but I saw foods, baked goods, various food items that looked like sandwiches but the outer layers were enclosed, like a calzone. The fruits came in all different colors and shapes and I had no idea what I'd want to eat. I stopped for a moment, trying to figure out how I'd navigate my situation. I needed to observe for a bit. I didn't want to show up and steal something.

Do they pay with money here? I asked myself. It was something that hadn't occurred to me until that moment. It would make sense to have currency, but then again I hadn't seen anyone with any form of cash. I stood by and waited for a moment, seeing several people in a line waiting at a food stand that was selling bowls of what looked like some sort of salad. As I got closer I noticed there were two lines. One for the bird people, one for the people like me.

There were about ten people waiting in the first line but only four waiting in the second. I got in the back of the second line, waiting as the people behind the counter served each person. They had a large shelf on the side of the stand where they'd put big smooth paper-like bags which had a printed name on the side with an address. As the people went through the lines, they'd ask the bird people about what they wanted, prepare a bowl and give it to them.

At the end of the transaction, they'd place their wrist on a small black box and a light would turn green, then they'd take their food. Conversely, when they'd get to my line they'd ask a quick question, grab one of the bags from the wall and the person at the front of the line would place their hand on a small pad, a similar green light would go off and they'd take the bag and walk off. As I watched them jump back and forth between the two lines I found myself suddenly at the front of the line.

The man turned to me and asked me a question. He was so tall, standing over me and making me feel like I was no bigger than an ant. He asked me a question but I didn't know how to answer. He looked frustrated and asked the same question again. I felt like he was asking about which bag I wanted but I had no idea which one I was supposed to pick. Instead of answering him verbally I just pointed to one of them, which seemed to make him satisfied.

He grabbed the bag I pointed to and following what the others had done in front of me, I placed my hand on the same pad and waited for the green light. Nothing happened. I picked my hand up, placed it down again and again and nothing happened. I looked up to the man who seemed frustrated. I looked behind me, seeing several people were waiting for me to finish up, the person to my side in the other line was tapping her foot. I looked back to the man who looked angry and just turned and started speaking to the woman.

I tried again, but the machine didn't light up, it didn't react at all. The man turned around again and just waved me off. I wasn't sure if he thought it went through or not but I decided to just take the bag and leave. As I continued walking through the streets I couldn't help but watch the other places at work, seeing everyone paying at the various terminals. The bird people all had something on their wrists but my people simply placed their hands on whatever the reader thing was and it would accept it.

I looked down at my own hand, wondering if I was missing something. It could be that I wasn't registered with whatever system they had, or perhaps they had something in their hand that was making the reader go off. I wasn't entirely sure, but I paid attention to it each time I saw it happening, wondering if I'd simply done something wrong in the process. With those thoughts on my mind I found myself quickly approaching the lake. It was a fairly large body of water with some of the bird people in boats out on it.

Along the edge was a grassy field with people sitting out in it and talking to each other. As I crossed from the street to the grass I saw it was very different from the grass I knew. Instead it was much softer, like a mixture between grass and moss. It felt spongy, extremely dense, but also dry. It was a familiar green color but had a lot of unfamiliar colors mixed in with it. I found a spot near a small building where the boats seemed to be kept.

There were several groups of people all sitting around and talking to each other. All of them were the bird people, but none of them paid me any attention as I made my way over and settled down in a spot next to the water. From the vantage point I'd chosen I could see the ship a lot better since there weren't any tall buildings around me. The three rings of the ship were awe inspiring to see with the front section being the biggest, the entire surface looking like one continuous city.

There were large buildings toward the central ring that were built in a similarly strange shape as the structures I'd seen already. Everything about the ship looked as though it was designed to look organic in some way. The largest buildings were shaped almost like mushrooms, stretching upward toward the center of the ship, starting thin and getting wider as it went up until it reached almost halfway up toward the center in an upside down bowl shape.

The largest ones were mostly focused near the central ring, lining both sides of it but leaving the central one almost completely featureless. The front of the ship however was the true spectacle. The massive windows covered the entire front of the ship. There was a huge hexagon shaped window in the center with spokes coming out of each corner of it that reached out to the surface. I took a moment to look into the bag to find the bowl that the bird person gave to me.

The salad looked fine, with all manor of different looking leaves and fruits inside along with a thick orange liquid that was put on top. The bag had two long skewers in it that looked like a strange mixture between chopsticks and a fondue fork, with the end of the chopsticks having a two pronged end to it. I took a moment to look at it to try to imagine how it was supposed to be used but I decided to use the pointy end to just grab the bits out of the bowl by skewering them.

The taste was unimpressive but wasn't offensive in any way. The texture was what I expected, being similar to a standard salad but there wasn't much taste to the dressing or the various fruits and leaves in it. Either way, I was happy to get something in me so I took what I could get. This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. I found myself listening to the two groups to either side of me, both sitting near the water's edge.

I couldn't understand what they were saying, but as I sat there and listened I found I was able to pick up on a few words here and there. It wasn't enough to get an idea of what they were talking about, but the group to my right sounded like they were frustrated with something and the group to my left sounded as though they were bored and didn't have a lot to talk about. I continued quietly eating, listening to the two groups talk.

I felt like I was starting to understand some parts when the one to my right started packing up their things and leaving but they were almost immediately replaced by a new group. This one was much more cheerful by the sound of it and I liked them a lot more. As I finished my salad I put everything back into the bag and laid on my back, looking up at the ship and marveling over the size of it, the incredible city that was laid out all around me.

I felt like it would take lifetimes to explore the whole thing and I couldn't even begin to think about all the other layers of the ship. I found my eyes wandering toward the front of the ship, watching each time earth came into view.

It was an incredible sight, with the sun looking like it was perfectly still but the planet would come in at the sides, looking as though it was swirling around and around toward the center until the sun would get covered by it, the central pillar would light up on its own and we'd see the various cities of the planet lit up underneath us.

Within a few minutes, the planetary disc would spiral outward until the sun would appear, the central light would change from its artificial light to a natural light, scattering the sunlight through the ship as the planet would spiral out of the way, leaving only the sun once more. I laid back and closed my eyes, focusing once more on the conversations, just listening to what the people were talking about. Hours must have passed with different groups coming in and out.

Nobody paid any attention to me, which I was happy about. It gave me an opportunity to just sit and listen. Surprisingly I felt like I was picking up on a lot of things they'd been saying. It didn't feel like I was learning a new language, instead I felt like I was remembering things from my past that I'd forgotten. It was a surreal experience, feeling like my understanding of these people was already there, I just had to remember it. I opened my eyes as a soft tone was played through the ship.

The conversations next to me came to a stop for a moment before everyone got up all at once and started to leave. I sat up, watching everyone say goodbye to each other and walk off in various different directions. Within minutes the park was empty, the streets were emptying out as well as I saw people going into the various buildings which I assumed were their homes. After a few minutes it was like the entire city had up and left.

The streets were empty, the tiny cars all came to a stop and the trains all came to a halt. There was an eerie silence that filled the ship. I felt like I was supposed to go somewhere but I didn't know where I was supposed to go, so instead I decided to just sit next to the water's edge and just wait. The next time the planet came into view I sat back and watched it spiral inward once more, the sun getting eclipsed by the atmosphere, casting the ship in a brilliant red light just before the central pillar lit up.

I sat up, looking at it again. It was different. The artificial light looked a lot more natural, a full spectrum coming from it as if it was coming directly from the sun, every wavelength accounted for. I turned, looking out toward the direction I'd originally come from. I couldn't tell which of the subway-like stations I'd originally come from, but I could at least see similar ones lining the ship. From them came an outpouring of the other people. The ones that looked like me.

I stood up, watching as they all came pouring out. Looking up toward the rest of the city I could see them coming from all directions. Most of them had the familiar glowing eyes, making them easy to see but about one in twenty of them didn't. I'd never seen so many at once and as they descended upon the city it felt like and endless crowd filling the streets. Most were cleaning things up, carrying bags and rakes and cleaning materials.

A few came onto the grassy area and started picking up the trash the various folks had left behind next to the lake. One came directly over to me. It was like she didn't see me, she simply grabbed the bag out of my hand and put it into a big trash bag she was dragging behind her. I wanted to say something but I was afraid she'd get upset the way the first person, I'd met did when I woke him from that state, so I just let her pass by and continue working.

I made my way out to the city street, watching everyone at work. They went quickly and within a few minutes they started bringing all their bags over to a large floor grating in the center of the street. The grating opened up and they all tossed the bags in. I didn't want to get close but it looked like it had to be a pretty deep hole in order to take the hundreds of bags that were being tossed in. Everything went so quickly, it all happened in a blur.

One moment the city was empty, the next it was filled, then it was all clean. They all stopped, looking like they were all waiting for something to happen. The entire city street was silent. I started walking again, looking at everyone who was frozen in place, seeing no expression no their faces, no movement, they simply stood there, looking forward. Suddenly their bright eyes turned off all at once, like the flip of a light switch they all started looking around, then began conversing with each other.

The city went from complete silence to a loud roar of people talking. It sounded like they were catching up with each other, each one with a story to tell and excited to tell it to anyone within hearing distance. They quickly formed into groups, one of which formed next to me. They were all talking, smiling, laughing. In the group I found myself in there were about fifteen people of all different ages. One started talking to me.

He looked young, quite a bit shorter than I was and he had a big smile on his face as he said something about 'riding fast' on something but although I understood some of the words he said there was no way I could keep up with all the sounds around me. I simply nodded and smiled to him as he spoke, which seemed to convince him I was listening. Another woman came up to me from the side, she said something to the boy, making him jump up in excitement. She then turned to me, looking at me with an odd look.

She asked me a question, it sounded like she was asking me about my clothing. She asked again and I picked up on what seemed like she was asking about my 'flight suit'. She and everyone else was wearing clothing that fitted a bit looser with a softer looking cloth similar to cotton. Their shirts were shorter than the ones Emily had made for me but their pants came up a lot higher than I was used to in order to make up for it. Their pants were a much denser material, almost like denim but with a smooth finish on it.

It covered their lower bellies, their legs and part of their tails. Only a few of them had clothing that covered their entire tail which was interesting. None of them were wearing shoes of any kind, which made sense. Ever since I was a kid, Emily and John would try to make shoes that would work for me but I never liked wearing them and always preferred to have bare feet, which I felt like must have been a universal thing for my species.

I was still feeling overwhelmed with seeing someone from my own species from so close, their ears, their eyes, the shape of their body, it was something I was only ever familiar with from looking in a mirror and it felt so strange to see other people with the same shape, similar heights, I'd never spoken to anyone at eye level before, I was always looking up.

She shrugged as I realized I didn't even attempt to give her a response as she turned and spoke to someone else who sounded excited about whatever story she was trying to tell. I slowly backed up from the group, making my way out toward what looked like a town square. The various groups started to break apart and form into lines at the various restaurants that dotted the city streets. The places where the bird people had been working before were replaced by my people.

They were all using the shorter countertops that I'd seen before and forming lines at the places where the hand payment things were. It had been a few hours since I'd originally sat down to eat next to the lake so I decided I'd give the payment thing another shot. I stood by and watched one of the lines going through, watching each person place their hand on the slab and seeing the light turn green. It didn't look like they were doing anything differently from me.

I got in the back of one of the lines, trying not to stare at everyone around me. It was hard, I was so excited to be surrounded by people like myself, for the first time in my life I felt like I could blend into a crowd. The line kept getting shorter as I tried to think of what I was supposed to do. I watched as each person at the front of the line held up a hand in a gesture that looked like they were holding up a number.

A lit up sign behind the counter showed a bunch of different food options, at least thirty, but somehow a single hand gesture was able to indicate which one of them the person was ordering. As I approached the counter I saw they were holding up their fingers in different ways which somehow indicated which number they wanted. I saw the man in front of me hold up his hand. His fingers were in a specific pattern. His thumb was down and each finger was in the order down, up, down, up, down, down.

The woman behind the register turned and grabbed a wrapped item from behind the counter and gave it to him. She then looked at me. Not knowing how the numbering system worked or even what the boards read in the first place, I held my hand up in the same pattern. She turned around and placed the same item she'd given to the previous person on the counter. I nervously reached out, placing my hand on the rectangular spot and sure enough, the light didn't come on. I looked back to the woman who seemed confused.

She leaned over the counter a bit to see what I was doing. I pulled my hand back, placing it once more on the spot but nothing happened. Some quiet murmurs were happening behind me as I felt everyone's eyes on me. She said something and came around from her side of the counter. She gestured to the spot again and I placed my hand on it once more but still, nothing happened.

She started saying something, asking me something, I felt myself getting nervous, I wanted to run away, not knowing that they were all talking about or what they would do but just as I was about to turn around her eyes lit up white, her confused look turned into a blank stare as she reached up to the counter, grabbing the item I'd ordered and handed it to me. I reluctantly took it and started backing away. Everyone's eyes were on me as I backed up.

The woman slowly turned, walking back to the counter, then her eyes turned off and she blinked, looking around for a moment before asking the next person what their order was. Everyone started chatting with each other once more, taking their focus away from me. I quickly shuffled away, trying to blend into the crowd once more. Not wanting to be in the town square any longer, I started making my way toward the giant windows at the front of the ship.

It was a long walk but from a distance I could tell it wasn't as populated of an area compared to the central area of the ring. As I walked I took more notice of the people that surrounded me. The younger ones were almost pure black, while the older ones were white with everyone in the middle appearing to be a shade of brown, like me. The older they were, the lighter their fur got. With their eyes not being lit up white anymore I noticed their eyes were all different colors.

I saw reds, violets, blues, greens and occasionally I'd see oranges and yellows as well but none of them looked like me. As I continued through the city I couldn't help but notice that nobody else had brown eyes like I did. Nobody else bothered me as I made my way to the giant windows, their massive presence becoming more stunning as I approached. Each time the earth would cover the sun there was a brief moment when the overhead lights hadn't turned on yet, giving me a spectacular view of the stars.

A moment later the light would turn on and block out the view of the stars, leaving only the red crescent of the earth's atmosphere in view along with whatever cities we happened to be over at the time. Closer to the glass I saw what looked like several tall rows of bleachers. They were stacked up front to back from each other like they were being stored in front of the windows. I looked up toward the other parts of the ship to see similarly stacked bleachers encircling the place.

The ones in front had a perfect view of the world outside so I climbed up the closest set of bleachers and made my way toward the top. It was about a hundred feet tall, giving me a spectacular view of the earth. I still couldn't recognize the cities we were orbiting over, but it was entertaining to see them spinning underneath us as we passed over. I turned around, looking at the entire length of the ship. The three rings were an incredible sight to see.

The city truly took over the entirety of the first ring and seemed to spill over a little onto the third before that gave way to what appeared to be a massive ring of plants, like a small jungle. I turned back to the windows as I pulled whatever food I'd taken out of the bag and started to eat it. This time around I was pleasantly surprised to find that it tasted much better than the last thing I'd had. Significantly better. It was packed full of flavors I couldn't describe, but it was absolutely delicious.

I smiled, watching the sun coming up from over the horizon as the planetary disk slowly spun away from the center. I felt like I could get used to this place, I just needed some more time to learn how it worked.