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“Particles”
A Thursday Prompt,
By Kiyofox
Jason swung the bag of trash against the outside wall as his eyes swept the stockroom one more time. He mentally ticked off his checklist, even patting the pocket holding his wallet, then nodded as he jiggled the keys in his hand. He flicked off the light switch by the door and pulled the handle closed.
A quick turn of the key and double check of the handle assured him the store was closed up for the night. He glanced at his left wrist and sighed when it showed 11:50 PM. He harrumphed knowing that he would return for the same routine tomorrow night.
The coyote’s shoulders slumped when he turned and saw the misshapen black trash bag waiting patiently for disposal. He rolled his eyes, dug in his pocket for the wireless earbuds he carried everywhere and quickly got his tunes sorted. Only then did he stoop and grip the twisted neck of the bag, padding his way to the exit.
He traveled the back hallways enough that the route was automatic for him. Two lefts, the second right, and finally another left put him at the outside door of the mall. He bobbed his head in time with the music as his free hand slapped the wide handle and he used his hip to push the door open.
Jason turned left on the ball of his foot, walked the hundred or so feet to the dumpster and pitched the unwelcome passenger on the pile. He paused a few seconds to indulge in mock orchestration of the swell of synth pads filling his ears. Once the moment passed, he turned back again, heading for the fringe of the parking lot where his car waited.
The canid walked with an unhurried pace. The night air was still warm from the parking lot radiating its trapped heat. He stared ahead and wondered how a parking lot so big could be so empty. Surely he was not the only person to work this late.
Just then something caught his attention. Off ahead slightly to the right, one of the islands of light in the darkness looked strangely different. Curiosity drew him in that direction and his feet changed their angle to lead him on.
As Jason got closer he saw what was different about this particular light pole. One of the filaments in the dual post was out. The solitary light beamed down on the vacant concrete, somehow seeming more bright than the others a dozen yards away. The pole cast an almost tangible cone of light.
Perhaps it was fatigue or just the quiet emptiness, but the coyote could not help shivering at the eerie feeling crawling up his neck. He stopped inches away from the edge of the light, marveling at how crisp the division was.
He glanced around, confirming not a single soul was within his field of view. However, when his view centered on the cone of light he caught his breath. A slight puff of warm air stirred some dust particles from the parking lot. A distinct sparkle caught the light just right, and words flashed into his mind.
“...a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam.”
Jason gasped and frantically scrolled through his phone, searching for a specific recording. A few seconds later, he stood rooted to the spot, listening to the revered words of Carl Sagan waxing philosophical about our place in the universe.
He watched the particles dance in the light beam and contemplated his existence. Sagan’s hypnotizing voice droned on.
“...every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilization…every saint and sinner in the history of our species lived there--on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam.”
The coyote sighed, never realizing how deep a meaning those simple words held. He wondered at how easy it was to compare this moment, standing alone in a vast empty space, to the very thing Sagan spoke of.
“Our planet is a lonely speck in the great enveloping cosmic dark. In our obscurity, in all this vastness, there is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves.”
Jason continued staring, the particles constantly drifting into or out of the light. A moment passed before he realized the recorded speech ended. He heaved another sigh and shook his mane. He resumed his trek towards the car, choosing some upbeat music to change the mood. His departure from the ring of light swirled the dust particles one last time.
~
Excerpts by Carl Sagan, "Pale Blue Dot" 1994.
Copyright © 1994 by Carl Sagan, Copyright © 2006 by Democritus Properties, LLC.
All rights reserved including the rights of reproduction in whole or in part in any form.
-----------------------------------------
“Particles”
A Thursday Prompt,
By Kiyofox
Jason swung the bag of trash against the outside wall as his eyes swept the stockroom one more time. He mentally ticked off his checklist, even patting the pocket holding his wallet, then nodded as he jiggled the keys in his hand. He flicked off the light switch by the door and pulled the handle closed.
A quick turn of the key and double check of the handle assured him the store was closed up for the night. He glanced at his left wrist and sighed when it showed 11:50 PM. He harrumphed knowing that he would return for the same routine tomorrow night.
The coyote’s shoulders slumped when he turned and saw the misshapen black trash bag waiting patiently for disposal. He rolled his eyes, dug in his pocket for the wireless earbuds he carried everywhere and quickly got his tunes sorted. Only then did he stoop and grip the twisted neck of the bag, padding his way to the exit.
He traveled the back hallways enough that the route was automatic for him. Two lefts, the second right, and finally another left put him at the outside door of the mall. He bobbed his head in time with the music as his free hand slapped the wide handle and he used his hip to push the door open.
Jason turned left on the ball of his foot, walked the hundred or so feet to the dumpster and pitched the unwelcome passenger on the pile. He paused a few seconds to indulge in mock orchestration of the swell of synth pads filling his ears. Once the moment passed, he turned back again, heading for the fringe of the parking lot where his car waited.
The canid walked with an unhurried pace. The night air was still warm from the parking lot radiating its trapped heat. He stared ahead and wondered how a parking lot so big could be so empty. Surely he was not the only person to work this late.
Just then something caught his attention. Off ahead slightly to the right, one of the islands of light in the darkness looked strangely different. Curiosity drew him in that direction and his feet changed their angle to lead him on.
As Jason got closer he saw what was different about this particular light pole. One of the filaments in the dual post was out. The solitary light beamed down on the vacant concrete, somehow seeming more bright than the others a dozen yards away. The pole cast an almost tangible cone of light.
Perhaps it was fatigue or just the quiet emptiness, but the coyote could not help shivering at the eerie feeling crawling up his neck. He stopped inches away from the edge of the light, marveling at how crisp the division was.
He glanced around, confirming not a single soul was within his field of view. However, when his view centered on the cone of light he caught his breath. A slight puff of warm air stirred some dust particles from the parking lot. A distinct sparkle caught the light just right, and words flashed into his mind.
“...a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam.”
Jason gasped and frantically scrolled through his phone, searching for a specific recording. A few seconds later, he stood rooted to the spot, listening to the revered words of Carl Sagan waxing philosophical about our place in the universe.
He watched the particles dance in the light beam and contemplated his existence. Sagan’s hypnotizing voice droned on.
“...every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilization…every saint and sinner in the history of our species lived there--on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam.”
The coyote sighed, never realizing how deep a meaning those simple words held. He wondered at how easy it was to compare this moment, standing alone in a vast empty space, to the very thing Sagan spoke of.
“Our planet is a lonely speck in the great enveloping cosmic dark. In our obscurity, in all this vastness, there is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves.”
Jason continued staring, the particles constantly drifting into or out of the light. A moment passed before he realized the recorded speech ended. He heaved another sigh and shook his mane. He resumed his trek towards the car, choosing some upbeat music to change the mood. His departure from the ring of light swirled the dust particles one last time.
~
Excerpts by Carl Sagan, "Pale Blue Dot" 1994.
Copyright © 1994 by Carl Sagan, Copyright © 2006 by Democritus Properties, LLC.
All rights reserved including the rights of reproduction in whole or in part in any form.
It's been a while since I participated, so here is my little contribution. This idea popped into my head on the way home from work.
If you have never heard or read Carl Sagan, I encourage you to at least check out part of his famous speech:
https://www.planetary.org/worlds/pale-blue-dot
~
Excerpts by Carl Sagan, "Pale Blue Dot" 1994.
Copyright © 1994 by Carl Sagan, Copyright © 2006 by Democritus Properties, LLC.
All rights reserved including the rights of reproduction in whole or in part in any form.
If you have never heard or read Carl Sagan, I encourage you to at least check out part of his famous speech:
https://www.planetary.org/worlds/pale-blue-dot
~
Excerpts by Carl Sagan, "Pale Blue Dot" 1994.
Copyright © 1994 by Carl Sagan, Copyright © 2006 by Democritus Properties, LLC.
All rights reserved including the rights of reproduction in whole or in part in any form.
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Excellent story, and Sagan's monologue was beautiful when Voyager took that picture, and it's just as poignant now.
Thanks, and I agree!
There is a synthwave song that has excerpts from his speech that I heard again the other day. Made me think of this. I am continually amazed at how philosophical his words are.
There is a synthwave song that has excerpts from his speech that I heard again the other day. Made me think of this. I am continually amazed at how philosophical his words are.
There was a video on YouTube (can't find it; it's likely been taken down) that was a CGI view of the Earth, then pulling back to the edge of the observable universe and back. It was set to Pink Floyd's On the Turning Away and included Sagan's entire Pale Blue Dot speech.
A beautiful piece.
Watching something float in a light beam has always been a bit entrancing, to be fair. And I grew up watching Sagan's Cosmos, in which he said many a similar thing. It is to him that I owe my fascination with science, even if I can barely comprehend it most of the time. He had a philosopher's approach to something very rooted in the "real" and that made it seem far more accessible.
Watching something float in a light beam has always been a bit entrancing, to be fair. And I grew up watching Sagan's Cosmos, in which he said many a similar thing. It is to him that I owe my fascination with science, even if I can barely comprehend it most of the time. He had a philosopher's approach to something very rooted in the "real" and that made it seem far more accessible.
Thank you.
The word "mote" will always remind me of that line from Sagan.
The word "mote" will always remind me of that line from Sagan.
Quite the beautiful image. Leaves me feeling a bit small in the cosmic dark.
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