Ultra Deep Field

[talonkarrde]

"Daddy, what is time?"

She was six, then, and it was the first occasion where I remembered being speechless in a very, very long time. Eventually, she tugged at my hand, wanting her answer.

"Time, my darling, is like a long line of marbles, and each marble is when something happens — good or bad, happy or sad. There is a marble for when you got your bike, and for when you ate your cereal this morning, and for when you woke up."

Only later would she ask me about the past, about events before her birth, and foolishly, I answered too many of those questions.

-

"Daddy, why is the sky blue?"

I smiled, looking down at this eight-year-old girl who had become one of the centers of my universe. I had never expected to find someone that I would settle down with, and yet I did, a wandering comet captured by a star. Afterwards, I hadn't expected that we would have the benefit of children when I revealed I couldn't — and yet we did, adopting a baby who had been given up at birth.

And here, now, this girl was part of the binary star system from where all the light in my universe radiated, and it was a singular delight to watch her grow.

"Because," I said, after a second, "there are different wavelengths of light, and the shorter ones, like blue, are absorbed by the gases that make up our atmosphere."

Only later would she start to think like a scientist, and ask why the sky wasn't violet, or ultraviolet, instead.

-

"Daddy, why are the stars so far away? Are they in the past like people say?"

She was ten, then, and I had a glimpse of the person she would be when she was older, when I had moved on. She never stopped asking those questions, never stopped being curious about the world and the infinite natural phenomena that surrounded her every day. But this question — this question touched something deep within me.

"The stars are far away because they're moving away from each other. Billions of years ago, everything was close, very close, but every galaxy has been moving away from every other one. And since they're farther away from us, and light takes time to get to us, we see galaxies as they were in the past. Do you remember the first constellation I taught you, Fornax? There are galaxies in that area that were created just over 13 billion years ago, just a few hundred million years after the big bang. They're not in the past now, but what we see is in the past."

Only later would she ask me how I knew those figures so exactly, when not even the astrophysicists she worked with were ever that specific.

-

"Daddy, why do people die?"

This was the moment I would remember for another millennia. This was the moment when she first asked me a question that I could not answer, after the death of one of her friends. I could answer it with science, with biology, with genetics, but it wasn't what she was asking. It wasn't why she was asking it.

Instead, I thought back to a time eons ago and galaxies away, and said nothing for a long time. But she was still staring at me, holding my eyes with hers, and eventually, after a long pause, tugged on my hand, wanting her answer.

"Because life isn't fair, honey," I said, and that's all I had in the face of such a crushing question, in the face of my own past.

Only later would she ask me — the last time I talked to my daughter — if this was the first time I had ever done this, if she was special or just another marble in a long, long line of them.

-

"No," I said. "Never just another marble."




---

A/N: After last week, I really wanted to do something shorter. The prompt almost begs scifi, but I didn't want to make it too overtly so. Instead, while I was thinking about it, I came upon the idea of an interstellar traveler, someone who was effectively immortal. Something causes him to step back into the river of humanity — he falls in love and raises a child — and what would that relationship be like? What would the child grow up to be, and how would the father's secret be handled? If you enjoyed this, I would highly recommend the indie film The Man From Earth, which touches on very similar topics.

Comments

[comedychick.livejournal.com]

I really liked this. Thanks for the extra explanation at the end, too, as it helped me understand the piece better (though I still enjoyed it before reading that).

[occasionally.livejournal.com]

The emotion in this was so beautiful, as was the imagery. I was moved by the relationship, but the inability to explain death. Mostly I was moved by that final line.

I liked that this was set up like a ballad, with verses and a refrain that changes ever so slightly each time. It seemed to reflect the marble simile.

[shadowwolf13]

Oh wow! Great questions and even better answers. :D

[whipchick.livejournal.com]

I really enjoyed how the narrator's relationship with his daughter is developed through the exchange of ideas - it says so much about how he values her.

[jem0000000.livejournal.com]

I like the pattern, and how it shows her growing up at the same time as it shows their relationship developing. :)

[phoenixsansfyr.livejournal.com]

Heart-breaking and beautiful, all in one. Applicable to the mortal and immortal. Love it.

[halfshellvenus.livejournal.com]

This was just fascinating. The ending made it clear that the narrator seemed to be immortal, though what an impossible thing then to explain death when it isn't part of your reality. And time as well-- how myseterious that would be when time unfolds eternally and you have such a long span of it in either direction.

As usual with your sci-fi, what I love about this is the emotional element. The sadness at the end, those little twinges of feeling defeat the dryness that so much sci-fi often has. :)

[myrna-bird.livejournal.com]

Such a touching story. Sad but in a good way. The child who expects her father to have all the answers and...he doesn't.

[noodledays.livejournal.com]

kids definitely ask the toughies. I enjoyed this, and your last line is terrific.

[xo-kizzy-xo.livejournal.com]

I love how you interweave the otherworldly and the present in this with that touch of emotion that is so often absent in similar pieces like this. The marble analogy, when you think about it, makes perfect sense. And the ending -- well, done, sir, well done :nodding:

[kittenboo.livejournal.com]

The father child moments are very beautifully written, and feel very real.

[jensi08.livejournal.com]

This was so touching! I loved it and I loved that he didn't always know what to say. Great job!!

[theun4givables.livejournal.com]

I wish I had a comment more in-depth than "I really enjoyed this," but I don't. This was awesome. :) I loved it.

[roina-arwen.livejournal.com]

I really liked your take on this, especially since I'm an adoptee. The author's note at the end did help clarify things, but it worked just as well without it, IMO. =)

[baxaphobia.livejournal.com]

I loved this! And the ending was perfect!

[phoenixejc.livejournal.com]

This is beautifully written.

[ohelectricshock.livejournal.com]

This was so moving and I loved the father/daughter relationship.

[talon.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I think the piece should probably stand on its own without the explanation; it's short enough that I didn't want to make it the scifi too heavy handed, because I don't think it needs to be.

[talon.livejournal.com]

Thank you, and thank you for your extraordinarily kind comments in the GR. I'm very happy that it worked for you!

[talon.livejournal.com]

Thanks!

[talon.livejournal.com]

Thank you! Having never had a daughter, I'm glad to hear it was believable.

[talon.livejournal.com]

Thanks :)

[talon.livejournal.com]

Thank you!

[talon.livejournal.com]

I believe that the best scifi is actually all about the human element - sure, there's something that's unusual or unexplainable, but I really think that the goal is to tell a truly human story.

...and on that note, thank you very much!

[talon.livejournal.com]

-nods- thank you!

[talon.livejournal.com]

Thanks :)

[talon.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I'm glad to hear it worked on an emotional level - I wanted the otherworldly to be mostly in the background, but there if someone looked into it. I like the marble analogy a lot :)

[talon.livejournal.com]

Thank you, very much - I hoped so, but I wasn't sure it would be the case.

[talon.livejournal.com]

Thanks!

[talon.livejournal.com]

That's exactly what I was going for - I think the note should be helpful for above and beyond, but not necessary for understanding.

Thanks!

[talon.livejournal.com]

I'm pretty okay with that, actually :D

[talon.livejournal.com]

Thank you!

[talon.livejournal.com]

Thank you!

[talon.livejournal.com]

:) Thank you.

[jem0000000.livejournal.com]

You're welcome. :)

[fourzoas.livejournal.com]

Got me in my head and my heart and my soul--I love the format and the raw of the last answers.

[momebie.livejournal.com]

I did like it! And I'm totally checking out that film.

[talon.livejournal.com]

:) <3

Thank you, very, very much.

[alycewilson.livejournal.com]

Lovely.

[kandigurl.livejournal.com]

Very touching. I loved the voice here.