They called me Gargus, a name from their foreign language. To them, it meant ‘Skyfall’. Three of their generations ago, I crash-landed here, an earthling on a foreign, exotic planet, far from home. My injuries were catastrophic, but the altruistic nature of this species – my new hosts – saved my life.
Each generation lasted only a few months, their lives flickering like candles in the wind. By human timescale, I took a year to recover, as the responsibility of caring for me was passed down from generation to generation. I watched as they took care of me, grew old and died, replaced by their offspring who continued their parents’ work. It was a surreal experience, living as an immortal through their dynasties.
Now, having taken on the role of their family protector, the little ones looked up to me. Xiven, Yandra, and little Plina gathered around me, their curious eyes gleaming in the starlight.
“Tell us the story, Gargus!” chirped Xiven. His luminous skin pulsed in varying colors, reflecting his excitement.
I chuckled softly. “Again? Don’t you tire of hearing it?”
“No!” Plina squeaked, hopping in place. Her gentle glow flickered, a sign of her tender age.
Leaning against the trunk of a Luma tree, its bark shimmering in vibrant blue, I began to tell my story. The story of a world so similar to theirs yet so different in many ways. A world where the sky was blue and not green, where creatures lived for years and not months, and where species had only a pair of eyes, not three.
“Why did you stay, Gargus?” Yandra asked, her voice soft, and her eyes sincere.
I gave a slight smile, contemplating her question. “When your ancestors, Xovar and Ynara, found me, I was physically and emotionally broken. I was alone and far from home, a world being ravaged by war. They, in their short but meaningful lives, chose to heal me, and in doing so, gave me a new home.”
“You could have left once you were healed, right?” Xiven asked, a hint of sadness in his eyes.
“I could have, yes,” I answered, “but by the time I was healed, I had become a part of this world. A part of your family. I felt I owed a life debt to your lineage, to protect and serve, just as they had done for me.”
They digested my words. Their eyes glinted in the moonlight. Looking at them, these ephemeral beings, so full of life and love. In their brief lives, they had accepted me, a stranger from another world, and made me one of their own. How could I ever leave this place?
Their sun, a fiery purple orb, began to rise in the sky. The green shimmer of morning was beautiful, unlike anything my home planet had to offer. Gently, I traced over faded images of Earth, memories of my past life that still echoed.
With a deep sigh, I let the pain of loss wash over me. The homesickness, buried deep within me, resurfaced, but it wasn’t as strong as before. This alien world was now my home, these creatures, my family. As I looked into the rising sun, I accepted the truth I had been denying.
This was my home now. I was home.
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