My best photography part 2

Part 2 Hey friends and readers, I wanted to give another bonus for my paid subscribers and show my gratitude. So, I am sharing all of the photos that did well in competitions and also some of my personal favorites in this one post. I am placing it inside Lighthouse Cafe section and will have it pinned there. Because of email limit, I broke it into two parts. Enjoy!... © 2024 Alexander Semenyuk Yu2shine whole being center, 9269 Old Keene Mill Rd, Burke VA 22015 Unsubscribe

Being offended over a celebrity

Being offended over a celebrity Hey friends and readers, I suppose this type of thing in society has always existed, but today it seems like it has reached whole new heights. I see so many comments and articles of people actually offended and angry that someone dared to say a singer is not good and they don’t like their music. It’s mind boggling. Could this be described as mass psychosis? Some sort of powerful mass brainwashing? Don’t people have their own lives and troubles and worries rather then getting worked up and attacking others because they don’t like a millionaire who never even for a second will care about your wellbeing. Crazy thing, mostly it’s not even insults towards these celebrities, but even if it was an insult? This is not your family member being insulted. This isn’t your husband’s or wife’s honor. This isn’t your child’s reputation. This isn’t morals of defending your parents. These people don’t even get so worked up when their religion or Jesus is being insulted. That says a lot. My all time favorite singer is Bryan Ferry. If you were to write to me “Bryan Ferry sucks”, I’d literally have no reaction. Ok, so what? That’s it. There was an event where I wore my Max Verstappen official outfit. People literally come in person to say how they hate him and Hamilton is better. My reaction? I laughed. That’s it, lol. Bryan Ferry and Max are not my dad and son. They are not my best friends. I don’t know them and they don’t know me. People spend absurd amount of money on these things. They even dedicate their life to this. Basically, living out someone else’s life. A fantasy that is harmful. Perhaps it’s that thing where they feel they are part of something “big”, when they share same exact opinion as the masses and attack anyone disagreeing, instead of embracing who they actually are as an individual. What do you think? Blessings. Lighthouse is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Lighthouse © 2024 Alexander Semenyuk Yu2shine whole being center, 9269 Old Keene Mill Rd, Burke VA 22015

Managing your time. True running story.

Hey friends and readers, In this post I’ll reveal a few more things about me that I have not written about yet. You know me as a writer and a photographer, but I will tell you about running. My first experience with running came when I was still a kid in Ukraine. I constantly ran and played outside and didn’t realize how good my endurance and speed have become until our PE teacher made all of us do timed runs and I ended up number 1 in sprinting and top 5 in 1 mile. This resulted in them taking me to a regional competition as part of the team of 10 guys. There came my first valuable running lesson, however, perhaps a lesson that needed repeating. First event was the 1 mile. I sprinted like crazy and was in the lead, but after 1 lap I was burned out and slowly many guys passed me. I finished 9th. I was so tired that I ended up not winning my best event, the 100. Years passed by and I moved to US. Here I became a team captain of my high school sprint team. I was very disciplined in my training and won several events as well, but I lacked true dedication, as I ended up skipping several events which created a problem with the coach. Nevertheless, I got a scholarship to a college and there I also became sprint team captain. During this time I wasn’t in a good place spiritually and filled my hours with extra training. I drank red bulls and cokes and would train up to four hours in the gym BESIDES the two hour track training each day. After a year and half of abnormal training hours, my body crashed and I was full of injuries. Once back home I began to get better, eventually met my wife and was on a healthy pass for a while. I was now running long distance and was doing 5k runs at about 17-18 minutes and 10k runs at around 40 minutes. At one point I steered away from healthy habits and ended up very sick. Upon healing and getting super disciplined with my health I felt like running again. My goal was simply to get below 20 again in 5k, yet my very first run, due to great nutrition and supplements, I ran 18:30. I was amazed, however, following run I was at 17. The crazy thing was that I felt that I wasn’t pushing at all yet. A month passed and I was getting below 16, which was feeling surreal to me. At the point when I hit 14:50 I started making big plans in my head. I was thinking of how I’ll go to an event, hit 14:30 and qualify for my first pro event. I was pushing like crazy, not minding any warning signs. Remember, God’s plans for us are always more important than our dreams. A lesson was once again in order. A lesson about managing time, meaning…managing our body, spirit, thoughts, having patience. On my final fast run I injured my knee and hip, later the lower back was affected for a whole year. Having flat feet did not help. It took a year for me just to get back to jogging. I don’t tell this story with a “what if” attitude. I am grateful for the lesson as I know now how to manage myself, my health and my time much better. So, I tell this story as an advice. It’s best to learn from mistakes of others, instead of your own. So, if you’re a runner, take care of your health first, truly manage your time. In fact, this goes for every profession, doesn’t it? I write this sitting in a car after I just finished a slow 48 minutes 10k run. I’m happy with it and I still feel pretty tired! Hope you enjoyed! Blessings. Lighthouse © 2024 Alexander Semenyuk Yu2shine whole being center, 9269 Old Keene Mill Rd, Burke VA 22015

New Podcast Section: Scientists meet Gospels

Hey friends and readers, Newest addition to the podcasts is coming very soon. In every episode I will present a great scientists from history, read their quotes, and tell any stories available, ending with a short commentary.

What is the Lighthouse

Hey friends and readers, I’ve been told that a post such as this is essential and I’ve been missing it, so here we go, let me tell you what you are in for when you sign up for my publication. First, a little bit about me. I grew up in Ukraine. My parents were both journalists and in our home all of the walls were literally bookshelves all the way up to the ceiling. From an early age I fell in love with books and writing. Upon moving to US in 2001 I faced some difficulties when it came to writing. A new language. After about 4 years here, I started my first ever novel in English. It was a medieval fantasy. Sadly the computer died and I lost it all. However, in the end I see this was part of building a stronger character of perseverance. During college years there was some turmoil and only after that I was back to writing again. In 2011 my first novel, Love in Ashes, came out. I had unrealistic expectations and learned another good lesson. Several books later, I was finally back to the medieval novel, The Last Wolf of Iralith. It was a work of labor, and my longest book, finishing it was like closing a certain chapter in my life. It was not until my 8th book that a real breakthrough happened. Paradise Harbour and its sequels got a traditional contract and became a fan favorite. Since that time I have reached total of 20+ books. There have been times when I thought I was done, but inspiration strikes suddenly and then I’m back at it. Now, writing is worth talking about in detail like that because this is a blog after all and I am a writer, but let me also tell you about what are the things actually most important to me as a person. Things I’m passionate about and what I love. I love my family and God above all else and that is my prime focus. At the end of the day, I could give up anything for them. I also love seeing small towns, going into nature, sitting in cafes, and running. I used to do professional photography and you can expect to often find photos I share in my Notes section. My other personal passion is Formula 1. That is pretty much the main thing on TV/Sports that I get excited to watch and to learn about. I also read a lot. These days it’s mostly books on faith, spirituality, psychology, society and wellbeing. Does all of this connect to the topics that you’ll see on the blog? Absolutely. I write about faith, relationships, spirituality, society, psychology and I also share my fiction works on here. Another thing I love to do is promote other writers and if you sign up you can sometimes expect to see me cross posts other people’s work. I believe helping others is an absolute must for me as an individual. If you like variety of works as described above, and to explore yourself and your relationships with the Divine, world and others, then this blog will be for you. My main goal on my blog is to make others think, become uplifted, defeat fears, find peace and confidence. I am a human being just like you and I share openly. Blessings and thanks for reading! Invite your friends and earn rewards If you enjoy Lighthouse , share it with your friends and earn rewards when they subscribe. Invite Friends © 2024 Alexander Semenyuk Yu2shine whole being center, 9269 Old Keene Mill Rd, Burke VA 22015 Unsubscribe

The traveler (fiction)

Where did we come from? Where are we going? These are the questions we all ask ourselves, no matter how confident we are in our beliefs. As I woke up inside a metal room, I had many more questions than just those. I did not remember my name, I had no idea how I got there, or where I was, I had only vague blurry memories inside my head, they weren’t enough to even complete one picture puzzle of the past memories for me to enjoy. I got up and saw my reflection in the mirror. I was a thin, fit young male, I knew that I was a male, so at least I had that knowledge, my head was fully shaved and the only thing I was dressed in were tight grey pants. I came up to a blue sign on the door and pressed it, the door slid open to the side and what I saw next was the most magnificent and yet terrifying view. A large circular room which had giant windows instead of walls, thought them I could see the space, cosmos, the stars. My heart began to beat fast as I walked up closer to the thick glass. I was indeed inside some sort of space craft, or a station. I was in awe looking at the cosmos in front of me for a long time, finally when I turned around and examined the large room I saw several more doors and a large hole in the floor with few ladders leading down. As I got closer I could hear sounds from somewhere deep inside this structure. Inside of me I felt the sensation of piercing fear, but I knew that I had to explore and to know what was going on to me. I began to descend the ladder and after a few minutes of going down I came to another floor. It had glass walls facing the opposite way and to my astonishment I could see the whole station, which looked more like a small city. There were various lights floating or projecting out of the floor and the walls, but there was no sign of other life forms like me, no sign of any life in fact. I once again heard the distant sounds coming from the depth of the hole and continued to descend the ladder. I passed several more floors, but no longer stopped to observe, I kept going down, the closer I got the clearer the noises became. They sounded like cries and screams, but I wasn’t sure if a human could do that. I was glad I at least knew that I was a human. The opening got smaller and darker below me and there was a sign on the wall. I was surprised, but glad, that I could read it. Separated. Anchored. Transitional. Anomalies. Nothingness. I did not understand what this meant, as I descended past this sign and down to the next dark floor the sounds intensified tremendously. I could see the red bottom of the floor as this was the end of the ladder. Out of the darkness and upon the red floor crawled out and came out many creatures, they were moaning, crying, screaming. They all began to reach towards me. I quickly began to climb the ladder back up. I did not feel any fatigue or pain, for the adrenaline provided by my horror propelled me and gave me strength, I was back to the floor where I awoke in no time and the sounds were very distant once again. I sat and calmed my heart, then I came to one of the doors and it slid open. There was a wide white and glowing, curving staircase leading up high. I slowly began to go up, amazed by the beautiful glow. Once at the top I could see the ceiling closer, it was a dome with a blue glow, and then I heard a deep calm voice. “Welcome, my son. How do you feel?” said the voice. I stuttered and became immensely nervous. “Relax, you are safe now. I see experience down at S.A.T.A.N. made you uneasy, it’s an experience I allowed you to have.” said the voice. “What am I? Who am I? Who are you?” I asked uncontrollably. “I am your father, your creator. I made you in my image, but I myself live in a dimension that you cannot see, and you can only hear me now because I have a connection to you, my own gene, and also a pathway into your soul, it’s inside your head. Your soul was gathered from billions of others in my dimension. Soon more knowledge will awake inside you, but more of a physical human that you’ll become, the weaker our connection will be, therefore you’ll have to learn how to connect.” said the Creator. “What is this place then?” I asked. “It’s a starting point. Made simply enough for physical beings to understand. It is called Adillius Dimerus Aconis Murillin. Call it shortly, Adam. Which too will be your name from now on, for you are the only male who truly succeeded in the transition. There is also a female, she is waiting for you. From you two, the seed, further transition will occur.” said the Creator. As Creator said this the dome opened up and I once again could see the space and cosmos in from of me. In the center of the glass I could see a beautiful planet, green and blue, enchanting. It brought a smile to my face, for I felt connected to it. Everything blurred, next time I opened my eyes I was laying in the middle of a green field, surrounded by colorful flowers. Above me stood a beautiful female. I heard the Creator’s voice in my head. “It is time for you to begin Adam.” Lighthouse © 2024 Alexander Semenyuk 548 Market Street PMB 72296, San Francisco, CA 94104

Poem/haiku prompt #4 ALEXANDER SEMENYUK JAN 23

Hi dear friends and readers, It’s time for our next prompt. Write a haiku or a poem about it and later I’ll choose two! Prompt #4 is “eyes.” Have fun! Mine is below! XXXXX Gentle song in the forrest, I wipe my eyes, Tears are like rain. Lighthouse © 2024 Alexander Semenyuk 548 Market Street PMB 72296, San Francisco, CA 94104

Lighthouse cross-posted a post from Breath of Life

Alexander Semenyuk Jan 22 · Lighthouse Amazing and life changing, check it out! What is Hypopressive? And how I can help you FERNANDA SEMENYUK JAN 22 Hypopressive is training system that combines poses and breathing techniques that strengthen your core muscles. This is a practice that requires no equipment and delivers fast results. When we breakdown the word hypopressive, we have HYPO that means low, and pressive = pressure. That is the main goal of this practice - to lower your intra-abdominal pressure. Why? Because high internal pressure is associated with several issues such as; abdominal muscle separation (diastasis), abdominal and umbilical hernias, back pain, herniated discs, pelvic floor dysfunction and many others. Although you may have heard that gym workouts can strengthen your core muscles, that is rarely the case. It is possible, but highly difficult if you don’t understand the kinesiology of the abdominal cavity and proper breathing. As a result, the workouts that were supposed to improve your health and flatten your stomach, end-up doing the very opposite! I am in no way telling you not to lift or train hard, I actually do these nowadays… but before you do so, let me share with you a few things about your muscles. That are 3 types of muscles; cardiac, smooth and skeletal. The skeletal muscle, is divided into two types of muscles: fiber type I and type II. Fiber type I is a slow twitch muscle that can be developed through specific endurance training whereas, the fiber type II muscles can be developed through strength training, meaning regular exercises. Now, do you know if the muscles from your abdominal cavity are type I or type II? Why do I ask and why does it matter? A study shows that almost 60% of your abdominal muscles are type I, and like I mentioned before, the best way to increase muscle strength of this type is through endurance training of low impact. So when you are at the gym, unaware of that, crunching, squatting and planking, thinking that you are working your core muscles, chances are you are only engaging ~40% of your muscles while possibly neglecting the other 60%. There are a few studies on the correlation between crunches and diastasis as well as sit-ups and pelvic floor stress (I will share some studies at the end of this post.) As a PT I can tell you that I see more people doing crunches wrong than right, so it would be better to not just do it at all. At least, not until they can keep their core from bulging out during exercises and the way to achieve that is by gaining abdominal competence. Not strength, competence. How can I gain abdominal competence? I am glad you asked! So ON to the solution… I am sure you might have seen a picture of someone practicing a stomach vacuum somewhere on the internet. It could be a photo of Arnold Schwarzenegger in the 80’s or a Z gen chick on TikTok… or me, up there! Stomach vacuum is thousands of years old and has been practiced within the pranayama to this day. However, in the 80’s, Dr. Caufriez developed the Hypopressive maneuver, which combines more than 50 poses to the intentional breathing followed by the stomach vacuum. Upon lots of research, he discovered the best way to help people suffering with abdominal cavity dysfunction. The Hypopressive technique doesn’t require any equipment, it can be done by most people¹ and does not require a high financial investment. That is why I LOVE it so much - it is something affordable that can quickly aid or even heal many health conditions associated with high intra-abdominal pressure. And to make even more affordable, I teamed up with YU2SHINE and created the Breathe-mE program. A program that consists in short videos that will instruct you on the foundation of the Hypopressive technique - from breathing to proper positioning - while guiding you through 12 weeks worth of classes so you can achieve many of the health and the aesthetics benefits associated with this practice from the comfort of your home. No crazy workouts - low impact. No equipments required - just you and yourself. Five minutes a day - fast results! IF YOU WANT TO BUY MY PROGRAM, CLICK THE LINK BELOW BreathemE.fit IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO KNOW MORE ABOUT HYPOPRESSIVE CLASSES WITH ME, CHECK THE LINK BELOW BreathemE.coach Few articles related to my post. Feel free to ask me for more. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/161688/ https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00192-015-2791-9 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15233598/ Thanks for reading Breath of Life! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work. Individuals who cannot practice any exercise should not practice hypopressive. Pregnant women, individuals with compromised heart health and severe abdominal inflammation should NOT practice hypopressive. Before any type of training, consult with a doctor. Originally posted on Breath of Life Fernanda Semenyuk Subscribe Did you ever think you could loose inches off your waist just by breathing? © 2024 Alexander Semenyuk 548 Market Street PMB 72296, San Francisco, CA 94104 Unsubscribe

Cause and effect ALEXANDER SEMENYUK JAN 22

Hello there, Let’s begin with a bit of a heavy short story, but we will lighten up from there. Stay with me, you won’t regret it. A man is driving a car, he’s late to meet a friend and his patience is thin. He starts speeding and cutting among cars. He sharply gets in front of another man driving who is already feeling down. He honks at that man and screams something bad from the window. Then continues on his way. Meanwhile, the stressed man loses focus completely, he runs a red light and crashes into another car, killing a whole family. Wow…What was the original cause of that? And the effect? You see, something that seemed so small was immensely huge, and that angry man won’t even know what he has caused. Your smallest act can have an impact much greater than you can ever imagine. Let’s think of another example. A young girl is very depressed. She thinks of ending her life, she believes that no one notices her. So, this will be her last day at work, and in the world as an invisible person. You come to the store where she is working and you see the girl looking very down. Something inside of you, that moral compass is telling you to do something. You tell her she looks beautiful and get her something small. That day, right after you leave, something shifts inside her mind, that little interaction and kindness gives her hope, step by step her life and outlook changes. She attracts more good energy. Her life is saved. How about a little story to demonstrate this further? A homeless single dad with many injuries is on the street with his son. He begs for help to feed his child and eventually gathers enough money to send his son to school when he’s older. Each day a lady that lives nearby walks by them and puts a small portion of her daily payment into the basket. Years go by, the boy is now a teen and his father is able to send him to a small school. One day the lady does not find the man, she asks and is told that he died. Many years go by, and the lady is very sick, but she has lost her home and barely has money for treatment. She goes to a hospital in the big city. She waits in the room for the doctor, but she most likely knows she won’t be able to pay for treatment. The doctor enters the room and their eyes meet. They recognize each other. The doctor is that boy from the street. He treats her for free, saving her life. You see…your actions, your words, they are powerful. Will you use them for good? Will you do your best to increase your awareness? Every action will result in something. I hope these stories I came up with will help you understand this subject better. I chose not to write about this through a metaphysical or scientific perspective this time, I think through stories we can learn just as well. Blessings XXXXX Check out incredible Quantum Freedom material and program that has been helping me for years to learn and to grow. (affiliate link, however, I share these because I believe the material will be helpful) https://yu2shine.samcart.com/referral/VnTNWf60/nBLZ3HcnrKO0NXzQ Lighthouse is a reader-supported publication. Lighthouse © 2024 Alexander Semenyuk 548 Market Street PMB 72296, San Francisco, CA 94104

Lighthouse cross-posted a post from Breath of Life Alexander Semenyuk Jan 21 · Lighthouse Dear readers and friends! My wife has some awesome things coming for you! You’ll love it, check out her first post! “Oi” from Nanda FERNANDA SEMENYUK JAN 21

My name is Fernanda, but I often go by Nanda. I am married to an amazing husband and mom to a curious, smart energetic boy. I am an immigrant from Brazil and live in US for over a decade now. I have learned to love this country and now I call it home. In this blog, I want to promote the idea that beauty should not harm health and also offer you every healthy tip I know that can make you beautiful within and without - respectively. Amidst the many gifts I try to share with the world, my favorite one is my fitness program called Breathe-mE® - which is a life-changing program that helps you achieve better health and beauty by intentionally breathing for 5 minutes a day and it can be done anywhere! I also happen to be the first hypopressive coach certified with the International Hypopressive Council in Europe and I am determined to make this technique help as many people as possible in America! SHARE LIKE COMMENT RESTACK Originally posted on Breath of Life Breath of Life Fernanda Semenyuk Subscribe Did you ever think you could loose inches off your waist just by breathing? © 2024 Alexander Semenyuk 548 Market Street PMB 72296, San Francisco, CA 94104 Unsubscribe Get the appStart writing

An Entire Book From Alexander Semenyuk’s Subscriber Chat

https://open.substack.com/pub/alexandersemenyuk/p/tricunius-2533?r=xs9hg&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcome=true Alexander Semenyuk just started a thread Join the chat for Lighthouse now in the Substack app or web reader. From Alexander Semenyuk’s subscriber chat OPEN.SUBSTACK.COM/PUB/ALEXANDERSEMENYUK/P/TRICUNIUS-2533?R=XS9HG&UTM_CAMPAIGN=POST&UTM_MEDIUM=WEB&SHOWWELCOME=TRUE Alexander Semenyuk Hi friends! To celebrate you helping me get to 1000 subs, I am posting my full Book of the Month winner, Tricunius 2533 for your reading pleasure! Blessings! https://open.substack.com/pub/alexandersemenyuk/p/tricunius-2533?r=xs9hg&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcome=true Join chat © 2024 Alexander Semenyuk 548 Market Street PMB 72296, San Francisco, CA 94104

TRICUNIUS 2533

TRICUNIUS 2533 ALEXANDER SEMENYUK JAN 19 TRICUNIUS 2533 This book is dedicated to my son, Alexander George Semenyuk. TRICUNIUS 2533 In the 2500s, humanity is on the brink of extinction. Humans’ technology is incredibly advanced, yet they are no longer able to reproduce. The natural ecosystem is dying and the sun is growing dim. There is something resembling a small black hole that has formed at the edge of the solar system and after many years of research and development, scientists concluded that this mysterious area is affecting the planet and its inhabitants. A space station, Tricunius, was sent to initiate closer examination of the mini black hole. Tricunius has new gravitational technology and is able to exist next to the hole as its own planet. However, after just half a year, all communication with Tricunius was mysteriously broken. The last messages received by the command center were very disturbing. In 2530, a brilliant astronaut and investigator, Noah, is sent to find out what happened. He is sharing his ship with an android, who is meant to wake him from a stasis condition within six months before reaching their destination. The rest of the crew, six men and six women, are to be woken by Noah upon reaching Tricunius. Target date of arrival is January, 2533. Chapter 1 Awake at Last Waves slowly caressed the sand and brushed my feet. I was smiling, in fact I almost cried with joy. The sun was slowly going down, bringing with it the most gorgeous colors. I raised my hand against the light, wishing I could make actual contact with it. So beautiful… I have been experiencing a life of peace and calm for some time, and I cannot even remember what life was like before this. What was it? I am curious. Suddenly, in the sky appeared a large pelican. He watched the water and circled. Then he suddenly dove. I laughed with excitement as I watched him emerge instantly with a fish in his beak. “Yes! Well done!” I heard more laughter behind me. My wife and child were back from the store, and our big shaggy dog galloped toward me in the sand. Suddenly, the sky changed to a color I had not seen before. It was almost dark grey…no, dark silver perhaps, almost metallic. “What’s happening?” I turned to my family, but they were no longer there. First came the distant buzzing… It was slowly drawing me away from the beauty I was so wonderfully enjoying. From my world…which wasn’t a world at all. As my eyes opened for the first time in two and a half years, I felt sharp pain and stinging, and I felt tremendous dizziness. I closed my eyes again as real memories began to slowly crowd in, destroying the beautiful world I had gotten used to. “Time to wake up, Noah.” It was a pleasant female voice. I tried to open my eyes again. Same result. I closed them. I wanted to tell her my problem, but I couldn’t speak. “What you are experiencing is normal. I must change your nutrient intake tubes and then perform multiple massages and pressure techniques on your body. It’ll take about two hours to sit you up and for you to speak. After that, you’ll take your clothes and will be transported to the shower. Noah, while your muscles were stimulated inside the chamber, you’ll still have trouble walking the first few days, and for another two weeks you won’t be completely recovered from stasis.” I tried to take it all in, to remember more. It was as if she could read my mind. “You will be shown videos after you are fully awake to bring you up to speed and to update you.” That beautiful world…I remembered how Earth looked now, for real. Desolation. My wife, her sad face as I left…I remembered it now, and my son, one of the last children who was born. Twelve years old, a young man in need of a father. I am doing this for you, my boy, whatever it is. “You are the best, Noah.” “You are the only one we can trust, Noah.” “There is no other astronaut with your investigative skills, Noah.” I could hear their voices now. I remembered. My lips shook as I attempted to speak again. “Try to relax, it’ll be fine.” The woman’s voice again. Who is she? Wait, yes…AA37, the highest Advanced Android model, female version. A skilled doctor and pilot. God. I had wanted that world to be real so much! Maybe I can make a difference. Maybe there is still hope. “Haaaa! Aaaa!” My lips split involuntarily as I felt a terrible jolt of pain. “This is normal. It’ll pass,” said the voice, reassuringly. Calm and melodic, yet artificial. I felt pressure around my ribs and chest next, I opened my eyes again, and this time the dizziness wasn’t so harsh. However, my vision was a bit blurry. I tried hard to focus. I could see her hands moving rapidly. She wore a long-sleeved dark blue outfit. As I began to see properly, her face was as I remembered it, but somehow it was different. She had dark long hair and brown eyes, and her skin looked smooth. “Your memory serves you right; I can tell by the focus of your eyes on my features. I changed the color of my hair and my eyes. It’s boring not to.” Boring? How can an android be bored? How can she even understand what boredom is, truly? She stepped away and quickly came back with some plain white clothes. “You have all kinds of clothes in your room, but this will do for now.” “Tha..nk…” It was still hard to speak, but I was starting to manage. The android smiled. “Good work, Noah, you are progressing faster than calculated.” I nodded as she helped me sit up and get dressed. Only then I realized how long my blond hair had gotten, and I felt a thick beard and mustache. These will have to come off as soon as possible, I thought. She then helped to get on a hover chair device. It seemed as though we spent about ten minutes going from one dimly lit black metal hallway to another. Finally I reached my room. She placed a box on the side of my device as the door slid open. “Take your time. Inside the box is the pad with all the videos, messages from the station, plans, instructions and Tricunius map. Inside your room you’ll also of course find food, water and vitamin tubes. The closet with all the clothes is on the right side. Try to begin moving your legs and walking as soon as possible. Here is your communication watch. Call me anytime. I’m going back to the command center.” I nodded and took the watch, and as she left I hovered into the room and the door slid shut. The first thing I noticed was that the far wall was made of special glass, allowing me to see the space around us. For a moment I was frozen in astonishment. I had never been this deep in space before. It was a view to behold. Chapter 2 Strange Messages and the Command Center The first thing I did, after staring at the stars, was to activate the grooming machine. The flying robot zoomed around my head, and performed the job quickly and neatly. I looked at the mirror and recognized my proper self. Clean shaven, short hair. I took the communication tablet and tried to stand, and almost fell over. Holding on to the wall I made it to my table near the window. My wobbly legs got me there, so that was a good sign. I’ve got this. I pressed the activation button and the tablet’s screen lit up. I was pleased and relieved as I tried to speak, to find I could do so again. “Tricunius crew records, final ten messages.” The tablet began playing the first recording. There were incoherent screams from several people. Then it got quiet. The tablet indicated that a video was available. “Show it.” On screen appeared a young woman. I recognized her; she was the doctor of the mission. Her face was pale, she had scratches on her cheek and forehead, and her lips were shaking. “He…he…is inside their heads…inside my head…soon I won’t be able to fight it!” She began to cry and the video was cut off. The next several recordings were more incoherent screaming and talking, and there were phrases in a language I did not understand. There was one more video recording. The screen showed an older man with grey hair. His posture was hunched and he looked exhausted, with large dark circles under his eyes. “The deceiver…Belammon…” His hands shook as he said this. “Don’t come here, don’t come here!” The final message was from the captain. It was strange and cryptic. “In the depth of the black sea of the cosmos, we find the voice and it guides us to our destiny. For my eyes are of darkness and my hands are of stone, I serve only one master. We all must be gone.” What? I shook my head after listening to these recordings. Had I heard them properly? Maybe I should have rested more before listening. I once again used the wall as I moved over to the closet. It was a walk-in type and as I entered, a light turned on inside of it. At first I reached for a simple light blue outfit, but remembering the recordings something stopped me, and my eyes were drawn toward a thin black bodysuit. It was an armored suit, but very light. We were still some time away from our destination; was it wise to allow any paranoia to set in? I went ahead with the casual blue outfit. I also decided to look at the map of Tricunius later. I pressed the button on my watch. “Yes, Noah, how may I assist you?” the android’s pleasant voice answered. “37, will you come here? I’d like to walk without the hover chair, but will need assistance. I want to speed up the process.” “Certainly, I’ll be there in a few minutes.” Would she run? The command center was about ten minutes’ walk away. Maybe few minutes for her meant a few more than it meant for me. Yet only three minutes later she was at the door. Since these androids do not get fatigued it was impossible to say if she had indeed run. Then I realized how ridiculous this line of thinking was. Why did I even bother considering these details? Perhaps that’s why they had chosen me, the detail-orientation. “Let’s go, Noah.” “Yes, please.” Holding on to her shoulder, I ventured into the long black metal hallway. I noticed she was about the same height as me, however, my thoughts quickly switched back to the hallways. “Why couldn’t they have made a happier design?” “Would that make a difference in our mission?” “Who knows?” “I believe it wouldn’t. Your prior testing indicated no mental issues.” “Ah, well, good to know.” I was somehow relieved at this reassurance. I realized that for an android such a complaint was complete nonsense. No matter how advanced you make them, there are things that only humans can comprehend. Isn’t that a masterstroke of God? “How are your legs, Noah?” “In pain, but it must be done, I’ll make it.” I gritted my teeth, and in less time than I would have thought, we entered the command center. I sank into a soft black chair and leaned back. “So, 37, any updates? By the way, I saw your file said that you may be addressed as Alice as well. Which do you prefer?” “It makes no difference to me.” “Alice it is.” There was no acknowledgement from the android. “Now to the updates, here are our coordinates and trajectory. We might get there sooner by two weeks. It’s not a major factor as you should be fully recovered very soon.” “No issues with the ship? Crew capsules?” “No, but we have been receiving unusual vibrational activity.” Should I be alarmed or not? “Hmm?” “Frequencies, our main computer can’t quite decipher them. They seem to be messages, but sound like static. We do indicate that the frequency of these messages goes up and down very irregularly.” “Can you send some of those to my room please, to my tablet.” “Instantly.” “Do we have coffee? Board games?” “Many types of coffee are available in your room. And your favorite games. I assume you have not eaten anything yet. You would have seen everything you upon entering your kitchen section.” I sighed a little. “Ha. Yes, just a vita tube, but I will check everything once I’m back. Maybe after I get some more rest, tomorrow we can play a game.” “After I run all the basic daily analysis.” Well, naturally. “Of course, Alice, of course. I am starting to feel dizzy again. Let’s use the hover chair after all, to get me back.” “Will you be all right on your own?” “Yes. I will see you later.” She nodded as the chair took me into the hallway. Just like that I was mostly caught up with our mission. But before I did anything else, I lay down to rest--as if I hadn’t done enough resting for the past two-and-a-half years. Chapter 3 Map and Games The white metallic section of the wall slid to the side, revealing a small cozy kitchen with a tiny round blue table and a smooth chair. There on the side stood the coffee maker. Right above it was a transparent cabinet with all the coffee selections. I went closer and ran my finger over the logo of the coffee maker. It was an old Italian company. Impressive that it had survived this long. Memories of sitting on the porch with family, drinking coffee, came rushing in. Maybe I should have said no to this mission and stayed with them. Earth would still survive for several generations. Then I shook my head. No, those are bad thoughts, got to get them out. I have a big task ahead of me. Let’s see now. I began to look over the brands of coffee. Brazil medium roast. I took it off the shelf and opened the lid. The smell was wonderful. It reminded me of my life by the ocean. Should I have this one? French roast, Italian, Middle East blend, all available. No, it’ll be Brazilian. I thought of the ocean again as I placed the coffee into the machine. It made a grating sound and then there was a tall cup with dark coffee in it. I opened the giant fridge on the opposite wall. It was stacked with various sandwiches. I wondered what kind of preservatives were used to keep them fresh for this long. But did it matter at this point? I took a roast beef sandwich and leaning on the wall tried my best to walk straighter than before. I placed my drink and food by the window and then brought the tablet over as well. Outside was another ocean, even more mysterious than the one on our planet. An ocean of stars, black holes, meteors, nebulas…and secrets beyond what the human mind could comprehend. Somewhere in another place God looked upon everything. But how about the darkest depths of it all, tucked away in the far corners of the universe, perhaps the most incredible and terrifying black holes, hiding within them things unimaginable. Things that I did not wish to meet. I took a sip of coffee and activated the hologram map of Tricunius. It was huge, overwhelmingly so. I first located all the places that the final messages had come from. They were all located near the giant command center, a circular structure. That place alone was almost as large as our ship. Tricunuis was the size of a town. A town which had gone silent. Was there anyone left alive there? I looked into the distance. In less than six month I would find out. I’d have to investigate upon arrival and then, once I figured out what was going on, I’d wake the others. “Only after you find the root cause you transfer others into the station and wake them.” That was the instruction I had been given; however, the commander did say if I couldn’t handle it on my own, I could wake them earlier. “If you begin hearing things, or hallucinating, wake them. Don’t overwork.” Why would I hallucinate? Hear things? It made no sense. With my experience? I just wondered why the colony had gone silent… I drank more coffee and dug into the sandwich. The hologram was slowly rotating and zooming in on each room and public area separately. I needed to watch the history and the building process videos. I had to know each area of Tricunuis to perfection. I’m sure Alice already did, and I wouldn’t want to be outdone by an android now, would I? Speaking of which, I checked the time. Soon she’d be available to play games. I pressed the button on the side of the table and a box slid out from underneath. Go, Chess, Dominoes, playing cards, several puzzles. One of the puzzles was of the cosmos. I chuckled, grimly. Whose idea was that? Better not have been mine…Dear Lord. Well, at least there were a few others as well. A farm town--those were almost extinct--and an ocean sunset. Now those two I would invest time in. I pressed my watch. “Alice, how about a match of chess?” “I can be there in one hour.” “Perfect, I’ll have another coffee and watch a few Tricunius videos.” “How is your walking?” “Much better.” She did not say anything else. I looked into my cup. It was empty already. Time for one more coffee, indeed. After enjoying the smell and the process once again, I was back at the table. The cosmos outside kept drawing me in, distracting me, in a good way. It was scenery that not many humans in history ever enjoyed. Well…let’s see. I pulled up the assigned videos. Start from the basics: the Tricunius crew selection. The video was long, and there was no way I’d finish it before the game, but I could start. They went over each crew member in the most painful detail. All the best had been chosen for this mission. There were 200 of them. All dead? Mark Darstuffen, a famous young scientist, passed all the exams and training for the mission. I had even forgotten he was one of them; I had actually read one of his books, Hole and the Dark. He was an expert on black holes. Then there was Mikkel Simonssen. He disagreed with Mark’s assessment that this was indeed a black hole, just a tiny one. Mikkel claimed it was something completely different. He was another top scientist who had made the trip. Now that I thought about it, I remembered… “After focusing on it and recording the noise coming from this hole, I can tell you it’s not like other black holes; in fact, it should be called something else. The sounds coming from there are something strange.” When pressed to explain these sounds, he said he couldn’t with science. The church claimed that these were the sounds of a demon. I couldn’t say I’d discard anyone’s theory at this point. The whole station had gone silent, 200 people. And not one could make contact now? It went on and on, each man and woman incredibly impressive. Earth’s finest, sent away. I could not imagine that all these, the best and brightest, were dead. Maybe it was something else? Silenced somehow, for some reason… I leaned back. I still had some coffee left on the side. I indulged myself once again, taking a long sip. Hmmm, finished. A third cup, perhaps? A profile of a woman came up on the hologram. Hers was one of the last messages sent. Her name was Lisa Dexter, a combat expert, one of the so-called space soldiers. That’s what I was too, besides an investigator. I paused the feed and quickly looked at the names on all of the last ten messages. They had been sent by total of six people. Five of the six people were part of the soldier elite, the space soldiers. What did that mean? Had they faced something there? Had someone gone insane? More than one, perhaps? These soldiers had gone through intense psychological training, not just physical. One might argue the psychological training is even more stressful and taxing than the physical component. Hmmm…I continued the hologram feed. Time was dragging, yet the voice of Alice came from my watch. “I’m on my way now. Chess, correct?” “Yes.” I stopped the feed and put the tablet aside, setting up the chess board. It had been a while. I wondered if I could even compete with an android on a low level. The board was set. She was across from me, wearing a thin smile upon her perfect face. I could never understand the androids. Why they imitated emotions like smiles, or laughter. They didn’t have feelings. I suppose it was an emotionless imitation of emotions, of humans... “At what level would you like me to play?” she asked politely. I let my ego get the best of me. “Just do your best.” It was a big mistake. The games were fast, and after losing five games in a row quickly I was convinced, though I felt embarrassed, to ask her for a lower level. Why? Why be embarrassed in front of an android? A machine? Perhaps it was the way she looked. “Are you well?” she asked me after I had sat there for five minutes, staring at the cosmos outside. “Yes, yes. I guess I’m way out of practice. Let’s see what a medium level would look like.” “You want a semi professional? High ranked amateur?” I winced. “Let’s go a bit below the high ranked amateur.” This level was still tough, but at least it was a match, not a slaughter. After two more games I was done. I still lost both. I stood and stretched. “That was good, very stimulating. I’d like to finish my first video viewings now.” Alice moved toward the door. “Of course, I will be checking all the systems. When would you like to visit the other crew members’ pods?” “Soon, tomorrow. I’ll practice more walking in this room. I’m starting to feel very good.” “I’m glad to hear it. Your well-being is key to this mission, Noah.” She walked out of the room, and I once again felt confused by the android. She looked like a pretty woman, yet in fact she wasn’t even really a she. A program, more of an it. Programmed to act like a woman, designed to look like one, but she wasn’t one. Hmmm… I sighed, and stretched again. My focus was all over the place. I had to lie down in bed and sleep once again. The videos would have to wait. Chapter 4 Butterflies and Dreams I was lying in a dark cave. The darkness was cold and merciless. In in the distance I could hear a faint voice. I stood up, and holding on to the cave’s uneven rock wall, began to walk towards the voice. Light…there was an orange ray coming through a crack at the top of the cave. I climbed frantically. As I emerged from the aperture, a powerful feeling of being freed engulfed me. The space suit and helmet I was wearing no longer felt heavy. I stood upon a large rock and looked around. There were fields as far as the eye could see. Red fields? With light blue and teal bushes and small trees all around. I climbed down and stepped upon the red surface. It was grass! I fell to my knees, running gloved hands through it. So soft! The ground was soft and welcoming. I lay upon it and looked up. In that moment thousands of yellow butterflies descended upon the fields. I could not contain myself. My helmet was filled with laughter. Joy was exploding from my heart. I raised my hand and one of them landed on my fingertip. I slowly sat up. Amazing! It turned towards me and flapped its wings quickly, then flew away to join the others. “Don’t wake them.” A voice from the distance spoke to me. A soft and kind voice. “Don’t wake them…” I stood up. The yellow butterflies swarmed around me as I looked to find where the voice was coming from. “Wake up, Noah!” It was a woman’s voice now. I felt my body moving. “Wake up, Noah!” “Don’t wake them…” My head began to spin. Then I opened my eyes. I was in my bed and Alice stood right above me with her hand on my shoulder. I felt cold sweat running down my face and my back. I turned my head towards the large window, to see the beautiful cosmos… I turned back to her. “Why did you wake me, Alice?” This was not usual. “The central computer sent me a signal of a possible coma situation.” “What?” I sat up slowly, confused. “Sometimes after a long stasis, upon sleeping again the body might slip into coma, if there may have been brain damage during the stasis. I wanted to make sure you had not fallen into such a coma. You seem all right; was it just an intense dream, or a nightmare?” Alice’s voice held concern. “I don’t think so…it was beautiful.” Don’t wake them…I remembered the voice. So kind, soothing…Don’t wake whom? “Noah, I’ll leave you to your breakfast and then we can go to the crew pods. I’ll explain to you how each is doing and we can check their dream patterns as well.” I swung my legs over the side of the bunk. “Fascinating…I’d love to. Let me watch a few more videos while I have coffee and eat.” “Of course, Noah.” After she left I still felt very confused. Being in a dream state so long surely must have had something to do with all of this. Especially that strange voice. It didn’t feel human, yet it was so welcoming, so trustworthy. Coffee, a strong one. That’ll clear my head fast. The French roast was strong and bold. I ate some dried jerky meat to go with it. Probably wouldn’t be great for my stomach, but it gave my focus a boost. I finally finished watching the background of the Tricunius crew and played the next video. This one presented the technology being used to examine the hole. The presentation was done by the scientists on the mission, but the most intriguing one was a segment done by Mikkel, who has been testing and examining the hole while still in flight towards it. This video was recorded when they were already in space. “I’m not quite sure how to explain these occurrences, but I’ll attempt it,” Mikkel addressed the camera. “There seems to be some sort of a dimensional rift, a tear, never seem by humans before, at least not on this scale…or perhaps we’ve just been ignorant for centuries. The reason why I say this is because the way we are receiving information from the hole does not fit into any modern scientific criteria. Vibrations are both low and high, frequencies combine in inexplicable ways. “For the last two weeks I’ve been examining some of the crew members as they slept. The brain patterns were extraordinary, as if rewiring of the brain was occurring on a small scale. Upon testing some of the subjects, I saw that their answers to certain questions changed from what they were before the trip. This change in psyche could not possibly be described as anything normal, even with this travel. Of course, only a few of us are awake during this journey. Everyone else is in constant state of stasis, inside their pods. “How will that affect their brains? As I observe those in the long-term pods, I see some of the strange dream patterns as well. However, to be sure I need to do more testing. I’ll comment on the results in the next recording.” However, there was no next video on this subject from Mikkel. It was hard for me to draw any conclusions, but I called Alice again. “I’d like to see the sleeping crew members now.” “I will meet you on the way there.” “Okay.” A long and narrow hallway with red lights on each side led directly to the chamber where all twelve pods were located. A circular black reader at the front scanned my retina and the thick glass doors slid open. As I entered, I saw Alice already standing there with her tablet by one of the pods, analyzing it. This pod held Maximin, an experienced middle-aged tech, and a brilliant engineer. I walked up closer and looked in. He had a beard now, but his head was still as bald as ever. I smiled. Alice spoke. Her voice held no note of concern. “I find that in last few weeks his dream patterns have gotten more irregular, unsteady.” “What do you mean, Alice?” She pointed to the different-colored lines on her tablet, which was connected to the pod. “Normal is steady; these lines should be close to each other and in a straight line.” Maximin’s lines were all over the place and not close to each other at all. “Don’t wake them…” I quickly turned around as I heard the whisper. Alice put her hand on my shoulder. “Why did you react like that, Noah?” “You didn’t hear it?” “Hear what? Are you hallucinating?” Now her voice was concerned. I breathed in deeply, trying to relax, and answered, “No, no, maybe I’m just still tired, you know, just misinterpreting some noise.” “Perhaps it is the sounds of the ship; you’re not used to them yet. Shall we continue?” “Yeah, no problem.” I felt goosebumps on my arms as we walked to the next pod. I didn’t want the android to think I was going crazy, so I was trying my best to stay calm and controlled. I knew she could detect my breathing and heartbeat. “Did you know, Noah, we have a device that can show us their dreams.” This revelation was disturbing. “Really? Where? Aren’t those illegal?” “That’s why it’s only for use in an extreme situation. I don’t have the code to the cabinet where it is stored. You have it. It’s in your code files from the company.” “On my tablet?” “Correct.” “I don’t think I’ll be doing that. That’s a big invasion of privacy.” “Of course, Noah. My task is to simply keep you informed as much as possible. You are the mission commander.” I nodded, now feeling uneasy about that on top of the whisper I had just heard. Wonderful…just wonderful. She plugged her tablet into the next pod. I watch the examination. The screen showed past and current patterns. This crew member was Lisa, a soldier and security expert. Her dream lines were almost exactly the same as Maximin’s. A frisson of alarm snaked up my spine. “Okay, Alice, go check the others at a faster pace. Let’s see if all the graphs are similar.” As each set of results came in, I began to worry. All twelve crew members had disturbing dream and sleep patterns. Alice and I left of the room and sat in a small office, by its large window. “Alice, what do you calculate this means? Why are all of their patterns the same? And why might they be disturbed?” I rubbed my temples with my index fingers. “I have to run many diagnostics with the ship. Air quality, sound quality, the pods’ air, simulation analysis, all need to be examined,” the android answered calmly. “So, it’s possible that, let’s say, if the air quality is bad, it would affect them all the same? Wouldn’t there be differences, from person to person?” Alice was silently looking at me. It was the first time I observed a state-of-the-art android appear confused. After long pause she finally gave an unsatisfactory answer. “I’m not sure.” Chapter 5 Five Months Later I dimmed the lights in the cabin after finishing my push-ups, and then sat near the window with a fresh cup of coffee. I had finished every hologram, studied the space station to the tiniest detail, even raised my level in chess while playing Alice. However, these month had been a time of torment, not from boredom or lack of activity, but quite the opposite. There was too much activity in my mind. Every time I had fallen asleep for the past thirty days, I had the same dream. Red grass, blue bushes, yellow butterflies. I knew one thing well now. “Don’t wake them…” “Don’t wake them…” During the day I had constant visions. Something was warning me. I had visions of the crew betraying me. And Alice…programmed to kill me. Was it just my intuition? The deep knowledge inside, the years of experience that had made me such a great investigator. Maybe I had been sent away because the powers that be knew I’d sniff something out, something that’s wrong with the whole ordeal, the plan. No. It made no sense. Why had they sent me to the station, then? I snorted to myself. Perhaps we were all expendable fools, including the ones in the pods, and I was the chief fool. I had to hide my nervousness around Alice; I knew she could analyze everything. She often asked questions. Uncomfortable questions. I finished the coffee, got dressed in my armor and went out for a walk. I would walk through the entire ship. It had become a routine. As I passed through the main hallway I saw Alice standing over the billiards table in the recreation room. She of course noticed me, and waved me in. “One month today until our arrival. Are you excited, Noah?” “Excited or exhausted.” I lifted my shoulders in a shrug. “What will we find there?” “We will succeed. You are a good in investigator. “How about a game of billiards?” Alice picked up some chalk and rubbed it on the end of her cue. I grinned. “You never miss. The last few times we’ve played, you haven’t missed a single shot.” “But you always go first. So, you can win.” “I always miss at least once.” “That’s how you can get better, right? You learn from your mistakes.” She moved around the table, removing balls from the pockets. “Humans will make mistakes no matter what, Alice. Even if he trains for twenty years, some fly will land in the best player’s eye at the very moment he’s is about to strike the ball, and he will miss. If that happens to you, your shot will still be the same. The element of surprise, unpredictability, is not there. Humans are too vulnerable to it.” “So, there can be no perfection then?” “Yes, no perfection, of anything.” I crossed my arms and leaned against the table. “What if you’ll need perfection to succeed on Tricunius?” A whisper came into my head right then. “Play…play…” I was silent for a moment, went up to the table and picked out a stick. Then I silently organized the balls. I took a deep breath and broke. Something was almost guiding my body as I made shot after shot. I even saw Alice’s face change. An android, surprised? I had one shot left. I wanted to wait a moment, but I took the shot anyway, as if my hands were not my own. The black ball was in and I had won. I slowly put down the stick, feeling confused, then a terrible pain crashed into my head. I felt like something was crawling under my skin. The last thing I remembered was falling, head forward, towards the floor. When I opened my eyes, I was lying on my berth. Alice was sitting next to me. Was there something inside of me? What had happened? I looked at her, puzzled. “Noah, have you been sleeping well? I checked your sleep and dream patterns. They are even worse than the crew’s.” I slowly sat up. I was reluctant to tell her about my dream. “No…don’t you trust me?” The soft voice, so calm, yet pressing and powerful. I could sense a presence so clearly in my head now. I felt tears forming in my eyes from the pressure. “Noah?” prompted Alice. “What the hell…get out of my head!” I shouted. I pounded my head with my hands as Alice observed me. “Noah, who are you talking to? If you are having hallucinations, or hearing voices, we must take measures. There are perfectly good medicines on board. This can happen out here in space.” The voice came again. “She wants to kill you…kill you…” I looked at Alice, shaking my head. “Not to me. I don’t need any meds. I’m fine. It’s the fatigue. I have to eat better, that’s all. My diet is off. I’ll get right on it.” “But your nutritional analysis looks fine.” I sighed, then said, more forcefully than I probably should have, “I think I’d know my own body best, okay, Alice. Leave me alone, please.” “As you wish Noah. Take care of yourself. You are responsible for the twelve others, and this mission.” As she left I felt great build-up of anger towards her. A damn android…trying to take control, order me around. I tried to sleep again, yet the moment I closed my eyes I saw a strange face. I jumped off the bunk and made another cup of coffee. No sleep right now. No sleep. I’ll just watch the stars. Chapter 6 The Space Walk I finally had a different dream, but I wished afterwards that I’d had the same old one again. I sat next to the window shaking my legs nervously, trying to read ship analysis updates. One of the panels on the right wing had an issue. Just as I noticed it, Alice called me. “I know, Alice, I saw the problem outside. I will gear up soon.” “How did you know I would call about that?” “Because I know you don’t have a program for a space walk or outside repairs.” “Are you feeling well?” “Never better.” This was the first time I would have to go outside. It was a surprise, actually, that it had taken so long for the ship to develop a problem. This spacecraft was incredible. Back to the new, different dream. It was Humwig, one of the crew members in stasis. He had a long, sharp knife and was following me around the ship, which was dark. I finally found a room to hide in, when suddenly the lights came on. Other crew members stood there, all laughing at me, watching me. Then they grabbed me and held me. Humwig entered the room, brandishing the knife. I caught myself squeezing my fists so tightly that my nails dug into my skin. I shook my head. How could I get rid of these thoughts? Get up…let’s go. I willed myself to think of the mission in front of me. My space suit hung next to my other clothes. Brand new and beautiful. I examined it very carefully, searching for any defects, but it looked fine. I put it on and went to meet Alice at the door. She was standing there in a new green suit. Why did androids do that? Ah yes…imitation. Humans did not wear the same thing every day, so the android changed as well. For some reason, I found this irritating. “Are you ready, Noah?” “Yes, but I just have some pain in my right hand.” I flexed the hand, trying to relax it. “What happened?” “I hurt it during training, but not badly.” “Do you want to visit the med room first?” “No, I just might be a little slow, that’s why I’m telling you.” “Very well,” she said. “Gear up.” I put on my helmet and entered the corridor. The door closed behind me. I attached the cable and magnetic boot soles and signaled for Alice to open the exterior door. What if she cuts my cable? I shook my head, dismissing the alarming thought, and exited the ship, clinging to the exterior. The feeling was magnificent and exhilarating. I was out among the stars, deep in cosmos. Suddenly something small moved in my peripheral vision. I quickly jerked my head and almost yelled in astonishment. Yellow butterflies! They were here, flying next to the ship! How was this possible? I reached out to grab one, but they moved farther away. “Noah! What are you doing?” Alice asked me through my headphones. The butterflies were beautiful, swirling around, leading me somewhere! “Do you see them?” I panted. “Noah!” Suddenly a strong tug on my cable brought me back to reality. I realized that I was floating in space, with the long cable being my only savior. I looked back, and Alice had emerged from the ship and was retracting the cable. “I’m sorry, I lost my balance, I’m fine, Alice.” I reconnected my magnetic boots to the wall of the ship and was about to continue toward the wing when Alice put her hand on my shoulder. “What were you seeing?” “I’m okay, please, let me fix this. Go back inside, Alice.” She couldn’t disobey me, but there was one thing that would override my command over her. Insanity. Maybe that’s what she was analyzing. The rest of repairs went smoothly and the problem was fixed. I was back inside and pleased. However, I knew Alice was watching me more closely now. She stood there, staring into my eyes, trying to pick up some sort of data to enable her psychoanalysis. I smiled and attempted to reassure her. “I’m okay, Alice. We’ve been a long time in space, so strange things will happen once in a while. Go check on the pods. I’ll go eat and rest, all right?” She seemed to be placated. “That is good. Rest well, Noah.” Rest, however, didn’t come so easily. I wondered about the butterflies. What if I were indeed going mad? I made a coffee and placed a wooden Go board on the table. The black and white stones were beautiful, of exceptional quality. I began to slowly play against myself, taking my time with each move, allowing my mind to fully be absorbed by the game. This seemed to qualify as rest better than other things I could think of. Chapter 7 Meteors and Malfunctions Dark eyes were staring back at me in the mirror. My eyes…but they were usually green, even bright green, I should say. They’d turn dark green sometimes back on Earth, on my bad days. However, now they looked almost black. I guess I was having more than just bad days. Throughout all of this time I sent back the same reports to Earth. “Everything is perfect. Mission is progressing without any issues.” It was actually true, somewhat. The ship was fine. The android was fine. The sleepers? Me? The humans on board…I wasn’t sure, but I wasn’t going to jump to any conclusions in the reports. But still. The unpleasant, even sneaky feeling about a conspiracy grew inside my mind as the voice kept warning me. The pleasant voice carried so much conviction and calm power, overwhelming my senses at times. Yet, after my more recent dreams, I had further doubts, even about the voice. Maybe I couldn’t trust anyone. Not even myself. “Kill or be killed…” “Do not wake them…” “Kill or be killed…” I heard these warnings over and over each time I went to sleep. Perhaps I didn’t understand it yet. The voice might be warning me about something at the station, not on the ship. The voice could also be lying to me…but why? I covered my reflection with my hand and looked down. I had to sort things out in my confused mind. I had to know what I, myself, stood for first of all. I breathed in and out, slowly and deeply. As these thoughts swirled through my brain, a beeping sound filled the ship. “Noah, we are going to fly close to a massive meteor cluster,” Alice announced. “Any chance of damage?” “Very small, but we are also entering a strong magnetic field. The combination of these things could cause internal disruptions.” Great. Internal disruptions. “Okay, a field from what?” “I’m not sure.” Again, the android had no answers. “How is that possible?” “We are close to that hole now, Noah. Remember that many things won’t make sense in the usual way, according to the original team.” “Okay, Alice, let’s meet in the command center and observe together.” “I am already here.” Alice had remembered something I had not. Well, she hadn’t remembered, exactly; all the information she accessed was part of her saved date. She couldn’t forget, could she? I got dressed in my combat suit and went ahead. The ship was pitching and shaking a bit already. I had to slow down my pace in order not to trip. Just ten days before we would land on Tricunius. As I entered the command center it took a moment to adjust as the light seemed much brighter than usual. Alice stood by the main screen, observing the ship’s activities. “Is it brighter here, or is it my eyes?” “It is, it’ll be back to normal in a moment.” Alice replied. Indeed it was, but that concerned me. “What happened?” “There was a slight malfunction due to the meteor shower.” “Anything else?” “There seems to be slight function problem in sector 77.” “Wait…isn’t that where the pods are powered from?” “Yes, but the pods look normal right now.” As she said this the screen in that sector began to flash a red light. “Not anymore.” Alice turned to me. “You stay here, Noah, and let me know if anything else goes wrong. I’ll fix it. If any of the pods are shown to be affected, let me know immediately.” Alice sped out of the command center and the door slid shut behind her. I turned back to the screen. “They want to kill you…” What? I quickly looked around. The voice sounded so close! Suddenly another alert appeared. One of the pods evidently had an issue with its ventilation system. Cold sweat beaded up on my forehead. Should I alert the android? “They want to kill you…” No, no…no. I shook my head and hit my temples with my hands. The screen flashed faster now, and the crew member was about to enter critical condition. I pressed my watch. “Alice! Hurry! One of the pods is damaged!” “I will address it immediately!” I sat back in the command chair, breathing heavily. I had almost let one of my crew die. We got through the area and the flight grew smooth again. That problem was solved, but the feeling of doom remained. Chapter 8 Tricunius It was beyond my wildest imagination. No amount of videos and photos could compare with seeing it with my own eyes. The giant space station, Tricunius, was as impressive as ever, but it was the space around it that was stealing the show. I stood glued to the window. As far as the eye could see around the space station, the atmosphere consisted of red-orange swirls, that seemed to congeal within the giant black hole. While by outer-space standards it was small, by human measures it was enormous. Finally, we were docking at the space station. “What is that sound?” I asked aloud. It was like a million voices moaning in pain in the far distance, inside that hole. It had begun the moment we landed, and went on and on. “What noise?” Alice was next to me. “How can you not hear it?” “The space station’s main engine? It’s still working.” I started to tell her no, but then it occurred to me that she, an android, could not hear the noises. Only I, or another human, could hear the sounds, because they came from inside my head. They were not external. I felt my eyes grow big. I remembered other noises recorded from this hole, but nothing like this. No machine could record this, droning on and on, inside the brain. Why…? How…? I took a deep breath and as the noises kept on filling my head, I turned to Alice. “We are in luck indeed. All the lights should be functional. I’ll eat, and we will begin the investigation immediately.” “Do you wish me to stay on the ship and wake the crew?” “No, you’ll come to investigate with me right away. Once we have looked around, we can come back and begin the awakening process.” ...

Why do we write

Hey friends, I wanted to expand upon a note I wrote, because I think this is VERY important. Over all of my time as a writer and as a blogger I have seen many writers have doubts and questions about themselves and why do they do this. Mostly revolving around topic of how big the reach is, how big the audience is. While I myself always wish to keep on increasing my audience and keep sharing with more people, I came to a rather important realization a while back, which has helped me with writing a lot in general. I was reading so many great words of encouragement on one of my resent notes about reaching a milestone in subscribers and I knew that I had to share these thoughts. Ultimately the main thing is our intentions towards others when we write and post. Regardless of how big or small the audience is, if we can impact at least one person’s heart in a positive way, that’s already huge. Writing is worth it. I believe that contributing towards the lives of others in a positive way is the main goal. Celebrating milestones is great and having a lot of people to share your words with is also great, but don’t get lost thinking of the numbers. Don’t compare yourself. Do not shrink yourself. You are IMPORTANT. There are things much bigger than this. Much bigger than numbers. Today with your posts you may have prevented someone’s suicide, or lifted someone from depression, or made someone who was abused have more hope. For some of you the thought may be that you are a very small in the world of writing, yet to some particular individual the impact that you created may have changed their whole entire world for the better with that one “small” step at a time. THAT’S what is truly BIG. Blessings. © 2024 Alexander Semenyuk 548 Market Street PMB 72296, San Francisco, CA 94104 Unsubscribe

Alexander Semenyuk

 

Alexander Semenyuk followed you on Substack

Ukrainian author of Paradise Harbour and 20+ other books. On my blog I write about faith, society and psychology. "Non nobis, Domine, non nobis; sed Nomini Tuo da gloriam.”

Ukrainian author of Paradise Harbour and 20+ other books. On my blog I write about faith, society and psychology. "Non nobis, Domine, non nobis; sed Nomini Tuo da gloriam.”

“Alexander is a thought-provoking, dedicated, and inspiring writer. But hey, don't take my word for it, give him a try and that will be all the evidence you need. : ) ”

Joseph Francis Argazzi, Joe’s Substack

“Alexander is an amazing writer. I have read a few of his books that are on Amazon and his blog stories on Medium. He writes amazing poetry on Medium and he will be a great addition h...”

Jean Davis, Jean’s Substack