Dear stranger,
If you are reading this, it's likely that I'm very much dead. Possibly dead for any number of time, could be a day, a year, hundreds of years. The lower that number, the more the carnage is prominent to you. And if it's longer—you're seeing a morphed visage blessed by time itself. A much more different hue is prominent than I'm used to. A hue that is needlessly too green, with all the overgrown vines laughing merrily in all directions. I wish I could see that image, I wish I could drown myself in that empty, desolate beauty, not really quiet—as I expect there'd be plenty of flying creatures we call birds. In my time, they are the bearer of seasons, I don’t expect that nature to change in a few thousand years.
Oh, where is my manner! My name be Gopal, an everyman from an underdeveloped part of the world.
In the last few years of human civilization, we were trying desperately to repopulate the earth with enough green to sustain the environment—but the damage was done. The accelerated changes that took place wiped out nearly 90% of humanity in a decade, those who survived were unluckiest of all as they had to scavenge to live, bearing the memories all along, if you can call that living. The blue planet of ours became dull, grayish and you wouldn’t believe reddish tint it had in dry places, as if a massive angry goddess took a lighted cigar and tortured the earth by buring it here and there. Water ran out, crops failed. I remember intense hunger that accompanied a pathological dread—there was no reason to carry on. Everyday it was an impossible quest for food and other necessities. There were no jobs, no authorities, no vendors, no shopping. If it wasn’t for my wife, the moon of my eyes, I would’ve taken the easy way out. And then one day she died too. Pneumonia took her. Maybe that was a better way to go. She didn’t have to die of hunger. Perhaps the better part of me was gone too, as she disappeared.
The radio has been quiet for weeks now. Nothing on any band. Before they stopped, many cried for help one last time. Naturally help never came. I’m not sure if there are any living humans on earth anymore. If they are, they are isolated, alone too, like me. And have little or no means to carry on, also like me.
I don’t know who you’d be, dear extraterrestrial stranger, I’d like to call you a friend nonetheless for you are reading my letter. I hope it is a Dark Forest out there in the universe, as opposed to being an empty, dead place devoid of life. At least in such a case, there are possibilities that Earth gets discovered. We wouldn’t be here of course but such a magnificent green paradise, as once she was and once she’ll be, shouldn’t be forgotten, shouldn’t be lost in the bowels of cosmos. It’d be such a shame otherwise.
The last bit of water was gone a long time ago, I have lost count of hours. 2-3 days? Maybe more. I’m trying to remember what my zoology teacher taught me about how many days a human can live without water. I can’t remember, but that’s okay. There’s no point.
Let me ask you something, if you decide to come here with your people, to repopulate the planet, do not make the same mistakes we did. Do not confuse progress with needless and abusive technology. Respect the planet for she is the matron mother, generous and bountiful and she will return tenfold.
I welcome you to my home, to the only home I’ve ever known, and the only one I wanted to be in, dear stranger! I offer you my hospitality, and ask nothing in return. I only wish……lfk8&k…….I……lefw;......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
In the scenario you described Gopal likely dies by natural disaster like a tropical cyclone or related waterborne simple diseases like giardiasis ;) That’s the likely statistical outcome based on where you are currently.
Gopal's home country was long destroyed, yet Gopal was a survivor, one of the last of his race. Otherwise he wouldn’t write a letter to the space. It would make more sense to write to something like the UN. But all that were gone then. He survived the diseases and the calamities and writing from a bunker likely. Yes, the letter could use more exposition to describe Gopal's situation. I thought about them but didn’t include.
Im at the third chapter of The Magic Mountain, probably 2%. Enjoying so far.
Yeah. I am still reading Norwegian Wood too. It’s actually enjoyable. I am also likely the pressure to continue to read.
So simple lyrics...
I once had a girl
Or should I say she once had me
She showed me her room
Isn't it good Norwegian wood?
She asked me to stay
And she told me to sit anywhere
So I looked around
And I noticed there wasn't a chair
I sat on a rug biding my time
Drinking her wine
We talked until two and then she said
"It's time for bed"
She told me she worked
In the morning and started to laugh
I told her I didn't
And crawled off to sleep in the bath
And when I awoke I was alone
This bird had flown
So I lit a fire
Isn't it good Norwegian wood?
Gopal— sometimes it seems to me that you embodied Gopal as Mother Earth, making it an autobiography that Earth has written most likely right before the final wave of destruction.
And when I continue further, it seems to be a man; Gopal himself is documenting his final days on earth— urging everyone to care for nature. A perfect combination of duality.
Either way, the core message is clear; we gotta act now if we want to survive and thrive.
It is likely we won't do anything as it is not in favor of many people who could actually bring about some changes.
Gopal is a character I use in every fiction of mine, he's an alter ego of myself probably.
This letter has a lot of messages in it from Gopal and I did received it well.
Thank you for sharing this with us @notacinephile.