Symphony of Humanity

SYMPHONY OF HUMANITY

EDWARD PUNALES

© 2015 Edward Punales / All Rights Reserved

Cover: Detail from The Immaculate Conception (1767-1768) by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo

This book is protected under the copyright laws of the United States of America. Any reproduction or other unauthorized use of the material contained herein is prohibited without the express written permission of the copyright holder.

All characters in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to any persons, living or dead is purely coincidental.

Author’s Notes: First, I just want to set the record straight to avoid any confusion. All of these stories were originally published under the pen name Edward Lange. They have been republished here under my real name. Second, this book contains strong language and graphic violence. Reader discretion is advised.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

THE SMITHS ARE GOING TO JUPITER

ADRIFT

A CRUEL AND SWIFT INSTRUMENT OF NATURE

THE LAST TITAN

CATERPILLARS ON A PINK MOON

STUM

SYMPHONY OF HUMANITY

SOLILOQUY OF A MAMMAL

FALL OF JUPITER

HUMAN PROCUREMENT

MARY

SLIPPED

KNIGHTS OF THE IRON DRAGON

THE OUROBORUS REVOLT

THE WITCH OF TITAN

KAIJUS TAKEN OFF ENDANGERED SPECIES LIST

CHILDREN OF THE ARTIFICIAL WOMB

THE SMITHS ARE GOING TO JUPITER

Cody cut off another’s squirrel’s head.

Jennifer caught him playing with it in the living room. She told Sarah, who in turn told me.

I keep telling you, we need to take him to a doctor! She said.

I gave her the party line on Cody, He doesn’t need a doctor. Let me just talk to him.

I made Cody bury the squirrel in the backyard.

Now how many times have I told you that you can only do this with bugs? I asked him.

But bugs aren’t that fun. He whined. They’re too little. And they don’t make the funny noises.

You know it upsets your mother and sister.

It’s none of their fucking business.

You watch your language or its no video games for a week!

Dad!

Two weeks?

Cody was silent. He finished burying the squirrel. Afterward, I sent him upstairs to his room, while his mother and I talked.

William, there is no shame in sending Cody to a doctor. Sarah said.

Maybe not for you.

What’s that supposed to mean?

You want your son branded as a crazy person? A freak? Is that what you want for our boy?

Dad, he’s a psycho. Jennifer said.

Jennifer! Sarah cried

Don’t talk that way about your brother!

I’m sorry if it sounds harsh, but it’s the truth. And it’s not his fault. He doesn’t have any friends. I've seen him at the playground; he is really awkward with other kids. He needs help.

You didn’t have any friends when you were his age. And you were fine.

I had Ran. Ran was a Martian. He moved to Earth four years earlier. Jennifer met him on the first day of school that year, and they were somehow drawn to each other. Don’t ask me how it happened. They were both loners, so maybe that had something to do with it. They started dating a few days after Ran turned fifteen.

Like that’s much better.

What’s wrong with that?

Nothing.

No, why do you always have such a stick up your ass about Ran? What’s wrong with Ran?

Nothing it’s just…

Just what?

Well, you know… I tried to grasp for words. He’s…

A Martian!? Jennifer screeched. I hate it when she shrieks like that.

I didn’t say that!

But it’s what you’re thinking! I looked at Sarah, and begged her for help with my eyes. She looked back at me with a confused, worried look. She didn’t know what to say.

I have nothing against Martians. My boss, Mr. Kic, he’s a Martian. Many of my buddies at work are Martians, and Venusians. I even hangout with them after work sometimes.

Then why do you have such a problem with me dating one?

It’s just…romantic relationships…

Are better with your own kind?

Well yeah. I said. I saw Sarah shaking her head in the corner of my eye. Beings from other cultures are just so different, and-

Dad, do you know where the phrase ‘better with your own kind’ comes from?

No.

It’s from an ad from the Terra Party. The Terra Party was an Earth-based, isolationist party that pushed for legislation that would, among other things, ban inter-species relationships. They were considered by many to be a hate group, and to a large extent they were, but I thought they had a few good points. You’re just as close-minded and bigoted as they are.

That’s not what I meant!

Jennifer, Sarah interjected, thank God. This isn’t about you; this is about your brother.

It all the same shit!

Don’t curse!

You never think about what other people think, or what they want. It’s either your way or the highway. You’re so closed-minded. You never even consider the possibility that you’re wrong!

Jennifer. Sarah began, but the damage was done. Jennifer stomped upstairs to her room. Sarah turned to me. We were silent for a time. There was nothing we could think to say.

I stepped off the elevator, and walked to my cubicle, the scene from last night still playing in my head.

Will. a high-pitch voice said. I turned around and saw Mr. Kic approaching me. His dark green skin sharply contrasted with his white, short-sleeved dress shirt. His antennas wiggled lightly, as they always did when he was happy. And he was always happy. He had on the big friendly smile that he always wore.

Hey Mr. Kic. I said.

Will, you can just call me Kic. he hugged me and kissed me on the cheek. Martians were very friendly like that. How many times have I told you that you don't have to use a title with me? There is no need to be so formal.

I quietly wiped the cheek he'd kissed and said, Sorry, old habits die hard.

Whatever. I gotta run to a meeting. See you later. He patted me on the shoulder and left.

Next to my cubicle, was the cubicle of Fraj, a Venusian. He sat at his desk, looking over his paperwork with six eyes that sat on his face in an X-shape pattern. He lifted up his big red hands with the long fingers nails, and waved at me; the customary greeting on Venus. I waved with one hand; just like on Earth.

He was the only person from Venus in the entire office; everyone else was either human or Martian. He was also the only other person besides me, who never really warmed up to Kic's friendliness.

He's just always so touchy feely. Fraj had confided in me once. The Martians have no sense of personal space. Now I'm sure that's all fine and good on Mars, where you have nothing but other Martians. But on Earth, where you have all these other races, you should be a little more fucking considerate.

Damn right. I agreed. When he’d said that, I instantly thought about Ran, and Jennifer’s other Martian friends. I’d see them together sometimes when I was picking her up from school or when they were hanging out in my living room. They were always hugging, and kissing when they greeted each other, and it just didn’t feel right, seeing friends do that. It was weird enough when she did it with Ran, but with her friends it was even worse. And of course, you can’t say anything about it because then you’re ‘insensitive’ and ‘intolerant.’

Exactly. I said. We became friends immediately.

Later that same day after work, I, Kic, Fraj, and the others in the office went out to Hank’s, a sports bar a couple blocks away from the office. We all went there to watch the football game. It was Earth vs. Mercury; Earth was by far the superior team, and cleaned up Mercury 30 to 21. It was a pleasant enough evening. Fraj and I spent most of it sitting in a corner, nursing our drinks, while Kic and the others yelled, and jumped up and down, and kissed each other every time the Earth team made a goal.

After the game, Fraj and I decided to stay in the bar a little longer than the others. It was nice to get some alone time.

My son says he wants to renounce his religion. Fraj said. Venusians were known for their devout adherence to The Church of Ghidorah, practiced by just about everyone on Venus.

Really? I asked.

Yeah. He took some class about the history of the solar system, and says he’s only now starting to see the evils of the Venusian Church. He rested his head in his hands. These fucking Earth schools.

I know what you mean. We don’t like them either. I said.

He lifted his head from his hand. He smiled, but the anguish was still clear on his face. He continued, They don’t teach the history correctly. They get the facts right, but the way they tell it is all wrong. And they don’t talk about the good stuff as much as they dwell on the bad stuff.

They always do that.

This crap wouldn’t have happened on Venus. Teachers are different there. I don’t know why I moved. He looked so sad. I’d seen him glum before, he was a very melancholy person to begin with. But this was different. He looked like someone about to be let off for execution.

He leaned over to me. Can I tell you something?

Sure.

You can’t tell anyone.

I won’t.

Okay. He paused. I’ve been thinking….

Uh huh.

And I thought that....maybe… He sighed.

Maybe what?

I think that Venusians weren’t met to mix with other cultures. He stopped and waited for me to say something. I didn’t, and he went on. I don’t mean there’s anything wrong with humans or martians, or anything. It’s just…we’re so different. Our ways are not compatible. Life is difficult enough without having to deal with all these other people getting involved. It just makes things too messy.

I was silent. He looked at me, a worried expression on his face. Did I say something wrong?

No. No I agree completely. He couldn’t imagine how much I agreed with him.

I’m not a bigot, but I do know that a community can’t live peacefully if everyone is always disagreeing with each other. Before the aliens came, things on Earth were simpler. I wasn’t alive during that time, but I read about it in school. There were wars, famines, dictators, all sorts of problems. But they were all with fellow humans. Even in the worst situations, when you were dealing with people who were pure evil, or who thought completely differently from you, they were still human.

But with the aliens, everything’s gone crazy. People walk around questioning the basic principles of their existence, of their philosophies. Wives question husbands, children question parents, and no one is safe.

It’s just about enough to make a man go mad.

When I got home that night, I tried to think of the last time I’d felt truly happy and content. A few happy memories flowed into my mind, as I lay awake next to Sarah, but none of them really worked. None of them were perfect. None except the Mars trip.

I smiled thinking about it. We’d gone to Mars just after Cody turned two. Jennifer would’ve been about six. She loved me back then. Called me Daddy.

We camped out in this remote little corner of the Martian plains. No one around for miles; Martian or otherwise. Jennifer helped Daddy make a fire, and Cody spoke his first words with his mother. It was bliss. I wanted it back.

As quietly as I could, I got out of bed, and went to the computer to research vacation prices. I’d had quite enough of Martians lately, so Mars was out of the question.

When Sarah finally woke up at seven, she found me slumped over the computer.

Have you been here all night? She asked. I turned to her, a huge smile on my face.

Honey, I got it.

Got what?

Sarah, the Smiths are going to Jupiter!

Jupiter is a gas giant. Its mass is primarily made up of various colored gases. But its core is as hard as a rock. In the 2300s, a resort company got the idea to build a hotel on the surface of the core. The resort sits under a three-thousand-mile high glass dome that protects the people in the hotel from the hostile atmosphere outside.

I sat by the pool, a glass of lemonade in my hand, looking up at that glass dome. On the other side of it, I could see the Jovian Serpents, swimming in their atmosphere. They were each at least a thousand-feet-long; giant snakes, not made of bone and cartilage, but simple gasses like hydrogen and helium. They looked like giant beige-colored clouds that slithered through the sky. It’s one thing to see videos of them on the internet. It’s quite another to actually see them in person.

Cody stood beside me looking up at them. He’d spent most of the trip thus far playing with (by playing, I mean maiming and torturing) these little blue-beetle things he’d found in a dirt mound near the pool. But whenever the serpents showed up, he always stopped and looked up at them. It wasn’t much, but it was a start.

Jennifer had started spending less and less time on her phone as the vacation went on. She began to spend more time talking to her mother, who in turn tried to get her to talk to me. It wasn’t much, but it was a start. They sat next to me, and watched the serpents.

On one end of the pool sat the Martian lifeguard. There were a lot of Martians here, but they knew not to get all touchy-feely. They trained their workers well here.

There we were, sitting together like a family, enjoying a pleasant moment. It was a simple thing, and you couldn’t have much of those in a complicated world. It was the happiest I’d been in a long time. It gave me hope for the future of my family.

The hotel room phone rang in the middle of the night.

Hello? I asked, half-asleep.

Mr. Smith?

Yes.

Mr. Smith, I’m Brain Madison, the owner of this hotel.

Really. I suddenly felt very awake. Hey pal, I just want to tell you, you got a great place here.

Thank you. Could you please come to my office? I began to notice that he was speaking very fast, like something was making him nervous.

Now?

Yes.

I looked at the clock on the nightstand. Its two o’clock in the morning.

Mr. Smith, this is extremely important. Please come to my office now.

Okay okay. He gave me the directions to his office. I put on some flip-flops, and made my way there.

His office was sparsely decorated, and furnished with only a big brown desk, and two chairs on either side of it. Madison himself stood in front of the desk, pacing up and down. He only stopped pacing when I entered.

Mr. Smith. He said shaking my hand. He was a short man, with white thinning hair, and a stout body. He looked nervous.

Is something wrong? I asked.

I’m afraid so.

It was then that I heard this high-pitched squeaking sound. It reminded me of a cartoon chipmunk. It sounded like someone talking, but I couldn’t make out the words. I looked all around the room, before I noticed the little blue beetle on Madison’s shoulder. The chipmunk noises were being made by the beetle.

It stopped talking after a few seconds, and Madison spoke.

The ambassador says that your son has maliciously murdered and dismembered several members of his tribe.

I stared at him and the beetle in silence before I spoke.

Is this a gag?

What?

I pointed at the beetle, trying to sound light-hearted. Is it robotic? Is it a toy? It’s adorable. One some level, I’d fooled myself into thinking that if I acted light-hearted, that the situation would become light-hearted. Madison was not amused.

Sir, this ‘adorable thing,’ is the ambassador from the local Native Jovian tribe. Your son has been accused of the murder and assault of several of the ambassador’s tribesmen.

Understanding came over me, like a bucket of piss being slowly poured onto my head.

Oh shit. I took a deep breath, and tried to defend my son. Listen…ah…he…he didn’t mean anything by it. I looked at the beetle. He thought you guys were insects.

The chipmunk squeaking began again, this time louder, shriller. Madison translated.

The ambassador would like you to know that the Insectizoids are a proud and noble people. More chipmunk noises, then Madison. I’d rather not repeat that last part. But I can assure you…it was very vulgar.

Look, I swear to you, he didn’t mean any harm. If there is anything-

"As a matter of fact there is. The truth is that we at the Hotel Madison, don’t want this to get out. The hotel is already under much scrutiny for being built on the site of an ancient Jovian tribe.

We’ve already negotiated with the tribe, and they have agreed to keep quiet about this incident on two conditions; First, a large sum of money to be paid to the tribe. The hotel will take care of that. Second, you and your family must leave at once.

Ah… I wasn’t sure what to say. The vacation was going so well. Listen, I only just got here. I’ll just let Cody know that he can’t-

The ambassador has made it clear, that if you don’t leave, the tribe will be forced to press charges.

We sat in the transport shuttle that would take us back to Earth, and it seemed that all the good that had come from the vacation had been undone. Sarah was yelling about taking Cody to a doctor, Cody was whining about how I wouldn’t let him take any of the blue beetles home with him, and Jennifer was texting Ran on her phone.

We could’ve started an interplanetary incident! Sarah yelled. He needs professional help!

And they were so fun! Cody said. They were even better than the squirrels. I could hear them talking!

Jennifer chuckled while reading a text from Ran.

Fuck my life.

ADRIFT

When I woke up the first thing I saw was the color orange, the first things I felt were my wet clothes, and the first thing I thought was where am I?

My head was throbbing, and it reminded me of the migraine I’d had on the plane. The plane!

I bolted up from my position lying down on my stomach. The intensely fast movement made my headache worse and I had to clutch at the sides of my head to steady the pain. After a few moments my head had cleared, and I began to take note of my surroundings.

I was sitting alone in a round, orange life raft, surrounded on all sides by an ocean draped in fog. The cold sea air did not agree with my wet clothes, and I had to hold myself to stop from shivering.

I remembered sitting in an airplane, receiving a drink from a stewardess. I thanked her for the drink, and swallowed an aspirin with it. Then the loud speaker came on This is your captain speaking. We’re- he was cut off by a bright flash of blue light coming through the airplane windows. The lights inside went dead and the sounds of screams enveloped the cabin. I couldn’t remember much after that.

I looked out beyond the edge of the raft. The dense fog made it impossible to see more than two feet in any direction. I was blind out there. I cupped my hands on around my mouth and called out to the fog.

Hello! There was no reply.

I turned around in the raft and called again to another direction. Nothing. I kept turning in the raft, desperately searching in all directions, only to be greeted by the same silent gray mist every time.

Hello! I bellowed to no particular direction. My breathing became fast, and I felt light-headed. Despite the wet clothes and cold morning air, I was sweating. Then I spotted something.

Through the thick fog I could see something floating in the water. It was a vague shape drifting toward the raft. I hesitated for a moment, and then called out a fourth time. The thing did not respond as it moved closer.

I watched in anticipation as the floating object moved closer, and I was able to better make it out. It looked to be about five feet long. Some parts of it were submerged under the water, but most of it was floating on the surface. My breathing quickened again.

It exited the fog very slowly. It was the stewardess from the plane, lying on her back. She wasn’t moving. Without thinking, I bolted from the raft, and swam to her.

The water was freezing. My eyes were groggy, and the salt water splashing in my face didn’t help much. When I got to her, my heart nearly sank. Her skin was grayish white, and her lips were the color of blueberries. I grabbed her by the shoulder and began to shake her.

Hey! Hey!

There was no response. Cold water splashed as I thrashed about in all directions.

Help! I found someone! I think she needs help!

I suddenly realized that the yelling would do no good. The fog, which only a moment ago was as dense as a brick wall, had begun to clear.

There were dozens of them. They came in all shapes, sizes, and colors and they were all floating face down on the water, their bodies limp and motionless. Without giving it a second thought, I swam back to the raft. My arms hurt, and my head was throbbing again, but I didn’t care. I needed to be back in that raft.

I struggled to climb aboard, but one quick backward glance and I was inside in no time. I laid down on the floor of the raft. I couldn’t help but weep.

Later, after my headache subsided, and the fog had cleared, I realized I needed to get my shit together.

There was an emergency kit tucked into a pouch inside the raft. The kit contained a flash light, a lighter, a flare gun, binoculars, some bottled water and a radio. Immediately I tried to use the radio, but no matter what button was pushed or knob was turned, it wouldn’t do anything. That’s when I spotted a sticker on the side of the device which read BATTERIES NOT INCLUDED. I spoke a few unkind words before tossing it aside.

My crossed legs were starting to feel cramped in the raft. I picked up the binoculars and began to rise, when I remembered the limp bodies floating in my mind. I stopped and didn’t move for several moments.

I sucked in a deep breath and stood up in the raft. The ocean around me stretched out in all directions. Its surface was a clear, uninterrupted stream of blue, like the cloudless sky above. I breathed a sigh of relief as blood flowed back into my legs. There was nothing.

Nothing?

The raft shook and twisted as I scrambled inside, looking in all directions. Nothing. I raised the binoculars and continued to twist in the raft, desperately searching for anything. But the only thing I could find was more of that empty blue nothingness staring back at me. I was completely and utterly alone; an ant in a giant foreign blue world.

That night I fell asleep in the raft. It wasn’t my idea. I’d told myself: I ain’t going to sleep until I’m on land, or in a proper boat! That fell apart around 2:00 am.

I was squatting in the raft, looking out at the ocean with the binoculars glued to my eyes. I’d been in this position since 10:00 pm, when my shaking legs told me that I wasn’t allowed to stand on them anymore. No matter, as long as I could see over the edge of the raft this could work. But as the hours crept by, my eyelids grew heavy and my mind grew weary. At 2:00 am, I let consciousness go, and I tumbled forward in the raft.

I had a dream, but I don’t remember it that well. There was a woman in it. She had light brown hair, and a very warm smile. She said she needed to tell me something, but before she could say anything, I heard a sound. It was like a sudden burst of air, and it kept repeating every few seconds. Then the dream ended, and I was back on the raft at sea.

I could still hear the sound as I woke up. It was too far away to be coming from my plastic vessel. I listened for a few moments. The sound was getting louder with each new interval, and as its volume increased, it became accompanied by a new sound. I listened for it very carefully. It was splashing. Something was in the water and it was heading for the raft.

My heart beat quickened and my mind raced through the possible identities of this aquatic intruder. The splashes became more intense as they began to rock the raft. I was panicking. My eyes darted about the raft, searching for something that could allow me to escape. I didn’t want to be there. I wanted to be back in my dream and find out what that girl that was trying to tell me.

It happened all at once. I felt a bulge pressing against the raft, and in the blink of an eye, the raft had been capsized. I was submerged in the ice cold water.

I began to frantically kick as my nostrils filled with water. My sleep deprived muscles ached when I pushed them through the salty ocean water. The big toe of my right foot brushed against something big and smooth, and I suddenly found the strength to break the surface.

After taking a big breath, I surveyed the immediate area. The orange raft was floating capsized a few feet in front of me. A large black mass swam under the water next to it. I watched in utter terror as its powerful body moved toward the surface. Water sprayed from the top of its head, accompanied by the sound of pressurized air.

By the dim light of the full moon, I could see that the creature that swam before me was a humpback whale. I quickly swam back to the raft, pushed it right side up, and climbed aboard. The interior was soaking wet, and the survival kit was gone. I cursed under my breath.

Another shot of pressurized air distracted me from my thoughts, and I looked out at the black water. The whale swam away from the raft at a leisurely pace as it broke the surface for air. Its ugly snout was covered with gray dots and cuts and there was a large gash on its hump.

The fucking thing nearly drowned me, and now I didn’t have any water. My breathing was very hard and my hands had been balled up into fists. I wanted to do horrible things to that whale. But I also didn’t want to upset it. Gentle giant or not, that thing was big and probably wouldn’t have appreciated if something swam up to it unexpectedly. Besides