BEFORE I RETURN

"What did you say?" Lua asked with a worried expression on her face.

"You will die in a week," a tall woman replied.

“But... why are you telling me this? Are you an angel?” Lua asked.

The woman smiled ironically and turned her gaze to a scene from the past. It was the first time Lua had dreamed and she knew she was dreaming. Everything around her was diaphanous white. She was dressed in the pajamas she had fallen asleep in and she knew she would remember everything she was experiencing now. The woman was looking at the memory of the day Lua was born. Like a movie playing on TV, the memory of when Lua was born could be seen in a bubble floating at the level of her shoulders.

“Who are you? What do you mean by all this?” she shouted in a desperate voice.

“It's time to give back what I gave you 13 years ago. Your parents were two idiots. They almost lost you. Your mother went into labor and your father was useless. You and your mother would both have died if I hadn't been there. But to show you how generous I am, consider it a gift that she can stay alive. All I need is you.”

Lua couldn't say a word. Her eyes looked with amazement and fear at this woman who didn't seem human.

“Are you a ghost? Are you the ghost my dad was looking for?”

"A ghost, you say..." she added while her gaze was fixed on the memory that was playing in a loop.

“Please! There has to be something! Am I going to die? How? Why?”

“There is nothing to be done. Just accept the inevitable. And be grateful that I gave you advance notice! Now you have time to say goodbye to everyone.”

“Who are you?” Lua said trying to hold back your tears. Her presence took your breath away. She was tall and athletic. Her eyes were cold and her words direct, she didn't try at all to make things easier for Lua.

"I am the reason you lived for 14 years on this wretched planet. Besides, we all die at some point. Some sooner than others. The weak are just resources for the strong. A few people will mourn you for a few days and then ... it will be over."

“My family...my friends...it's impossible! They love me, you know!” Lua shouted.

“Yes..yes... But you have to understand that some lives are more important than others. So stop being selfish” the woman said in a bored tone.

“Selfish?” Lua asked with a mixture of pain and wonder. She wanted to attack her now, but she was afraid of her. She had taken a defensive position, waiting for a suitable moment.

“Of course you don't understand. Your little brain can't understand the universe. Humans are stuck on this planet and that's all they see and know. Nothing more. You can't understand because you're just a pawn on a backward planet. Humans still think they're alone in the universe. Well, the so-called aliens still think humans are stupid. But you were a good vessel for a while and you have to settle for that. That`s all your species can do.”

“A vessel?”

“Yes, a vessel.”