There are worlds out there

where the sky is burning

and the sea’s asleep

and the rivers dream.

People made of smoke

and cities made of song

-Doctor Who, seventh Doctor

Burns

“Tell me about the planet you’re from.”

Night has fallen and we found a secluded area far away from the main road. We have a small fire burning to keep away the animals. No one will see us here.

I stare up at the night sky. The stars are so bright tonight.

Emma is watching them too. Her body’s pressed up against mine and her head is on my shoulder. It’s a pleasant feeling.

I sigh. “It’s not so easy to explain.” I take a moment to think. “I was born on the Mist planet,” I say, “but that’s not where I’m from.”

Emma turns her head to look at me. “What do you mean?”

I keep my eyes on the stars. “I think it’s something like being born on a foreign country. Even though it’s your place of birth, you’re not one of the locals. I was born on the Mist Planet, but I’m not a Bear or a Claw Beast. It’s not where Souls are from. Souls come from the Origin.”

“The Origin?” Emma questions, “what is it like there?”

“It’s wonderful,” I whisper, “the atmosphere has many different colored layers of clouds. It’s the only planet where we can live outside of a host body for a long period of time. Most Souls try to stay there.”

“Why did you leave?”  There’s no accusation in her voice, only curiosity.

“I’ve never been there,” I inform her, “the only planets I’ve lived on are the Mist Planet and Fire World.”

“Then how do you know what it’s like?”

“All Souls are born with this knowledge.”

“Have you never though about going there?” Emma asks.

“There is no going to the Origin,” I say,”  “only leaving. We leave to make place for new generations. And to explore the universe. Make things better.” I sigh. “It’s our nature.”

She seems to consider this and nods, returning her gaze to the stars. “This planet you came from… Fire World? Where is it?” She motions towards the stars.

I let out a soft laugh. “It’s hundreds of light-years away. The Mist Planet is closer and even that would take a century.”

“Don’t you miss your family?” she asks softly. There’s a sad tone to her voice She must still miss hers.

I give a wry smile, though she can’t see. “We aren’t born like you humans. For us, to be born, our mother has to sacrifice herself. There aren’t many with the ability though. When she dies, her cells divide and become new Souls. Millions can be born from one female, though they’ll need a host body to survive.”

I sigh. “And when we are born, we have the knowledge our mother had.”
My voice has become a whisper. “We are all on our own from the start.”

Emma leans on her elbow now to look at me. Her eyes are sad. Is she sad for me?

I wonder what it’s like to be born as a human, to have a mother and a father. Siblings and cousins.
I only have David’s memories, but it’s not the same. It must be wonderful to be surrounded by family all your life.

I’m starting to think that Souls are doomed, forever destined to live off the lives of other beings, but never fully experiencing that life.

Of all the creatures I’ve been, humans have the shortest lifespan. In a handful of years, I’ll have ended one life term on this planet and I’ll need to switch to either another body or another planet.
Will all this be forgotten then?

In this human body, the memories of my other lives are vague. They are still there, but this human mind can’t fathom them completely.
Will it be the same with this life, when I settle on a new planet?
It would be a shame to lose these memories.
It’s such a pretty life.

“What are you thinking about?” Emma whispers.

“Life,” I sigh, “how short it really is.”

“How many lives have you lived?”

I swallow nervously. Will it upset her?
“This is my third life,” I say, but she doesn’t respond and I realize she already knew I lived on two planets before coming to Earth.

“And after Earth?” she whispers, “where will you go next?”  There’s something strange about the way she says it, but I can’t quiet explain it. Doe she want me gone? I would understand if she did, but we’re friends now. She said she trusted me.
I don’t think she was lying.

“Burns?” she asks and I realize I’ve been silent too long.
No, she can’t want me gone. Not with her lying so close to me.

I sigh. “I don’t know,” I admit, “I rather like it here. But… I don’t want to steal another life.”

It’s silent for a while. I don’t know what Emma’s thinking. She’s looking at the stars again. Is she trying to picture my other planets?

“My father used to tell me stories about the stars,” Emma says after a while.

I keep silent, wanting her to keep talking. She never told me much about her family.

She points at the sky. “Do you see that sign? The one that looks like an hourglass?”

I nod. I even know the name of the constellation, but I let her tell me. It’s the first time she’s sharing something with me on her own accord.

“It’s called Orion, the Mighty Hunter. The say Orion was the son of the seagod Neptune and the great huntress Queen Euryale. He inherited her hunting skills and, because of that, a major ego. He challenged the gods, boasting that he could kill any animal on Earth. So the gods conjured a giant Scorpion, which he could not defeat Instead, the beast killed him. According to the story, Zeus placed both Orion and the Scorpion in the night sky, making sure they were on opposite ends of the sky. That’s why you can never see them in the same sky together. To this day, Orion only rises in the East after Scorpios sets in the Southwest. And Scorpios won’t rise in the Southeast until Orion’s departure in the West.”

It’s an interesting story, even though it’s just that… a story.

“He always wanted to travel to the stars,” Emma says, “he said he’d love to study them up close.” She lets out a dry laugh. “He also wanted to meet an alien. Maybe he’ll get both wishes granted now.”

I sigh. “I’m sorry,” I whisper, “I wish I could give them back to you.”

“But you can’t,” she whispers, “he probably wouldn’t want you to either. If anything, he’d take the opportunity to examine the Soul that is wearing his body. He’d never give that up.”