I live in smoke. Green smoke in the red light of the moon. I wander within the smoke, swim, watch, wait. I have waited on this barren planet for nearly a thousand years.
One day, I hear voices. Human voices speak in human language. I see. I wait. I listen.
Three men are standing near a small spaceship. They are dressed in shiny metal suits and wear glass helmets on their heads. One person gives a signal to another. They take off their helmets and breathe air.
Humans spread out to explore the planet's barren surface. One of the humans sees something that catches his interest. It sees green smoke. It looks at me.
The curious human perspective. It stares at me and I look back. I reach out and touch it.
Now I am human.
I look down at myself. I wiggle my fingers. I spread my legs. I touch my shiny metal suit. I breathe. For the first time in a thousand years, I tasted the air.
"What's wrong?"
I hear a voice. I understood what the voice was saying. I open my mouth and answer.
"Nothing's wrong," I say. "everything is normal."
For the first time in thousands of years I have a body. I test it. I blink my eyes. I nodded. I spread my arms. I get down on my hands and knees and spin.
Both men approach me cautiously.
"What are you doing?" A person asks. "What's wrong with you?"
"I'm normal," I say. "There is nothing to fear."
I feel a shiver deep inside. It gets bigger and bigger until I can't stop myself shaking. I feel a burning heat within me. My mouth opens and a shrill scream comes out. I can not help myself. I fall to the ground and my body writhes here and there, my limbs flailing wildly.
I can no longer control my body. I close my eyes. The screaming stops. The shivering stops. I am once again swimming in green smoke.
A dead person is lying on the ground. Two other humans gather around it and sit on their knees. I reach out and touch one of them.
Now I am human again.
"He's dead," says the second human. "His heart stopped."
I nodded.
"What happened Captain?" It asks. "How could he die like this?"
I stood straight. I roll my eyes. I put a hand in front of my head and feel my nose, my mouth, my face. I take a deep breath of air and let it out slowly.
"What's wrong, Captain?" Manav asks.
"We must leave this planet immediately," I say.
Together we take the dead person back to the spaceship and then leave him.
I can feel the vibration in my body once again. The shaking is increasing and I don't know how to control it. There is a burning sensation inside and once again I scream.
My right hand reaches into my belt and starts searching for the weapon. I can't stop it. It puts weapons on my head.
"Sir, what are you doing?" Man cries. "Sir, no!"
Against my will, the finger pulls the trigger. There has been a deafening explosion. The screaming has stopped and I am once again floating in green smoke.
The second dead person is lying on the ground below. Where its head once stood, there is only a twisted heap of blood and bone.
The remaining humans run for the spaceship. I follow him. I can't let him go. He climbs the stairs and goes inside. Before he closes the door, I reach out and touch him.
I am human again.
I come down the stairs and go for a walk. I walk, jump, dance, sing. I cross the barren surface of the planet, turning the wheels of the cart. This body will only last a few minutes, but I'll enjoy it while I can.
Soon, I will return to the green smoke and when I do, I will be waiting. I will wait as long as it takes. I will wait until more humans arrive.
