Love In Cosmic Times Feels Real

I miss him so much that his absence feels like a chasm between worlds. But was he the chasm itself?

Tessa, is your love destined to drift aimlessly within this unbridgeable gap, unable to touch him in real life?

This question haunted me as I stood on the threshold of my quiet life, contemplating the enigmatic relationship I shared with Wright, who lived far beyond Earth’s edges.

Our connection had bloomed in my dreams of reaching beyond the ordinary. It all began when I decided to venture into the world of digital dating, seeking a connection that could transcend the limits of my everyday existence.

While swiping through profiles that seemed otherworldly one fateful day, I stumbled upon Wright’s profile. It felt like destiny had intervened. He was an adventurous soul, and our match felt serendipitous, filling me with excitement.

We began exchanging messages, and every word felt like a revelation. We shared stories of our dreams and our yearning for a love that could bridge the divide between us. Wright’s messages were filled with curiosity and mystery, drawing me in with each response.

Months passed by in a whirlwind of digital conversations. We laughed, confided in each other, and shared our deepest desires and fears. It was as if our souls had found a way to connect through the screen, and I couldn’t help but feel that we were meant to be.

We decided to take the next step in our relationship. With the help of a futuristic video app, we met face-to-face for the first time. My heart raced with anticipation as the screen seemed to vanish, leaving only Wright’s image before me. Our eyes locked, and in that moment, I felt an undeniable chemistry that sparked hope deep within.

He was an average-looking Latino-French person — which was hot to me. I detected an unassuming presence about him that belied his adventurous spirit. He was an astronaut, after all. His warm, dark eyes held a hint of mischief. Every time that charming smile graced his thick lips, my heart skipped a beat.

With a soft French accent, Wright's voice was a soothing melody that resonated with warmth and authenticity. It was like the gentle lilt of a troubadour’s song, filled with tales of far-off places and dreams that reached for the stars. His words flowed effortlessly, painting vivid landscapes of his adventures and aspirations.

I was done.

I knew I had found someone extraordinary. Across the digital divide, our hearts were intertwined, and we committed to each other.

Yet, amidst our digital encounters, I ignored those curious moments when the screen flickered as if refreshing itself. During those fleeting instants, his voice briefly took on an altogether different tone, like a glitch in the seamless connection that bound us. I brushed aside these details, attributing them to the quirks of technology, not realizing its significance in our unfolding story.

As time passed, my longing to meet Wright in person consumed me. I missed him so much. There was so much distance between us. I yearned to touch him. I wanted to feel him in life. Should I surprise him? Yes!

I decided to take a spaceship and land at the place where he’d shared countless stories and dreams — his moon. It was a bold endeavor driven by the madness of my love.

Yes, I was in love with him.

With determination in my heart and a sense of purpose, I embarked on a journey that would bring me closer to Wright than ever before. I was so excited as the lunar surface came into view — where I believed he awaited my arrival.

But when I landed on that desolate lunar landscape, my heart sank. The place was devoid of any signs of life, let alone a man named Wright.

“Are you sure this is the moon he said he was on? People only come here to see where man first landed; they never stay,” the ancient pilot of the craft that brought me here asked.

I searched the horizon, desperate for a glimpse of him, but found nothing. It was as if he and the world he had described had vanished into thin air.

Confusion and despair enveloped me. The information he had provided, the coordinates, the descriptions — all were incorrect. The love I had nurtured and the hopes I had cherished shattered like moon dust.

“Wright? Wright! I’m here,” I grasped the phone tightly, desperately, as I screamed into it. “Your moon; I’m here! Where are — .” The line went dead.

I kept trying to reach him but my calls and messages went unanswered. Wright fell silent, leaving me grappling with the painful truth that the person I had loved might have been fictitious.

Back home, I couldn’t bear the weight of unanswered questions and the gaping hole in my heart. I plunged into the digital world, searching every virtual nook and cranny for answers.

I re-read every note we exchanged and watched every recorded interaction I saved through the fog of my sorrow and the mess of my tears.

He had deleted his social media profiles. All his contact lines and emails were no longer in service or deleted and purged.

Who was Wright? Where had he come from? Why had he disappeared so suddenly? Was he even a natural person or just some sick AI program?

Just when I thought I had reached a dead end, a strange and unsettling revelation emerged from the shadows of the void.

The truth, I would discover, was not only stranger than I could have imagined, but the answer was also uncomfortably close.

© Scarlet Ibis James, 2023: All Rights Reserved.

This story rose at the beakoning of a prompt by Susi Moore for the Scriber’s Nook Publication to write about a story based on a photo prompt. This was fun.