Twin Earth
Chapter 45

“That seriously does look like a man sitting on a pile of logs,” I whispered as we got closer.

“Yeah okay, maybe you go first then,” Rachel replied, her enthusiasm waning slightly.

“Oh, so now I have to do the meet and greets do I?”

“You said it was just a rock, so what do you have to lose?” Rachel grunted, pushing me forward.

“For fuck sake,” I mumbled, stepping towards the dark silhouette only a few feet away from us. Whatever it was, it was too dark to make out exactly what it was. The sun had begun to set, causing the amazing star systems above us to glow brighter, but the scenery around us became darker, and if I was honest, quite intimidating. “No, that thing moved,” I stated, pulling back.

“It what?” Rachel whimpered, picking up on my anxiety and making us both panic.

“It has been many years,” a voice grumbled in front of us, causing us both to freeze instantly.

“Okay, this took a turn for the weird and mythical,” I whispered.

“Who are you?” Rachel shouted.

“The guardian of Pangea.”

“Pangea?” I replied, staring at Rachel who looked just as confused as I was.

“Are you the creator?” Rachel finally replied.

“I am the guardian of Pangea. Who is it who has travelled to find the founders?”

“Sorry, who the hell are you?” I replied, finally getting annoyed and stepping closer, but as I did so the silhouette turned to look at us, lighting up in a haze of colour, causing us both to gasp at the strange being in front of us, but only one thing ran through my mind and it was not what I was expecting. The creature looked exactly like how I would imagine a real-life ninja turtle would look like. Its whole being was tortoise like, but its shell was morphed into its lizard like skin creating a kind of armour that moved effortlessly with its limbs. Its eyes seemed wise and strangely friendly and its turtle like mouth even curled up slightly giving us the impression it was smiling. “Okay, not what I imagined, at all,” I mumbled.

“I am the guardian of Pangea, your Pangea.”

“Our Pangea? You mean Earth!” Rachel exclaimed as the penny finally dropped. “Pangea is the old name for Earth, the continents that were formed millions of years ago before they broke apart.”

“You... look different,” the being replied in equal confusion.

“How did you expect us to look?” I retorted.

“You are not like the others.”

“The others? What from Earth?” I asked confused. “Look, we need help. Earth is in danger...” I started, but was interrupted.

“I am not your creator. I am just the guardian of Pangea. I have waited many many years for your arrival, but I am confused. Answer me this question, why do you look different to the other beings in your galaxy?”

“There are more beings in our galaxy?” Rachel asked surprised, but the being simply looked more confused.

“You seem... so different to what I had expected.”

“This is getting us nowhere,” I replied. “Can you tell us where the hell we are? Or who the hell you are at least? And, how can you understand what we say? How is any of this happening?!”

Suddenly feeling sick, either from the stress or for not eating for hours on end, I bent down and cradled my head.

“Is he okay?” the being asked concerned, finally standing up and appearing more turtle like than ever.

“I just think he needs rest and some answers. We both do.”

“I am sorry, but it is time for me to move into the next realm, now that you are here. I have been waiting for over three thousand years.”

“Three thousand years?” Rachel exclaimed. “How is that possible?”

“My people live for many years, but I have struggled to wait for so many. Your creators left you many gateways, but you never came. They hoped that once you gained intelligence you would seek out the others around you. Did you do this? If so, why did you not come sooner? It was all planned.”

“I’m sorry, but we never knew about your gateways on Earth until a few days ago, and that was on Mochuvia. I don’t think they used them much. I really don’t know what happened,” I replied.

“Yes, your twin planet. Your creators hoped to save both planets before they were destroyed, but why are you... mammal like? This is most strange.”

“Mammal like? What the hell were you expecting?” I asked, sitting down.

“You were expected to develop from reptiles, like those on your planets. Why is this not so?”

“Do you mean the dinosaurs?” I exclaimed in surprise. “They were wiped out by an asteroid.”

“Oh,” the being replied with a look of confusion and intrigue on his face. “Well, it matters not to me. I am merely the guardian of...”

“Pangea, yeah we get it. So where are the creators? You still haven’t answered any of my questions.”

“Tom,” Rachel growled softly.

“It is time I left you now. The creators have long left this planet. It has been many years so they assumed your planet life had perished.”

“But we didn’t,” Rachel exclaimed.

“I am happy you have survived, even if you’re... different.”

“So what do we do now? Our planets are about to be destroyed. Whatever you or the creators did to save our two planets from mutual destruction is eroding away. We’ll be destroyed,” I exclaimed, trying to focus my increasingly fuzzy head.

“I have done all that I have been asked to do. It is time for me to leave now.”

“Leave? Leave where?” but before the being could reply he simply sat back down, closed his eyes and slowly crumbled away before us.

“No!” Rachel exclaimed, running towards the turtle like creature and lifting his remaining ashes in her hands, letting them fall into the wind, but I struggled to focus as my head was pounding harder and harder until eventually I passed out.

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