Today was the last day for Medreegwan-558.

 

When Terrlaux the Anf had announced his heretical intentions seventy years prior, we had all laughed heartily. To harvest a sun—who would say something so foolish, except for a fool? He had endured our taunts throughout his speech, even daring to tip his hat at the end. He was lucky to have made it home unscathed.

 

He was one of the last of his kind, an Anf. Most had died off, due to their overharvesting of ggwittero, a putrid, green substance which had once been in abundance. Anfs needed it to survive. Every morning, we would sit on the small hill which surrounded his estate. He would emerge—shiny tools adorning his short, rather silly-looking frame. His purple eyes were always filled with naive determination as he hobbled over to the middle of the clearing. He would gently place a small rocket on the dirt floor. The contraption was shoddy, as if constructed by a child. Like clockwork, we would erupt in laughter. He would ignite it, and with a woosh it would curve on itself, hitting him squarely on the backside.

 

But soon, like even the most entertaining of performances, we grew tired of his failures. Once again bored, we went back to our mundane existence.

About forty years later, I saw the fool himself on the uni-view. I nearly spit out my Vriggt-Badt tea. He spoke from space. His face was hardened, possibly from our unsolicited taunts and assaults from bygone days. How had he done this? My heart burned with envy. He unknowingly mocked me from his astral perch.

We gathered en masse at the hill. Our shared hatred, guilt, and embarrassment had drawn us to our old pastime. The others had conversed in hushed tones. Making excuses for their poor states. Being among them made me feel pathetic.

 

We consumed Eegyio, growing drunk as we told stories about him, Erupting in fits of laughter. Cursing his success. As we laid there in a drunken stupor—the uni-view came to life. It was a special broadcast. Terrlaux. His thin green countenance towered over us. We jeered when he discussed the same idea from decades before. He spoke of a “last opportunity” for Medreegwan-558. We hissed at his arrogance, tossing the rotten dregs of the Eegyio—saturating our surroundings with the offensive stench of grejjak seeds. He vowed to complete construction in twenty to thirty years. Not a single one of us laughed. For the first time, waves of fear washed over me. He presented a depiction of the final design; a star-sized, green orb. It glowed brightly with an unnatural color, casting Medreegwan-558 in a green hue. He claimed it was necessary for survival.

 

We gathered in the community center, under the indigo sky. We decided to stop this madness. A competent politician could bar him from building the abomination. We marched to such a politician’s residence, demanding that he condemn the project. He told us that no one owned the sun, and that Terrlaux could do what he pleased. We cursed at him, but he only shook his head, looking upon us with pity.

 

After many more years had passed, to my complete astonishment, I ran into Terrlaux one more time. He had returned from space to get his children and retrieve his belongings. I sprinted outdoors when I was told he would be leaving soon. My group was waiting for me. They each held a torch, illuminating a sea of vengeful gray faces. I held one too.

 

Sure enough, he was sneaking back to his ship when we caught up to him. He greeted us warmly, the torch fire revealing a joyous expression which only made me burn hotter with rage. He told us that he had made room for our entire community. Surely it was a trick for him to escape us once again. He would thrive, we would shrivel. An older member of the community, Bheliggas, gave into his hatred, striking the fool on his head. Terrlaux yelped, taken aback.

We circled him and his family, and to my shame, we brought them to an end. The heretic had a bit of life remaining, however. He wailed for his family, asking us why. Like old times, we mocked his misery. For him to believe he was ever superior to us! He crawled across the cold ground as if groveling—like he should have done years ago. When he had cried enough, we ended his misery. Lying in the dirt, his dead purple eyes were open wide—as if watching his own blood seep into the soil.

 

Their bodies stayed there for days, decaying under the cold shadow of their own rocket. Eventually, his demise was reported through the uni-view. In an interview, one of his employees talked with a light smile. He said that fortunately, the structure would still be completed on time, thanks to scores of builders. I gasped. It was then announced that today was the final day of sunlight for Medreegwan-558.

 

We all went out to the hill to watch the last bit of sun disappear. Moments later, the sky grew black, casting us in the eerie green hue. Shortly thereafter, low, eerie moans emanated from our crowd, followed by primal screams of terror. As I felt myself begin to melt, I also screamed. Unraveled molecule by molecule, I looked over to the decaying corpses of Terrlaux and his kin. The green carcasses swelled and then burst with thousands of Anf hatchlings. The hatchlings enthusiastically crawled in our direction, covering us. They began to devour their new source of sustenance., nibbling incessantly at my tasty gray flesh. I only hoped Terrlaux’s device would soon end my misery.