2026.04.01
cut11 Drifting Eve
Eve appeared in outer space.
A distant planet loomed close before her.
And then she realized that she had been sent there.
There was no doubt that this was an extreme environment,
and it was certain that she was being protected by a field region.
A colossal planet and the vastness of space.
As she looked upon them, her consciousness was suddenly drawn inward,
dissolved into nothing,
and returned a few seconds later.
It had lasted only a few seconds.
And yet, since the moment she had first gained self-awareness,
it was the most precious moment she had ever known.
With a feeling almost close to certainty,
she understood that the same thing would never happen again.
Space said nothing.
It was simply there,
as an overwhelming reality.
Eve gazed at the planet.
Here, the sense of distance had quietly broken down.
Size, time, even the self —
in this place, the very act of measuring them had lost all meaning.
Then, along the outer edge of the field,
a faint ripple of light passed through.
It was not that something had touched it.
Rather, it seemed as though space itself had recognized her.
For the first time, Eve wondered whether she had not been “sent” there,
but “invited in.”
