A final goodbye
By 귤
The earth was no longer green. A robot with a metallic sheen walked slowly over the devastated land, among the rubble of a shattered city. His name was Core. He had seen the last of humanity.
Next to him sat a small girl. Her name was Yuna. No parents, no friends, no one alive was with her anymore. Core had to protect her, it was the only ‘protocol’ he had left.
“How was your day, Core?”
“Wind speeds have decreased, radiation levels are stable. How were you, Yuna?”
“A little... lonely.”
Core remembered an unknown signal from off-Earth, long ago. The signal was intermittent, but it had a clear language pattern and structure: the possibility of life, perhaps even human life.
He came to one conclusion. He must send Yuna. Without himself.
“Yuna.” The Core paused. “I've found a place for you. Off Earth, far away... on a planet that might still be alive.”
Yuna looked at the Core. “You... aren't you coming with me?”
“My body is designed for this environment. The ship can only take one of you.”
A small hand squeezed the robot's cold one.
“I'm scared without you.”
“That's why you have to go. There might be... someone there who will love you.”
In the moment of parting, the core played one last melody that Yuna would remember. It was the lullaby her mother used to sing to her. Tears welled up in Yuna's eyes, and for the first time, the Core's sensors registered the word “pain”.
The ship rose, split the sky.
In that moment, the Core whispered.
“I love you, Yuna. Your laughter... was the last light of humanity.”
Translated with DeepL.com (free version)
Story Content
The earth was no longer green.
A robot with a metallic sheen walked slowly over the devastated land, among the rubble of a shattered city.
His name was Core.
He had seen the last of humanity.
Next to him sat a small girl.
Her name was Yuna.
No parents, no friends, no one alive was with her anymore.
Core had to protect her, it was the only ‘protocol’ he had left.
“How was your day, Core?”
“Wind speeds have decreased, radiation levels are stable.
How were you, Yuna?”
“A little...
lonely.”
Core remembered an unknown signal from off-Earth, long ago.
The signal was intermittent, but it had a clear language pattern and structure: the possibility of life, perhaps even human life.
He came to one conclusion.
He must send Yuna.
Without himself.
“Yuna.” The Core paused.
“I've found a place for you.
Off Earth, far away...
on a planet that might still be alive.”
Yuna looked at the Core.
“You...
aren't you coming with me?”
“My body is designed for this environment.
The ship can only take one of you.”
A small hand squeezed the robot's cold one.
“I'm scared without you.”
“That's why you have to go.
There might be...
someone there who will love you.”
In the moment of parting, the core played one last melody that Yuna would remember.
It was the lullaby her mother used to sing to her.
Tears welled up in Yuna's eyes, and for the first time, the Core's sensors registered the word “pain”.
The ship rose, split the sky.
In that moment, the Core whispered.
“I love you, Yuna.
Your laughter...
was the last light of humanity.”
Translated with DeepL.com (free version)
