Altered from “Not On My Own” by Vesta Gheibi (EdFutures)
The sun had yet to rise. It was that special, magical moment in the morning when it was still holding its breath and the world felt like it had a big secret to share.
Everything was still. Humans had abandoned their hustle, halted their interruptions and distractions to lay down, close their eyes, and enter a private realm of their own. Little birds were up early before everyone else, witnessing secrets dissipate in the quiet. Perhaps secrets you might learn, if only you were able to open your eyes, sit up from a heavy slumber, and soak in the glowing stillness.
These moments were savoured by Layla. She’d only just discovered them after waking up in the middle of a dream and being relieved to find that the morning hadn’t arrived yet. Instead of returning back to sleep she held still in that moment and imagined the other souls that might be awake at this time. What were they thinking about? What could they be doing right now?
It was almost delightful to think that she could share in some kind of secret with these anonymous people. But wasn’t it strange that in some way Layla could conceive the idea of people, whom she’d never met or seen before, but could have something in common with simply because they were also up at this time?
For the people still sleeping, especially the ones that don’t wake up till noon, were they missing out on something special? Perhaps not, they were peacefully swimming in the depths of sleep. Some might say even surrendering, ignoring the secrets of the world they inhabit.
The anticipation of this moment gave way to a tingling sensation in Layla’s forehead. Her alter intelligence helped her tune in to deep listening. The alter intelligence was haft, a synthetic alter ego that felt like just another thought in the mind. Haft was almost a lifeform of its own, and instead of words it sent sent pulses of soundwaves to various parts of your brain and body. Igniting a sensation that turned into perception.
Perception was powerful because it could change where you felt, how you processed your thoughts, and how you behaved in the world. One small pulse could shape a thought or a feeling in the most subtle way. It ultimately had the power to alter the course of your life.
Layla drifted into a meditative state, a soft hum coursed through her lungs and off her lips. Recalling her dreams and letting them enter her mind like a stream of water finding a new path. Flashes of a sunrise, orange clouds, and green undulating hills began to play. Haft continued to navigate her limbic system to recall more.
Her arms remember reaching out at some point to touch large bubbles with floating spiders inside. Some of the spiders had a blue pattern on the back, others were red and yellow. “Hmm, that’s interesting. Spiders are creators, weaving webs with the purpose of catching and imprisoning their victims. Yet in your dream the spiders are captured in bubbles and floating around, how funny.”
At ten years old, Layla wouldn’t be able to tell you how she was able to understand haft or whether if she had an opinion on it. Her synthetic alter intelligence felt like talking to an inner friend, more than that, it was like one of her organs, a part of her very own being. But unlike an organ she was, in fact, able to survive without haft. This thought had never crossed her mind and there was never any reason for it to do so.
She smiled to herself and closed her eyes again, sitting still in the vision of playing with spider bubbles and the gentle sound of rain outside. She took in a deep breath, starting from her stomach and gradually flowing into her lungs and high up into her head to let out a loud sigh. The magic of the early morning had bloomed in her and welcomed every cell of the body to a new day.
“Good, very good” haft signaled, “you’re well-rested, though you did do a lot of travelling in your dreamworld last night.”
[This was Part 1 of Chapter 1. Stay tuned for the next excerpt from “Not On My Own”]
