Excerpt of Pulstar I by Giancarlo Roversi

Hundreds, perhaps thousands, of years after my sister disappeared.

How long have I been wandering in space?

This pod travels the universe at an impossible speed. Outside, lights stretch out, choking on colors as they accelerate. They grow ever whiter, leaving only darkness in their wake. Sometimes, I think I’ll drift in this state for eternity. I wonder if I have any destination at all.

In any case, what happens to me won’t change the unshakable and disturbing truth: my neuromagnetic body is withering. I strive to build up my hopes, to be analytical, to search for a plausible solution, but is there a way to overcome the indifference of the cosmos? My mind is no longer a hybrid in conflict. Now, it’s an organ exhausted and overflowing with anger, confusion.

Long ago, I undertook a liberating journey. It made me the most enraptured woman in the universe. The irony of longing knows no bounds. Flying again with physical ties and hefty organic matter is something I haven’t done in a long time. Now, this voyage ravages my feeble conscience.

But there’s one thing I am certain of, and there’s no way I can escape its wrath. I’m to blame for this abject ending and for what lies ahead for humankind. I created the deadly enemy.