Even the most inhabitable lands can be conquered by Colin. The savage will be vanquished, spare no one” thumping his chest admiringly, with a delicate lift of his chin, T continued “candle island’s mystic potentials shall no longer be entertained.” The crew, Colin, was named after a groundbreaking invention by one of its members.
D, although shared her husband’s flare for much needed enthusiasm, slightly hesitated. Before venturing a thought, she cleared her throat as if to gather her thoughts under the pretence.
“Well, of course, the women will be looked after with utmost care. No need to worry about that.” As he said these words, T was at once aware, as if a thin stroke of pain had shot through his nerves leaving him numb, momentarily, unabashedly. An unusual calm overtook them both. Clearing the cobwebs out of the way, D led the way up through the hilly terrain.
Stepping out of the shallow mushy land that was surrounded with shrubs of esoteric quality, D pointed out to the crew that it was time to settle down for supper. The crew sat with their arched backs staked against the giant red wood tree with a bark that could have easily supported hundred backs, seated side by side. She was busy collecting samples of parched bark wood; one of the crew members was examining a pert skull bone when T interfered.
“D, the food portions have to be…” to her, he seemed as a man who was gagging his conscience in search for words. “Shortened! Of course” she volunteered; brushing the ground before her intently, D, with an askance glance, bore upon her husband, weight of his affirmations made earlier.
The expedition to candle island was sponsored by the consortium of scientists on planet earth. The mission was multi fold, to collect invaluable samples of the island’s natural resources, and to try and understand the mystery of the island. The government thought it unwise to invest, so the consortium chipped in themselves. They were seven of them initially, who were to travel on the space shuttle to candle island. But a last minute hiccup made way for D’s husband who convinced the rest of his utilitarian strengths. T served in the army for about ten years, and naturally the consortium acquiesced.
It all began in the year 3532 AD, a young philosopher from India, Ms. L, theorised that perhaps moon was not earth’s satellite at all. “It is not entirely implausible that earth, our solar system and the fabric of space that extended to the limits of time, were all revolving around the moon” in a newspaper article, the young philosopher commented. The outrageous theory received enough attention when the prime minister of the super power, India, was quoted as quipping over his dinner with his aunt from Britain “it seems absurd, but the conviction of the young woman reminds me of my father.” Known for his notorious claims, the then minister’s father was posthumously granted the prestigious ‘Galileo 19’ for his ground breaking discoveries, which were sadly ignored in his life time.
“A keen observer is lost in the torrent of details, but for an outsider, such as I am, it appears as though the seemingly genuine pattern in the universe is but a charade” Ms. L asserted. Standing before the council of international scientific programme, she presented her theory of the candle island in May 3538. Soon after that, she died in a mysterious car accident that attracted the press. The theory of Candle Island purported that our cosmology was but an enchanting illusion and that in reality, all the heavenly object revolved around the moon. Her paper talked about the strange phenomenon of cosmic capillaries. The proof of all this, she proposed, was to be found on a distant moon three solar systems away from our planet. This moon was inhabited; there was life on this moon. She called it the candle island, for it was at the tip of what seemed to be a series of moons with haunting nothingness spread around them.
Chapter 2
“I fail to comprehend the similarity this island exhibits with that of our planet” pelting a rock into the serene pond, T waited until the first of the ripples reached the tip of his feet. Sinking his toes into the mud, he gestured for his wife to grab his arm.
Rolling the bottoms of the trousers up till her knees, D stepped into the chilling waters. The morning dew flopped on her right shoulder in the form of an ice cold droplet as the breeze fluttered its many green wings. Deep puddles of muddy water billowed into a sliver wave as a heavy droplet fell with a thud from a drooping branch.
“I have collected enough to keep the botanists and evolutionary biologists on planet earth busy for years to come” tucking her shirt into the trousers, D leaned to pick a stick that had marks of teeth dug into it. T understood that it was time for the return journey. The crew was running out of food reserves and the mission was half as successful. The mystery lay shrouded under the canopy of senses; everything they sensed was affirmative of the similarity with planet earth. But the nagging curiosity remained. How could it be true? In order to understand the mystery of the candle island, T was determined to stay back, even if it meant, to abandon the crew. But D and rest of the crew felt it incumbent on them to return to planet earth and begin work in understanding the underlying mystery. In his approach, T was overtly philosophical, while D sensible and scientific.
On the 25th day of their arrival, back at the base, D was briefing the crew when they heard the rattling noise beneath their feet. “It is as if a crawler snuggled into a blanket wrapped under our feet” stroking the blunt bridge of the nose with his index finger, T continued absentmindedly
“There is smell of decay in the air. I feel disillusioned”
“Disillusion from what?” D, lodging the bottle of vinegar back into its place on the upper shelf, inquired. “Yes, I agree that the candle island’s temperature has risen on the past weeks since our time of arrival. But it can be attributed to the equipment malfunction of course” T nodded silently, with his gaze fixed on the pear shaped rock behind their tents, he wondered if candle island was not similar to planet earth at all. He thought it was an illusion which drew them towards it, only now the fangs broke jaws and drooled openly at the prey that invited itself.
A, a man in his thirties, a placid and guileless person with no known eccentricities, was chosen not for his personal traits but the acute attention to detail with which he inspired the invention of Colin. Colin was a laser torch that was the size of a grown man’s fist and emitted beams that covered over 7 jupiters’ diameters with the flick of a switch. “Doc, I actually have something that might interest you” handing over the readings of Colin, A proceeded to explain “observations of Colin cannot be misleading. Here, let me…”
Before he could finish his sentence, “How can you be so sure” D commented as a matter of fact, but soon realised that it hurt A’s sentiments. She was distressed enough already, and did not mind to correct herself. A bit his lower lip in consternation and was presently tasting the blood. He stared at T, as if to seek his help, as if he needed support for his drive. “How could she think that of Colin” A bethought himself.
“You are telling me that candle island is shrinking” D beamed with befuddlement.
Chapter 3
Yes, indeed. Candle Island was shrinking. The metallic core of the moon was melting under the great pressure exerted on it by the shrinking crust. Temperature on the moon soared and the magnetic currents were whisked away by the molten metal it bosomed. The crew lost contact from planet earth. By the 35th day, the trees had developed ashen smudges and the molten metal poured out of once serene ponds. Candle Island was no longer habitable.
“This moon is readying itself for a conflagration” T prophesised on the 37th day
The crew was now living in the deep forest, where they were briefly sheltered from the scorching sun and the molten metal. But the humidity and lack of oxygen slowly took a toll on everyone.
On the 38th day, the first of the crew members died of dehydration. Soon the others followed. By the 40th day, only D and T were left. With face that was reddened with radiation, puckered skin and numb limbs, D drew herself close to her husband and whispered in his ears “I can help you comprehending the mystery of candle island” folding his palm with hers, with great calm, she proceeded to explain “squeeze planet earth’s life time, one day on candle island for one million years on planet earth. That is what it is”
T was not shocked, he broke his lips into a gratifying smile and rested his face in D’s bosom. “We just happened to land on the wrong side of the moon at the wrong time” he whispered softly. Dragging her starchy fingers through his scaly skull, she concluded “yes. The metal is active now in the south, it would have been a good 30 days before it became active in the north”
“How can it be?” with saddened eyes, he closed his dead wife’s eye lids, “how can it be? When there is no sun around this moon. It is but a candle island, the tip of the line of moons. Your measurements were based on a hot star gravitating moon, and not a moon’s brotherly animosity on the other. If only you accounted for that”
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