It is dark. I'm lying in a corner of my cave. Most of the devices around me are dark. A few are still lit up. I wonder how long I've been here. The others in the village must be incredibly worried. I hope Dumu is all right and that he got back to safety.
Suddenly it's even darker. All the devices are off. Only one light is still visible. It comes from one of the rectangular openings in the wall. I see one of the creatures standing there. Marduk.
He enters the room, moves around my capsule, shows his dangerous teeth again.
„*Es una pena. Los primeros seres inteligentes además de nosotros, los humanos, viven en la mayor montaña de dinero del sistema solar. Bueno, es una pena que seas el único espécimen encontrado vivo.*“
He puts a small stone on my capsule and leaves the room. Before the opening closes again, he turns round, looks at me and shows his white teeth.
„*Buenas noches.*“
The opening closes. A bang shakes my capsule. The stone has torn a small hole in the capsule, from which water is now pouring. The water I live in. Marduk seems to want to kill me. An air bubble is already forming at the top of the capsule. Everything that touches the water outside my capsule immediately gets a white, crystalline coating.
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The capsule itself holds. Water only flows out through the small hole. On closer inspection, I realise that the hole in the capsule is small, very small. I push out a little manna and press it into the hole with a flipper. The manna hardens and the hole is sealed. There are a few cracks around the hole, but the manna perhaps keeps them from getting bigger. No water flows out. Marduk probably didn't know our ability to create manna yet. My luck, it must remain a secret.
I hear loud noises from outside my capsule, a red light has gone on, previously invisible openings in the ceiling have opened up. Another opening opens up and Enlil comes running in. He looks a mess, his clothes are in disarray. His face is covered in armour, as if he has algae stuck to his face. His voice sounds mechanical.
„*Por el amor de Dios. ¿Qué ha pasado?*“
He sees the lump of manna in the opening and the whitened utensils around it. He approaches carefully, making sure not to touch any water.
„*¿Un agujero en la cápsula? Imposible.*“
He takes a closer look at the former hole. His eyes get big again. I can see the dark circles around his eyes.
„*Jesús. Quería matarte. Tenemos que sacarte de aquí. Tengo que liberarte e informar a la ONU. Lo siento, lo siento.*“
He fiddles around a little. The opening in the side of the capsule opens to reveal a tunnel. I swim through it. It's dark, but luckily I can orientate myself with sounds.