On the planet Fermion, a pregnant couple is just notified that they have been chosen in an experiment to teleport their baby to a woman's womb on the planet Earth. Each year a couple is chosen for this purpose, but as the Fermion's population is 86 billion, no couple carries any fear for more than a minute in a year. But once they are chosen, the couple often gets scared, doubts fill their minds and they worry about the fate of their child on this newly discovered planet. In the history of this experiment, spanning seventy-four years, Earth has only been selected as the receiver once, eleven years ago.

Photo by Aditya Romansa on Unsplash

To ease the departure, the couple is always notified the night before the experiment. This is the conversation of this year's couple in their bedroom, after receiving the information.

"I am still afraid, even though no failure has occurred in sixty years," the man says.

"I know. I am afraid too," the woman says, "But it's already decided and we can't change anything now."

"But it's our baby girl. How can we do this to her?"

"I don't want this for her either. But we have no other way. We can't turn away. The planet she is going to, the Earth, there are positive things about it. That should assure us."

"Instead of this Earth, Salaras should have been selected. It’s better,” the man says, “I have read about the Earth. There's nothing there. The pollution is at its peak, the environment is sinking, and the humanity of its inhabitants is fading. People are doomed. There’s disbalance, a lot of judgment. Earthlings only love to inspire insecurity and not hope. Our daughter will not have a good life there. She deserves better."

"I agree there are such things. And that will make her life hard. But there is not all darkness on Earth. Even here, on Fermion, there are good people and there are bad people. We have degraded our environment, destroyed so much of what once was, and yet we have adapted. We are still living. The same on Earth. It's just at an early stage— it’s like the Fermion of eight centuries ago."

The man says, "I think you are only focusing on positive aspects because it's decided already and we can't change the decision. It's going to happen anyway, so the best we can do is be positive, think good thoughts."

"Yes, I am doing that," the woman says and sits on the bed. Her face changes.

The man doesn't speak.

"I am afraid too. I worry too. She is my daughter. I haven't even seen her face. I will not get to see her true face, the one that she inherits from us," the woman begins sobbing, "I fear for her. I don't want her to go. I want to hold her. I don’t want her to go."

"Love," the man kneels and puts his hand on the woman's thighs and then on her cheeks, "Don't worry. She will be alright. She will be loved. She will live a good life. We know that her parents will be rich."

The woman looks up, "How do you know that?"

"I have read about it. I read the whole frequently asked questions coming home. She will be born in the home of a little-above-averagely-rich to ultra-rich parents on Earth. That's the range for the selection of parents. This is for sure. We don't have to worry about that."

"And her parents, will they be loving?"

"Yes, they will be loving. They will be loving as we are. They will want her and love her always."

The woman doesn't speak for a moment, and then whispers, “But they won’t love her as much as we do.”

"I know the Earth is a chaotic place. Most good people are lonely. Most good people are the victims. Most people think they shouldn’t even be there. But I read that the baby will be sent to the couple on the receiving planet that mirrors the most qualities with the parents on Fermion. So, think about it. The couple on Earth are chosen according to our qualities, who we truly are inside. So, our daughter will get a father like me and a mother like you.”

“They will be like us?”

“Yes,” the man says, “So, although the Earth seems like a bad place, if there's a man like me, and out of all disorders in that crowd, amidst the unfairness and the hopelessness, against evil fate, he finds a woman who loves her. They both understand the world and how it broke them, and there’s no prevention for it, and ultimately, it’s a bad place to bring a baby into, but they accept they are small in the face of their desire and their love for each other. So they promise they will love each other forever and do their best. Care for each other. Start a family of their own. Gamble with fate. Isn't that a sign there's still goodness and there’s hope? Isn't that a beacon enough for us to feel lucky that our child will be born and grow in their house?"

"Yes, then I will be assured," the woman looks up at her husband’s eyes.

"This is for sure to happen,” the man says, “And do you know it still rains on Earth?"

"Really? Does it?" The woman lights up. "I have never seen true rainfall since I was three years old. I have only watched it in films. It must be beautiful to see rain."

"Yes, it is. I last saw it when I was ten years old. On Earth, it still rains. And it will continue for hundreds of years to come. In some places, it even snows. Much of the ocean is blue and grasses green. There are so many trees and flowers. So many birds that sing, so many animals in the wild and fishes in the water." As the man says this, the woman's eyes widen with awe, as if something has stirred up, some memory and pictures true or false resurfacing in her mind.

Photo by Yan Krukau on Pexels

"Like in movies her mother will cuddle her up in a blanket,” she begins, her face brightening with each word she utters, “and she will look out of the window towards the trees and grasses and she will watch the rainfall, and maybe eat something and her parents will love her so much. She will even have a pet. Like in the movies. She will go for a walk afterward, holding her mother's hand. It will be perfect."

"Yes, it will be perfect. And this will happen so many times during her childhood. She will never forget it. She will be happy and grateful. She will have a good life. Maybe even better than what she could have here. She will be so strong. Sometimes though, she might just be sad for unknown reasons, but she will figure it out because deep down, she is our daughter. She is our daughter and she will never lose hope. She will see beauty in things deemed ugly, her parents will teach her that, and she will be kind and inspire hope.”

The woman looks at her husband with a bubbly smile. The man sits beside her and caresses her hair.

"Maybe someday she will look at the sky and think that she has a home up there too," the woman says.

"I know she will. Now, let's go to sleep. She needs rest. She has a long journey to take tomorrow," he puts his hand above her stomach. She nods. Then they sleep.