Intro..                                                                            ...Back
Draw...                                                                            ..Along
Poems..                                                                            ...More

       Building  of the new border Ember  began almost simultaneously  with the arrival of
the fleet.
       After a short and intense opening ceremony  (the colorful faces of our two captains
gave the event photos a combative seriousness) I became a member of the construction divi-
sion again. And my thoughts were flooded with blueprints and procedures.
       I rarely saw Lena.
       Several times  she came to the kitchen with Adam:    who started helping her in the
infirmary.   It turned out: that no one makes the bed and washes the floor faster and more
meticulously. The maintenance robots just waltzed enviously by the wall.
       Alia kept her distance from him: and whenever he appeared in her field of vision  -
she watched him carefully.
       "When do we stop locking him up?"  asked Butterfly one morning:   after Adam's back
merged with the greenhouse plants.
       "When he looks into my eyes:"   Alia said:  and took another  sweet slice  with her
spoon.
       "He certainly likes your hands  Captain:"  I joined in the conversation:  "he often
secretly stares at them."
       "I can always use them  to remind him of our first meeting:"  babbled Alia with her
mouth full.
       "Doesn't he remind you of someone?" said Andrea: "..Peter?"
       "No way!" :blurted out Alia.
       "He is calm and knowledgeable about music:"  Andrea added:  thoroughly scraping the
remains of the caramel cream from the bowl.
       "He asked me for access to the audio archives:" supported her Butterfly: "I checked
his playlist: he really has a wide range - pop: jazz: classics: theatre..
       "I have his earphones somewhere:" Alia said and placed empty saucer in the dishwas-
her: "on the closet.. no: in the trouser pocket."
       "Filip: we need you outside.  Now."      :the stern voice of the structural manager
suddenly flew into my consciousness.
       "I still have two hours off Boss: Bernard is on duty."
       "Bernard is gone. We don't have welder. Could you come please? Right now?"
       "Ok: I am going:"   I said out loud:   waving to my friends  and running out of the
kitchen  - then I experienced a brief déjà vu and went back to hang my apron.
       "I don't understand. How is he gone?"
       "First he stopped working. He didn't communicate. Then he rejoined us: but couldn't
operate the machine - spoke strangely - as if it wasn't him: and then he disappeared - his
avatar is blank."