they sat there, silent. always silent. they were dead inside, eyes blank. slowly, they walked in circles as they always did. as they always had.

all but one, and that one had to look out at the others constantly, looking into those blank, blank eyes. Earth, it was called. Earth looked healthy, full.

unlike all the other Planets. some were big and some were small, but all were thin, thin, thin. their eyes reflected their colors, but all dulled, blank. their skin was just as pale, their lips cracked from dehydration, except Mars.

Mars was the second most alive. Mars occasionally flicked a glance Earth’s way, like there was something there, just below the surface. Mars was so, so cold, but some times got as warm as parts of Earth. That’s when Earth felt the least alone.

when Earth looked up and saw its Moon, everything seemed better. it’d send out a little ship it built, throwing it to the near-by child that made its own circles around it. when a person got to his Moon, Moon would light up.

suddenly, its empty smile would turn into a big grin, and they could talk. Moon and Earth would be the only sounds in the big, big black room, until the people had to go back to Earth. little Moon would gently throw the rocket back, and the second they left, the light began to again fade from its eyes. 

then Earth was alone. 

so. alone.

from time to time, one of the other Planets would reach over, at a speed Earth could barely imagine and rip a piece of its flesh own off, then throw it. Earth would cringe, learning through time to wait with baited breath for it to hit him.

but Jupiter would reach out and grab it or let it hit it. Jupiter would catch whatever came his way, occasionally throwing it to aim for their giant mother, Sun, but coming close to Earth. only once did anything ever hit, but that was long, long ago. 

recently, Mars began talking to Earth. it’s all something Earth’s people did, but it makes it feel better. Mars speaks to him, near-silent with the voice of only two drones whispering to him. 

but Mars wasn’t really there. its eyes were still blank, blank, blank. soon, maybe not.

but for now, it was still so alone.

just Earth, speaking with the voice of seven billion in that big, big, black, room. it could only hear itself, but there had to be more, right? it couldn’t be all alone? there had to be…someone…