Losing Nothing

The spherical stone rested on a pedestal in the middle of the large circular room. The only light in the room came from a small circle at the top of a dome, open to the sky. A depression in the stone was shaped like a human hand. Inexplicable. He was the only human on the planet.

The robot companion behind him whined in a cautious but curious tone. He turned to look at the robot. The aperture in its eyes constricting as it inspected the stone. The man turned back to the stone sitting on the pedestal. It appeared to be made of granite. It appeared to be made for him.

He contemplated the meaning of it. The purpose. Why was it here? How could he find out? Only one thought crossed his mind. Place his hand on the stone. He had no reason to believe anything would happen. But why was it here? Just for someone to place their hand in it? It didn’t make any sense. This was the center of the entire structure. Everything he had explored up to this point was built in service to this room. Glyphs on the walls in the hallways depicted this room but gave no indication of its purpose.

He glanced back at the robot, who seemed to nervously glance at him, back to the spherical stone, and then back at him, expectantly. He took a deep breath and approached the stone. The robot followed closely behind him, looking over his shoulder. It almost seemed like he was afraid, but that wasn’t possible. He knew he was anthropomorphizing. He stopped when it was within reach. He took a deep breath and reached out his hand. He hovered over the stone for a moment, noticing that the imprint of the hand was exactly the right size for his. He took another deep breath and pressed his hand into the stone.

Instantly he was back home. No other memory existed in his mind. He was home, and it was the happiest he had ever been in his life. Joy filled his heart so fully no other emotion could exist. The feeling of love was overwhelming.

The stone was cold. He blinked as he lifted his hand slightly. Where was he? The room. The ruins. He had traveled here. He turned to look at the robot. It still watched expectantly. He asked how long he had been touching the stone and an obviously synthetic voice from a speaker that needed replacing told him it had only been a few seconds.

He blinked. Something had happened. He remembered the joy and love he had been overwhelmed by. It still lingered but was quickly fading as if his mind was flushing it away. No. He thought, but there was nothing to do. He pressed his hand into the stone again, but nothing happened. He let his hand fall to his side, reality fully returning to his mind. He no longer felt any emotion left over from the experience, and only a memory of a feeling remained. His heart ached as he turned, and walked out of the old ruins.