The Broadcast

Screaming!
Screaming!
Screaming!

The first screams came from the pain and anguish, the physical, the mental, and the heartache of the human race en masse.
The second screams came from the wars, both literal and figurative; the battles between nations, the battles between humans, the battles between humans and animals, the battles between friends and lovers, the battles, the battles…
The third screams came from the sirens and klaxons that rang out their emergency warnings, alarm, and futile hopes of salvation.

A cacophony of tones in polyphonic disharmony; chaotic wails of danger, shrills of terror and pleasure, mixed with the bass guttural vibrations of entropy and decay.

That was life before the broadcast.
That was how Jake saw life before the broadcast.

The memory of recent events flashed viscerally through his mind, like a true-life dream that would never end.
Of course, it had ended.

That was life before they arrived.
That was life before they presented themselves, and that was the constant reminder of the choice he, and everyone, now had to make.

The wind whistled through the valley like a dying banshee expelling her last, exhausted breath.

Jake stood viewing the horizon, the meeting point of land, sea, and sky; the imperfect yin-yang of it bringing a primal harmony.

The irony that he viewed the world like this now did not escape him.
The events that had transpired and led to this moment had changed everything and everyone.

His thoughts came thick and fast, a swirling network of interconnected chaos; beautiful chaos.

Around eleven days ago, it was hard to be sure, the phenomena began. That was not strictly true; they had always been happening on various scales and in a variety of ways, but often they were pushed aside or drowned out by the horrific din of the world we had created.

But it was around eleven days ago that they started to push through, increasing their power, intensity, and frequency; making themselves more present, obvious, and undeniable in our lives.

They came with a message; a message for the masses, a message for every living and deceased human to have ever existed.
The message started with a simple question.

What have you become?
His own thoughts haunted him as he tried to put the gravity of their questions into his own words.

They had not come in judgement, nor in war; they had not even revealed themselves as guides or saviours.
They simply could not understand why we had become what we had individually and collectively become.

Who would build a society where you worship a few, or corporations, or centrally controlled currency?

What would urge you to create and corrupt multiple attempts at religion with dogma and doctrine, and make them all guided by political power and greed?

When would you see it as noble to ignore, betray, deny, or worse, demean and desecrate our brothers and sisters in search of fame, glory, and popularity?

Where did the notion that this was a valiant or even satisfying form of living come from; and more, where did it take root in your being?

Why would a species with such immense power and potential shackle its very essence, weigh it down, and distract it with the fickle, the vapid, the superfluous?

How, how did you decide that any and all of this was the way?

Those were his version of their questions.
Were they a true representation?
Were they fair?
Were they really his answers?

He stood and looked across the valley; it was one of his favourite places in the world, the sultry curves of the mountains and hills with the light spattering of industry and residential communities scattered around their roads and fields.

The world had not changed in that regard, although there was no doubt that it was the end of the world as we know it.
But unlike the litany of books and films, or at least as far as he was aware, the Eiffel Tower still stood; the West Coast of America had not crumbled into the Pacific; the Taj Mahal had not been shaken to its foundations.

It had started with some sightings; there was an increase in the frequency of everything from UFO activity to ghostly encounters.
They became so regular, and more, they had multiple witnesses and verifiable photographic and video evidence.

Naturally, many believed it all to be fake; some conspiracy theorists even claimed it was a psy-op by the global government.

However, as the activity continued to increase and reach everyone, it had become impossible to deny.

Some first saw or heard them through their technology; they would glitch messages into anything from a fitness app to a video game.
Literally, the ghost in the machine.
Others simply saw them and would either run away, scared out of their mind, only to be pursued until exhaustion and left with no other option than to engage with them; others welcomed them instantly, inviting them into their homes for conversation and counsel.

Governments and religious institutions rallied and fought desperately to keep control, calling them demons and legions from hell among many other things.

The entities were prepared for this and, having telekinesis, telepathy, and precognitive capabilities in their wide and varied toolkit, they addressed the population as one, forcing a broadcast onto every television, computer, advertising screen, mobile phone, and radio.

Jake walked down the valley, the warm summer breeze dancing off the sea below, bringing the scent of summer flora and ozone. He inhaled through his nose, taking in a deep breath.
Invigorated, he continued his pathless descent.
The straw-like grass complied with the pressure from his boots with each step; the earth around the sprouting tufts gradually turned to a higher percentage of sand as he approached the dunes.

This had always been one of his favourite places in the world. He had been lucky enough to travel and see and do some amazing things.
He was not beholden to his homeland or town in general, but this place, just on the outer edges of the county, this place was magical.
Sure, it held memories and maybe even a little nostalgia, but it was the geography and topography of the place, and of course, the energy.
You could feel it in the ground and in the air; you could almost taste it.
Equally, you could feel its absence when you left.

The global broadcast had been a bold move, but they had had little choice.

When every politician, government official, banker, religious figure, and all other defilers of culture, society, and soul were twisting and manipulating their presence and words; so desperate to cling onto power and control, their fingernails screeching across the bodywork of their vile, corrupt creation.

It was seared into his mind and he could replay it in his mind’s eye at will, in crystal clarity.

The screens turned an incandescent purple, almost alive itself; a modulated static hum vibrating and sparking in the background.
There was no face or body, just whisps of light flickering between all known colours as well as some never seen before; the whisps of light danced across the screen.
What seemed a multitude of voices spoke as one, with depth and timbre but also an angelic-like pitch and tone.

“We are here, we have always been here.
We have been observing you; we are not your creators, we are not your owners, we are more like your brothers and sisters.
While we are not currently like you, and we ourselves are not all alike, all of us, including you, are in essence the same.

We are in different forms, some purely ethereal and some, like you, contained in a more physical form.
Yet they and you, although most of you do not yet know it, are also a being of energy with skills and talents that you might call powers, and are not familiar with yet.

It is an interesting choice of word, power; something that you have all, in one way or another, become obsessed with.
But the powers you crave are of the most base, the most irrelevant, and the most meek.
We do not judge.

Caged in a prison, not of flesh, but of your own design through manipulation, conditioning, and brainwashing.

Some of you, throughout history, have scratched the surface of your true nature and your true potential; most have wallowed and wasted away, engorged by their own greed and gluttony.
We do not judge.

We are neither superior nor inferior to you, and we do not judge you.
We are the same as you, and yet different to you; we are what some of you once were, and what some of you will become.

In this regard we approach you with an offer.
The choice is yours and yours alone.
There will be no consequences either way, other than the situational ones themselves.

We offer to free you of your physical vehicles.
These bodies are not burdens but gifts, when used properly and to their full potential.
Physical contact is a unique experience.
The ability to touch equal matter is a unique experience, and one to be embraced and revered.

What we offer, in a way, is death.

It is not the death you imagine; what awaits you after your natural mortality occurs is different for each soul.

What we offer is more of a rebirth.

You will continue, but you will change dramatically.
While still being you, you will be one, and many, singular and multiple; you will be both a small part of, and the entirety of, the universe at the same time.

There will be more depth and intensity to your being, your process, your perspective, and your existence.
Who you love now, and how you love now, will change irrevocably.
You will never see your partner, your family, your children, your friends, or even your pet in the same way.
You will always be connected at some level, but you will never be able to hold them again, and the dynamics of your relationships and priorities will undergo a monumental shift.
Pleasure and pain of the flesh will cease.
There will be a new internal and external experience of them, both more profound but also more debilitating.
If you choose to stay you will remain as you are, self-governed as you have chosen to be, seeking the things that your current state holds most desirable to you.

Neither choice is intrinsically good or evil, for neither good nor evil truly exist; there is simply action, reaction, and inaction.

You talk of gods and devils, angels and demons, spectres and ghosts, extraterrestrials, subnautical creatures and all else.
They are us; we are them.

Often deliberately, with intent, and sometimes accidentally, we have revealed ourselves, or part of ourselves, to certain individuals throughout history.

You have read about us in many guises and in many forms; we have been experienced and mentioned by billions.

Take heed, for this is no simplistic choice; it weighs with a gravity you are not yet capable of understanding.
But it is your choice, and it is the time to make it.

As beings from realms beyond the veil, we offer humanity this choice, with deep empathy for the intricate dance of your existence on Earth.

To remain in this vibrant existence of beauty and tragedy, this fleeting world, or to transcend into boundless wisdom, shedding a piece of your essence; it is a decision unmarred by judgment.

Before you choose, reflect on these six questions, contemplate them diligently and with care and conviction.

What echoes of connection, woven through the fragile tapestry of your mortal bonds, might unravel in the vastness of a formless existence?

In the dance of fleeting sensations, shadows on skin, whispers of wind, what sacred ephemera would you release to embrace the infinite unknown?

What unspoken yearnings, buried in the soil of this world, call to your soul, and do they outweigh the allure of truths that transcend the stars?

What shard of your essence, etched by joy, pain, or paradox, might dissolve in the ascent to greater knowing; and is that dissolution freedom or loss?

In the crucible of this life’s fleeting moments, what truths have you carved from the tension between chaos and order; and would their weight hold meaning in a realm beyond strife?

What unseen currents of wonder, or dread, stir in the depths of your being; and would an eternity of understanding anchor them, or set them adrift in an endless sea?

We will return in twelve of your days for your answers.
One of us will appear to each of you individually.
We can take one; we can take many; we can take all; we can take none.
The choice is yours.”

The screen went blank.

The sun warmed Jake’s face as his boots trudged through the undulating sand dunes; he was almost at the beach.

He had expected more of the same rhetoric from the governments and religious institutes, hailing blasphemy and deception at this message; perhaps even a “terror attack”.
But, since it was broadcast simultaneously to every screen and radio in every nation around the world, it could not be an act of terror from one nation or group to another.

In fact, the world had been silent since; people talked with their close ones, friends and relatives, but there had been no broadcast since, no printing of press, no social media, or even internet.
He tried to recall if he had even heard the ringing of a phone, and he was sure that he had not even heard any music.
Everything and everyone had just shut down.

Nothing had been “switched off”; it was all there for anyone who wanted to use it, but the frenzied world of instant communication had stopped, or at least paused.
It seemed that people were taking the time for contemplation, conversation, and inner reflection.

The firmer sand of the beach beneath his feet was a welcome sensation, not least of all to his tired legs.
The waves lapped gently to the shore, their hypnotic rhythmic whooshing drawing him closer and closer.

It’s always the journey, they say, and not the destination; and while he knew this to be true, this certainly was one fucking awesome destination.
Every arrival, every visit, every moment spent was equally unique and a familiar bliss.

The subtle beauty and sometimes brutal truth of nature wrapped in serenity; the seaside town where his grandparents had lived, visible just across the bay.

The sea.
The sand.
The sun.
The wind.

This was heaven.

He had made his choice, he could answer the questions.

As he looked out over the ocean, water and sky blurring into one, a visible vibration, a distortion in the air; time seemed to stand still…

He knew exactly what to say.