Be Still

At the Station _ gouache on paper, 05/21

This is a dream I had in late 2020.
I board a station orbiting around the Earth, along with a team of colleagues, who were all beside themselves to be doing such an extraordinary trip. As soon as we board, we are greeted by the crew, who have all been working and living there for years. Among them, there is a man who says nothing, and who appears annoyed by the noise our arrival creates in the otherwise calm environment. For a moment, I wonder if he's jaded, after staying at the station for so long. Then I notice that I also feel slightly irritated by my colleagues loud and overly excited behaviour. They all run in the corridors, taking group selfies and giggling to one another, and I find myself distancing myself from that group. As soon as they are away, and I think I'm alone, I hear it.

It is a light buzz in my ears, but behind it, there is a sort of music. It reminds me of the siren songs in pirate movies. I am looking around for the source of the sound, and my feet direct me to the large glass window with a breathtaking view of the Earth.

"You never get used to it" I hear.

I swing my head to the right, and I see the man who had seemed irritated earlier. He is not looking at me, but stares at the Earth, and for a time, I wonder if he had spoken these words for himself, rather than directed at me. The silent song keeps calling my attention back to the planet. My gaze catches a glimpse of my coworkers, still giddy and running around, laughing to each others.

I turn my eyes to the man and say:
"They don't hear it, do they?"

The man slowly nods, his attention fixed far beyond the glass window
"Why?"

The silence stretches between us for a while, and I stopped expecting an answer when finally he says :
"Sometimes, the world doesn't scream its secrets to you. Sometimes, you have to stop, be still, and listen."