THE BEST ENEMY

The idea was very simple, the plan worked out to the finest detail. A hibernation lasting exactly two thousand years – the exact amount of time we needed to reach the planet we colloquially named Planet M. That was a working title, so to speak. As with any newly discovered planet, we didn’t want to name it. For two reasons. The first reason: Maybe it is already inhabited and its residents have already given it a name. The second reason: If the planet is specific for something that can only be seen upon landing on it, it would be stupid to make up a complicated name just to change it later.

I woke up exactly a thousand years later and exactly a thousand years ahead of time. When I say exactly, I mean precise to the second upon the expiration of the thousandth year. That has to mean something. Lightheaded, still not fully grasping where I was and what time it was ^{_{(I thought I was sleeping in my bed until I saw that my body was covered in fluid from the hibernation pod).}} I would like to say “We woke up”, since there were exactly forty of us sent on the journey. It took me a little time to adjust to waking up, to wait for the muscle atrophy in my limbs to subside with the help of supplements designed solely for the purpose of getting us functional as quickly as possible, and to check the other hibernation pods, only to realize that everyone was gone. Did they wake up before me? Were they abducted? Every pod seemed untouched. None were forcibly opened, and I was the last one to enter mine. I personally closed all thirty-nine pods before I entered my own. I’m not crazy, and now I’m alone. There’s no one. When I was able to inspect every inch of the spaceship, I made sure that apart from me, there wasn’t a living soul.

But I haven’t mentioned the reason for the premature awakening. The autopilot turned off after discovering a planet located on the way to Planet M. That newly discovered planet was recognized as suitable for life and a potential landing. How did we not see it when we located Planet M? It was literally halfway there. I was too preoccupied with the whole situation to torment myself with additional questions. I gave the voice command for landing, along the way searching the ship once more to find any trace of my crewmates. Nothing. In those moments, I think anyone would suspect they were going crazy. That their memory no longer served them. But madmen don’t ask themselves if they are mad. That option, as comforting as it might be and as much as it would explain, is off the table.

The data on the screen told me that I didn’t need any space suit; the atmospheric compatibility between the planet and my body was 99 percent. The temperature was a bit higher though, forty-four degrees Celsius. I’m definitely not putting on any suit in that temperature. Just a thin jumpsuit to protect myself from the planet’s Sun.

While the ship was completing its landing, I checked the system archives to determine if there was any trace of my comrades. Quite conveniently, the data immediately following the entry into hibernation and right before my awakening were blurred. Not deleted, but unreadable. The cameras recording everything also happened to experience interference at those exact moments. A seed of doubt that I certainly don’t need.

***

I breathed in the air with full lungs, then slowly exhaled, wanting to see if there were any physical changes. Is it different from my planet? The first thing that greeted me when I stepped out of the spaceship were the colors. Magical shades of yellow, orange, and green. The planet was teeming with natural vegetation. Added to that, the sunrise on the horizon was a very pleasant moment for eyes that had been sleeping for a thousand years. To be completely honest, I expected a reception. Any sign of life in the form of some inhabitants of the planet. Nothing of the sort happened. If they were afraid of me, then they are standing hidden somewhere, probably aware that contact will be established at some point. As my luck goes, it seems there is no one. That I am alone on this planet too. Another layer of potential madness settling in, which I was suspecting more and more.

There was one problem. It wasn’t really a problem. Just something that had to be resolved. I had exactly one hour to re-enter the hibernation pod and continue toward the originally set goal. After that time, it was impossible. And twenty-two minutes had already passed since the moment I woke up. I estimated that I needed about ten minutes to return to the ship and enter hibernation again. Which means I have exactly twenty-eight minutes to explore as much of this place as possible. Of course, there was also the option to stay here. I didn’t like that option in case I didn’t find anyone like me. Nature is great, but solitude would kill me, that’s for sure.

As I pushed aside the dense grassy vegetation with my hands, looking for a clearing from which I could get a better view of the surroundings, I felt hunger and thirst. What’s interesting is that the need for food and liquid was more like an echo of a memory rather than a primal need.

Do I hear a dog barking? I quickened my pace, wanting to reach the source of the sound. That was definitely a bark, no doubt about it. I used to have a dog back home. A white Samoyed named Blackie. Unfortunately, one day he vanished without a trace or a sound. He loved to wake me up by crawling into my bed. That morning, the wake-up call didn’t happen, and all my searches for him were unsuccessful. This barking reminded me of him, but it’s impossible that it’s him. How? Finally stepping out into a clearing, I saw a sight that brought me to my knees. IT IS HIM. Standing on a somewhat unusual chessboard, where the pieces are significantly larger than standard ones.

“Blackie!”

He looked at me, wagged his tail, and ran to meet me. Tears mixed with disbelief that I had finally found him. How? HOW?

I looked at the time remaining until the closure of the hibernation systems. Fifteen minutes. I could make it if I run. Naturally, with Blackie. I’m not going without him.

Blackie ran back to the chessboard and stood in the spot where he had already been standing. With his paws, he moved a white pawn in front of him forward by one square.

“You know what, Blackie? We aren’t going anywhere.”

I didn’t want to risk losing him again. Thirty-nine people disappeared after the first thousand years of hibernation. I don’t have the faintest idea how or why. Where did they end up, are they still alive? Did they even exist at all? If I really have gone mad, I want to spend at least these, I hope lucid, moments with my long-lost dog. My best friend. As I was thinking about which move to make on the board, a single thought made me smile.

You are my best friend, and you will also be my best chess enemy.

-End–