There was silence on the road, a heavy presence that made itself known bu the lack of something so common, most would take it for granted. The yellowish packed earth didn't set my mind at ease either; long enough to fade in the horizon, wide enough to fit four trucks side by side, and clearly worn down by many years of travelers inscribing their passing upon its surface. Common sense would dictate that such a road should have at least a few cars crossing it every other hour, every 6 hours if it was a slow day, but after sitting inside the lonely bus stop for over 8 hours, I had decided that common sense was a lie.

I didn't have a clue of where I was, and every attempt at recalling anything before this place was met with a memory of red and the taste of iron, followed by a deep emptiness that seemed to grow more and more imposing with each attempt. When I awoke here, the twins suns were barely peaking over the horizon, shyly touching the world with their scarlet rays, the surrounding forest was dressed in its best ivory and maroon dress, with touches of gold and orange that came from the rare flowers and fruits. But as the twin stars lazily crossed the sky, green and blue started to seep into the world, tinging even the chrome columns of the small bus stop where I had been waiting. By that time I was at my wits end, I had waited quietly the way I had been taught to, sinking into quite desperation as time crawled by.

I had whistled a few tunes that somehow pierced the thick fog of oblivion that clouded my mind, the soft sounds easing my mind like a chat with old friends. When my throat became parched and my lips were screaming their protests, I took to exploring the road, the living walls of vegetation flaking the path like a silent and elegant honor guard protecting their king from the interference of the mundane. But no matter how far down the road I went, how much I searched, I didn't find even one animal, insect or building. Persons were beginning to feel like the childish notions of a long forgotten dream, an impossibility my mind conjured from the masquerade of shadows to keep the loneliness from creeping in my soul.

Defeated and tired from the long trek, I returned to the bus stop where it had all begun, the twin suns were well on their way to retiring for the day when I saw a lonely figure sitting on the bench, partially hidden in the dim shadow the building gave her, she was almost 2 meters tall siting, a long silver cloak covered her form, flowing with every move of her arms as she fixed her black curly hair. But as I got closer, it became clear that she was not like me, not by far. Her skin seemed to be carved from jasper, red and orange highlighting the clear cuts of her face, two wide holes served as a her nose, and were her eyes should be, only two blotches of orange stood. A second pair of arms came into view when only a couple of meter kept us apart, clutching an old set of knitting needles, they moved with surprising agility into complicated patterns with an ease I had never seen, at one time it looked like a start, then it was a sun, a bear next, an owl, a sand clock and even a man, but soon all disappeared in the big balls of yarn that rested on her knees.

A deep joy lifted my tired heart at the sight of another being, even one as queer as her. I tried to greet her calmly, not wishing to startle her with the shout of joy my soul wanted to give, but only a small choked sound came from me. Shame weighted heavy on me, as a tiny voice inside of me berated me for my unforgivable failure in social graces. The second attempt was barely an improvement, with only a quiet greeting in tradespeak leaving my mouth before self-doubt clamped my mouth shut. The third time however, was the charm, as I awkwardly approached her and muttered a quiet “Hello". Her hands came to a stop, her face turned to me slowly, her “eyes" looking to me as a haunting but excited melody filled the air. A few seconds passed, neither of us making a movements, before I repeated my greeting, this time followed by a slightly too stiff bow. A melodious laughter rang through the forest, before the haunting sound came again, while her hands joined near her chest to form two triangles. A small blue spark formed in the center of both triangles, once, twice, three times, shedding a warm and soothing light. The light then turned a pale white, cold and curious, and a soft pink, understanding but firm. I answered her question as best as I could, mixing words and gestures to tell my unlikely story.

Soon, we had a conversation going between the two of us. She had her green for wonders and envy, her yellows of joy and sorrow, black for elegance and peace, and her always present white of curiosity and truth, while I had my songs, my words and some laughable attempts at acting she seemed to enjoy. By her side, time flew by, and soon we were part covered by the mantle of the night, the forest shining a soft baby blue our only source of light. Stars shone brightly in the dark green sky, performing their ancient dance. One such star, with a gold marking its flight, slowly got closer and closer, changing forms as it did so, from star to horse, from barge to eagle, and finally, it became a bus as it landed softly in front of us. The gray doors opened without a sound. A blue humanoid sat in the drivers seat, a black suit hugged his body, and a dark green shirt hid his chest. He gave us a tender smile as we got in, handing him the silver ticket that appeared in our hands.