Irish
Irish
17. It is a poor bird that abandons its chicks.
Hello! This is my diary, Dónall’s diary. Does anyone hear me? I am a traveller and I am an astronaut. This is my message to you for tonight. I am broadcasting to you from my own spaceship, “Clann Lir”. As you probably know by now, I intend to broadcast a message every day at this time. I am travelling by myself. I am by myself in this spaceship. I left earth behind me. I escaped. The earth was dying. I was afraid that I too would die and therefore, I escaped. I left everyone behind me.
I tried to take other people with me. They didn’t listen to me. They didn’t believe that they were in danger. I understood that they were in danger. I understood that they were in great danger. I spoke to them and I said: “Be with me. The earth is dying. Be with me. Come with me. Escape with me. Escape towards the stars. We will be safe among the stars. We will not be safe here. We will not be safe on earth.
But no-one listened to me. They made fun of me. They belittled me. I said that the earth was in danger and they laughed. They said that I was mad; they said that I was out of my mind. “Look at the fool”, they said. “Look at the idiot”, they said. “He is out of his mind. He is clean out of his mind”.
They didn’t listen to me. But I knew what the danger was; I knew. I made preparations. I collected material every day. I put the pieces together every day. I didn’t stop working. I collected computers and rockets. I collected metal and wire. I collected water and food. I collected everything necessary. I kept on collecting things that were necessary for the work I was to do. I worked from dawn to dusk and in the end, I succeeded in building this spaceship with my own hands.
I didn’t stop working. I was tormented with the work but I was addicted to it at the same time. And that is why I am here … by myself. It’s a pity they didn’t listen to me down on earth. People came to look at me and to mock me. “Look at the fool”, they said. “Look at the idiot”, they said. “He is out of his mind. He is clean out of his mind”.
But I wasn’t out of my mind. I am a scientist! I knew that we were in danger. I read the newspapers. I read the reports. I saw the disasters. I saw the rain and the floods and the storms and the fires. I understood what was happening. I saw the research. I heard other scientists talking together. The public didn’t listen to them. The politicians didn’t listen to them. But I listened to them. The same scientists scared me with their knowledge and facts and because of that, I built this spaceship.
People came to me in the end but they were too late. The doors were closed. They wanted to come on board. But I couldn’t take them on board. They were too late. They were far too late. I left them behind me. I had to leave them behind me. I couldn’t help it. I escaped. Now I am travelling among the stars and I am safe … I think. I don’t know if anyone else is safe, however.
Is anyone else alive? Is anyone else out there? Is anyone listening? Does anyone hear my voice? Dónall here! I am a traveller! Try to make contact with me please, if you can hear me. Alright, I will speak to you at the same time tomorrow. In the meantime, be safe.
