mad_cactus_soda

A long time ago, far off in a sea of stars, there was once an ancient being who traveled all of space and time searching for inspiration.

After millenniums of searching, they had nearly given up. Every planet they landed on, every galaxy they flew to, even every supernova they saw, nothing could bring them inspiration. So, feeling as if they had failed, they started to make their way back to where they began.

“My search has been hopeless, where ever I look inspiration evades me. Will I be stuck on this search forever?” They yelled out on their ship, but the only response was silence. They were all alone.

The ships' navigation panel pinged as it popped up. It showed a new planet, one they had never seen before. This planet was Earth.

They scanned the blue rock, “How could I have missed this? I have searched all the universe and so close to where my journey began, I overlooked such a small and simple planet?” They were proud of their thoroughness. Even from the beginning, they made sure to visit every planet and see everything it had to offer. Having missed this planet in a galaxy they had been to many times, made them think that maybe this planet had been hidden to them until now.

With a new wave of determination to find their inspiration, they set course for Earth. They landed deep in the desert, opened their ship door and stepped out onto the rocky sand. Looking around, their hopes that this new planet would bring them inspiration began to shrink.

They sat down in the dirt where they stood and watched the sun set. As the sun sank lower below the horizon, the sky became a blaze with colors. They sat there, hope drained from them, fearing that this place, like all the others, was void of inspiration as well. That was, until they noticed something small poking out from the sand. It was a tiny cactus. The ancient being leaned forward for a closer look.

Maybe it was how the light shone at that moment, but they realized that this small plant was what they had been searching all this time for. They dug up the cactus and brought it aboard their ship.

Inside, they began to work, fueled by the inspiration they had just found. When they were done, they stepped back and took a look at what they had created. These millenniums of searching had all accumulated to this point. Satisfied with their journey’s completion, they turned to the small cactus and said, “My journey is now finished. As my life now comes to a close, I pass on to you all the gifts that I was given when I was created, and I give to you the inspiration you have given me. Take these gifts, find your purpose, and continue to grow.” With those last words, the ancient being transformed into a golden orb, which merged with the cactus.

The cactus opened its eyes for the first time, and looked around their surrounding. The ship was plain with an all white interior, but one thing stuck out. There was a painting in the middle of the room. A painting of a small cactus.