Confused atoms

Part 1   For a very long time, man and cat stared at each other in total silence. One with barely masked impatience, the other with complete astonishment. Abdo kept staring at the feline sitting on his chest, and when nothing else happened, he tried to close his eyes and go back to sleep. - “Oh is that what we’re doing? Pretending I didn’t just talk to you?” Abdo reluctantly opened his eyes. - “Hey Cat.” Its emerald eyes were staring him down with mild annoyance. - “Really? - What? - Is that really all you have to say right now?” The cat asked while licking its paws. - “Sorry, I’m just a little confused, I guess.” Abdo answered, trying to scratch his beard but unable to move his body. - That’s all right.” A few moments went by as they silently looked at each other. - “So… Abdo started. - Uhuh. - It’s a little hard to think right now. Can you give me a hint?” The cat’s eyes seemed to double in size for a second. - “Hey Abdo? - Yeah. - Have you tal...

Here. Nobody here. Always alone. Abdo contemplated his surroundings as he floated upwards. Was he floating upwards? It was hard to tell. All around him, lonely stars flickered with bright beams of silver light. He let himself drift through the eternal skies, forever dark with little patterns of pale blue. He knew beforehand that space was a quiet place, but he never expected this deafening silence. He couldn’t even hear his own tinnitus. That made him unreasonably happy. His spacesuit chose that exact moment to cheerfully remind him that he would run out of oxygen in less than half an hour. --- When his plan had finally come into fruition, he had expected to feel many things. Dread, regret, loneliness and existential fear were all on his bucket list. Euphoria however, wasn’t. And yet, euphoria was the only thing he felt. Unfiltered, pure childlike joy.  He was a child of stars returning.  A mammal, millions of kilometres from its birthplace, finally making ...