Before My Time

Scarlett Johansson, Chasing ice

8 hours to impact

The event’s last day begun with seventeen-year-old Cleopatra Stratan, the Moldovan superstar singer whose first commercial success happened at three years of age, began. She was followed by Greta Thunberg:

• - I want you to act as if the house is on fire, because it is. Change is coming, whether you like it or not – the Swedish teenager said, grinding her teeth. – We showed that we are united and that we, young people, are unstoppable. Since our leaders are behaving like children, we will have to take the responsibility they should have taken long ago.

Then Tristan Owain Pang, the English child-prodigy excelling academically as mathematician-scientist: a clever problem solver and a great communicator. Tanishq Matthew Abraham, third generation Indian-American, a Physics prodigy who was publishing papers on Astronomy before he was a teenager. Aelita Andre, who began painting at nine months of age and had her first solo surrealist painting exhibition in New York at four. Children of all ages got to speak, many of whom were regular kids with a knack for saying cool stuff now and then. And finally, the last speech before the closing ceremony arrived. Young Eva came up with, impromptu:

• - I knew who I was this morning, but I have changed a few times since then – Eva began. – Yesterday I made a new friend. A boy. He is nice, but he is in hospital today. He broke his rib climbing a tree. He taught me that there are two sides to every story, so I asked myself: what is the story everyone in this big room is telling? And what is the other side? I heard everybody talking about the end of the Earth. Some say it’s getting too hot, that we are killing the planet. Some say it is big, ugly robots. Some say it’s the big computers that are too smart and will get rid of us. Some said it’s superhumans. I still don’t know what superhumans are. But my mommy is a superhuman. And my sister. And my daddy. I can’t remember all the stories I heard from you, but many are about the end of Earth. All of us dying. It’s scary. I was wondering this morning, eating toast, what is the other side of the story? Maybe the Earth doesn’t like us. Maybe it is angry at us. Like when the Big Bad Wolf got angry with Little Red riding Hood. This used to be my favorite story because I like the color red. The red star in the sky is my favorite. I see it every day. It’s right there!

Eva pointed at the ceiling. About three people in the room knew she was pointing at the exact position.

• - I played a game today, after my toast, with an apple. I asked it what would I think if I was not a little girl, but actually Earth... what I would feel? I looked at the apple and asked Earth and she told me. Earth told me she wished she was as big as Jupiter. She loves Jupiter. Also she says, it’s not fair Jupiter has so many moon friends. Earth also told me she is afraid of Saturn. She called him a bully. She says she feels bored stuck in the same place, going round and round the sun all the time, since forever. Earth says she likes the moon and wants us to visit more times, maybe build a small home there. She says she wants to visit other places. Earth says she gets dizzy, and feels very alone sometimes. She says she enjoys being round, and wet. Earth says humans are her. So are dogs and cats. And trees. And apples. She says she is everything just the way my hair is me, just like the snot I pick from my nose. Earth told me we are the smartest part of her. That we are funny. Earth said she doesn’t need to be saved. She is fine. She is happy. I think earth is sad. I do. But she doesn’t. I guess I believe her. Earth told me humans are just one part of her. The smartest one, she said. Then there are other parts of her, like there’s the fastest one, the loudest one, the biggest one. The smallest. Then there’s the shortest, and the tallest, and parts of her that can swim and fly really well. Earth told me we are just one of her apes, but we think we are not just apes. She just needs us to carry our smartiness and eyes somewhere else, like when the flu uses people to carry itself from place to place. She says she wants to visit the universe.

Eva paused. Nobody knew for sure if it was the end. Maria was right next to her, hesitant, offstage.

• She says she is lucky to have life. Very lucky. Many planets don’t. Earth says life is really cool. It’s fun. It is her favorite part about herself. She says her only job is to spread life. Share life. It’s all life should do. It’s what all plants should do. It’s what all bored apes should do. Some planets out there have no life, so earth wants to take her life there. That is why earth made us. To get smarter and take smart life to other places. In Earth’s story, humans are just flowers. Seeds. Do you know dandelion flowers, the ones you can blow into the wind? Earth says we are dandelions.

Then Eva walked off of the stage. Some applauded, amazed. Some applauded appalled. Few gave any importance to the silly ending Eva brought to such a wonderful and serious summit. Kids!, they thought. All in all, the event had been a remarkable success. Resolutions, decisions, dialogues, treaties were proposed, had, taken. Action steps. Press briefs. Press conferences abounded. Atom GIGACHAD’s vision came to full fruition. Delegations started leaving for their scheduled shared flights. Presents were exchanged and future visits, scheduled.

Atom did his best to find Eva, to thank her for what she had whispered into his ear the night before, but she was nowhere to be found. Maria and Sebastian had shot off to the airport as soon as Eva’s speech was over. Sebastian had to hurry back to prepare the big debate with his political opponents, scheduled for the following night. He had yet another election to win, a country to run. They would soon be home, Maria would tense down, forget about dreams, life would go on, dandelioning itself as it always had. Joana hugged Eva, congratulating her for her speech, joking and laughing. Eva asked if she could visit Adamah at the hospital on the way, but there was no time. Urgency always seems more important than importance.

• - I love you, Eva – Maria repeated, hyper-hugging her brave little speaker.

• - Thanks mommy.

• - Eva, you were amazing! I could never do that – Joana said, in her habitual lighthearted tone. – you’re nuts, so many people. It was really cool, sis, really: you were a-ma-zing. I think people forget you’re only five years old.

• - And seven months!

• - We are so proud of you – all three of them said, each in their own way.

• - Group hug! – Joana shouted, as she took yet another group-photo-selfie, them in the background, Joana popping in at the corner, and auto-posted it to Twinstahook. Click.

• - Can I sit on the side of the plane facing Mars?

• - Of course you can, honeybunny. Let’s get home. In one piece – Maria bit her nails. – One more flight and we are back to normal!

• - I love you, mommy.