for the sake of liquid jake
Featured on “for the sake of liquid jake”: Episode 1.
It will come to pass that in some time far beyond our own —once our concept of humanity has run its course— nothing will be left on our planet but the charred ruins of a once great civilization. Perhaps, our remains will not be seen as a great civilization by whosoever or whatsoever finds them. But it will be undeniable that a force once ruled this planet… so long as our monuments decide to stick around for long enough for others to see it.
If we’re lucky, it may come to pass that the shells of our empty cities will survive after our sun collapses. Then, visitors from other stars can find us and incorrectly assume that the supernova wiped us out. Because, let’s be honest, we’re going to find a way to wipe ourselves out, long before the sun ever gets around to it.
However, even if all of humanity’s fears do come to pass, we’ll still have Liquid Jake.
He’s a memory of mankind. Birthed with everything that makes us human, but born too late for it to matter. He’s more ethereal than physical, barely containing mass. He’s sort of like a puddle, but also like slime. He can take any form but cannot sustain a single one. What limits him is his own consciousness or lack thereof. It’s impossible for any being to understand that it’s a thing alive, when it’s the only thing alive. Without other heads to butt against, Jake can’t make any use of his own.
Time is not a straight line, and there are infinite paths down which history may wander. And in one of these possible eventualities, it comes to pass that after our sun explodes, our city-shells do survive. And in that hypothetical reality (the only one that matters) I can see Liquid Jake melting into the sidewalk.
Despite all the interesting things that we might like to learn more about, he would rather just ooze through the cracks in the concrete. Elongating through every elder indent and ancient crevice, as he grabs ahold of all the elements he can. But regardless of how many he gathers, they all amount to nothing, because he can’t do anything with them. So he just keeps absorbing. Because he likes how it feels against his semi-solid skin.
I’ve tried to help. My God, how I’ve tried. But he won’t listen. He doesn’t want to return to humanity, with me in my pondskipper time machine. He just wants to ooze. And thats his choice, I suppose. Since he’s the only thing left alive, why should he do anything but for the sake of Liquid Jake?
by: liquid jake