Walk the Walk
by Mab
Serenity is not silent. If she were silent, she'd be dead, and dead is – undesirable. She's alive, and her living thrums through the soles of your feet. Systems, all working, machinery calm, people calm or not calm.
Shepherd is calm as he reads his book. Book and the book, and you know that he says faith is not logical but there are too many egregious fallacies for a man of sense. Is Book of the book not a man of sense then? He senses, and you sense, and his hair is scary, although Book isn't scary, except when he is. Scary a long time ago, but not broken. Not broken ever but painfully reshaped. Still considering the knowledge of good and evil, fruit from the tree, apple red and round, or is it green and sour?
Apple was bad, malus was mal, Mal dreams, not calm at all. You walk, feet giving love to the floors, floors giving love to your feet, past Kaylee's pretty door, flowers and light for Kaylee. But Mal is not serene on Serenity, and you brush your fingers against the door and walk away. You have enough bad dreams of your own.
Malus, apple, and Paris chose his enmities for love of Helen, love over wisdom or power. They tried to make you choose, but you tricked them. You think that maybe they tricked you too, but Simon came and the joke was on them. Their little broken goddess flew away and still you fly. Which may be uncomfortable when you only know people and not other gods. Better to be a person again, if only you knew how. Learn from the people, except they don't know. Nobody knows, especially not you.
Simon, Simon, asked you once why you didn't like to wear shoes on Serenity, and you smiled and said that you never liked them, and why not feel the earth beneath your feet. And he said, but meimei, we're in space. Simon says, Simon says…do *this*, and sometimes you do put your hand on your head. But Simple Simon that time. It all comes from the earth, earth long ago long gone, but we all make our own earths now. The rails are hard beneath your feet as you listen and sway; as you balance, never fall.
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