LANIAKEA The Convergence

LANIAKEA The Convergence

ISBN: 978-2-9820779-8-0

All reproduction, translation and adaptation rights

reserved © 2022

Cover design: RG

Linguistic revision: Traductions Telicus

Legal deposit – 2nd quarter 2022

Bibliothèque nationale du Québec (BAnQ)

Preface

LANIAKEA (immense heaven in Hawaiian) is composed of approximately 100,000 galaxies including the Milky Way, which contains our Solar System as well as the Earth. The red dot on the picture indicates the Milky Way.

LANIAKEA is a literary work protected by the Copyright Act of Canada © 2019.

The author textually depicts elements such as landscapes, clothing, and places. He also sought to take advantage of the tools available through technology. In some volumes, he has included WEB links that make it easy to view the images. Just select the text in a different colour and underlined.

Those images were typically taken from a number of different websites. However, in all cases, there is no indication that their use is prohibited.

Some of these images are more or less explicit, while still being respectful of beauty.

Enjoy your reading!

On this early summer afternoon, the sun is shining on this beautiful city of Quebec. The first days of July are hot, but the wind keeps the pedestrians cool.

The intersection is very busy. The traffic light turns yellow. A man in his sixties stops his car. He is wearing dark blue pants, which are customary for his work as a consultant. His long-sleeved beige shirt has no creases. A few pedestrians cross the street in front of him. He glances at the sidewalk to his right and, among those waiting to cross the perpendicular lane, he spots the back of a tall woman. She is wearing a fitted white dress with large flowers on it, which lightly flows just above the knee. Her back, waist and buttocks are well defined. Her long, suntanned, muscular legs are straight.

She turns slowly to her left and reveals her profile. The small waves of her long dark hair with a few light-grey strands float gently in the breeze. Her forehead is long and bare. Her nose discreetly curls up. Her belly is quite flat. Her dress fits her chest well.

She looks to her left, across the street, waiting for the signal to cross.

The man behind the wheel takes off his sunglasses to better contemplate her. Thus, he can admire her light-blue almond-shaped eyes, her slightly open mouth which reveals perfectly white teeth and her round, barely elongated chin which completes the masterpiece.

He thinks:

She must be around fifty years old. What a wonderful, beautiful woman! Universe, be kind and let me meet her.

At one point, their eyes meet briefly and she discovers this man staring at her.

He takes his eyes off her to check the traffic light. His gaze is drawn further ahead. He sees a tractor trailer travelling in the opposite lane. Surprised, he wonders:

What the hell is he doing here?

He notices the top of the driver’s head lying on the steering wheel.

Worried, he says to himself:

If he doesn’t stop, he’ll hit the pedestrians. He’ll hit this beauty as well.

He looks at her and sees that she is moving her left leg forward as she gets ready to step off the sidewalk.

She mustn’t go forward, he thinks.

He turns the steering wheel of his car to the right, accelerates quickly and then brakes just as fast to get between the truck and this beautiful woman.

He glances at the tractor trailer, which is still moving and is about to hit his car. He raises and bends his left arm to protect his head.

The truck hits his car pretty hard. The whole left side of the car is lifted. The car, pushed sideways towards the pedestrians, ends up stopping, blocked by the curb. The truck stays stuck to the car and continues to push.

Ouch, he moans as he moves his left arm.

He looks and sees blood on the sleeve of his shirt. Nervously he whispers:

I have to get out of here, and fast.

He activates the roof window that takes forever to open. Somehow, he gets out and jumps on the hood to let himself slide to the right of the car, still being lifted by the tractor trailer.

On the sidewalk, he immediately notices his beauty lying on her back. Both her legs are under his car.

He gets closer. On his knees, he takes her right-hand and says in a reassuring voice:

It’s going to be all right! Don’t worry! Trust me, I’ll help you.

She tries in vain to look at her legs. In tears, she looks at him while trying to smile. She answers him:

Thank you.

Are you in pain? he asks delicately.

My left leg hurts a lot.

What about the right leg?

I don’t feel anything.

He leans over and tries to see her legs under the car. He asks her:

I can’t see your legs. Can I touch them? I want to know if they’re hurt.

It hurts, she says, still crying.

Can I touch your legs? he insists.

Yes. My left one really hurts.

He grabs her right knee and moves it to the left and then to the right. It moves and she doesn’t react.

Your right leg seems to be fine, he concludes.

The left knee is pressed against the leaning car. He places his fingers on the side of the knee:

I’m going to check under.

Quickly, he goes on:

My hand is under the car, and I can touch your shin. I’m going lower.

He gently runs his finger along the tibia. When he touches a bump under her skin, she cries out in pain. He apologizes:

I’m sorry. I’m almost done.

At the site of the fracture, he moves his fingers towards the calf to get under the leg. Then he withdraws his hand and looks at his fingers.

There is no blood.

He moves closer to the head of this beautiful, suffering woman. He sits down on the sidewalk, takes her head between his hands, and gently lays it on his thigh. With his right-hand, he takes her hand.

He asks those around him:

Did anyone call for help?

Silence…

What idiots, he reflects angrily.

He picks up his phone