Chapter 4: Potential

On an uninteresting planet, in a nearby solar system to earth's, nothing was happening. This planet was in it's premature stage and was still burning, flooded with molten rock and devoid of any atmosphere.

But what makes this uneventful occasion special, is the birth of a new species. It's a form of microscopic bacteria that has evolved to survive and and live off of magma beneath the crust of this planet. It can't do anything special, but it does exist. And that's what gives it so much potential.

But that doesn't matter now, since while it has so much potential for evolution, there's also a lot of room for error in the path ahead for this species.

In normal circumstances, this would be fine, as the future is unknown to most. And who knows, maybe this bacteria is the seed for a future civilization that could grasp the secret of infinite power, eternal life, capturing the galaxy, discovering new things that could change the fate of the universe.

But the future isn't certain. And it will never be.

It could, at some point, be discovered by another advanced civilization. And it could potentially be the one final push that the advanced civilization needed in order to achieve the perfect biological technology tree. It could be the way to, once and for all, prove evolution.

But potential isn't certain. And it will never be.

Maybe this new species could be unlucky, and the universe is about to end. And this species could never get the chance to bloom, and show the outside world what it's capable of. It could die off alone, and the universe with it, in complete silence. Far from ever completing it's evolution tree. Never getting the chance to even develop a brain capable of conscious thought.

But luck isn't certain. And it will never be.

Maybe it does get to the agricultural stage, and it does become a sentient being. They haven't gone far in the technological tree, and are only using stone tools so far. And it could stay like that forever. Never advancing as a civilization after the agricultural stage. Always so close to advancement, just to be brought back because of their fear of the unknown. Shunning down everything that could change their stable lives.

But social structures aren't certain. And they will never be.

But it could also become an advanced civilization. One that could dominate the universe. Become a technological giant the outside fears. One that has understood the ins and outs of the universe, every universal law.

But technology isn't certain. And it will never be.

Perhaps it could be killed by another civilization because of it's potential. After all, in the grand perspective of the universe, billions and billions die every second. What's another one to the pile?

But hate isn't certain. And it will never be.

Maybe the species advances far enough to have built atomic bombs. And one of the owners of one of said atomic bombs fires them off. Killing most of the inhabitants of this planet. And another owner fires back because of rage. Starting a game of chicken, who will admit defeat first? Maybe they never will.

But cowardice isn't certain. And it will never be.

Perhaps, while it's still in the microscopic stage, under the crust, feeding off of magma. A new mutation occurs, one that makes it unable to consume magma. And since this planet would still be in it's cratering stage of planet development, it would be killed from the absurd amount of meteors destroying the surface of the planet. Meaning it couldn't go to the surface to find a new source of nourishment. Being forced into a state of starvation, suffering and not being able to do anything about it.

But evolution isn't certain. And it will never be.

And while there's so much pessimism about the future of this tiny speck of dust on the planet, let alone in the universe. It could actually be all of those things, and that's what's so beautiful about it. It not being one thing only leaves room for the others. And sometimes, that's enough.

But optimism isn't certain. And it will never be.