Lonesome Hearts

In Short

This short story reimagines the genesis of life on Earth as a bittersweet tale of star-crossed extraterrestrial lovers. When their home, the Moon, loses its food supply, Mjly departs for the lush, uncharted world of Earth to scout for survival. Her partner, Yljm, remains behind, eventually following her, only to discover that her journey has transformed her into something fundamentally different. It is a contemplative piece of classic science fiction that explores themes of loneliness, biological change, and the vast, impersonal scale of cosmic time with a gentle, melancholic wit.

The Story

The narrator, Yljm, begins his account by reflecting on his past on the Moon. In this era, the Moon is a living, breathing world, though its vegetation is dying out and its atmosphere is slowly thinning. Yljm and his beloved, Mjly—a creature of static electricity, levitation, and cyanide-rich breath—face a desperate future. While Yljm is content to wait for the inevitable end, Mjly looks to the nearby, verdant Earth, a planet rich with ferns and potential sustenance.

Despite Yljm’s reluctance to leave their home, Mjly resolves to make the trip. She scouts the distance, confirms the Earth is safe, and departs. Months pass, and Yljm, plagued by loneliness and the impending threat of starvation, decides to follow her. Using his specialized biological processes to navigate the gravity well, he descends to Earth. He finds a world teeming with vegetation but entirely devoid of animal life. He broadcasts a signal, hoping to find Mjly, and is eventually guided to a marshy crater.

At the bottom of the crater, Yljm finds a pool of greenish scum. The voice of his beloved emanates from it, but it is no longer singular; it is a chorus of millions of tiny chirps. Mjly explains that her landing was too violent, causing her form to shatter. She is no longer a single, cohesive entity; she has become the first microbial life on Earth, perpetually dividing into sisters, mothers, and ancestors.

The realization is a profound blow to Yljm. Mjly has become the progenitor of all animal life, a process of infinite multiplication. Yljm, however, remains trapped in his original form. Unable to join her in this state of existence—and unable to find companionship in a world that has no other beings like him—he retreats into a hole in the ground. He sustains himself on roots, surviving indefinitely but remaining entirely alone. He survives as a "lonesome old bem," an eternal observer who has lost his connection to the love of his life, forever separated by the biological transformation that kickstarted the history of our planet.

How It Unfolds

A dying world Yljm and Mjly lounge on the Moon, discussing their bleak prospects as their food supply vanishes. Mjly, the more proactive of the two, identifies the neighboring Earth as a potential sanctuary.

The scout departs Mjly uses her unique abilities to peer across space and eventually launches herself toward Earth. Yljm stays behind, waiting until his loneliness and hunger finally force his hand.

The crossing Yljm makes the arduous journey through the void, carefully maneuvering to survive the Earth's gravity. Upon arrival, he confirms that the planet is a paradise of vegetation, yet he finds no sign of his partner.

The final discovery Following a faint signal to a crater, Yljm encounters a pool of microscopic life. He learns that Mjly has been shattered by her arrival and has evolved into the simple, singular organisms that will eventually populate the world.

An eternal isolation Yljm accepts his fate as a permanent exile. He hides away to live forever, separated from the vast, teeming life Mjly has become, forever dwelling in the loneliness of his own unchangeable biology.

The People

Yljm is the narrator, a creature of habit who is deeply attached to the familiar, even as his world fails. He represents the static past; he wants to stay in his comfort zone and is initially paralyzed by the fear of the unknown. He is a romantic at heart, and his tragedy lies in his inability to adapt to the new reality that Mjly creates.

Mjly is the catalyst for all life. She is defined by her curiosity and her willingness to face peril for the sake of survival. While Yljm values their specific, individual connection, Mjly’s accidental transformation causes her to transcend her individuality. She is the mother of the future, yet in doing so, she ceases to be the specific partner Yljm once knew.

The conflict between them is not one of malice, but of biological necessity. Yljm remains "himself"—an entity defined by boundaries and singular identity—while Mjly becomes the infinite, the collective. They are separated by the very act of survival, leaving Yljm as the lonely witness to a world that has grown beyond him.

In Its Own Voice

Describing the fundamental difference between his own nature and the reproductive cycle that Mjly initiates, Yljm reflects on his isolation:

"Mjly is Yljm's love life. She is her sisters, her mothers, herselves and her ancestors. But poor old Yljm can never be a mother or a sister--just himself!"

When the reality of their situation finally sinks in, he acknowledges the cosmic scale of their final separation:

"The moon no longer turns on its axis and it has no sweetly scented cyanide in its atmosphere. It has no atmosphere of any sort. But it stands now as it did when I left it, glorious in death."

What It's Really About

The book is a fable about the loneliness of being the last of one’s kind. It explores the tension between the desire to maintain personal identity and the biological imperative to evolve and survive. By grounding the origin of life in a failed romance, it suggests that the history of the world is built upon a foundation of profound, inescapable loss. It asks whether survival is truly a victory if it requires the abandonment of the individual self, and it positions human existence—the descendants of Mjly—as the accidental, microscopic byproduct of a tragic, extraterrestrial heartbreak. It is a meditation on the indifference of nature to the longings of the heart.

Why Read It Today

Readers who enjoy science fiction that leans toward the philosophical or the melancholic will find much to admire here. It is a quick read, but one that lingers, utilizing a strange and gentle tone to frame a grand, cosmological event as a small, personal sorrow. Those who appreciate the "golden age" style of mid-century science fiction will recognize the imaginative, speculative flair that uses space-faring creatures to talk about human emotions.

The story is occasionally hampered by its period-specific, somewhat clinical approach to "science"—such as references to cyanic gas or space levitation—which may feel dated to modern readers. However, these elements act as a window into the era's unique brand of whimsy. You should approach it not for its scientific accuracy, but for its emotional honesty. The ending is particularly striking; it leaves you with a haunting image of a lonely, immortal creature hiding in the dark, reminding us that every teeming, vibrant life form on Earth began as a shattered, desperate remnant of a love that could not last. It is a story that manages to be both whimsical and genuinely sad, making it a memorable piece of speculative fiction that refuses to offer an easy, happy ending.