Staring at the frozen Earth thousands of miles away, entranced by the idea of staying in a moment forever, she places her glass upon the marble countertop.

She wanted that moment to last, for the condensation from her drink to never drip onto the counter, for the satellite ship she called home to halt mid-orbit and for the feeling she held deep in her stomach to remain forevermore.

Walking toward the distant hallway light, she made her way through the cool corridors, wrapped in various shades of granite, its floors lined with sparkly diamond barrettes and walls adorned with gold hand railings on either side.

She walks by a young man in the hallway. He smiles at her, and she exchanges one back. She couldn't remember the last time she felt prompted to smile.

When the Human Race decided to abandon Earth, avoiding the imminent Ice Age of 3030, they took their most prized possessions, including parts of each of the Seven Wonders of the World, the most valuable stones and materials available and legendary artwork. They wanted to remember the Human Experience for what it originally was.

On her left, she breezes by the Mona Lisa. She takes a few steps forward, passing Starry Night, then The Water Lily Pond, followed by The Birth of Venus. She stops in front of Girl with a Pearl Earring, as she always does. She loved to study her, imagining what it would be like to trade lifetimes. Examining the subject's intrigued expression, she tries to picture what the Girl could be looking at. "What did it mean to be her? To live at this time? To grow substantially in the first half of your life, your knowledge constantly expanding, to only to face your imminent perish, with Father Time using you like a piece of unwanted fruit?"

A breeze of recycled air hits her neck, shifting her back to reality. She checks her inner wrist: 14:55, December 24th, 4051. "Perfect timing," she thinks to herself.

Stepping into the main entertainment space on the ship, she enters the room of tall ceilings. Her perspective is immediately filled with visions of luxe velvet seating, stone walls covered in historical frescos and the backs of heads, all facing a screen in the front of the room.

Everyone looked perfect, as they always do. No one over the age of thirty, or at least no one appearing so. With the growth in genetic testing research, humans have been able to eliminate any signs of aging or imperfections once the body is fully developed. Skin remains smooth and wrinkle-free, hair cuts are never unflattering and people are allowed to choose their desired body type once they hit puberty.

This has led to a sea of sameness across physical features. The lack of individuality has made itself alarmingly present this evening. As she takes her seat, the screen flares on. An image of a sophisticated man appeared on screen. "As you know, it is at this time of year we look back on our ancestors before us, and how they spent time during the winter months, a period which they called, 'The Holidays.' Through songs, books and film, people expressed their joy for this annual festivity."

Ancient holidays are often looked over on the ship. Growing up, you're taught that forgetting history will mean you're doomed to repeat it. To repeat history is to go backward. Humans don't like to go backward these days. Technology has advanced so far ahead humans don't need to eat, drink or require any necessities to maintain a healthy living. "We need nothing so we can do everything" is a common saying used across the ship, carved into all of the single square foot, round windows on the ship to remind us of how far we've come when we look out into the distance and see the former motherland, standing forever still as it’s people progress forward.

While most of the precious artifacts from Human's time on Earth are displayed around the ship as a sign of remembrance, it only leaves more questions than answers. "Why were these the things we valued in life?" "Who cares about all that glitters when there's warmth, ocean waves and sunsets?" She had only seen them in textbooks, but she yearned deeply to know how the orange glow of a sunrise would feel on her face.

Another breeze hits her neck. The man on the screen grabs her attention again. "Today marks Christmas Eve, a holiday based around ancient religious beliefs and calls for gathering, togetherness and belonging. Traditionally, this holiday was observed on Christmas Day by exchanging gifts and kind words with loved ones. Of course, we don't practice these things anymore, but let's embrace the unknowing bliss of the past and begin our Christmas Content Marathon, set to last until 23:59, December 30th, 4051. Now, sit back and get ready to enjoy a commercial-free, nonstop stream of famous holiday movies and television shows originating from the 21st century."

People stayed glued to their seats for hours. Everyone is free to leave at any point but other than going to bed at some point in the day (the traditional "sleep schedule" has been obliterated; everyone goes to sleep whenever they choose), there weren't many other forms of entertainment around.

Another year was passing. Yet instead of making memories for themselves, Humans are set to relive other people's pasts, unable to make any meaningful emotional connections anymore. She excuses herself to use the restroom. Walking through the cold hallways once again, passing the portraits of faces that once lived, as she always does.

She sees something at the end of the hallway. Something that was not there before. She moves closer. A piece of thick paper, about the size of her hand. One side is an off-white matte, the other glossy. On the matte side, she read, "Kathy and Kim enjoying the summer sunshine on Sanibel Island, 1999," in beautiful handwritten lettering. She flipped it over to reveal two young women, arms intertwined, with smiles stretching as wide as their faces as they sit underneath a red umbrella, partially covered in sand but fully not minding.

She hovers over the nearly-faded faces with her finger, envisioning herself being in the sand, wearing sunglasses (which haven't been needed or used for hundreds of years), and enjoying the rays that fall upon her. What was it like to be warm, on the inside and out? A friend. What was it like to have a "friend"? To feel emotionally in sync with someone? This picture only made her more curious about the now non-existent world. Footsteps begin approaching down the hall. She quickly puts away the paper and proceeds the opposite way to the restroom.

That day she slept with the photograph under her pillow, dreaming of what her life would have been like if she'd been able to feel the sand through her fingers.

The next day is just like the last. She slips out of the watching room at the same time to venture around the ship, in search of more lost treasures. She then spies a glistening object in the corner of her eye. She picks up the object, her eyes widening at the realization of what she had stumbled upon. A small handheld silver tool, with four dull prongs at the end of the flat, long base. She had only seen these in movies before. "Fork," she whispers to herself, and mimes eating, her cupped hand playing the bowl. She sees something else in the corner of the hallway that caught her attention. A spoon! It was her lucky day. As she kneels down to examine the concave object closer, she sees him. The smiler.

But he doesn't see her. He places a butter knife on the floor further down the hall. A collection of random objects seems as though it's about to spill out of his messenger bag, but he closes it carefully, as though what lay within were his most prized possessions.

Then he notices her. His eyes widen as though he's been caught unexpectedly, but his soft smile says he had been waiting for her arrival.

"This was all you?" she asks.

"I see you've made your way through the silverware," he replies. "Nice to formally meet you, I'm Henry." She examines him up and down. He's wearing a uniform of sorts. On his chest reads "Henry- Ship Examiner." He must work for the higher authorities.

"How do you know who I am? she asks.

"My job is to track all things happening on the ship, including passengers such as yourself. I've been noticing you for a while, seeing the expression in your eyes vary from the others during the typical content-watching sessions. Your eyes seem to light up in those moments, only to fade out once the videos are cut off. You seem so enchanted by the lives of the past... That's when I knew you were like me."

"Like me," she thought to herself. She had never related to anyone before, not in any way outside of the norm, at least. Everyone wears the same clothes, does the same activities and partakes in the same conversations. She had previously thought her difference in thinking would only lead to loneliness. Instead, she discovered it was her uniqueness that brought her closer to a friend she never knew she had.

He kept talking, hoping it would prompt her to open up. "I've scattered parts of my personal antique collection across the ship, hoping it would get you back to that feeling you get with old videos," he said.

She stood silent for another second and gestured to his bag, now overflowing.

He notices her excitement and passes it over to her. She opens it wide to reveal a hairbrush, a broken cell phone and a pacifier, among lots and lots of other artifacts.

"Where did you find all of this?" She asks while rummaging through the timeless treasures.

"We keep lots of things from the old days, as a record of what once was," he replied, "They usually only put the most valuable items on display, though. The rest of them get chucked into the back storage room."

As he reaches his last words, her head jerks up, no longer neck-deep inside the bag of artifacts. She turns to look out the window, staring at the ball of rock and ice in the distance. "Can you take me to that room?"

The walk to the room only took a few minutes but she could feel a lifetime of anticipation boil over inside of her. Henry opens the room to reveal a giant warehouse-like space, filled floor to ceiling with old books, clothing and other miscellaneous objects. The smell and warmth emanating from inside were different from anything she had ever experienced. These items weren't kept away to be awed at from a distance by bystanders, these items lived. These shirts were donned on people's backs, these tricolored toys played with by children, this fork used for receiving sustenance.

"Check this out, this is where we keep the old sparkly stuff. None of these are actually valuable, but they shine just like real gems."

She turns into an aisle filled with old jewelry, tinsel and various decorated spheres with thread attached. She pauses in front of the ornate spheres. "Are these... Christmas ornaments?" She made sure to annunciate her last words, as she had never spoken them aloud before.

"You recognize them! Yes, these were used to decorate pine trees during the Christmas season in the old days." He paces around the aisle. "There's quite a bit of that kind of holiday stuff in here. It seems our ancestors were very big on celebrating everything," he said, amused. "Did you know they used to celebrate that day you were born every year? They called it a 'Birthday,' even though people are only born once..." He scratched his temple. "I don't really understand most of the old way of living, to be honest. I just tend to the things that remain. I've always wanted to get it though, to understand what enjoyment was like in that world."

He paused for a moment and matched her gaze. "I know we're supposed to not want anything more than what we have here on this ship, but I think that's a load of shit. Seeing all of the things we used to live with leaves me with the feeling of longing for a life when all of this was used. Hands were made for holding things, humans were made for more than just the necessities."

"Right." She could recognize his frustration, it’s the same way she feels about the topic. She looked around for anything she could use to lighten the mood. A pair of clip-on pearl earrings caught her attention. "Just like the painting," she mumbled to herself, elated at her discovery.

He noticed her attention focused on the earrings. "You can have them if you like, no one will notice," he said.

She shakes her head slightly before putting the earrings back. "They'll just keep reminding me of the life I wish I lived."

They continue walking through the space, leaving all that glitters behind them. They make their way to the back of the storage facility, a garage with window-covered walls separating smaller getaway ships from the vast space between the satellite and Earth.

"Do you think we could ever go back there?" she asked unenthusiastically, knowing the answer.

"I'm no geologist, but I don't think that space rock is ever going to be livable again." His soft smile fades. "It sucks, not being able to celebrate things like we used to. But like they always say on the ship, we just have to keep moving forward, right?"

"Right." She said sadly. Her expression shifts and her eyes widen. "But what if we were able to visit? Just for a moment?!" She gestures to the ships beside them. “Do you know how to drive one of those?”

“Of course,” he replies, “taking care of these ships is part of the gig...every once in a while we take ‘em for a spin to make sure they’re still kicking.”

"So then we've already got a way of getting there,” she said excitedly. “Let's just fly past it for a few minutes and come back. No one will even notice."

He was worried about getting in trouble, but deep down he had always wanted to fly closer to Earth, to be just an inch closer to understanding the human race as it began. After a few minutes of silent contemplating, he agreed. As he was preparing the ship for take-off, she rushed to get a few ornaments, determined to celebrate some form of Christmas on Earth, even if it was only for a few seconds.

They put on their seatbelts, turned on the engine, and flew off toward the ball of ice, feeling warmer than they had ever felt.

As they got closer to the abandoned planet, their energies became magical. It was like finding the last few puzzle pieces, and knowing just where to put them. As they landed on the lifeless planet, they felt the most alive.

While not many people travel to Earth, understanding space travel is one of the first lessons taught in grade school. Being an astronaut is no longer a big feat, but a common characteristic.

"Let's step outside," she said. He looked at her as if she was insane. "We have space suits, it's fine! Here, put this on," she says as she tosses the garment and headpiece over to him.

They step outside. She remembers when humans first traveled into space. "One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind" felt ironic at this point. 

She turns to spot the satellite in the distance. The current population sees that moment as the one that changed our lives for the better. She lets out a tear inside her helmet. 

That was the day her fate was decided for her.

She checks her inner wrist for the time: 00:00, December 25, 4051. It was finally Christmas Day, the day she now knows she's been waiting for her entire life.

She unzips her side pocket to let out the decorations she had taken from the storage room earlier.

Throwing them up into the air, smiling as hard as she ever had, she yelled, "MERRY CHRISTMAS!"

He laughed, "A very merry Christmas indeed."

Smiling with her eyes closed, arms open and palms facing where the sun would have been, she felt complete. She had finally felt the Christmas joy she had seen on screen for years. But this was different. This was really happening, to her. She thought about the joy she perceived in her favorite movies, the same joy that she would continue to see every year, year after year, back home on her ship. Her smile dims slightly, until she remembers.

She unzips her other pocket and places the pearl earrings in his hands.

"So you did end up taking them! But why bring them here?" he asked, puzzled.

"Can you put them on me?" she asks hopefully.

"The air is poisonous here... if you take your helmet off..." he said, locking eyes with her.

"I know," she said surely, "but please, I want to know what it feels like to be adorned for once, on Earth."

They both look around the area. The barren tundra has no resemblance to the world they so longed for in movies.

"Please let me have this," she says as he begins to notice tears pooling in her eyelids.

He nods.

Slowly, she removes her helmet. Holding her breath, she gestures him over. He diligently clips on each pearl earring, careful to avoid getting her hair stuck in the process.

"You look beautiful," he says.

"Just like the painting?' She asks.

"Even better."

She lets out a burst of laughter as tears begin to roll down her cheeks. The feeling buried deep inside her stomach has finally found its release. As she continues to laugh, she reaches for the floor, struggling to fill her lungs with fresh air.

Slowly, the laughing turns into a whimper, and then a faint breath, followed by silence.

A few minutes pass by as he stands motionless, eyes fixated on her in the same way she fixated on paintings.