"Somewhere out there, there is a desert. It is only a few miles away from a beach and could be considered part of the beach itself. It does not matter. At night, things like cayotes and owls hunt the desert. In day, mice and voles run around and scavenge. Whenever an animal dies, vultures come and eat the carcass. The sand is everywhere. In the fur of the cayotes, the hollows of the mice, the feathers of the owls. It is spread far and wide, many, many, many, miles away from the original beach. The tangled Joshua trees twist in the rare breezes, carrying the cold and taste of salt from the beach. The desert floor is coated in grass and shrubs. The few winds and even fewer rains cannot tear the plants from their earthy homes. At night, there might be a smoke trail soaring into the sky. There are no lights here, so if one were to walk the desert at night, they would see the universe in all its beauty."
"Somewhere out there, is a tall forest. Mist shrouds the floor, and small snakes and ladybugs and salamanders and maybe even a frog move through it, barely aware of the other's existence. Hidden in tree hollows, owls and sparrows and squirrels are tucked away, warm and watching from above. Small sparrows and other birds sit in hidden hollows and sing their songs. Perhaps they are ones of sorrow. Perhaps they are ones of joy. Their singing fills the forest. The forest canopy is thick and lush, enough to block the right amount of sunlight. If one were to sleep in this forest, while they would not see the stars, they would hear the forest, alive with the croaks of frogs, the howling of faraway wolves, and the silent wing flaps of owls."
"In summary, my friends, life is everywhere. Even in this cube of concrete and stone. Life grows any and everywhere, regardless of how we feel about it. And that isn't a bad thing."
-End of lecture led by Senior Researcher Veri, shortly before her termination.
