I was on my way to Space School, and I had stepped into pure, fresh sunlight. Pure radiation from the sun itself, and not from an artificial light source upon thousands. I had taken my very first steps outside. The first steps to Space School. My very first steps that I would remember for the rest of life. That would stand out like everything right now standing out right at me, from such a drastic change that I would very well never find myself in this situation until a very long time. I took my first walk under the sky.

I was traversing through the landscape over the smooth concrete path. All of my senses and sensors were fascinated and overloaded with everything in front of me, I struggled to resist the irresistible urge to wander and explore everything from the ground up. I strolled slow enough for me to process the gorgeous scenery.

I didn't believe it was Earth. I just couldn't believe it was even possible. It was so beautifully unearthly, so otherworldly. An orchestra of sounds and noises clashed together to create a song I wouldn't hear anywhere else. Artificial structures, meticulously planned as architecture strives to be, collided with the tranquilizing chaos of the true Earth that moved to the beat of its own drum.

The flora was a luscious verdure of greens, from chartreuse to spring green, blended artistically from nature itself; it was a true living work of art. The trees rose and towered right above, watching down upon the ground, while the rustling leaves shaded the ground with splats and blobs of sunlight. I continued over to the next tree in my way. The trunk was a palette of brown, and so were the branches that snaked and curved their way to the sky. Its bark was rough and flaky when I gently slid my hand over to feel its texture.

I saw small, black ants marching and crawling their way up and down the tree in trails. Some of them were freely carrying leaves enough to cover ten of them at once. My eyes tracked the trailing ants, until I caught the sight of a flock of birds that passed over the leaves. I continued my stroll down the path, and I watched them from below as they soared high into the sky, where they became a speck, and then nothing. I could only imagine how far they were, and where they were heading.

The clouds were blobby strokes of a thick paintbrush. Cumulous clouds were drifting in front of the distant cirrus clouds that soared and stretched at another layer of the atmosphere. It was a sea of fluffy boats sailing to the horizon, far beyond the hills and mountains to become another shape I am yet to see, if I ever see it again.

I had taken long enough a walk that I had finally reached the entrace of the Space School. There, it was back to the unnatural world, yet it will become natural for me in the future. I glared up at the brick and mortar walls, the roof that shadowed grass and ground from the sun, and all the windows and signs I could read from the front.

There was a slight hesitation to walk through the doors now. Not to walk over the concrete, nor to the walls, and not to walk to the door. Through, however, was a completely different story. Part of me was curious to continue my path inside, the other wanted to relish in Earth. It was going to be a major turning point in my life, no matter what I did and what I decide to do.

I took a deep breathe. I took in every second of that breathe to have my eyes open. Then I was taking slow, carefully paced steps. Now there was something completely opposite than the calm, eased pleasure I had just walked through. Now I tensed up for each step, expecting black after white. My robotic arm slowly extruded from my body, reaching for the silver handle on the clear door.

I could see what's inside now. It was easier to expect what could happen, but it was still a leap.

I breathed in again. I breathed out.

And then, finally, used my strength to push the door open and let myself in. The orchestra from outside came to a close, and then it was silence.

Echoes and silence.

Now it was a strictly fixed palette of grays and brown, and some spotted colors. It was a black to a white, and now I find myself quite confused.

There it was. Space School.