A Friend at the End of the Universe

At the end of the universe, there is a planet that you won’t find on any map. Even if you’ve been there before, you won’t be able to find it again. It’s a very small planet orbiting a small sun. Overall, it is rather unremarkable, but it is the home to one of the most remarkable beings in the universe. No one knows their name, yet, everyone knows about the tailor at the end of the universe.

Now you are probably all thinking, “Wait, we already know this story!” but it has been a while since this story has been told to its fullest, and it has grown quite a bit. Because one day, a ship landed on the planet. Of course, ships landed on the planet every now and then; that by itself was not the oddity. The oddity was that the ship simply never left. You see the owner of the ship was a human, a very famous human, but that does not matter. Titles hold no value at the end of the universe. The human did not ask the tailor for a garment, and for the first time ever, the tailor did not know what this being needed.

It was a very strange situation.

The tailor questioned the human on why he had come here when he had no desire. The human grinned at him and signed, “I always thought you might need a friend.” For the first time in centuries, the tailor was speechless. Something like this had never happened before; someone like this had never landed on their planet. “A friend?” they asked, and their visitor nodded. “Yes, whenever my mother told me your story I couldn’t help but think how terribly lonely you must be!” the man signed back.

Lonely? The tailor thought. They had never thought about the possibility of another being on their planet, at least not one that was permanent. They had been alone from the beginning. Why should that ever change? The idea had never crossed their mind. A hand suddenly appearing in their periphery startled the tailor. The strange human was waving it in front of them.

“Are you alright?” he signed with a concerned look on his face. “I am fine,” the tailor answered slowly, “this is simply quite unexpected and I am unsure what exactly your goal is!”

The human looked bashful all of a sudden, “I did not think I would actually find your planet, I mean of course the stars always tell me the right way but still,” he signed, “I made no further plans but find you and be your friend”.

“And if I do not want a friend?” they asked carefully.

The human’s face fell. “I guess then I will leave and not bother you anymore,” he signed. The tailor blinked, they were not sure if it could really be this simple, but the human in front of them looked so earnest and sincere that they were very tempted to believe him. “You may stay!” they said, a strange spark lighting up in them when the human smiled brightly in response. “Thank you, you will not regret it!” he signed, the smile never leaving his face.

From that day on, the story changed; it was no longer just about the tailor at the end of the universe but about them and the cheerful human that never left their side.