Midnight was waiting. Through the abandoned hallways, the hollow rooms, the barren pool, and off to the glittering cliffs poisoned by the sun, Midnight was waiting. The dust had settled since the last humans left. Their silence echoed through the resort, never emptied of their old bits and debris. They'd left trash in the bins, beds unmade, and an old pencil that would occasionally, and for no particular reason, roll across the lobby floor. It was the only disruption to the calm that blanketed the once busy scene. Everything else stood still. It was as if the whole planet was holding its breath. And some of it was.
Because despite appearances, Midnight was not empty. They were where they had always been, in the unexplored caves and crevices, and hiding behind the crystal waterfalls. And now they had new homes. They were in the darkened hallways. They hid behind the half-closed doors. They were a million other places too, because Midnight was waiting. It was waiting for you.
Well, not you exactly. But they knew your kind. The first humans had made quite the impression. Bodies so warm, lives so rich, how could anyone resist making that their own? They certainly couldn't. And they, as you know, hadn't. But that first attempt had gone bad, as most first attempts do. The humans got scared. They took their clothes, their technology, their toys, and their very warm bodies very far away. But along with all the junk, the humans had left something very important behind, and that was patience. Because now they knew. Those first few million years they'd spent alone, in the dark and in the cold, that hadn't been for nothing. They had been waiting for something extraordinary and they hadn't even known it. They were waiting now, again, but that wasn't so bad. They at least knew what they were waiting for. Humans were stupid creatures, easily impressed by mystery, or failing that, shiny things. They'd be back. They'd forget. They would not. It would take time. But eventually, they knew, there would be a second chance. And as they watched the small space-pod land in the old docking bay, Midnight knew its wait had ended.