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Daily Deviation
Daily Deviation
December 7, 2012
Someday by ~Kiresg is a Bradbury-esque nod to the golden age of science fiction.
Featured by Nichrysalis
Literature Text
Jane and Ellis floated parallel to one another across the vast canvas of space, eyeing the marble-like planets that slowly crept past them. Their skin reflected the starlight with a dull orange sheen. Ellis had called it 'planet gazing,' an activity he apparently thought suitable for a date.
"Do you see that one below us?" Ellis said, pointing to a round blue mass.
Jane shrugged.
"Isn't it beautiful?" he asked. "I'll bet it's beautiful on the surface, too. Like the way the dust begins to spiral when a star is forming."
"Something like that," Jane said. She didn't understand his excitement. Planets were nothing interesting. They were just stars without the fire; black holes without the absence of color; asteroids with an atmosphere. They were just specks of light that littered the sky. The only remotely interesting thing she knew about planets was that the gas in their atmosphere were extremely lethal. Big whoop, she thought. Floating, atmospheric rocks of death. Ellis sure knew how to impress a girl.
"I've read about how gravity works differently down there," Ellis said. "You wouldn't be weightless anymore. You'd have to rely on your muscles to get around. You'd have to pry yourself off the ground and," he paused, thinking. "walk. That's what it was called. 'Walking.'"
Jane was skeptical. "But how would you survive the gases?"
He hesitated. "With hazmat suits?"
"We'd only need suits?"
"And a place to live, I guess. But we could send some terranauts down there and have them build some pods or something," he said.
Jane wasn't impressed. So planets were atmospheric rocks of death that they could live on. So what? She was starting to think Ellis was a fool with his head stuck in a childhood fantasy.
"Would that really be worth it?" she asked. "It seems like you'd be constantly working to keep the nature out. Seems like it would be a pain."
"You really think so?" Ellis said. "I think life'd be much better down there."
"In an environment that could kill you?"
He nodded. "It's beautiful down there. There are mountains of rock that would trace the sky; oceans of hydrogen that would reflect the starlight. Down there, the atmosphere would affect the spectrum of light. There would be color everywhere—sunlight alone would be more magnificent down there than we've ever seen. And with that kind of beauty, our petty problems would disappear. We'd stop being so careless and arrogant down there. We wouldn't fight over money and resources and religion down there. We'd be too distracted by the beauty of it all. We'd finally come together."
Jane felt her disapproval fading. It was a wonderful vision, a world without conflict. "Maybe you're right," she said.
"Maybe?" Ellis asked. "Wouldn't you be stunned by that kind of beauty?"
"Too bad it's only a dream," she said.
Ellis wrapped an arm around her, and to her surprise, she welcomed it.
"Just you wait," he said. "Someday we'll walk down there."
"Do you see that one below us?" Ellis said, pointing to a round blue mass.
Jane shrugged.
"Isn't it beautiful?" he asked. "I'll bet it's beautiful on the surface, too. Like the way the dust begins to spiral when a star is forming."
"Something like that," Jane said. She didn't understand his excitement. Planets were nothing interesting. They were just stars without the fire; black holes without the absence of color; asteroids with an atmosphere. They were just specks of light that littered the sky. The only remotely interesting thing she knew about planets was that the gas in their atmosphere were extremely lethal. Big whoop, she thought. Floating, atmospheric rocks of death. Ellis sure knew how to impress a girl.
"I've read about how gravity works differently down there," Ellis said. "You wouldn't be weightless anymore. You'd have to rely on your muscles to get around. You'd have to pry yourself off the ground and," he paused, thinking. "walk. That's what it was called. 'Walking.'"
Jane was skeptical. "But how would you survive the gases?"
He hesitated. "With hazmat suits?"
"We'd only need suits?"
"And a place to live, I guess. But we could send some terranauts down there and have them build some pods or something," he said.
Jane wasn't impressed. So planets were atmospheric rocks of death that they could live on. So what? She was starting to think Ellis was a fool with his head stuck in a childhood fantasy.
"Would that really be worth it?" she asked. "It seems like you'd be constantly working to keep the nature out. Seems like it would be a pain."
"You really think so?" Ellis said. "I think life'd be much better down there."
"In an environment that could kill you?"
He nodded. "It's beautiful down there. There are mountains of rock that would trace the sky; oceans of hydrogen that would reflect the starlight. Down there, the atmosphere would affect the spectrum of light. There would be color everywhere—sunlight alone would be more magnificent down there than we've ever seen. And with that kind of beauty, our petty problems would disappear. We'd stop being so careless and arrogant down there. We wouldn't fight over money and resources and religion down there. We'd be too distracted by the beauty of it all. We'd finally come together."
Jane felt her disapproval fading. It was a wonderful vision, a world without conflict. "Maybe you're right," she said.
"Maybe?" Ellis asked. "Wouldn't you be stunned by that kind of beauty?"
"Too bad it's only a dream," she said.
Ellis wrapped an arm around her, and to her surprise, she welcomed it.
"Just you wait," he said. "Someday we'll walk down there."
Literature
Nonno's Garden
It’s strange to think that you’re not here anymore.
I remember when we were younger and we’d arrive to see you. The first place we’d go was to the window, pressing our faces against the glass to try and catch a glimpse of you. We’d look out, and you’d be there. Like you always were. In the garden.
Each trip was different, an adventure. There were rows of neatly sown lettuce seeds, bean stalks twice as tall as we were, ripe strawberries just waiting to be found by our greedy little fingers. Tomatoes would be taken and made into sauce, lemons would be squeezed to create limoncello, grapes transformed into
Literature
ISLNDS
you like the way
the i slants,
an error's
guidance
in a sea
of hyphens.
sans-serif
in cropped crests
made to full-
stop breasts
beating;
an obsess-
ion breathing
in lost chests.
now a motive
is seething
with options;
play thief
and proceed greedily,
often.
dive deep
and drink
the leap's froth;
breath is only
as sweet as the
speech that breeds thought.
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Fire and Water
It was raining in Lancaster on September 3rd 1555, and Jane Ask loved the earthy smell that it coaxed out of the soil.
She wiped away the sheen of rainwater from her forehead with the back of her hand and set her small basket of nettles down by the front door. Later she would dry out the leaves and reduce them to a powder; the substance worked wonders on small wounds which refused to stop bleeding.
Jane had always been something of an herbalist. Growing up with only a father, and two older brothers from his first marriage, she had spent the majority of her childhood outdoors. Now practically a spinster at the age of twenty-two, she knew the
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Another attempt at flash fiction. I enjoyed writing this one a bit more than the last, but I'm still hazy on whether I like the finished product or not.
This is the last story I'll set in space for a while, I promise. I've just had my head in the stars for the last couple of days. No clue why.
As usual, any comments or criticism is welcomed.
EDIT 10/26/11: Oh, man. Semi colons everywhere. My bad.
This is the last story I'll set in space for a while, I promise. I've just had my head in the stars for the last couple of days. No clue why.
As usual, any comments or criticism is welcomed.
EDIT 10/26/11: Oh, man. Semi colons everywhere. My bad.