Thursday, May 21, 2009
a (brief) experimental foray into science fiction writing
The view from my window was black. So, this was what they called space... I thought of the space between my toes, the space between my seat and the next seat, and it seemed strange how that same word could also mean this unfathomable depth of inky blackness into which I couldn’t stop looking. It had only been 3 or 4 hours since the shuttle had left earth, but I knew that at the speed we were traveling, we were probably already light years away. I gripped the arm of my seat at the thought, needing to grasp something tangible to anchor me in this vast space. With the scenery unchanging, I found myself wondering why I had come on this intergalactic cruise. The man sitting next to me was snoring, softly, and with the suggestion of sleep, I dozed off.
An unexpected reddish glow creeping under my eyelids woke me some time later. I looked out my window to see a large, glowing red ball in the distance, probably a star of some kind, but finally something else to look at. I was peering out to see what else might be out there besides the star, when I realized we were actually orbiting one of the star’s planets. Then suddenly, with no warning or even a visible approach, we had swooped down and landed inside of what seemed to be a large space station. I exchanged a startled look with some of the other passengers. Where were we? How could our tourist cruise shuttle have even come far enough in such a short time to have arrived on a planet, much less one that seemed so prepared to receive interplanetary travelers?
I could hear the engines powering down, as the door to the shuttle opened. A moment later, the other passengers and I found ourselves looking at a man smiling at us from the doorway. He greeted us calmly,
“Welcome to Gliese 581c. Please carefully disembark and go through the decontamination seal to the station. Someone will be waiting inside to direct you to the passenger lounge where you can wait while your shuttle refuels.”
In a stunned silence, we quietly filed out of the shuttle and down the ramp. I found myself looking all around, wondering if this could really be happening. Where were we, and how could this place exist?
An unexpected reddish glow creeping under my eyelids woke me some time later. I looked out my window to see a large, glowing red ball in the distance, probably a star of some kind, but finally something else to look at. I was peering out to see what else might be out there besides the star, when I realized we were actually orbiting one of the star’s planets. Then suddenly, with no warning or even a visible approach, we had swooped down and landed inside of what seemed to be a large space station. I exchanged a startled look with some of the other passengers. Where were we? How could our tourist cruise shuttle have even come far enough in such a short time to have arrived on a planet, much less one that seemed so prepared to receive interplanetary travelers?
I could hear the engines powering down, as the door to the shuttle opened. A moment later, the other passengers and I found ourselves looking at a man smiling at us from the doorway. He greeted us calmly,
“Welcome to Gliese 581c. Please carefully disembark and go through the decontamination seal to the station. Someone will be waiting inside to direct you to the passenger lounge where you can wait while your shuttle refuels.”
In a stunned silence, we quietly filed out of the shuttle and down the ramp. I found myself looking all around, wondering if this could really be happening. Where were we, and how could this place exist?
