English 3 - Rami Public Feed
1920 poster ( Teens Dance, and Life in the 1920s) Keiasha & Rugei
1920's poster
1920s Poster
Jazz During the 1920s Poster
IMS
spoke Raymond. Ray flips various switches preparing for the next stage. The three manned crew prepares for OSS(Orbital Sleep Systems). As the crew travels for six months they will be asleep for the entire trip. As they step into the pods the countdown begins. At zero the massive liquid oxygen fires in a jolting motion setting a telemetry for the crew.
Raymond’s heavy eyes slowly begin to open. He is pleased to see paul the missions captain moving about within the module. Raymond spoke to paul, “wow six months of sleep, and I still feel like shit.” “The OSS will do that to you” “Should we wake up dave?” Raymond asked. “He will wake up on his own, but you can help me establish a radio signal with mission control. This signal keeps relapsing in and out.” Raymond Takes his seat. “Lets take a look out these windows first.” The large steel covered windows slid with much friction and vibration. Staring back at the crew was it, the red plant! The three crew members were to travel down the the planet and replace the soviet crew already on the IMS or International Mars Station. Raymond hailed signal from the Station. “Good morning comrade, this is group system 576 here to relieve you of your duty.”
The soviet responded, “How vas da ride, a little bumby” the soviet chuckled in a heavy russian accent unlike the rest of the crew.. “ You are clear for landing system 576, we are glad to see you”. “ Any contact with earth?” Paul asked. “ We have some bad news” the soviet replied.
The full awakened crew strapped into the cockpit begun the decent towards the red planet. In total orbital free fall with no control of the craft they lowered. building more and more speed. The Altitude meeter reduced. “Three, Two, One” A massive push in the opposite direction. The reentry pyros, fired with 2 million pound thrust. As the thrust backed off, the craft slowly lowed the remaining three thousand feet. A swift clinch of metal as the arms locked together to complete the docking process.Paul looked at the crew and smiled, “We are hear, finally” After a few beeps and buzzes the airtight locking door opened sighlently to the IMS, The other side just 2 cosmonauts, Yuri and Sergey. Both Yuri and Sergey pale as ghosts stared back into the eyes of the american crew. David shouted ”Good morning, we are so glad to meet you and to be aboard the IMS” The american crew continued into the IMS, hugging the soviet crew. Yuri shot Sergey a look. They whispered amongst them selves. “Do they not know” “How could they know” “They need to know”. “Have you been able to reach a signal from Houston or Moscow” asked Raymond. Yuri patted Ray on the back, “please sit, all of you, much needs to be explained”
“Twenty-seven days ago it began. We began getting radio relays from moscow telling of the american threat. A terrorist attack on moscow occurred within soviet russia. America was to blame, how ever it was never proven. Russia responded Air attacks to america and the whole world turned for the worse. The last transmission we received from moscow, it read “Do not trust the NASA astronauts” the rest was garbled” We have lost all communications since then. Seven days ago these images were relayed to us by scavenger seven a satellite above earth. The pictures show 3 distinct cloud masses over the us and 5 distinct cloud masses of western russia. These cloud masses were those put out by a nuclear explosion. So quickly terroristic accusations turned to total joint destruction.” The american crew back away, and stared at each other for a good few minuets. They looked back at the soviets in disbelief and anger. Paul spoke for the group,”it would be in both our interests if you left this IMS as quickly as possible.” Paul turned back to raymond as he began to whimper for his now deceased relatives and friends back on earth. Yuri and Sergey both moved the shuttle, which was to return them to what as left of earth. Sergey moved to on of the various control panels,” Im stirring the Oxygen tanks 3 and 4 before we leave, they are low. As the button was pressed a loud ripping noise rang through the ship. As if bare sheet metal and steel was being ripped easily like a piece of paper. The IMS jolted around, and artificial gravity was lost. David poked his head out of the room where the american sat. He shot Sergey a look, screaming “what was that!” Paul pushed out of the room “what in the hell did you just do” Sergey responded” I stirred the tan----paul cut him off “you what, I need a damage report” Back up generators kicked in restoring gravity. The americans kept hawkeyed on theSoviets, David said “you were the last to tough the panel, what happened, you have stirred those tanks , 300 times and it just decides to go faulty now, and how convenient for it to go faulty just as you were leaving.” Your not suggesting that we, on no, we would never” Yuri responded. “They hell you would” Raymond answered. The computer responded with a damage report. Leaks in main oxygen supply. Crew survival rate 0% in 4 hours. “We have four hours to live” whispered David. Sergey between is fellow crew mates stood up. We would never sabotage this IMS, not because our countries are at war with each other, they are on earth we are on mars, to different set of values, we need each other to survive, now more then ever.” Paul nodded. An hour proceed with silence in the ship, each crew packed and boarded the shuttle home. At 0900 hours they were ready to leave. Each party still disgruntled with each other, watched there backs. As they packed into the shuttle the locking doors enclosed them. A light push and the shuttle left the station and pushed the craft into mars orbit. Yuri turned to Paul, “to get home faster we could you LWS.” Paul answered back, your crazy Light warp speed has never been tested before!” Mid sentence Yuri flipped the switch, with out crews consent. They were wisked away at the speed of light. In only 3 min the capsule reached earth. Paul disoriented from the speed, passed out along with Sergey. the capsules quick decent through earths atmosphere was approaching. Faster and fast the capsule fell, almost ripping the craft apart. Staging pyros begun, spinning the craft in the opposite direction. parachutes opened. Splash down. The capsule hit the water at roughly 30 miles per hour. The windowless cockpit revealed little to the crew before opening the gate. Yuri pulled the hatch release button, and the door blew off. An orange swirl of death and destruction over took the crew. Black and red clouds as far as the human eye could see or the soul could bare. The Earths oceans was slightly boiling and vapor was rising, black rain was failing.
Raymond's eyes opened, “How was that six month sleep, welcome to mars, what did you dream about?”.
Mind Esacpe
Andy woke up to another rainy morning in Quillayute, Washington. He slipped on his jeans and stomped his feet into his rain boots. He drug himself over to the bathroom to brush his teeth. Andy never brushed his hair. He thought it would make him look like he tried to too hard.
“Andy you still aren’t ready?”, his mother hollered.
He snapped back at her, “Chill out Mom. I’ll be down in a sec.”
Andy trudged down the wooden steps of his back stair case, moaning and groaning as he stepped into the kitchen.
“Don’t forget you have to be home right after school to help Grandpa with his storm door. I made waffles; they’re in the toaster,” his mom said without taking a breath.
“That doesn’t mean you made them. It just means that you put them in the toaster.”
“Either way, they’re toasting! Eat and leave for school. I’m going to work now.”
She gave him a quick peck on the head and rushed out of the door yelling, “I’ll be home before 7!”
“BING!” The toaster screamed and the toast was in front of Andy instantly. He munched down on it in three quick bites and left for school. He walked to his girlfriend’s house so they could catch the school bus. Just like he did every morning.
He walked up her front patio, knocked on the door, and waited for Clara to come out.
She stepped out of her house saying, “Hey And-Man,” a pet name she had for him, “did you catch any Z’s?”
“Barely. All I could hear was thunder.”
“Me too! Luckily we had a hard volleyball practice so I fell asleep fast.”
“I’m jealous. I will most definitely be sleeping in all my classes today,” Andy said has he reached his arm around Clara.
During gym, Andy went to his locker and the locker door met his hand. Mark Efritt, Andy’s sworn enemy, began to walk down the aisle he was standing in. “What’s going on Handy Andy?!”
“Seriously Mark, leave me alone. I’m not bothering you so stop trying to bother me.”
“Oh but you are bothering me! Just seeing you here is bothering me.” Mark proceeded to grip Andy’s arm as if he were to yank him away from the locker. Andy pulled his arm away from Mark.
“I TOLD YOU TO LEAVE ME ALONE!”
At that moment a chair flew across down the aisle of the lockers right towards Mark. Mark was able to catch himself in time in order to not be hit by the chair. He fell to the ground and scurried away. Andy didn’t even understand what was happening. He had no idea where the chair came from. He knew no one else was in the locker room besides him and Mark at the time.
“Did I do that?”, he thought to himself in astonishment. Andy decided that he needed to go home and get out of school so he could calm down. He grabbed his things and ran to the nurse’s office to fake sick in order to get home quick.
Once Andy got home, he sent a quick text to Clara, “Come over after school. Not feeling well & left early.” Andy’s mind was racing though. How could a chair just take flight if no force had touched it? He couldn’t wrap his mind around it. Andy clicked on the television to try to relieve himself from his wandering mind. Of course, during the middle of the day, the only thing playing was old comic cartoons about super-heroes.
Andy sat up in bed and looked around. His eyes stopped on his door. He focused on the closed door. Then suddenly, the door was open. Andy tried searching for another object to move. His eyes settled on his boot. Again, he began to focus. The boot flung across the room and hit the wall. He knew it. Andy knew he could move things with his mind.
“How could this be? I don’t understand how something like this could happen. Should I tell anyone? Definitely not my mom, she won’t understand. Clara? She might get freaked out though!” Andy was pacing around his room trying to figure this out. He heard the front door creak open. From downstairs Clara called up to him.
“Andy, I came right over after school to make sure you were all right.”
“Yeah, I’m feeling better. You can come up.”
Andy began to get really nervous. He didn’t know if he could exactly control it. Clara came up the steps and into his room.
“Hey big man, what’s going on?”
“Not really sure. I just felt nauseous and I couldn’t focus at all in class. I felt like I was gonna pass out.”
“Were you able to get any sleep?”, Clara said as she walked over to the bed and sat down.
“Not really, just watched some toons,” as Andy followed her lead.
“Well why don’t you lay down now and try to get some rest. I have to get to volleyball practice soon.”
Andy didn’t say anything to Clara but was trying to be very cautious about his actions and temper. A few weeks passed and everything was fine.
Andy began to notice there was a new kid that had just moved into town. He seemed quiet and not very friendly. The next day, Andy saw him in the locker room getting ready for gym. Andy thought it would be nice of him to say hi and introduce himself.
“Hey man, my name’s Andy. Welcome.”
The boy glared at Andy and finally just said, “Hey.”
Andy thought it was very strange how the boy reacted but didn’t pay any mind to it. He saw the boy more and more. He had no idea who he was. Andy had seen the boy again in the locker room and thought maybe he’s just shy.
“Hey, I think we got off on the wrong foot. My name is...”
“Andy, I know.”
“Right, I guess I did tell you that last time. So, what’s yours?”
“Hank.”
“Where did you move from?”
“Abroad.”
“Oh, so over seas! That’s pretty cool.”
Hank didn’t even look Andy’s way and left the locker room. Andy thought there was no hope in trying to get to see who this kid really was. He decided to put it behind him.
A few months had passed and nothing seemed strange. Andy was very happy and surprisingly, his relationship had gotten better with his mom. He thought that maybe it would be okay if he told her about himself.
That night at dinner Andy said to his mom, “Mom, I have something to tell you.”
“Are you on drugs or something?”
Andy gave a little chuckle and said, “No Mom, but you might think I am after I tell you this.” There was a long pause before Andy told her. “I can move things without touching them.”
“I don’t understand.”
“If I focus on an object, I can move it.”
“Ha-Ha-Ha, very funny Andy.”
“I’m not kidding! Watch!” Andy immediately looked at his glass of water and began to focus on it. Within seconds, the glass slid slowly down the table to his mom. She was dumbfounded. She had no idea what to say.
“Andy, don’t do that again. You’re freaking me out.” His mom got up from the table, put her dish in the sink, and walked into the living room to watch TV. Andy just got up and walked out the front door. He wanted to tell Clara what had happened.
He walked up her front patio like usual and knocked on the door. Clara answered and let him inside. Andy stepped in quickly and they went into the basement and sat down.
“So, what happened with your mom?”, Clara said quickly.
“I told her something that I don’t think I should have.”
“What do you mean?”
“I told her I can move things without touching them.”
“I thought super heroes and like villains only did that stuff.”
“Well, apparently I can too.”
“I’m sorry, but that’s a little hard to believe.”
Again, Andy preformed the same thing for Clara as he did with his mother. Clara herself couldn’t believe it either. “Andy, maybe your mom is right.” Andy simply got up, kissed Clara on the forehead and went home. Once he got home he went straight to his room and went to bed.
Andy woke up with the sound of a knock at his bedroom door. He checked the clock quickly. The clock read four in the morning. Andy rolled over and pulled the covers up to his head. He then again heard a knock on his bedroom door. He used his mind to open the door not expecting anything, but standing there outside of his bedroom was Hank.
“HANK!? What are you doing in my house! Get out!”
“Andy, you don’t understand what you’ve done. They’re coming for you. You need to leave now.”
“What are you talking about ‘they’?”
“The other talented ones.”
“I have no clue what you’re talking about.
“They are on their way! We must leave write a quick note to your mom. Leave anything precious to you here. And don’t bring your cellphone. I’ll break it. You need to make it seem like you ran away.”
“Can I at least say goodbye to Clara?”
“I’ll take you there for a few minutes. But you can’t wake her up.”
Andy quickly grabbed a bag and threw in as many clothes as he could. He grabbed a pad a paper and jotted down a few lines:
I decided I must take some time to figure some things out. Please don’t come looking for me. I’ll be home soon. I’ll be safe. I love you.
Hank and Andy left the house and went to Clara’s. Clara was fast asleep. Nothing would wake her up. Andy wrote down another note to leave Clara:
I love you more than anything. I need some time away from here. I’ll come back soon. Please don’t worry. Don’t forget me.
And with that, they were gone. The other talented ones were hunting for a person that had the ability of mind control to add to their team. But this was no ordinary. Each member had a special power that all together, they would be able to bring pure destruction to whom ever they chose.
Andy’s mom woke up the next morning and found Andy’s note. She did not make a big deal about is but simply tried to understand. She kept her hopes up and did not try to search for him. She stayed right where she was just incase Andy would need her. Clara for a long time was confused and didn’t understand what happened. She continued to hope that Andy would come back one day.
The Eagle
“Behold, one of the Seven Wonders of the World!”
James whispered this simple, yet nostalgic thought to himself as he gazed at the towering Pyramids of Giza. The marvels of engineering glistened in the soothing sunlight that projected enormous shadows off in the distant desert. He was basking in excitement that could potentially rival that of a young teen at a Justin Bieber concert. Contrary to everyone around him, he lived an extremely dreary life as a second grade math teacher in the small town of Warrington, Kentucky. Faced with this stark reality, James decided to finally pursue his dream of visiting the Egyptian pyramids. From a very young age, he shared a distinct interest in ancient Egyptian mythology, culture and history after his mother began to read him stories about mummies. As he got older, he sought out more advanced information on the topic and soon fell in love with the engineering capabilities of the ancient Egyptians.
James always knew that he wanted to visit the place he pictured in his mind so many times. This drove him on a five year saving campaign to raise enough money to pay for his trip. This process was hampered when the State of Kentucky slashed his salary by 25% and he still had to take care for his mom. After each paycheck, James barely had enough money left over to pay for his trip. However, he made it work through sacrifice, dedication, and prayer.
As he walked up to the base of the Pyramid of Khufu, the largest of the three pyramids, he stated, “I am living my dream right here, right now. I am finally here at last!” As he made his way toward the pyramid to get a better look, the idea of climbing the largest pyramid popped into his head. There was an internal battle as he decided if he was going to make this idea come to fruition. Before he reached the security fence surrounding the pyramid, James had already made up his mind. “Yeah, I am going to do it. I have to make the most of this trip. I am coming back after dark.”
He came back after dark when all the security guards had left and hopped over the security fence under the watchful light of the full moon. As he neared the top of the pyramid, James saw a small golden eagle protruding from one of the stones. “What is this doing here?” he exclaimed, “I guess this is my lucky day.” He could not believe something this valuable was left lying around of this pyramid that is frequented by some many scientists and researchers. As James got closer to the eagle to pick it up, he soon realized that this was no ordinary piece of gold.
James suddenly lost total control of his body and stood motionless in the same spot on the pyramid for about two minutes. After this initial period of time, his body began to slowly jerk forward with his left arm outstretched, trying to grab the golden eagle. He tried to suppress these movements but his resistance was futile. When he finally grabbed hold of the golden eagle, he held it up in the air and turned his head towards the moon.
The next thing James remembered was waking up in a well-lit room surrounded by individuals peering down at his face. As he slowly opened his eyes, he realized that none of the faces were familiar and he sprang out of his bed, grabbed a small Swiss knife and threatened anyone who dared approach him. “Who the hell are you people? Where am I? What am I doing here? Is this even real?” James was so confused since it seems like it was only seconds ago that he was in Egypt with no control over his body while clenching a golden eagle. “How did I get here? Was it that eagle? Was it some kind of ancient magical instrument? ” James definitely suspected time travel and the golden eagle since he picked it up against his will and that was his last complete last memory. These series of thoughts were interrupted by a muscular, middle –aged man who stated, “Are you drunk or crazy or something. Please put the knife down.” James immediately complied because he was only making a fool of himself and he needed the help of these people to figure out what is going on.
“Excuse me, if you don’t mind me asking! Do you happen to know today’s date? ” asked James tentatively. The same man that urged him to put down the knife replied, “March 11, 3110.” This proved what James had thought all along since the date he visited the pyramid was July 1, 2010. He was a time traveler and the power of the golden eagle was the source of the power. “Where is my golden eagle? Please locate my golden eagle for me?” screamed James frantically. Without the eagle he could not go home to his original time period and if the eagles was not with him in the facility, it must be on the where he found it on the Pyramid of Khufu. James knew that if he was to return home, he will have to visit this pyramid again so that he could get access to the eagle one more time.
I soon realized that I was living in an underground military facility commanded by General Wallenberg of Fourth Stryker Battalion. In the year 3085, a type of humanoid species known as Ewigs invaded Earth with the hopes of establishing a new colony. Although the humans fought bravely, they were not match for the advanced weaponry and intellect of the Ewigs. This was a small band of soldiers that survived the initial war and now waged a guerilla war against the occupying aliens.
James explained to General Wallenberg that he wanted to journey to the Pyramids of Egypt but he did not tell him a specific reason. The general while scratching his beard replied. “A dangerous trip like that is virtually impossible given the air dominance that the Ewigs possess. We would not make it ten blocks from this base before we would be shot down. I am sorry but I do no think that we have the necessary equipment or the resources to carry out such a mission.”
James’s heart quivered as he heard this news since he did not intend on living in this time period. His real life was back in his original time period. James knew that he had to keep his resolve strong and find a way to rectify the problem. After minutes of sobbing softly at the dinner table, James responded to the general’s comments stating, “Instead of trying to fly to Egypt in a human airplane, why don’t we just hack into the computer system of one of the enemy’s airplane and guide it to a safe location using remote control. This way, they won’t suspect one of their own jets.”
Over the course of the next six months, James along with other military scouts studied the flight paths of the jets. They recorded the acceleration, displacement and velocity of the particular jets that they could hack so that they would know exactly when to spring the trap. The main battle jet (MBJ) of the Ewig Airforce could accelerate from rest to a speed of 150 m/s in 5 seconds. James then found the acceleration of the jet, which was a whopping 30m/s/s and the distance the object traveled during this time is 375m. After the initial 375m of the jet’s flight path, the jet then slows down for 10 seconds and then moves at a constant velocity of 80m/s for the rest of the patrol. James knew that the perfect time to attack the jet was while it was moving at a constant velocity.
Armed with this key information, James and a team of two others soldiers settled into their positions in skyscrapers along the flight path of the jet. The jet approached right on schedule and was scanning the buildings and roadways for the signs of any humans. As the jet passed by James’s position, he shot the jet with a bullet that contained malware that bypassed the security firewall. He quickly gained control of the vehicle through remote control and guided it to a secure section of the city where the driver was taken prisoner and James was praised as a hero. James could now fly to Egypt in the captured vehicle without being fearful of being shot down.
The next day, James said his final goodbyes to the people who had cared for him and assisted him in achieving his goal. “I was a stranger to all of you but still treated me as one of your own. You treated me like a brother. I admire your undying loyalty and support for me in my quest to return how. I marvel at your values, brotherhood and intelligence. Again, I thank you all and I will never forget your kindness.” As James turned around to shake General Wallenberg’s hand, a tear glistened in his eyes. When he finally climbed into the cockpit of jet, he broke down crying because he knew that he would never see these people ever again.
As he flew towards Egypt, James knew that nothing was guaranteed. If the Golden Eagle was not on the pyramid, this means that he would be stuck in this world forever. Even if the eagle was there, there is no assurance that it takes him back home to his correct time period. However, James yearned for home, especially his elderly mother. He wanted to go back to his job in his small southern town. James realized that although his life can seem uninteresting to the outside world, he is happy with the decisions he made. During the ten-hour flight, James grew more sophisticated with a greater appreciation for life, the world and the role he plays in it. As James landed in front of the pyramid of Khufu, the environment looked unchanged. He dashed out of the jet and ran towards the pyramid and began climbing up toward the spot where he first encountered the Golden Eagle. James constantly mumbled:
“Please be there, God please let it be there.”
Welcome
The
war had ended over a year ago. Radio signals about a month ago. Minutes before
the first impending explosion, Robert Oppenheimer appeared on the television.
Standing at the podium in a suit with his porkpie hat, he cared a grim filled
look on his face. He looked at the camera before looking back at the top of the
podium, where his speech was. Taking of his hat, he began to read his speech.
"Hello,
America, Russia, and the rest of the World-"
He stopped himself, then began to speak again, with a penitence look on his face.
"When me and the team at Los Alamos
labs created the first atomic bomb, we created a peacemaker and the destroyer
of worlds. When we watched the test of the very atomic bomb, we knew that we
created a power that shouldn't be used in anyway, but we knew it would be used,
but we hoped not to a magnitude like this. To America, Russia, and the rest of
the World, I'm truly sorry for the creation of our demise."
All
radios and televisions went to static afterwards. Screaming, gun fire and utter
turmoil was all that could be heard through the thick, concealed ceiling of the
shelter. Sitting back in the seat at my single-seater dinner table, Leer looked
at the glass of water that was in front of him. Waiting for the slightest signs
of disturbance in the water's flow, signaling the beginning to the end.
The
glass fell over, with all of the water spilling out to the right side. The
books began to fall off of their shelves, covering the floor in an assortment
of titles and pages. The shelves began to rattle, shaking violently, with the
glassware in the shelves beginning to hit the ground below; The wire hung
lights shaking back and forth, to the breaking point. Leer sat there in
his seat, away from the razed environment that sat around him. The shaking, the
swinging, and the shattering began to cease. Everything layer motionless, with
not a sound being made or a movement. It was like time had stopped. Droplets of
water began to hit the table, which was the only standing object in the room,
next to the seated chair. The only sound was that of the chair running over the
floor, creating a hissing screech. The though that he could be the only living
creature for hundreds of miles, or possible the only one left in the world. His
mind was running into all sorts of places, and he knew allowing it to continue
would lead to regrettable results. He put his head down on the floor, looked at
his watch and closed his eyes.
That was over a
year ago. Leer has stayed in this unit since the bomb droppings, not
having set foot out since days before the occurrence. The thought of an
outside world without life was terrifying to Leer, what could be even worse,
there could be outside life, who reacted to him in a negative way. The food and
water levels in the shelter are imminent to run out soon, leaving Leer with two
options, dying of starvation in this shell, or exploring the outside world in
hopes of survival. While one option holds promised death, the other one lays
way for an unforeseeable future, where the unknown is. Sitting at his dinner table
with his hands to his head, Leer looks at his watch with, then back into the
distance, back at his watch, then back into the distance of his base, this
place that was his home for so long, but it wasn’t his home. His home, or
rather where his home once had sat, laid near the grounds of this base. What
lay left of it he asked himself? Did anything within his home survive the
explosion? He knew that none of these questions would be answered, unless he
got out of his seat and went above ground.
He removed his hands from his head, placing them on the table in front
of him. He began to lift himself up, rising from his chair. He walked over to
the kitchen cabinet that was filled with chipped and broken dishes. Feeling
around the back of the cabinet, he begins to pull out a rucksack that’s covered
in fragments of plate and dust. Leer puts the bag on the counter top underneath
the cabinet, going through the sack. Within, there’s a 32 oz bottle of water, a
first aid kit, a rain jacket, and a thin knife.
Closing the bag, Leer puts his shoulders through the shoulder straps and
begins walking towards the exit. Turning the vault like exit counter-clockwise
to open it, he stopped and dropped to the floor. What could happen if he
stepped outside? Would he die of radiation poisoning? Would it be a field of
raze? What if the bombs never went off, and the noises he heard a year ago were
from something else? He couldn’t concentrate, or bring himself to open the
door. The thought made him sick to the stomach, but he knew it had to be done. Without
opening the door, he would never know what awaited him on the other side. He
got on his feet, grabbed the vault knob with both hands, and tired as hard as
he could, while pushing forward. The door opened, and he fell through, landing
on something that has been unseen, but not forgotten - the outside world.
Putting his hands on the ground to get up, he felt a grainy material, like sand.
Leer got to his feet, taking in deep breaths, clenching his eyes closed. The
air was different than what that of the underground, it felt un-recycled, like
what was below.
No longer being able to take being without visions of what the new world
looks like, Leer opened his eyes wide. Before him was what was the neighborhood
he had once called his community. All that stood before were the remains of
buildings that had once stood. Once fully bloomed pine streets were blow into
charcoal sticks rising from the ground. The surface of it all was covered in
all sorts of debris, which would rise into the air when a wind came by and
picked it up.
Starring out into the distance of it all, Leer just stayed standing
there, motionless, barely breathing. The wind hitting his face, scattering the
remnants of what’s left of the place he once called. A feeling of abandonment
came over him, which was physically unseeable, but leaving him a mental
wreckage. He wanted to turn back around, to enter his shelter and die there,
but he was curious as to what this new world was like. Beginning to take a few
steps forward, he was about to find out exactly what this transformed land
held. The remnants of the buildings that once stood were charred pieces of
metal now. Pieces that once created the foundations for modern architecture
were now broken frames. Art and life was scorched to nothing. Stopping now, he
looked down at the ground, where outlines of a doormat were thinly visible. Looking
even closer, you could see the outlines of a few letters that had once been a
apart of the mat. Leer got down on his knees to examine the letters even
closer. He started to look at the letters closer and closer. He saw a “W”,
followed by an “E”.
“We?” Leer said to himself.
But there was more than that. He started
to see another letter, a “L”, then a “C”.
“Welc?”
More letters began to become visible,
with an “O” coming next, followed by a “m” and “e.”
“Welcome.”
The Fifth Day
Science Fiction story
The Fifth Day
Earth, long has it been the planet where the existence of life been found. Light shed into its atmosphere from the origin, ninety-three million miles away. The first streak of light peered over the horizon in Sydney, Australia. Drew stood on the deck, sipping his morning coffee as the ocean glistens in front of him. Watching sunrise, the preferred manner to pleasantly start off the day.
‘Early morning news in the background’
News Anchor: Rise and shine, early viewers this is your 5AM news, we have some astonishing news to bring to you. Astronomers at the Keck Telescope Observatory in Hawaii have announced that they discovered a satellite within our solar system. It appeared yesterday, and since, has baffled scientist as it is planet-less but revolves in a 28 hour formation. Quite similar to earth, this is a major discovery. Stay tuned to us as we are following up on this story.
*Phone rings in the background*
Daniel: “Drew you saw the news just then?”Drew: “Yea... yeah I saw”
Daniel: “That’s pretty odd. They’re definitely not telling all of what they know”
Drew: “Of course, when do they ever. Look if you wanna look further into this, you can go do so, but I’m not.”
Daniel: “Oh c’mon... you’re one of the Hansen family? An entire family of astronomers, why let a brilliant chance like this slip!?”
Drew: “Dan, things happen for a reason. I’ll call you back later”
It’s not like anything special ever happens. We’re just a family of astronomers, we’ve been spending most of our lives gazing upon planets and stars. It’s no legacy, we’re just like everyone else. And today, is just like every other day since day one of August on a daily routine, out for a couple hours of observatory and enjoying my time off.
*Phone rings again*
Drew *mumbling*: My god, Dan I told you I was gonna call you back...*Picks up his phone*
Drew: Dan! This doesn’t concer-
Ken: Drew... it’s Ken.
Drew: Oh. I’m sorry, thought it was... someone else. Uhh, aren’t you in Cali?
Ken: Well yeah but I got called up last night about some unusual activities with this planet-less satellite. Arrived at the Keck just then. Don’t tell me you haven’t heard of it yet!
Drew: No, haven’t heard much. I’m going out very soon, we’ll talk another time.
Ken: You really haven’t changed, I’d expect your vacation to have changed something.
Frustratingly, Drew knocks over a tin box off the shelf spilling out documents.
Crouching down to pick it up, “The Empty Trajectory - 2015” caught his eyes. Unveiling the two century old document, his great grandfather wrote.
“Gravitational pull, setting things in motion, pulling objects towards the source. I can’t imagine how our moon would revolute without a planet. It’s an amazing discovery, some two hundred light years away however. The public must know about this...”
*Returning back to the phone call*
Ken: Drew stop mumbling... what’s going on?
Drew: Yea... hold on I’m gonna return the call.
*hangs up*
*Calling Daniel back*
Drew: Dan! Meet me at Sydney International in two hours. Pack everything necessary, we’re going now!
Dan: Whoa, whoa. Wait what!? What’s going on? Where are we going?
Drew: We don’t have much time, I’ll tell you when we meet there. We’re heading straight to Hawaii.
Dan: Huh? I thought you weren’t...
Drew: Dan don’t let me down on this.
*Hangs up*
My great grandfather documented about the existence of a planet-less satellite, and got the news out to the public in a race against another astronomer. However it mysteriously disappeared before the public could confirm it themselves, and his work, lost and forgotten. I had something to prove soon as I arrived at Keck. The following days, were a series of incidents no one would have seen coming.
Day one the asteroid belt was shifting direction. Day two, its planet revealed and structures were visible. Might it be our sister planet? Day Three, it was imminent something awfully strange was happening and it was posing a threat towards us.
The Fourth Day, NEO (Near Earth Objects) department announced that August 8th, 2218 might be the last day humanity’s presence be on Earth. Thousands of asteroids, some the size of Cruise Ships, just hurling its way towards us at speeds five times faster than a space shuttle.
The Fifth day, our government planned this way before hand but it would never fully work. The plan was clear, we were going up and weren’t coming back down. Cities burned, death toll impacting a quarter of a billion even before “Doomsday” arrived. Where were we going? No clue, there was no plan B, thousands of these launched but we would perish in space just as those that stayed behind.
Nicholas Manton Cover Art
ENG3-008
- Term
- 2011-12