Sci Fi
cellophane hope
The outside world was unknown to her, but she could see a glimpse of it through the window in his room. There wasn’t much of a view, only a whisper of light yellowing the seabed at too close a range for it to be very impressive. Peony’s eyes lingered over ghostly crags, swirls of sand and the odd fossilised stick, but she never saw anything living. Despite the warmth of the captain’s cabin, staring into the abyss always chilled Peony’s bones, and she hugged the silk bed sheets more tightly around her. She was glad she wasn’t requested often to this lovely, dove-coloured room of soft light, thick curtains, ankle-deep carpets. She wasn’t the captain’s favourite, something he felt important to tell her emphatically and often, but Marigold had been sick – not sick enough to waste medicine on, but puffy-eyed and runny-nosed enough to discourage the captain for a few nights.
By Rachel Badger4 years ago in Fiction
Beyond the Dome
The outside world was unknown to her, but she could see a glimpse of it through the window in his room. A vast desolate plane of dirt stretching far beyond the horizon and distorted by the cracks in the fragile glass pane. If she closed one eye and tilted her head, the cracks almost looked like a bare tree sitting in the center of the rising sun; like the nucleus of an atom. The dirt swirled around her illusion and muddied the thought of wanting to go outside their dome shelter. She wondered how the sun might feel on her skin, how the dirt would feel between her fingers, how the cracked dirt would feel under her feet. All her body knew was the temperature-controlled dome and its cold steel floors and walls. The window was the only sense of realism she had from test tube meats and synthesized plant fibers grown from a single leaf that survived the chaos outdoors.
By Gunnar Anderson4 years ago in Fiction
The Free City
The outside world was unknown to her, but she could see a glimpse of it through the window in his room. As she peered out into space, she then got up and headed to the bathroom. She placed her wedding ring in the same place she always had for nine years. Collette Kincaid was twenty-seven-years old and possesed features of a woman warrior or a fashion model. It could have been a mixture of the two. Opulent white high cheekbones and a soft jawline completed the symmetry of her face. She employed herself as a cryptocurrency analyst. Upon washing and toweling off her hands, she slid the wedding ring on her finger. She also donned her purple hijab, a must in every part of the state except Newark. This, though, was Wilmington, Delaware, 2057.
By Skyler Saunders4 years ago in Fiction
Guide Stones
The outside world was unknown to her, but she could see a glimpse of it through the window in his room. It was a very small window—from the ancient book her grandfather had given her, she wondered if it was what had been called a ‘clerestory’ window, whatever that meant—and she had to stand on a chair to see out of it, but this was the last place in the colony where she could look out, and this apartment had become hers yesterday when her grandfather, her only living kin, passed. She peered out through the dirty glass. She missed her grandfather and this way she felt a bit closer to him.
By Paul A. Merkley4 years ago in Fiction
First Cold
Vaughn was pretty sure he’d gotten his coordinates wrong. One moment, he’d been keying in the location of the space station hanging above his home planet Infyllus as he’d done a thousand times before. Sure, Kiefer had thrown a boot at his head as he’d been typing, but his little brother’s antics had never posed a problem before. Now...
By E.J. Robison4 years ago in Fiction
The Capes of Planet Poloto continues...
Episode 4 . The plane finally arrived at the Indianapolis International airport at about 4:15 pm, and mom and I were so glad to be home, that mom give a sigh of relief as we were picking up our luggage. “ Okay honey, our uber is on the way, let's go let's go.” she then turn to Wes and give him a huge hug and we went our separate ways. I looked back and said, “ See you later Wes.” As he was walking the other way, he waved and smiled. Mom and I made it to zone b where our Uber was waiting. Mom looked at the uber driver and asked, “Are you Rebekah?” she then answered, “ Yes ma'am.” let me help you with that” as mom handed Rebekah our suitcases, to be put in the trunk. I was so glad that we were finally going to be home, where I was going to enjoy my warm bed and be back with my friends, that I went to school with. Since we lived near Westfield, near Carmel the drive back home was going to be about 35 minutes away, depending on the traffic. It was Tuesday evening and as soon as I get home I'm going to unpack and let Sammy know that I made it back safe.
By Anthony Leclair4 years ago in Fiction
