Time
for another WEP - Write...Edit...Publish Flash Fiction Challenge. For this
challenge we asked folks to write a story about a Holiday Celebration that's
out of this world.
1000
words or less with a science fiction theme.
With
the dozens of celebrations that occur during this time of the year, picking one
wasn't difficult, but adding an off
planet mix, made it a bit more intriguing.
This
is my contribution. Enjoy.
And
please follow the links to read the others!
PURPLE GREEN & GOLD
Jaysa put an X on the calendar, marking another day gone, and surprisingly another year. New Year's Eve had always been her favorite holiday. She looked forward to the promise of new beginnings. Tears threatened. To distract herself, she prepared a cup of chamomile tea. Lost in her memories, Jaysa wandered to the front window and gazed outside.
The panoramic view of the alien valley below raised her spirits. The temperature outside registered a minus fifty degrees, warmer than usual. Trees that bloomed bright gold and red in the summer now stood as frosty sentinels around the compound. Winds from the West blew in gusts of seventy miles per hour, but the mature trees stood tall and unmoving. The younger trees, however, swayed; doing a dance resembling a yoga sun salutation.
The planet Verre Koude, meaning “distant cold,” was in the Andromeda Galaxy. The Sun was one and a quarter times farther from Verre Kouda than the distance of Earth's sun, so winter was the dominate season.
Jaysa and her husband, Jules, had volunteered to establish an outpost and do research on this new discovery. Their spacecraft was equipped to make the one-way trip and serve as their lodgings. Jaysa and Jules meant to raise their family on Verre Koude and send their discoveries to earth via a state of the art communications pod.
NASA had made no promises for future settlement or even supplies. It was an opportunity to be pioneers without a lifeline. The newlyweds saw it as the perfect adventure. Equally excited by the possibilities, they married on New Year's Eve, and one month later, took off for their new home. Their craft carried everything they needed, a comfortable apartment, greenhouse, medical and research lab, and the all-important communications pod. With enough supplies to get them through ten years, they realized survival would depend on ingenuity and skill, but they assumed more explorers would eventually join them.
However, a meteor storm during flight had destroyed one-third of the ship. The communication pod and the two small crafts, which were supposed to provide them with the transportation to explore their new world, were gone along with half of their supplies. The autopilot had jettisoned those compartments to save the ship.
Jules was confident he could find enough parts from the rest of the craft to create a new antennae that would allow them to communicate with Earth. He would use the undamaged communication equipment from the flight deck once they landed.
They'd settled their craft on a high mountain plateau with the valley and ocean spread in front of them. Jules had called it a good defensible position; Jaysa appreciated it for the view.
Their communications problem was the first thing Jules tackled while Jaysa gathered data and plotted their first movements across the planet for exploration. Jules was partially successful with his repairs. They could send messages and data, but they couldn't receive confirmation back from NASA.
It took months for Jules to build a receiver. Every evening they listened to static, hoping beyond hope that someone would return their messages. Two-way communication hadn't happened, but they'd settled into a regular routine.
Jaysa yearned for children to make their stay less lonely, but Jules refused to allow her to get pregnant. He didn't want his children to be alone with no hope of returning to Earth. Jaysa tried to convince him that NASA would send another ship, but Jules argued that the billions in funds that NASA had spent for this trip would be a political hot potato.
Procreation was the only source of discord between them.
Now Jules was gone. Maybe lost forever. She was alone. If he had granted her wish, she might have a child, maybe even children, to keep her company. Now all she had were the birds and beasts of Verre Koude, some more vicious than others.
Six months ago, Jules had left for the ocean intent on having fresh fish for dinner. He never returned. Jaysa searched for him for days, weeks, even months, but she never found his body.
She delayed her grief with false hope, but with her dream of adventure destroyed, Jaysa grew homesick. Instead of sending out data regarding her life on Verre Koude, she broadcast a repeating Mayday call.
This New Year's Eve would’ve been their eighth anniversary, five years of which they'd spent in cryostasis for their trip to Verre Koude. They'd had two and a half years of actual marriage and exploration, and she'd spent six months searching and grieving.
A pity party instead of a New Year's Eve party was all Jaysa had to look forward to, but something stirred inside her and she refused to allow depression to take control.
Dumping her cold tea, she went to the bathroom and showered. Putting on her most daring dress, and switching on her favorite music, Jaysa popped the cork on a bottle of Champaign and made her first toast.
"To you, Jules, and whatever the future may hold." She drank the glass in its entirety and sipped the next. Glancing outside, she noted the winds were calm, and the Aurora Borealis was providing a magnificent display of blues, greens and reds in a dramatic artistic swath across the heavens.
A strange light caught her eye. Jaysa thought it was a meteor but quickly realized the speed was too erratic. A ship on a crash course. Is this my rescue?
She changed into winter gear, grabbed her gun and skis, and headed down the mountain. Explosions and flames filled the sky. "Oh God, please let them survive!"
At the crash site, she found a man dressed in a t-shirt working to contain the fire. Tall and un-phased by the cold temperatures, his muscular arms glistened from his labors.
He looked up as she approached and smiled. She moved closer. Realizing that his dark purple skin meant her savior was alien, she stopped in her tracks, but his green-gold eyes conveyed delight allaying her fears.
999 words/FCA
Yolanda Renee © 2015
41 comments:
Woo Hoo.
What a roller coaster ride. Excitement, hope, despair - and then some more hope and excitement.
Love it.
And the cool climate has my heart yearning too.
Excellent Yolanda. Meeting a cool alien at the end augurs well for her future. I like the way your story developed. You fitted a lot into the word count. Now I can see a whole new story developing.
Merry Christmas to you and yours.
Denise:-)
I dunno, maybe he's just delighted to see dinner arrive on foot so he doesn't have to go hunting. Never trust a purple man. I enjoyed it! Thanks, Yolanda! :)
He could be happy as he gets to probe her lol I sure wouldn't be the first to sign up to go to some far away planet.
Loved your story. Gutsy woman so I don't think she'll be turned off by the purple hunk. I'd love to see the rest of the story. Merry Christmas, Yolanda.
I liked the rescue man/alien arriving just in the nick of time. He seems humanoid if she notices the muscles and the tshirt before the color of his skin. . .Very interesting but I liked to read more. You would have to be very committed to a colony life if you went on a one-way ticket. . .nothing is guaranteed in space.
And??????? Come on Yolanda you can't just leave us in limbo like that.
Safe to say their kids will be alien...
Oh, this is some funky story. An alien to the rescue - how whimsical and so fitting. A new beginning for the New Year.
I really liked this story. The idea of colonizing an alien planet does not appeal to me because of many of the reasons you put in your story. The idea of being so far from Earth in an alien and possible hostile environment. If something goes wrong your are on your own. That would be awful to lose your partner and be left alone in that environment. The lack of communication from NASA made it feel even more isolated. The alien astronaut was a nice twist at the end. :)
Very nicely done. I can see the potential for a book length adventure in this. I wanted the story to keep on going.
Arlee Bird
Tossing It Out
Great story! I wonder what happens next! It seems as though this alien is friendly, but one never knows with stories like this! This could definitely be a book.
Cliff hanger...is she dinner or a companion. I need to know. In any case, well written and a bit sad.
Nancy
Awesome! I want more.
Hi Sue,
I realized too, that the cold climate is a favorite, and that I write about it a lot. Becoming predictable or just write what I like and am comfortable with. :)
Thanks for stopping by during this busy holiday season.
Hey World Traveler
Thanks, I do too, might make this a longer piece.
Merry Christmas to you!
Hi Lexa:
Anything is possible. Hey, what's wrong with purple? :)
Hi Pat:
In my twenties, I would so sign up and go. Silly me! :)
Hey Feather:
Thanks, I may just make it a bit longer. Maybe a series?
Merry Christmas, Judy!
Hi D. G.
It's dark and until she's close enough the color isn't her focus. I would've done it, when I was young and adventurous. You're right in space nothing is.
Hi Jo:
Sorry, I had to stop at 1000 words. But might add more.
Hi Alex:
Not really, but it's a possibility! :)
Hi Olga:
Wanted a somewhat happy ending - to end this year of flashes. :)
Hi Deborah:
I would've done it, when I was younger. Love twists! Thanks!
Hi Arlee:
I do too, and maybe it will?
Thanks for stopping by.
Hi LG:
So true, you just never know, and in my head, there's lots happening. :)
Hi Nancy:
Always a bit of a cliffhanger in Flash Fiction, but hope is always there. Thanks.
Thanks Christine, me too, we'll see! :)
WOWOWOW. This is so good, Yolanda. Your writing is just so real to me. What a great twist. PLEASE write this book. I mean it. Jaysa and Jules are fabulous characters, and I want to see more about their relationship not to mention discover what all happens and who is that cool alien? You bring me straight into these characters. LOVE!
Participating in the challenge gave me the idea who the leaders might be, and I know you rank, despite the impartiality of this very friendly contest. Your story is a grabber in its own right and as a conclusion which is worth reaching. It speaks to xenophobia. Good job all told.
I love, LOVE reading your comments and responses. You always make me smile. Thank you! Just received my copy of Kissed by an Angel. I I've already read the first story, yours and Christopher's - you made me cry. So lovely to learn how much better he is doing, but my goodness, what a journey! Thank you, for sharing this wonderful book. I'll read and review as soon as I can. - If I do write this story, I'll let you know. Thank you for your kind words!
Hi Patrick, I'm just a co-host, Denise created this wonderful challenge and we spell one another off and on when life interferes, but thank you for your kind words. Yes, Xenophobia for sure, it will make for an interesting story.
This comment made me laugh and then sad. Never trust a purple man :(
So much up and down! Thought, wow.. cool and then oh no, sad that he disappeared, and then yay.. potential happy ending! Space travel freaks me out. The thought of traveling to a settlement like this one just gives me the heebie jeebies.. no thanks! Wonderful story though!
Leaving so much in one’s own mind.
Happiness or food what was he thinking.
New year, new possibilities. Purple skin, how cool. Looks like we both opted for cold alien worlds :)
Thanks, Madilyn - if only there was such an opportunity.
Hmm, good question! My mind never did travel to food though. :)
Hi Donna, great minds think a like! :)
This captures nicely the mixture of both grief and hope that the holidays bring to many of us. :)
A purple-skinned knight in fiery armour to the rescue! Glad she's not going to die childless and lonely and cold in a far galaxy Terribly callous of NASA not to send a rescue party for newlyweds in dire trouble :-)
Great read as usual, Yolanda. Enjoyed it much.
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