September 17, 2006
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Excerpt from “The Colony”
I stared at the faucet for five heartbeats, my eyes focusing on the
empty socket where the regulator was supposed to be. A stream of
uninterrupted sweet water fell to the insatiable dirt underneath.“We are the smallest planet,” I said softly as I turned my head to the
women standing guilty. “We are on the smallest planet in the known
universe.”I faced them and my eyes burned with frustration.
“We are on the smallest planet, and we have these few oceans of water.
What do you think will happen if another species visits us – one that
is malicious, violent. We have no ships to fight them off with or
escape. We have no guns, no weapons to defend ourselves. Everything we
have has been converted into life-supporting
mechanisms; and you think it’s acceptable to waste our resources like
THIS?!” I point to the faucet, the water spilling forth and shining
like silver in the sun.I am yelling now, screeching at the top of my lungs.
“If another species visits us, full of wrath and evil in their hearts,
we will surely die. But to have one of our own be responsible for the
entire human race dying of thirst….. ” I paused, trying not to cry,
trying to keep the tears from showing any weakness in their appointed
leader. I continued in a more even voice. “If all the water is gone,
and the last human disappears from the universe, it will be on your
head.” It will be on my head.
Thing Not to Do if You’re a Suicidal Manic Depressive #2:Spy on ex-classmates, ex-boyfriends, current coworkers, etc on Myspace.com.
It’s a strangely abysmal realization that everyone knows everyone else and you’ve been kept out of the loop.
Comments (2)
That’s strange. But I do not think that intelligent physical life will ever find us even if it exists. Considering how this universe is imperfect and intelligence springs from curiosity, meaning that imperfection has a way of seeping into our endeavours … I believe that any species with the capacity to escape its own solar system would find a way to destroy itself before it would ever have succeeded in reaching an alternative home world, like our own.
You’re supposed to make your own loop on myspace. Don’t ask me why, but getting virtual friends appears to be a cooler thing for the young’uns than making real friends.