Spring Break Story Stub 6
In the spirit of honesty, this may be the worst one I've written so far. I really like the concept, but I don't think this execution works.
On the outward edge of a lonely galaxy adrift in the sea of the cosmos, an event unique from anything that had ever happened in this universe occurred on a fabricated chunk of metal floating through space. This piece of exploratory iron, the culmination of technology from a society that had started with twigs in the desert, was launched from a speck of a planet with skies red as fire and seas the color of dark wine. The metal hunk represented the hopes and dreams of the people on the red planet, hopes of finding new worlds and new life beyond the infinite abyss of space.
The newly extraterrestrial craft sent a constant stream of data back to the hopeful species planet-bound, and it was in the midst of this data stream, with the satellite now halfway between its origin planet and the center of the lonely galaxy, that the previously un-heard of event occurred. An atomic particle in the satellite's computer system changed its state.
This would not on the outside seem like an event of such enormous importance. Atoms of varying types change their states with more frequency than is possible to visualize, and the changes largely go unnoticed to the rest of the universe. This atomic event was unique; its timing, location, and cause coming together to result in the most fundamental change in the civilization's history. While normally this most minute of events would go unnoticed by anything larger than an electron, this state change caused a chain reaction that forever altered the course of two histories.
The end result of all this miniscule wrangling was this: the hunk of metal whirling through space sent back a message saying it had found life on another planet. Back on the planet of origin, the computer designed to monitor the satellite's transmissions beeped, and turned on one of the hundreds of lights in the instrumentation panel that showed the casual observer, with years of training on what the lights meant, exactly what was going on.
"Ah, sir?" An unwitting recruit had been assigned to watch the lights and report any changes. He had no idea he was about to change the world. "This light's turned on."
The commanding officer glanced at the light panel, and did a double-take. They had been monitoring the satellite's output for years, and that light had never come on in its whole history. He approached the panel, and tapped the light to check for faulty wiring. When the light did not flicker, a cold sweat began to break across his forehead. The next few chapters of his personal history were about to get very interesting. "Did you mess with the instruments in any way, private?"
"No sir! Why? What does it mean?"
"Go and fetch the scientists, the engineers, the higher brass... hell, get everybody. If this means what I think it means, we're going to need a whole lot of witnesses. If I'm right, this light is saying we're not alone."
Feel free to tear this apart. Its... not my best.
Spring Break Story Stub 2
So this one was tossing in my head. Inspired by a drive I took today.
Tuluk soared. An ocean of verdant forest sailed underneath him, the varied shades of the trees seeming to roll by like waves as he sped towards the coast. His teryl Dactylos beat its powerful wings, each longer than a man standing tall, with ferocious grace; it flew as if trying to push the earth away out of disdain for all creatures not graced with flight.
Making a series of clicks with his tongue Tuluk urged Dactylos faster, and the great beast responded with a burst of speed that pushed Tuluk deep into the leather saddle. Rider and teryl flew over an endless blur of green reveling in the brilliance of the sunlight and the freedom of flight. They passed from the sea of forest over a thin stretch of cream-colored sand, and were suddenly surrounded by a vast expanse of sapphire; the sky seemed to rest on the sea like a robin's egg on a nest deep blue twigs.
As Tuluk flew over the off-white middle ground between water and earth, he could not help but see think of the beach as a neutral territory in the war between ocean and forest. The land was always trying to take more of itself from the water and the water was was always trying to recover the ground that had been raised from the depths.
Tuluk pulled the lower reins, and Dactylos dove towards the ocean's surface. The teryl's powerful wings kissed the tops of the waves, and sent up a bursts of spray around the pair. Dactylos huffed his dislike at being so close to the water, and Tuluk pulled at the upper reins.
Basking in the freedom of the air Tuluk could feel his cares and worries slip away, as if they were too heavy and slow to keep up with the Teryl's speed. Tuluk felt the wind against his face and the sun on his shoulders, and tried to lose the disquiet he had been feeling in recent weeks. He closed his eyes and let his other senses tell the story of the world around him. His skin told him of the wind created by Dactylos' speed. His ears told him the story of the sea and the sky, the crash of the waves and the call of the birds almost overpowered by the whoosh of air past teryl and rider. His nose told him of fresh, clean air with the barest trace of sea salt.
Opening his eyes Tuluk saw the small island he had discovered with Dactylos weeks before and claimed as a place of retreat, away from the troubles of the world. He saw the clearing in the forest towards the center of the island, and pulled Dactylos lower reins bringing them down to this peaceful jewel in the sea.
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