Remember what your childhood was like? Here's a futuristic version of one young boy's life.
MY EYES DON'T LIE, DO THEY?
'It's a lie. If it's not true, it's a lie. I don't believe there are planets like that. Not anymore. That was long ago, in ancient Terran times. The elders speak of hairy creatures on four legs, of plants called trees, of wood and vast amounts of water. Where I live we have underground rock, surface rock, and rock dust."
I live in SRS-1 Colony, the only home I've ever known, and it's wholly underground. This journal I keep for others, those who come after. Everyone calls me Dak. I don't know if that's my real name, but I don't mind it. I have no parents, but alternates cared for me and the many like myself who were abandoned or orphaned. None of the juveniles, including me, is allowed to go on the surface alone. We are told stories of scavengers who kidnap children and sell them, or worse.
One thing in particular worries me; this place was home to someone before our starship limped into the abandoned landing port long ago. The Elders say our colony is hidden, but where are the people who made this place? What if they decide to come back?
Colony Star IV, our quad-jump ship, searched for generations but never found a place that was safe to stay. Here on asteroid SRS-1 on the star charts, we discovered a network of tunnels and protection from the pirates. We were the last ship of twelve that departed together from our dying planet. Our ships could go no further by the time we arrived at this cluster of rocks, as our onboard systems were starting to fail. That log entry was signed by the ship's historian, dated just after the colony was established.
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| Image Credit* |
I wish I had one of those things shaped like a sphere. On a planet, the historians say, these spheres would do a thing called bounce, but I have never seen anything bounce here. In all my ten seasons, never. What does bounce look like? I don't know what 'go out to play' means either. We stay in to do things, but we don't call it play. We call them challenges.
As I left the library viewing room, I heard someone call, "Wait up, Dak!"
I know that voice. He's the only person that agrees with my ideas. Both of us want to escape this place one day. First, we need a map. . .so we can decide where to go. Then, we need to hide aboard a seeker transport.
"Hi Rafe! I'm on my way to training duty for the next hour block. Meet you after at Central Mess?"
"You haven't heard the news then, have you?"
"What news?" My heart jumped.
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To be continued, this snippet is part of the background of one of the characters in my SciFi novels. Hope it stirred your interest. . .
*Image Credit: Free use image.
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Do you know about the WEP writing challenges? Do you think our experiences in childhood form part of our principles as adults? Can you remember when you first realized adults didn't know everything. . .?
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