New Beginnings

Kidderminster College Competition for budding flash fiction writers began this week. Thought I would share my entry:

A New Beginning

Felix log Sorbate day 31^st

Even now it has not stopped. Our ship pitches back and forth. Her great mass swings in deep relentless waves. The only chance I get to write is in the lull, just before she flies back the other way. I cannot eat. I cannot sleep. Now I would not dare even if I could. The star we followed has led us into uncharted territory. Fear has a grip on me, on us! For we cannot seem to navigate. Our instruments affected by an unseen menace. Our ship whines and creeks with horrifying sounds. Alex says…

Felix log 1^st day of Lecithin

A tragedy. We have grounded. It is dark here. The darkness in this unknown land grows darker each moment. Outside the light of my lamp it is blackness, the depth of which I have never seen in all my years. I am writing quickly to preserve light because we do not know how long this darkness will last. This land is cold too and getting colder still. The moisture has frozen in the air and fallen to the ground. Small mercy is that the air here is clean, though high in oxygen. We have taken shelter in a hollow near our ship’s wreckage. It was the star; this star does not stay in the sky like our own. She goes down. Salvaging what we could in the fading light, Alex and I have set up temporary comforts of light and heat. Lex works hard to make adjustments and calibrations to our instruments. We hope that at least we may send a distress signal. This air and cold here steals the very strength and life from my form. We have accomplished this much thanks only to Lex’s clever idea to use the old space suits. Lex believes that the star will rise again in some 3 to 6 tang. However, I do think he is being hopeful. I do not doubt my crewmate, seeing organic life around us and thriving; but he is lead by faith and I by fact. I will pray tonight but not rest.

I ask myself. Why did you choose us three? You lead us here and then you dashed, thrashed and threw us down. How can we find him now? When we are the ones who are so lost.

Felix log 2^nd day of Lecithin

Mixed blessings we received today. Admittedly, I did sleep and… woke to light! We cheered the star’s return to the sky like younglings. She brought with her light, heat and hope. Alex raced to the ship and we followed giddy with joy. Only to be struck low. Sadly, our ship had died in the darkness. This hit us like the dreadful harsh land we had fallen on. Fact that the star was moving across the sky only added to our mournful weeping. Lex offered prays and words of faith as I comforted Alex. We thanked ship for the valiant protection of our soft flesh. We called for blessings from heaven to care for the spirit of our long serving vessel. I know how foolish this will seem to others. Yet it broke me to see Alex talking to it, as if the ship had been a pet or even a man.

We got our first glimpse of the inhabitants on this land. Not long ago it arrived in a kind shuttle. The pod ran along the terrain on four wheels. The form alighted and approached the ruined ship. This species is of similar anatomic arrangement. Like us, it has the two legs, arms, and eyes.  The eyes are very small, with a pointed nose, not wide or flat, as it ought to be. It was only half my height and wrapped up like a new born. Genus of any ancient ancestor we have yet to discover maybe. Hard-pressed not to laugh was I. As on seeing the ship, it becomes agitated or excited by the new vessel. I am not sure how much it could fathom. The creature picked its way tremulous around the carcass. In decreasing orbit and faster and faster it travelled. Stumbling at first, and then tripping, even falling over. Frantic it was to understand what it saw with tiny eyes. It was so unstable I wondered if it was new to use of legs.

This was not the creature that the star gave us the visions of. I must not allow my head to become so affected. We must find this new king the star has called us too. Tomorrow we will attempt to make contact.