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Not anymore.
The last ship sailed this morning for Taneyemm, and I wasn’t on it. I couldn’t afford what they were asking. The price for simply getting on the ship is more money than I’ve seen in my lifetime.
And the ticket price didn’t even guarantee you’d get to stay on the planet.
Interplanetary relations are a tricky thing. Not every planet wants humans, even rich ones. Some planets super want humans, or so I’ve heard. It really just depends on where you go, and what you can afford, and which ship you can get on.
The rich people evacuated Earth first, heading to planets full of humans. They basically had their choice of planets to run to. The Martians were especially friendly toward Earthlings and took in more refugees than any other planet. Most of the others were a bit more standoffish, though.
Most of the others didn’t quite know what to do with us.
Taneyemm is one of the worst, but I’d still go there in a heartbeat if it meant getting off Earth. Even if the world doesn’t implode like some predict it will, we’re all going to starve to death pretty soon. There’s no food left.
Reslenoau delivered food for years to Earth, but even with Earthlings fleeing to other planets, there was never enough. Soon they couldn’t keep up with the demand and they quit bringing food altogether.
I try not to think about that.
Right now I have to get home. I move as quickly as my feet will carry me. My leather slippers are old and worn and they don’t do much to protect my feet. No, my skin won’t be torn up from the rocky terrain, but I feel every rock pressing against the soles of my feet.
I feel every sting.
It’s well past midnight when I arrive home and slip inside the tiny hut I share with my father. We built it years ago, long after Mama died, and it’s tiny, but it keeps us warm. It keeps us dry.
“Father,” I say, kneeling beside his bed. It’s only a pallet on top of some crates, but for the most part, it’s fine. His poor body is wracked with fatigue, pain, and sickness. I know sometimes he wishes it would just be over. He’s been sick for a long time and unfortunately, there’s nothing we can do.
There was a doctor in our town, but he left long ago.
I reach for my father, ready to wake him and give him his herbs, but when I touch him, his body is cold and stiff. He rolls as I touch him and I see that I’m too late.
I took too long and he’s gone.
He’s dead.
My father is gone.
For a long time, I just sit next to his bed. I don’t react. I don’t cry. I don’t do anything. I can’t. He was all I had left in the world and he’s gone. He’s gone.
When the tears finally come, the sobs are loud and painful. I cry until I have nothing left, and then I sit there. If only our lives had gone differently. If only he’d been able to make it on a ship. Any ship. Anywhere.
Maybe he would have had a chance.
I don’t know much about medical care on other planets, but I know anything would have been better than this. The pain of losing him is only soothed by the realization that he’s no longer hurting. For months, my father has struggled with even the most basic tasks. The last few weeks have been the hardest.
We both knew there wasn’t much time left.
And now?
Now I’m stuck on a dying planet with no hope for a future. What am I supposed to do? Wait around until I die, too?
“Fuck you, death,” I whisper, and grab my father’s hand one last time. I hold it for a moment, then kiss him on the forehead. “Goodbye, Father,” I murmur, and smooth back his hair. He’s covered with a soft quilt and I pull it over his head before I stand.
There’s nothing left for me here.
It’s the middle of the night, but I don’t care. I ignore the fears that rush through me as I step back outside. There are wild creatures roaming about. They’re just as hungry as me, but they’re more vicious.
It’s not like I have anything left to live for, so I just start running.
***
