AllFreeNovel
Share Us
?? EPILOGUE??
Macie
I fell out of the sky and fell in love with an alien.
I thought that my life had taken a strange turn when I was selected to join this crew. I was in disbelief when I boarded our doomed ship. Now I look back and laugh at myself. I had no idea what was in store.
Our engine was washed out to sea. We found the empty space after the storm - a huge muddy indent in the ground. We make plans to search for it. The Rurim offer the use of their ship to scan the ocean for its materials, assuming they can get their ship and their scanners to finally work. And what will we do if and when we find it? If it’s far out at the bottom of this vast ocean?
No one wants to ask that question. Not yet.
Truly, our best chance of getting off of this planet and getting back on course now is to contact earth and get them to send us supplies. Or perhaps a whole new ship.
It will take years, assuming they even decide it’s worth it to help us. Assuming anything is functioning back home at all. Assuming a lot.
It all means that this is our home now for the foreseeable future. Possibly for the rest of our lives. I know I’m not as upset at this outcome as I ought to be. We’ve failed our mission. We’re stranded. Trapped. But I’ve fallen in love here. How lucky am I?
I expected more tears and more curses from our crew, but surprisingly, they seem… thoughtful, for the most part. Lighter on their feet. And in no rush to leave the comfort of the caves. No rush to get right back to work.
They’re ready to settle and survive.
My tablet blips with a message.
Another drawing from Ryle. He truly loves sending me absurdly dirty little doodles. And I love receiving them, though I have to cover my screen from any curious eyes nearby.
In this one, he’s got his head between my legs. The image is surrounded by the glowing orange moss of our caves - meaning he wants to meet me back home.
Home.
I send him my own doodle back, a quick scribble of the two of us eating fruit beneath the central tree.
His reply is a drawing of me with my stomach round and bulging, followed by a question mark.
I laugh. Soon, I’m sure, I type back. I haven’t gotten into the details of human anatomy and fertility with him yet. Perhaps that will be a task for one of our doctors. A class. Not a bad idea. I type the thought into my notes app.
Blue hands cover my stomach from behind, and a tail curves around one of my legs. I sigh and lean into the hard chest that’s appeared at my back. “I thought you were in the caves,” I say. I’ve spent the day assisting Viv in her specimen collection, searching for any edible or otherwise useful plants.
“I was,” he says. “We build more doors.”
Ryle and I installed the very first one at the front of our nook. Thick wood. Sound-dampening wood. The crew insisted.
We stare out into the forest. The planet’s rings cut over our heads now, evidence of the planet’s rotation. I have the chart for them, too. Those strange four-legged animals pass through the trees on a slow stroll back to wherever they came from. They’re like a cross between a horse and a porcupine. A horcupine. It makes me laugh more than it should.
Ryle’s hands grip me tight. “I would follow you anywhere,” he says, his head turning to watch the creatures’ path. “To another planet. Back to your home. But I am glad we’re staying here. Even if it’s only for a while.”
“I am, too,” I say. I breathe in the scents of the forest, the clean earth and the damp pine needles. And I offer the planet a little mental “thanks.” Our mission may have crashed and burned, maybe just for now, maybe permanently, but we’re here and we can build something new. Starting with Ryle and me. A new settlement. A new evolution. Families. “Take me home.”
