Earthbound, yet
Mountains are earth, rebelling
Straining against dirt-ness
against gravity
Mountains are earth, rebelling
Straining against dirt-ness
against gravity
A long pendulum dip
Followed by
Splattered drops
The sky is oiled orange
gleaming along the metal
and matte of cement steps
A sudden car trip in the dark.
Your blue hands
curled in the coffin.
Stealthy in bare feet
three bandits come.
Prize swivels high between
striped green leaves.
Mother portions them out
one-eighth of a cup
in six mounds, cupped
The bus screeched to a halt in front of Hambre Town Hall. “End of the line, folks,” announced the driver, flinging open the entry door. Lucy uncoiled from her seat, groaned and stretched. Her back crackled and popped as she stood up, releasing the tension of 23 hours folded into four different bus seats. She shouldered her pack and trooped down the aisle, giving the driver a bleary nod before tripping down the steps.
The planet Antelos was lush, vibrant, and full of life. Its atmosphere was made of an earth-familiar mixture of gases, with one uniquely alien exception: halivium. Halivium was not toxic, not initially, and not for everyone. But in a certain percentage of the population containing a particular gene sequence, halivium could at some point in their lives become poisonous.
urple storm clouds and crackles of lightning swept over the moors. Bolts of white and violet snapped from the clouds like snake tongues melting the darkness. For a brief moment, the night became a curtain. It swept back to reveal a stage of backlit silhouettes. If there had been an audience they would have glimpsed gnarled shrubs, a ribbon of roadway, and a running figure.
“You’re fired,” said Jeremy. He shrugged and spread his hands in apology. “Sorry.”