Operation Mars

• Simone Weis, Grade 8
• Short Story
• 2009

It is the year 2050 and the whole of Earth is being evacuated. A rapid increase in pollution has caused uncontrollable fires, flash floods, raging blizzards and other hellish natural disasters. Even now as I look out the window I can see snow bucketing down. It’s so strange, ever since I was little I have wanted to see snow, but now, it only brings a fresh wave of despair. This is what scientists predicted to happen in centuries, but it is happening now- Earth’s population is being evacuated…… to Mars!
It’s happening today! We are launching into space, probably never to see Earth again. I am being jostled around in an awful queue that makes me feel horribly claustrophobic. The intimidating ship that towers above us holds 700 000 people, and it is already making me feel as insignificant as an ant crawling around the paws of a lion. I can see two more of the monstrous ships on the horizon, although exactly 1 000 ships will be launching from somewhere around the world today. “Dez, Dez, snap out of it!” my Maira is yelling at me, wanting me to get our identification ready as we are nearly inside the ship. Nearly inside the monstrous machine that will wrench us away from our home planet forever.
My heart pangs with anguish in time to the mechanical voice- “Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two…. but then to my shock the voice pauses and announces “Launch MO891 Disactivated”. A short laugh of shameful relief escapes my lips before I can stop it. A flight attendant, Lenaya, walks over to us and says quietly that ship MO892 has experienced engine failure. Why is she telling us, I didn’t notice her telling any one else? I turn in askance to Maira, and her face is one of disbelief. Then it hits me. My brother, Zenon, his wife, Sayla and their young daughter, Halina, are on that ship. I am yanked rudely into reality as Lenaya says “The children of MO892 will be boarding our ship, but we can’t take any more passengers.” Zenon and Sayla are being left behind! As we walk out of the ship to farewell Zenon and Sayla, memories of us together flood my mind, allowing nothing else through. The rest pass in a blur of grief, hugs and tears. Our farewell passed excruciatingly slowly, but then ended much too soon when Sayla handed me Halina. The last thing I heard my brother say was “Take care of her.”
Each day on this terrible journey passes agonizingly slowly, leaving me time to think about them. I am in a constant state of mourning; each breath brings painful memories to my mind. I try not to think about it, but the facts keep swirling around my head, banging and thumping my brain. They demand to be heard. Everything has been taken away from me; all I care about is Halina and Maira. I put everything I have into them. It is unbearable for me when I see Halina coughing, huge coughs that shake her frail body. Maira is becoming increasingly irritated with me. I don’t blame her. I loathe myself because somehow I blame myself for Zenon’s fate. Why didn’t I sneak them aboard with me? Why didn’t I let them take my place on the ship? I feel angry all the time. I just wish the human race could learn to live harmoniously with nature, but we just devour our planets resources until nothing is left. We deserve this, but nothing can save Zenon now.