Tales Of A Forgotten Planet

• Thomas Ashton, Grade 12
• Short Story
• 2014

Waking, the man stirred, his mind working against him as the thoughts of endless battles fought for his attention. But his mind was put to ease as a hand touched his shoulder, “You were having a nightmare,” it said, looking he saw the beautiful face of his companion, Ellen. He tried to sit up but his wound wouldn’t allow it.
It had been two days, two days of fear, emptiness and pain. Two days since a plane crash had left the duo stranded in a frozen wasteland and the man deeply wounded. “Does it hurt?” she asked, looking at the makeshift bandage at a glance it seemed fine, though underneath was a severe puncture wound that kept him immobile. “No, you need not worry about me…I heal fast…but…it would seem that the cold is not helping,” he replied, shivering she could sense the exhaustion in the man’s voice and it seemed that he was seconds away from slipping into unconsciousness. Groaning he lay back down.
Sleep beckoned.
“No, don’t sleep,” exclaimed Ellen, her voice was full of care which made him smile. “You need to stay awake. Stay focused. Tell me…Tell me a story…Of…home?” she asked, knowing that he hadn’t enough energy to disagree.
“…My home was…Beautiful, the most beautiful place you would ever see. Each morning the twin suns would rise opposite each other, reflecting off the crystal dome of our city and explode in a million points of light. The marble buildings stood steadfast as they rose up above the clouds, casting shadows larger than the mountains themselves. The great forest beneath would blaze red as the suns spread across the horizon. The distant mountains shined as the crystal waterfalls, just like the dome, caught the light and exploded. It was a spectacle to be seen, the most beautiful event in the entire Universe. And we got to see it every day”.
“What happened?” Ellen whispered.
“It’s gone,” he said fighting back sadness.
“You always speak, but you never mention home,” she said, observing his grey eyes fill with sorrow.
“I know,” he replied. His inclination for further speech was lost with the raging storm, though he soon found that like the storm, it indeed subsided.
It was foolishness, which drove us to our end. A folly that led to the death of 9.87 Billion children and 19 Billion others. If you are to learn anything from us Ellen, it is this. Forgot your human pride, denounce your deep seeded beliefs of divine intervention and don’t let your ego exceed that of your heart,” he said fighting against the pain he stood and looked straight into Ellen’s eyes.
“I have lived a long and unhappy life,’-he stated-‘You wish to lead a better life that I have? I’ll tell you how. Look after those that love you, embrace and protect them. Or don’t. It’s your choice.” He said he turned and walked to the mouth of the cave, pondering on the thoughts of a long forgotten Planet.