Autumn on Mars
A science fiction novelette by Matthew Crane.
Coldbrook Citizen 127-b J.P. Clarke – Seismologist
Personal Log 8257
Begins:
Well
...
Good news. I-I have time to do the...
...
The Girls Are Gone.
...
They’re Gone.
...
...
They were going, and then they stopped... but now they’re gone.
...
...
...
Log Paused
Log Resumes:
...
The girls are gone and there’s absolutely nothing...
...
I’m... I feel...
...
Log Paused
Log Resumes:
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I’ve had a long time to think, about it. I’m not fine but...
I need to try and, uh, ‘pretend’ that...
...
So I guess what’s happened is... They think that they... Five in the morning? Five fourteen?
Yeah... and they’ve managed to make it all the way down there, yeah, they’re very... resourceful.
...
...
We thought they’d... stopped.
But then
then
...
It’s this thing in the rovers. Normally you don’t really notice it. Just, “Hey Chris, can you wave your fob on the thing?”
And you’re going again.
It’s something... just annoying enough to be worth not doing right, only some of the time.
...
They can’t do that, for them they’ve got to wait for the.
The computer does a thing, I don’t know. It’s...
...
Why?
...
And that?
That-t’s Why!
That’s why I can’t just scoot on out there and... uh, bring them home.
That why they’re... what have I done?
...
Come on, it’s just them being them, it’s not m...
Log Paused
Log Resumes:
...
So, uh.
Dan’s talking with Olympia, she’s gonna see if they can get a Hopper to drop by tomorrow. That’s nice of her to...
It’s not so nice that there’s this paperwork... stuff going on.
Why do we have to fill in their risk assess-health and garbage time-wasting It’s not their kids that are out there in that dangerous, I mean she’s 8 for pete’s sake! And Trip? Trip can’t be left alone with a pair of scissors! If she had any of Becca’s damn common sss…
...
I’m... I’m sorry.
I don’t
I just...
...
I
I just want them to be
Ss...
Sssa...
...
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