Adventures On Mars-Part 9

“Wake up…wake up…hey, girl, wake up,” was the first thing I heard when I came to.

“Woah…where– where am I? What happened?” I asked, sitting up to face whoever had awakened me.

“You fell asleep on the way here. I don’t blame you actually.” I heard him stand up. “It’s a long way from the Marshian Crater Prison. I nearly nodded off myself. Fortunately Bessy here kept me awake.”

In the dark that surrounded me, I could barely see the outline of the man speaking to me. “Bessy?”

“Ah, I see you fell asleep earlier than I thought. You talk in your sleep you know? Thought you were awake for a while till you stopped.” He laughed.

I paused, contemplating what he had said. Then I remembered last night. “What’s your name?” I repeated.

“Never you mind right now,” was his short reply. “But what’s your name?”

At this, I was caught off guard and for a moment I went blank.

“Are you still awake?”

“Uh, yes. My name is Tabitha. Please tell me your name– and who’s Bessy? Tell me everything!”

He sighed, and a candle was lit, revealing his face (well, part of it – he was wearing a mask) and the slim, lime-green face of a girl, who was, without questioning, the strangest creature I’d ever seen!

Adventures on Mars-Part 8

“No,” I tried to deny, but it came out as barely a whisper. Finally, I recovered my voice as the dragged me away. “What have you done with Julie?”

They didn’t answer at first, but one of them finally spoke up saying, “She is one of us now.”

I didn’t speak the rest of the way. My sister, a Marshian. I just couldn’t believe it. I was too much in shock to notice when they threw me into a cold crater room. I just sat, slumped against the wall, leg broken from impact, and thought about what they had done to my sister. It was just impossible – I couldn’t believe it. Though I had known what she had become when I saw her skin turn red, it hadn’t really hit me – only fear did.

Now they’re probably gonna turn me into one, too, I thought as I examined my broken leg. It hurt to move, so I just stayed put.

I must’ve fallen asleep because when I woke up I couldn’t see anything – all was dark and frightening. Looking around, I saw the Sun, and knew that it was only dark in the crater.

I stood up, but fell again at the pain in my leg. My injury screamed for help at me until it stopped throbbing.

I waited for about an hour.

Suddenly, out of the blackness, I heard – or rather, sensed – a presence. I stood, putting my weight on my good leg and the wall of the great crater, and looked up. There was a dark figure standing at the edge of my prison.

“Who’s there?” I called to the silhouette, who didn’t move at my voice, but didn’t answer. Instead, the figure appeared to throw a rope into the crater, and fasten it somewhere up on the surface. “Tell me your name!” I called at the figure, but again I had no answer.

I stumbled along, trying to find the rope, leaning on the wall all the time, until at last, I grabbed hold of it. I didn’t know what to do with it – I couldn’t climb up with my broken leg – but, much to my surprise, the rope went up. I clutched it tightly, and looked up. The mysterious person was pulling me up on the rope.

Finally, I reached the top, and, once again, demanded my rescuer’s name. “Who are you? Tell me,” I said.

“Not now. Come with me,” was my only answer before he lifted me onto some sort of animal, then got on himself, and rode off.

Adventures on Mars-Part 7

I felt a surge of pain run through me as the knife and fork pierced my buttery flesh. Screaming would do no good, but the pain was so intense. Suddenly, I heard a loud noise like a train. It took me a moment to realize it was me.

I woke up.

But as soon as my eyes opened I screamed again. “W-What are you?” I asked the strange red creatures that towered over me.

“We,” they replied in an odd tone. “Are Marshians.”