Just for the mood and the clouds!
They
were cut off from Earth on planet Athena.
The dark cloud began to dissipate after the dissolution of the gate. The red light vanished leaving no trace behind. The sky began to brighten. The last bits of the black cloud drifted away on the wind leaving a normal sunny sky. They had never seen a vessel up there, just the light and the cloud. Naturally, the watchers felt there must have been a machine up there, they just couldn’t see it.
Delores’ intended returned from his looking and calling empty handed. The rest of his group didn’t look much better than he did. Then they saw the loose material on the platform where the gate had been. Everyone who saw it appeared to be deep in their own thoughts, reassessing their own lives.
It seems like every historic disaster will enable a natural leader somehow. This time it was the cook, Bob. His mostly bald head and his prophetic looking black beard stood out above any group on Athena. His assumption of authority went unquestioned usually.
The population of Athena, all told, as far as they knew, was 237 souls. Five of these had been born on Athena. They ranged from a few months to two years.
“Well, people, this is a situation, isn't it,” Bob hollered over the heads of the watchers and the lately searchers. “We have some stuff to figure out if we can.
“I know we’re all scared! The first order of business is still to find Delores. The next order of business is the usual order of business. That is doing our work and living. At this point it amounts to survival with no help from Earth. We don’t know what that business overhead means yet. Probably if they wanted to kill us, they could have. Why didn’t they?
“Alice Franklin represents the Agency on Earth to us here, but somebody needs to speak for all of us now. I saw all your eyes turn to me after the gate died and I stand ready. If that is acceptable that is.”
Bob waited for a reaction, and he got one. Almost everyone said yes and raised a hand. Even Jerry, from the Athena head office, was happy to see Bob take the job. People stood in groups talking. Those who had been sleeping during the previous hour arrived on the green and were told what had happened. Some of the women cried. Some of the men seemed to be looking angrily around, as if to find who to blame. No one felt like eating or doing their jobs either.
“Let’s take today off from work to find Delores,” said Bob to the people. “We need to think this out. I’ll be in the back of the kitchen doing my job though, just like regular. I think breakfast would help everyone right now. Of course I think that. I’m a cook!” People did laugh a little.
“After that, let’s renew our efforts.”
James, wearing his new jeans and flannel shirt, came tearing out of the office doorway. He was yelling something about a woman on the floor. Since he didn’t know anyone really, except Martha, he was looking for her. He saw her standing in the back of the crowd.
“Does this place have a doctor,” James asked loudly. “She’s on the floor. She’s alive I think!” All heads turned in his direction and people started moving toward the office doorway.
Someone whispered, “it has to be Delores!”
“Get Mike!”
“Get Dr. Miller!”
Mike, who was Delores’ boyfriend ran ahead. He came out with Delores in his arms. Her dress was soaked and so was her hair. She looked like she was asleep.
Lucy Miller, the doctor, said, “take her to her room Mike. I’ll be right behind you.”
Dr. Miller stripped the wet clothes off of Delores in her room and put her to bed, just to warm her up. Mike stayed close beside her as she began to wake up. He made tea for her while the doctor checked her over and talked with her.
They asked her what happened. She had no idea. They asked her how she came to be in her office after everyone had looked for her there. She didn’t know that either. They asked her if she remembered anything.
She said she remembered being dropped in water, like a little pool that she had never seen before. She said she couldn’t remember why she was dropped like that. It just happened.
She remembered, she said at last, being carried in someone’s arms. He was someone she had never seen before and he was quite similar to a human, but very much taller and wider.
The dark cloud began to dissipate after the dissolution of the gate. The red light vanished leaving no trace behind. The sky began to brighten. The last bits of the black cloud drifted away on the wind leaving a normal sunny sky. They had never seen a vessel up there, just the light and the cloud. Naturally, the watchers felt there must have been a machine up there, they just couldn’t see it.
Delores’ intended returned from his looking and calling empty handed. The rest of his group didn’t look much better than he did. Then they saw the loose material on the platform where the gate had been. Everyone who saw it appeared to be deep in their own thoughts, reassessing their own lives.
It seems like every historic disaster will enable a natural leader somehow. This time it was the cook, Bob. His mostly bald head and his prophetic looking black beard stood out above any group on Athena. His assumption of authority went unquestioned usually.
The population of Athena, all told, as far as they knew, was 237 souls. Five of these had been born on Athena. They ranged from a few months to two years.
“Well, people, this is a situation, isn't it,” Bob hollered over the heads of the watchers and the lately searchers. “We have some stuff to figure out if we can.
“I know we’re all scared! The first order of business is still to find Delores. The next order of business is the usual order of business. That is doing our work and living. At this point it amounts to survival with no help from Earth. We don’t know what that business overhead means yet. Probably if they wanted to kill us, they could have. Why didn’t they?
“Alice Franklin represents the Agency on Earth to us here, but somebody needs to speak for all of us now. I saw all your eyes turn to me after the gate died and I stand ready. If that is acceptable that is.”
Bob waited for a reaction, and he got one. Almost everyone said yes and raised a hand. Even Jerry, from the Athena head office, was happy to see Bob take the job. People stood in groups talking. Those who had been sleeping during the previous hour arrived on the green and were told what had happened. Some of the women cried. Some of the men seemed to be looking angrily around, as if to find who to blame. No one felt like eating or doing their jobs either.
“Let’s take today off from work to find Delores,” said Bob to the people. “We need to think this out. I’ll be in the back of the kitchen doing my job though, just like regular. I think breakfast would help everyone right now. Of course I think that. I’m a cook!” People did laugh a little.
“After that, let’s renew our efforts.”
James, wearing his new jeans and flannel shirt, came tearing out of the office doorway. He was yelling something about a woman on the floor. Since he didn’t know anyone really, except Martha, he was looking for her. He saw her standing in the back of the crowd.
“Does this place have a doctor,” James asked loudly. “She’s on the floor. She’s alive I think!” All heads turned in his direction and people started moving toward the office doorway.
Someone whispered, “it has to be Delores!”
“Get Mike!”
“Get Dr. Miller!”
Mike, who was Delores’ boyfriend ran ahead. He came out with Delores in his arms. Her dress was soaked and so was her hair. She looked like she was asleep.
Lucy Miller, the doctor, said, “take her to her room Mike. I’ll be right behind you.”
Dr. Miller stripped the wet clothes off of Delores in her room and put her to bed, just to warm her up. Mike stayed close beside her as she began to wake up. He made tea for her while the doctor checked her over and talked with her.
They asked her what happened. She had no idea. They asked her how she came to be in her office after everyone had looked for her there. She didn’t know that either. They asked her if she remembered anything.
She said she remembered being dropped in water, like a little pool that she had never seen before. She said she couldn’t remember why she was dropped like that. It just happened.
She remembered, she said at last, being carried in someone’s arms. He was someone she had never seen before and he was quite similar to a human, but very much taller and wider.
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