October 31st, 2055 - orphanage
Hestia, age 13, one of the girls in the orphanage, was aiming the coal in her hand to throw into the wheelbarrow filled with the exact same coal that she was holding. She threw and missed. Sighing and swaying her arms, Hestia walked to pick up the coal just to return to her original place where she was standing. She tried to throw again, and this time, the coal fell into the wheelbarrow effortlessly.
One woman who was working there started asking in an irritant way of why she could not just get on with doing her work and do the mining or put the coal in normally. Hestia did not say anything, she was just listening for she knew that the bell was going to ring soon. Just as she was thinking that the piercing bell rang, and Hestia calmly walked away while she was taking off her gas mask leaving the woman muttering to herself of why she has to work at this terrible job.
None of the girls in the orphanage really knew why they had to put on the gas masks when the workers did not need them, but none of them put a fight to find out why.
It just turned daylight, and Hestia was ready to start working again, except this time there was an assembly. All the orphans gathered into a large area which they didn’t know existed. The head of the orphanage, Miss Mitrage, had a huge glass bowl in front of her which had so many small pieces of paper in which no one would ever be able to count. All the orphans looked nervous, as if they knew that something unfortunate was going to happen.
Miss Mitrage started her speech, “Good Morning Orphans!” Her voice sounded cheerful. “I have news for you! The government are claiming that the population over the whole globe has gone up drastically. But scientists have found groundbreaking research on a nearby planet, Salmorix. On this planet there is water and perhaps living creatures. The government chose our orphanage to gather three girls who will travel to find research for the future of our planet. You will be the first to do so, but many more people will be asked to go to Salmorix if any of you don’t find the research they were hoping of. So, do we have any volunteers...?”
Everyone looked shocked. Hestia looked around the spacious room, as did the other girls, to see if anyone did raise their hand. But no one did and everyone became silent.
“I knew that this was going to happen, so before-hand I wrote on a piece of paper each of your names. I will pick out three girls who will go, and if anyone is willing to swap and go instead of their friend or sister, feel free to do so.”
Miss Mitrage inched closer to the table in front of her with the bowl of names. She stuck out her arm and grabbed three pieces of paper. Everyone impatiently waited to see who will be forced to go to this new planet.
“I want the following three people coming up and standing next to me: Melissa, Courtney, and... Hestia.”
Hestia pushed out of her line to walk up to Miss Mitrage just like the other two girls. Courtney was younger than Hestia on one year, and Melissa was older on one.
As the three girls were standing next to Miss Mitrage, they heard whispers among the orphans, something about if Hestia or the other girls would get swapped out, but if anyone wanted to do so, they missed the chance.
Miss Mitrage held something too small to make out. She each gave the girls one and now Hestia could see clearly now that this was a bronze badge with the planet Salmorix on. It was incredibly detailed, and Hestia was at least happy to get a badge from all this nonsense, but she still would have preferred the badge to look like Earth instead. Hestia put the badge on slowly, as if wanting something to stop this ‘expedition’ while putting on her badge, but nothing did...
~~~
November 10th, 2098 – Sector 4, Salmorix
Email to Dr Melissa Cardy
During our last mission we found an unnamed spaceship. Empty. No life. From Earth. Guess what I found inside, Melissa? A bronze Salmorix badge... Do you remember that day?
-Governor Hestia Flame
This story is so well written I would love to see it developed into a movie script.
Wow! You kept me on my toes all the way. I wanted to know more.
I immediately immersed myself in the environment of that story, and I did not even notice that. Unfortunately, this is a short story. I would like it to continue. It is well written. I hope that a new star will rise among British novelists. Her name is Lisa Nag.
What a wonderful story and so well written!! Well done!