PROSE
MISTAKEN The Crimson spaceship landed on Earth soon after sunset on the hectic day of August 13th, 2257. A new school year was soon approaching and once again the students would be pulled into a blackhole that their life would be centered around for the next nine or so months. Anxious high schoolers had just received their course schedules for the year, unaware of the new forces, both weak and strong, that would soon influence their lives. Frustrated parents had just wrapped up back to school shopping for their whiny fourth-graders who complained that all their other friends were getting Meteor-pencils while they were only getting normal mechanical pencils. College students were eager to leave the comfort of their own homes for the fast-paced orbits of college. Across the northern hemisphere, the people of Earth were preparing themselves for a new beginning. The aliens on the Crimson, on the other hand, were preparing themselves for a new revelation. The Nebula aliens of the Crimson had no idea that the bright days of summer would soon be ending and that the children would soon be studying in their school’s dim-lit classrooms. As they descended closer towards Earth, their first impression was that the atmosphere was full of holes and scathingly hot. The beautiful ozone layer they had heard stories about was unrecognizable. From far above, the aliens could see vague impressions of blue and white and brown swirls. But now, they could see the dust bowls and the jagged lines of mountain tops, charred from years without rain. Of course, every alien in the Milky Way had heard of Earth. The phenomenal natural landmarks, the diverse plant and animal life, and renewable resources were praises recorded by the founders of the
11|The penchant||JAN 2021
by jonathan cheng
Nebula civilization. However, the aliens had no idea that this was Earth they had just landed on, the Earth their ancestors had lived on countless generations ago and had left to create a new civilization on Mars for. After several generations on Mars, the society at Nebula had fallen stagnant from decades of dwindling resources and lack of
technological advancements. Their civilization was dying and they needed support. The only potential source of revival was their roots: Earth. Although they had only heard of Earth from historical documents and shaky recordings, they knew finding Earth and explaining their case would be their only way to salvation.
Sesani, Adithi
