Kaya

I’ve been here for a week now, alone. I’ve been eating regularly. My absolute favorite is french fries. I’ve been exercising, and people in white coats watch me and write notes. I shrunk two inches. Notes on that as well.

A week and a half of routine passes. Sure, some things are new, and I get to go on a walk every day, but otherwise, it’s the same thing. The next Wednesday, something very new happens.

I’m in my room reading a book of the history of Earth when Doctor Lawrence walks in. She stands in the doorway. “Kaya, there is someone here for you to meet. His name is Asa.” She stands aside and a boy walks into the room. He looks nervous. And his skin, pockmarked with scabs and scars.

“What happened to you?” I ask.

He glances down at his skin and blushes as if realizing that it might be surprising for other people to see.

“Acid rain,” he responds.

“Really? On Earth, acid rain doesn’t damage skin, just the lungs. What actually happened?”

“Acid rain. On Venus.”

I stand quickly, losing my page. “What? You’re from Venus?”

“Yes. The clouds are different there.”

I turn to Doctor Lawrence. “He’s from Venus. I’m from Mercury. What next, someone from Mars?”

“Yes, actually,” Doctor Lawrence responds. I’ve noticed over the past week and a half that her expressions are very hard to read, the changes in her face are slight. I wonder if all Earth dwellers are emotionless. “That is the point of the Alien Administration Program. We will take and study one subject from each planet. Mars is next.”

Asa and I exchange a glance. Apparently he didn’t know this either.

“Now,” Doctor Lawrence continues. “You two may spend some time together, get to know each other. Have fun.” She leaves and closes the door behind her.

~~~~~~

Asa

I stand there, feeling very exposed and awkward. The girl, Kaya, pats the bed next to her. “Come sit,” she says, inviting me to come forward. I do.

“So,” she starts, clearing her throat. “Venus. What’s it like? Are there a lot of people living there?”

“No,” I respond, quietly at first, but gaining confidence. “There are six mountain ranges among the plains and volcanoes. That is where the tribes live, one in each range. It is very hard to survive on Venus, often, children don’t make it to adulthood.”

“Wow. So, what is your tribe like?” She sounds very interested. I bet she loves learning about Earth, too. Doctor Lawrence makes me read books about it, and I don’t necessarily enjoy it.

“I lived in the mountain range Maxwell. In the tribe, there is the Chief, Hunters, Protectors, Gardeners, and other various minor jobs.”

“What did you do?”

“I was made Watcher the day I was taken away.”

“Watcher. What’s that?”

“It’s a new position. I am good at predicting natural events. I could predict when acid rain would come, where the herds of mountain mammoth would roam, and even when the volcanoes would erupt.”

“Wow, that’s amazing. Wait, did you live close to the volcanoes?”

“Yes, Morgana and Jasper were very close. I knew they were going to erupt sooner than most predicted, but no one believed me.”

“So what happened?” Her voice grows soft. I choke up. I hate what’s coming, but it’s not like I have anyone else to confide in.

“I had predicted acid rains, so I sent the hunters out early. But it started raining early. And then the volcanoes erupted. They wiped out my whole tribe. I only escaped because Doctor Lawrence saved me.”

“So, your wounds, they are also from ash.” She reaches out to touch my arm. I flinch away. I tear rolls down my cheek.

Her eyes are wide, glistening. “I’m sorry,” she says. “I was taken from the boy I love.” And she leans forward and hugs me. It hurts my tender skin, but it feels so good on the inside.

~~~~~~

Doctor Lawrence

The girl from Mercury and the Venusian are bonding quickly. It gives me hope for this experiment. If they, from two completely different planets, can get along so well, then maybe in the future when Earth needs to be evacuated, people from the other planets will welcome us.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

EARTH - Sleeping At Last

"I dig til my shovel tells a secret

Swear to the earth that I will keep it

Brush off the dirt

And let my change of heart occur

~

 Sold soon

after the appraisal

The hammer

Struck the action table louder

Than anything I've ever heard

~

Fault lines tremble underneath my glass house

But I put it out of my mind

Long enough to call it courage

To live without a lifeline

I bend the definition of faith

To exonerate my blind eye

Until the sirens sound, I'm safe

~

Meanwhile my family's taking shelter

Sparks send fire down the wire

The countdown begins

Until the dynamite kicks in

~

The echo 

As wide as the equator

Travels

Through a world of built up anger

Too late to pull itself together now

~

Fault lines tremble underneath my glass house 

But I put it out of my mind

Long enough to call it courage

To live without a lifeline

I bend the definition of faith

To exonerate my blind eye

Until the sirens sound, I'm safe

~

There was an earthquake

There was an avalanche of change

We were so afraid

We cried ourselves a hurricane

There were floods

And tidal waves over us

We folded our hands and prayed

Like a domino

These wildfires grow and grow

Until a brand new world takes shape

~

Fault lines tremble underneath my glass house

But I put it out of my mind

Long enough to call it courage

To live without a lifeline

I bend the definition of faith

To exonerate my blind eye

Until the sirens sound, I'm safe

Until the sirens sound, I'm safe

Until the sirens sound, I'm safe"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~