The red planet is truly one of mystery, even though Earth-dwellers learn more and more about it with each passing year.

Mars has the tallest, longest mountain range of any planet, the longest, deepest valley of any planet, and the largest volcano of any planet. My great-grandmother tells stories of when her great-grandparents lived during the era of the Great Loss, when all the water dried up. The rivers that carved the valleys are long gone, and we only dream of living on the plains with such easy access to plentiful water. Now, civilization only exists on the poles, where ice remains year round so we have available water. Often, it is too cold to live on the ice during the short winter of the north pole, so after a long, mild summer, the people migrate to the edge of the icecap where we live among the dust.

~~~~~~

The storm ended just yesterday. My skin is still caked with red dust. Granted, it always is, but I’m usually on the ice, and it just so happens that when we migrated to the edge for winter, a global dust storm kicked up. It lasted for roughly a month, and we’ve had to live with sand and dust in every part of our bodies. I look north, where I know the ice to be, and wish I was there, with an abundant amount of water. Where although the air is dry, the ice can fix it, if only we melt it. It’s so simple there. I sigh and stand up from my uncomfortable spot on the ground. I wish I could take a real bath, with warm water and steam, so that my skin could be truly clean, but for now we have to make do with a wet washcloth.

This is my first time outside since the dust storm. I’ve been digging in the dust since sunrise, looking for… well, it sounds horrible to say it, but I’m looking for bodies. Often, people get caught in the storms and are buried alive under the sand and dust. Usually, they aren’t searched for, the bodies I mean. They’re only ever found if the wind blows away layers of dust and someone happens to trip over one. But my brother, he was outside when the storm started, and he never came in. I know there’s no chance of him being alive, but if I could at least find his body it would make me feel that much better. To have closure. But I’ve just about given up.

I look at my hands. They are red with the dust. I clap them together and brush them off on my clothing, but at this point it’s nearly impossible to get it all off. Suddenly, I hear an engine. Turning around, I see a large rover coming closer and closer to me, Shielding my eyes with my hand, I try to get a better look at it. I’m wondering who is in it and where it’s going. It keeps driving straight toward me. At the last second, I step to the side, getting a little nervous that whoever is driving won’t stop. But they do, right in front of me. Two men, dressed completely in black and wearing masks that hide their faces, jump out and each grab one of my arms. Surprised and afraid, I scream, but a hand clamps over my mouth and stifles any noise. I struggle as best I can, but it’s no use, they are too strong. I sack is put over my head and I feel my body leave the ground as they pick me up and proceed to throw me into what I presume to be the back of the rover. I land with a thump and a grunt. I shift my position and attempt to sit up, to escape. I need to get out. Adrenaline is rushing through my body. But strong arms wrap around me and hold me in place for the rest of the ride, and one of the man’s hands stays clasped tightly over my mouth.

~~~~~~

I am hauled to a standing position and shoved roughly out of the rover. I fall to my knees on hard ground and yelp. Someone yanks me upright again and the sack is pulled from my face. A man holds my hands behind my back. “What, no rope?” I retort, glaring. I struggle again, trying to move my arms and rip them from his grip, but he’s too strong. Another black-clothed man walks up in front of me. He pulls off his mask, revealing dark hair, whiskered facial hair, and dark eyes.

“We’ve got rope, but it’s for a different purpose.” He grins menacingly, knowingly. My confidence falters.

“What are you going to do with me?” I ask, the nervousness clear in my voice.

The man in front of me steps aside and the man behind me pushes me forward. I stumble. In front of me, I see a deep abyss. The man keeps pushing me forward. I try to dig my heels in the dirt, shoving backward with all my might, shouting curses, but it doesn’t even slow the man down. “Welcome to Valles Marineris, Mars’ longest and deepest system of canyons,” says the other man, the one who removed his mask. He walks calmly beside me. Suddenly I am right at the edge, staring down into the deep valley. My heart beats like I’ve just run a race. “It is with this rope,” continues the man, brandishing a long coil of thick rope, “that you will be lowered into it and so sentenced to wander the canyons as a sacrifice.”

I frown, confused. “A sacrifice? For what? To whom?”

“Why, the gods of course!” Shouts the man dramatically. “We have been taking people and bringing them for years, in the hopes that one of them will be the right one. When we find that person, the gods will send us water.”

I stare at him. He’s insane. “You really believe that?”

He glares at me, then motions to the man behind me. “Tie her up.” He tosses the rope and before I can react, the guard is tying it around my waist, tightly, then creating an elaborate knot. He tightens it. “Now,” continues the unmasked man. “Step over the side please. We would like to lower you into the valley.”

“No way,” I respond sharply.

“Very well.” He shrugs. “Wilson, push her over.”

The guard moves toward me and gives me a shove. I scream as I fall, but am brought to a jerking stop in mid air that makes my body slam against the cliff. Coming to my senses, I grasp the rope in my hands and position my body so that my feet are against the cliff. I look up to see the unmasked man’s face peering over the edge. He laughs. “Alright, lower her down,” he says to Wilson, then his face disappears. I am given rope, and I walk down the cliff face. I don’t have any choice but to comply.

When I reach the bottom, I untie the rope from around my waist; it left a bruise. Then the rope is pulled and slowly ascends the cliff face as Wilson, I presume, pulls it back up. I sigh and look around. It is much darker down here as most of the sun is blocked off by the cliffs. I feel helpless, trapped. I don’t know what to do. I’ll be stuck down here until I die of starvation, or thirst, more likely. I let out a scream, one that tears at my throat and rattles in my chest and leaves me breathless when I stop. I take in a breath and scream again. Again and again until my voice fails me. Then I walk.

~~~~~~

I don’t know how long I’ve been walking, all I know is that it’s night and I have no sense of direction or where I am and I can’t go on anymore. My legs give out and I fall to the dusty ground. I am on the verge of consciousness when I vaguely register a sound, muffled by my exhaustion, but loud all the same. An object enters my field of vision, high above me, above the cliffs. I lift my head. Is that a spaceship? Something starts moving closer to me, down down down. A person on a rope, being lowered from the spaceship down to me. A person in a strange suit. When she gets close enough, her form is blurry, but I see silver hair and a scar. Her eyes are not welcoming, but a strong arm wraps around my limp body and holds me close to her. She tugs twice on the wire - it’s not rope, it’s much stronger - and soon we are moving up up up, into what seems like heaven. “We are going to a better place, Ebony,” she says. I struggle to keep my eyes open. When we are finally safe inside the ship, the lady puts me in a bed and takes off the helmet of her suit. “We won’t need to inject her, she’ll be unconscious in a matter of minutes.” Then everything was black.

~~~~~~

When I wake again, my mouth is still dry. I sit up. “Water,” I croak. The silver-haired lady appears with a glass of water and I down it. She helps me stand and we walk toward the hatch, which opens as if on cue. I squint in the bright light and gasp at the sight I’m greeted with. “Where are we?” I ask.

“Somewhere with an abundance of water,” she responds. I think I see a slight smile on her face.

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

MARS - Sleeping At Last

“We laid our names to rest

Along the dotted line.

We left our date of birth

And our history behind.

~

We were full of life,

We could barely hold it in.

We were amateurs at war,

Strangers to suffering.

~

We made our families proud

But scared at the same time.

We promised we’d be safe,

Another lie from the front lines.

~

Our backs against the wall,

We’re surrounded and afraid.

Our lives now in the hands

Of the soldiers taking aim.

~

Our questions ricochet

Like broken satellites:

How our bodies, born to heal,

Become so prone to die?

~

Though time is ruthless,

It showed us kindness in the end,

By slowing down enough,

A second chance to make amends.

As life replayed, we heard a voice proclaim:

~

"lay your weapons down!

They’re calling off the war

On account of losing track

Of what we’re fighting for."

~

So we found our way back home,

Let our cuts and bruises heal.

While a brand-new war began,

One that no one else could feel.

~

Our nights have grown so long.

Now we beg for sound advice.

"let the brokenness be felt

'til you reach the other side.

There is goodness in the heart

Of every broken man

Who comes right up to the edge

Of losing everything he has."

~

We were young enough to sign

Along the dotted line.

~

Now we’re young enough to try

To build a better life.

To build a better life."

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