August 20
"Oh Tamara, turn that thing off." scolded her father, looking at the TV. "It only makes you crazy - wanting things you can't have."
But now he was watching too. Truth is, it made him crazy. It didn't bother Tamara at all, because she knew she'd be there someday. It was hard to put himself in her place, hard to think like a child, hard to remember what it was like to be 9. Mr. Farsee sighed in resignation and sat down on the couch next to his daughter. "Oh never mind." he said quietly. He looked at her beautiful blonde hair, long and a little unkempt, then he turned back to the TV, the Mars channel of course. People were playing on the beach under the bright orange sun with no protection at all. No eyeware, no shades, and scantily clad, as they dashed headlong into the foamy waves tinted red by the sun. What would it be like to take your shirt off and stand in the sun? You dare not do that here on Earth! A couple minutes is all anyone could stand. But on Mars...
Tamara was watching the news, and a reporter was speaking. "I'm standing at the shore of the Ocean, on the coast of New Florida, where two teen-agers drowned in the big storm yesterday. Winds reached 50 miles per hour, with 10 foot waves. The coast guard worked frantically to get everybody back to shore. Hundreds of swimmers and light craft were escorted to safety just ahead of the storm. Tom Stafford, head of local operations, said it could have been much worse. But what a difference a day makes! The beaches are open again and you'd never know that a storm was raging 24 hours ago. Everyone is enjoying this beautiful day. It's 81 degrees, with just a slight breeze. People are swimming, building sand castles, or just relaxing in the warm sun." And indeed they were. Two children were building a beautiful castle just out of reach of the hungry waves, and an elderly gentleman was half asleep on a blanket, clad only in shorts.
"Thank you Terry." said the news anchor, in polite, professional tones. "A real tragedy about those two teen-agers. ... In other news, one of the largest asteroids, 11 miles across, skirted past our little planet last night. The altitude was perfect, according to NASA officials. We are now a fraction of an inch farther from the sun than we were yesterday. NASA will offer an update on its asteroid reorbit program, or ARP, on the NASA channel, tonight at 10:00 central time. Here's a quick overview, followed by some live footage from the on-board camera."
The newscaster disappeared, replaced with a diagram of Mars moving clockwise around the sun. The asteroid, represented by a small dot, approached Mars from the night side, slipped in just ahead of its orbit, swung around the day side, then sped away, pulling Mars forward in the process. Father and daughter watched, transfixed. "Here's the flyby from the asteroid's point of view." The diagram was replaced with an image of Mars, a small white crescent against the inky blackness of space. The crescent turned and grew into a full white disk, which filled the entire screen. The Ocean was clearly visible at the top, and the coastline looked familiar. Mr. Farsee thought he recognized New Florida jutting out into the sea. It looked a lot like Earth's florida, except it extended northward. But it was hard to be sure; school was a long time ago. No matter, he'd never set foot on that planet. His daughter might, someday, but not him. The landscape slid by as the asteroid moved across the face of Mars. The sense of speed was compelling, though that was somewhat artificial, as a half hour flyby was compressed into 30 seconds for public consumption.
"This asteroid will return to Mars in 14 years and 7 months," continued the newscaster, "under NASA's careful control, and give Mars another gentle tug away from the sun. Some 700 asteroids are engaged in this interplanetary dance, all carefully choreographed. If you'd like more information, check out the NASA ARP briefing tonight at 10:00."
Yes, Mars would be spared the wrath of its dying sun, but not so the Earth. "The planet is too heavy", lamented the scientists. "We're doing the best we can, but it's not pulling away fast enough, and we have no idea how we're going to get it past Jupiter in any case. They'd be in nearly the same orbit for centuries; the chaos, the instabilities, the tides..." Oh they had their reasons, or were they excuses? They weren't too worried about the Mars Jupiter interchange, which was scheduled to take place in 17 thousand years, give or take a few hundred. They thought they could pull that one off.
"What do you mean, wanting things I can't have?" asked Tamara, her small voice pulling John's attention away from the martian landscape. "You said we were going there someday. Isn't that right?"
"Yes of course." John replied quickly, trying to push his doubts and fears back into the box. "We're definitely going to Mars. But you know..." and he trailed off again. He had already made one verbal blunder, Now he was about to make a second in as many minutes. He was about to remind her that only she and Mark could go. Seats on the transport were limited, and he could never afford 4 tickets. But why tell her that? Maggie tried to explain it to her one evening, about a year ago. "You and Mark will go to Mars and stay with your Uncle Pete and Aunt Sarah, and Daddy and I will stay here on Earth. We love you very much, but Pete and Sarah will take good care of you, and Mars is a better place." This brought nothing but tears, for what child wants to be torn from her parents, no matter the circumstance? Tamara cried for an hour and when she finally fell asleep John and Maggie agreed not to discuss this aspect of the trip until the kids were older. Besides, it was probably unnecessary. It would be a miracle if the kids could get on the next transport, and the Earth Mars window only opened every twelve years. If they couldn't book passage by March, Tamara would be 22 before she had another opportunity to go. She would spend her entire childhood with her parents, just like any other kid. So why make a big deal about it?
"Maybe we should keep the kids until the next transport." suggested Maggie, after that terrible night. "Pete and Sarah are wonderful people, but these are my kids, and I want to raise them. I love them! They'll get to Mars either way. What's the difference?"
But John worked in the power industry. He knew about the close calls that never made the evening news. Like the one in February, when the plant almost shut down. And that was in the middle of the summer heat! How many people would have died? And there's nowhere to go. You couldn't run to your neighbor's house; he's in the same predicament. There is no place to hide from the relentless heat. A power failure in Canada killed 3,000, and that was just five years ago. No - Earth was not a safe place to live. If there was any way to get those kids on the next transport, john was determined to make it happen.
Maggie strolled into the room, a big grin on her face. John envied her serenity, her inward happiness. And he loved her all the more for it. Her planet was dying, but certainly wouldn't die in her lifetime, so she lived in the moment, lived for the moment, and pushed the weight of the future aside with a wave of her hand.
"Let's go down to the lake. The sun won't rise for at least an hour, and this may be our last chance before next winter."
Tamara jumped up with excitement and called her brother. "Come on Mark, we're going to the lake." She started taking her clothes off where she stood, and she could hear Mark doing the same in his bedroom.
"Apparently the kids like the idea." said John dryly. He took off his clothes and folded them neatly on the livingroom chair, unlike Tamara, who simply dropped hers in a heap on the floor. As Maggie undressed in the kitchen John's eyes were drawn to her like a magnet. She was as beautiful as the day they met, her soft white skin glowing with youth. The light blue blouse rumpled her short brown hair as she pulled it over her head, but she smoothed it back into place with one deft motion of her hand. "Now where did I put my outshoes?" she asked, not expecting an answer. She looked around the room and caught John's gaze, and gave him a wink as if to say, "Later, when the kids are asleep."
"I think I saw them in the kitchen." he replied.
"Yes of course." Maggie went to the kitchen and spotted her outshoes under the table, white leather with thick insulating soles that protected her feet from the hotest stones or the thorniest nettles. As she buckled the second shoe she heard Mark's voice from his bedroom. "Mom, where did I put my outshoes?" She wanted to be angry, but she had asked the very same question two minutes earlier. She got up from the table and headed towards Mark's bedroom when she heard his retraction. "Never mind, I found them."
Maggie went to the front door and the other three followed close behind. She pressed her hand against the panel and said "exit", and the door slid open. She kept her hand on the panel as John, Mark, and Tamara stepped outside. Finally Maggie stepped through and pulled her hand away, and the door closed quietly, forming an air-tight seal.
"It's beautiful." said Tamara, pointing to the northeast. And indeed it was. Everyone appreciates the cooler temperatures, but the perpetual darkness of the antarctic winter exacts its toll. John slogged through June, July, and part of August in a mild depression, anxious for the return of his beautiful red enemy, the sun. As winter gave way to summer, the sun traced a 24 hour circle around the horizon, sometimes popping up for a visit, and sometimes dipping below. Dawn or dusk was never far away. A sunrise or sunset could last for hours, and this one was no exception. John followed Tamara's gaze and saw a beautiful red-orange sky that betrayed the position of the sun just below the rim of the Earth. Sunrises were always beautiful, even when the sun was pure white. Now that the sun was orange-red the colors were spectacular. They spread across the landscape and streaked up into the sky.
"Yes, it is beautiful." John mused. "But we don't have much time. Let's go."
The Farsee family ran down the dirt trail towards the lake, then throttled back to a walk. The fresh air felt good, but nobody could run a mile in the 105 degree heat.
Short prickly grass lined the path, though it would soon wither and die under the summer sun, only to return next spring. Small white flowers, no larger than a fingertip, dotted the fields. These miniature blossoms release fragrant esters while retaining precious water. John couldn't see any pollinating insects, but they were out there, somewhere - the delicate iridescent butterfly and the angry desert wasp. Like the vegetation, these insects found ways to bury their genetic material deep underground, away from the summer sun, so the next generation could emerge, right on time, year after year.
John motioned them to stop at the edge of the lake, and cautiously inserted a finger, then his hand. "I'd say it's about 85 degrees, just like a bath. So jump in!"
Tamara was the first to obey his directive. She was only 9, but an excellent swimmer. John watched her for several minutes, her long slender body tinted red by the pre-dawn colors. the lake was silent, with no animals to disturb its surface. No fish, no frogs, no turtles, no ducks, no geese. It didn't look anything like the lakes on Mars, which were filled with wildlife. John bent down to look at the water and noticed it was a bit cloudy. "No animals," he thought, "but plenty of bacteria and algae." It would probably look a little green in broad daylight, or under a white lamp, But there were no colors beyond yellow in this early crimson sky. He looked up from the water and realized he was alone. Maggie and Mark were doing their best to catch up with Tamara. John stepped off the path, placed his shoes and glasses on a flat rock, returned to the lake, and jumped in. He swam over to his family, enjoying the cool water. Suddenly an alarm sounded, its blasts echoing across the lake. Four horns - forty minutes til sunrise. "We're ok for now." he thought.
As the last horn died away John heard something else, a motorboat, headed this way. He looked up and saw his friend Elton at the wheel, with his wife Martha at his side. Martha was totally blind, probably the only adult who wasn't bothered by the long winter night.
"Hey John, Maggie, how you doin." called Elton as he switched off his motor. "Martha, the Farsees are here, having a morning swim."
"Hello Maggie." she called out, in just about the right direction. "Nice day for a swim I'd say."
"Hi Elton, Martha." Maggie replied, grabbing on to the railing at the back of the boat. She hauled herself up like an old friend who doesn't need to be invited and started chatting with Martha. The boat was pretty big, with plenty of room for passengers, so the kids climbed aboard too. John stayed in the water; the air was a little warm for his taste.
"Shall I take them for a spin around the lake?" asked Elton.
"Sure." said John, pushing himself away from the boat. Elton started the motor and off they went, the wake sparkling red and white in the morning light. John swam slowly and easily, listening to the sounds of the boat as it sped away. He dove down to the bottom, about 12 feet deep, but couldn't see very much. "The water must really be cloudy." he thought as he returned for air. He went down again, feeling around with his hands. The seaweed was only an inch high, and fairly sparse. No fish, no clams, no snails - not even a shell. "I don't think this lake ever supported marine life." he thought as he went back up to the surface. "How could it; it practically evaporates in the summer."
John swam out to a small island in the lake, then back to shore, and before he knew it Elton had returned. The kids jumped out of the boat with a big splash and Maggie dove in with barely a ripple. "That was so much fun!" exclaimed Tamara, but her words were interrupted by the alarm. Two horns - twenty minutes. John looked up in surprised. He hadn't heard thirty minutes at all. Was he underwater at the time? They had to head back, and right now! Elton was also caught off guard. His home was close to shore, but he still had to get to the far side of the lake.
"I gotta go." explained Elton as he turned his boat around.
"I know." said John, his voice ringing with urgency.
"I'll call you tonight." shouted Maggie, as Martha pulled away. "Let's go kids."
They all swam quickly to shore, with Mark lagging behind. John stood at the edge of the lake and called out, "Come on Mark, we gotta go." Mark splashed his way to shore, doing pretty well for an eight year old, but time was growing short. Mark clambered up onto dry land and they set a steady pace for home, with John in the lead. John tried to quell his growing anxiety. "Don't run in this heat - that would be a mistake. You've got time, just relax." His silent meditation was interrupted by the last alarm. One horn, ten minutes. John couldn't quicken his pace; Mark was barely keeping up as it was. They marched on towards the house. 200 yards remained when the red orb poked its uppermost rim above the horizon. "We're standing next to an oven," thought John, "and somebody just opened the door." The sun was only a quarter up, and it didn't feel too bad, but soon it would climb the sky and deliver the full force of its orange fury. by the time they got home it had done just that, its heat pressing against their backs and legs. Tamara sprinted for the door and pushed the bar. It opened instantly and she stumbled inside. The others were 20 feet behind, and the door had time to close before Maggie reached it and pushed the bar again. It opened, as it was designed to do, for anyone and everyone. The other three walked into the cool clean air and the door closed behind them. "Blue Sky! That feels good." said John, wiping the sweat from his brow.
"It sure does." said Maggie. "I'm glad we got in when we did. Ok kids, you know the drill. Run through the shower, and be sure to use soap. That water smelled a little funny."
"You can take your time, there's plenty of cool water today." said John. He wouldn't be able to say that in a couple months, when the local water supply reached 160 degrees or more. Last summer Tamara took an extra long shower, probably drawing pictures on the glass door again, and by the time John went in the cool water was almost gone. He was completely in lather when the water reached 110 degrees and the safety valve closed. You couldn't negotiate with the safety valve! John had to sit and wait until the water cooler brought the temperature in the tank back down to 105. Finally the water began to flow again and he rinsed off. This was followed by a stern lecture about long showers in the summer, aimed at the family in general. Well, no need to worry about that today. The water was just right as it entered the house. In fact the dishwasher had to heat the water to work properly. Yes, winter was a strange time, but that was over, and summer was just around the corner.
Mark jumped out of the shower and Tamara went in while John gazed out the triple pane window towards the sun. He felt no heat, thanks to the tinted glass. It was truly amazing. The morning sky looked like an abstract painting with dazzling reds, oranges and yellows. The sun seemed even larger when just above the horizon. It looked like a giant blazing beachball four stories tall, hovering just above the lake, its red fire spilling out onto the water. John held his hand out at arm's length and tried to block the sun, but its orange rims peeked out from either side. "Same size as always." he decided. Everyone knew that the sun was expanding into a runaway red giant as it ran out of fuel, and people sometimes convinced themselves that they could actually see it growing right in front of their eyes, even though the process took millions of years. John always chuckled at these uneducated folks, who often appeared on talk shows, but you know, sometimes it sure looked that way!
Maggie finished her Shower and John stepped in. He continued his mental conversation. "Soon the sun will float above the horizon 24 hours a day, then it will climb the sky, reaching its zenith in late December. Temperatures will climb too, past 150 degrees. Summer's coming, and you can't negotiate with that either, unless you go to Mars." He looked around for the soap. "What would that be like? You could swim in the Ocean year round, and listen to the frogs, and watch the ducks. And if you're hungry, cast your net and catch a fish. It's been so long since I've eaten fish. Maybe someday. ..."