Down to Earth
Chapter One
Harper picked at a gold-colored leaf on a plant in the hydroponics garden. "Watch it, Harper, that plant bites!" Trance stifled a giggle as she watched Harper pull his hand back so fast he hit himself in the face. "Not funny, Trance! I'm just curious because your plants are so different from what I grew up with on Earth."
"Well, okay, here's a short lesson in herbology." Trance held up a potted violet-leafed plant with curly tendrils growing from the center. "This is called a velvet glove."
Just then, Harper felt the ship lurch and his vision went blurry. He had the sensation of sideways movement and then a feeling of complete disorientation.he couldn't tell where the ceiling or the floor were; hell, he couldn't even tell where his own feet were! "Trance? What's going." Harper didn't get to finish his question, as, with a loud POP he felt himself falling.
The fall only lasted a few seconds, but was far enough to knock the wind out of him. He lay on the ground getting his breath back and trying to shake the blurriness from his vision. He was lying on a hard, cold surface that leached the warmth from his body.
Harper was finally able to get his breath back and reached up to rub his eyes. When he was finally able to get his eyes open and look around him, he was completely stunned by what he saw. He was no longer in the hydroponics garden, in fact he was no longer on the Andromeda. Instead, he lay panting for breath on the concrete of some type of road or thoroughfare.
Harper felt more than heard a rumbling and rolled to his right to see what was shaking the roadway. A large conveyance of some type was bearing down on him at a speed that he knew he would not be able to get out of the way of. All he could do was tuck his head down and wait for it to be over.
The huge truck whined by in the next lane, the breeze of its passing blowing Harper's shirt up over his head. He looked up as the wind-blown grit settled and watched the truck's red taillights getting smaller as it faded into the distance. Harper rubbed at his nose and his hand came away bloody. "Just my luck, I even get beat up in my nightmares!"
Harper looked first to his left, in the direction the big truck had gone, then to his right. "Eeny, meeny, miny mo, which direction shall I go?" Harper felt a giggle escape his lips and quickly clapped his hand over his mouth to stop the slightly hysterical laugh. "Okay, I'm okay, just follow the big truck, Seamus." With that, he started trudging shakily down the road, putting one foot in front of the other in the hopes that he would wake up before he got to where this nightmare was leading him.
Chapter One
Harper picked at a gold-colored leaf on a plant in the hydroponics garden. "Watch it, Harper, that plant bites!" Trance stifled a giggle as she watched Harper pull his hand back so fast he hit himself in the face. "Not funny, Trance! I'm just curious because your plants are so different from what I grew up with on Earth."
"Well, okay, here's a short lesson in herbology." Trance held up a potted violet-leafed plant with curly tendrils growing from the center. "This is called a velvet glove."
Just then, Harper felt the ship lurch and his vision went blurry. He had the sensation of sideways movement and then a feeling of complete disorientation.he couldn't tell where the ceiling or the floor were; hell, he couldn't even tell where his own feet were! "Trance? What's going." Harper didn't get to finish his question, as, with a loud POP he felt himself falling.
The fall only lasted a few seconds, but was far enough to knock the wind out of him. He lay on the ground getting his breath back and trying to shake the blurriness from his vision. He was lying on a hard, cold surface that leached the warmth from his body.
Harper was finally able to get his breath back and reached up to rub his eyes. When he was finally able to get his eyes open and look around him, he was completely stunned by what he saw. He was no longer in the hydroponics garden, in fact he was no longer on the Andromeda. Instead, he lay panting for breath on the concrete of some type of road or thoroughfare.
Harper felt more than heard a rumbling and rolled to his right to see what was shaking the roadway. A large conveyance of some type was bearing down on him at a speed that he knew he would not be able to get out of the way of. All he could do was tuck his head down and wait for it to be over.
The huge truck whined by in the next lane, the breeze of its passing blowing Harper's shirt up over his head. He looked up as the wind-blown grit settled and watched the truck's red taillights getting smaller as it faded into the distance. Harper rubbed at his nose and his hand came away bloody. "Just my luck, I even get beat up in my nightmares!"
Harper looked first to his left, in the direction the big truck had gone, then to his right. "Eeny, meeny, miny mo, which direction shall I go?" Harper felt a giggle escape his lips and quickly clapped his hand over his mouth to stop the slightly hysterical laugh. "Okay, I'm okay, just follow the big truck, Seamus." With that, he started trudging shakily down the road, putting one foot in front of the other in the hopes that he would wake up before he got to where this nightmare was leading him.