Tag: Distant Love

Distant Love (Part 53)

Derek marvels at the display of the base. The miniature buildings on the moon have all been made to the exact specifications. It even shows little people going back and forth between them, carrying out routine maintenance and other functions. He is most interested in the spaceport. This is where human exploration and colonization would expand to Saturn and beyond. Then there is the Le Poitre telescope that scans for habitable new worlds in the galaxy. He could have spent the whole day absorbed in that base, but there was so much more to see at the exhibition.

He looks up to see which moon he will look at next. The woman with the tattoo that had been on the train is standing there looking at him, but disappears into a crowd passing by.

Derek thinks little of it. Due to medical advances, there are very few people in wheelchairs. Even less on the moon. The odd time, Derek would find himself followed by someone enamored by his chair. Life is too short for him to worry about it.

He powers his chair over to the volcanic moon lo and watches intently as lava oozes over the surface. The realism is beyond his expectations.

Distant Love (Part 52)

Now, there is little standing space left, and Derek’s concern has grown about someone falling on him by accident. He tries to put concerns such as those to the back of his mind. There is only one stop left. He has nearly made it and can already feel a slight deceleration.

The doors open, and the packed crowd jostles its way out with him following closely behind. He has reached Zone A. The largest settlement on the moon. All the passageways are filled with a mass of people. The settlement is composed of fifteen layers, with him currently at the lowest level.

He sees a sign for the Jupiter Fair. It leads him off the main thoroughfare and down a tunnel. After going about a hundred metres, he hears cries of excitement ahead. His own heart begins to beat a bit faster.

The tunnel opens up into a vast chamber. A massive holographic display of Jupiter and its moons is centre stage with throngs of people everywhere. It’s even better than he could have dreamed of.

He knows where he wants to see first – Europa and its human settlement. He powers past the small outer moons for now and heads straight towards it.

Distant Love (Part 51)

He now continues down a long ramp to the underground corridor that leads to the nearest lunar train station. He is more or less alone, except for some stragglers that he powers past.

The corridor is bright and white. Ten minutes pass, and he hears the bustling of a crowd in the distance. For a split second, he worries there will be no space for him. Fortunately, an echo has made it sound far busier than it is.

There is a group of six teenagers to his right. A mixture of girls and boys is laughing hysterically. He put them at around fifteen years of age.

To his left, a woman close to his age with short, jet black hair and tattoos on her arm.

I wonder if any of them are going to the fair.

He asks the AI on his wheelchair, Sarah, what time it is? He has time to spare.

Three minutes pass, and the lunar train arrives. Its doors automatically open, and he drives inside to the area reserved for wheelchairs. The wheelchair is then clamped in place by a robotic arm.

A smile broke out across his face as his excitement built.

There were numerous stops along the way. Each time, the crowd on the train grew.

Distant Love (Part 50)

Derek methodically gets dressed and transfers into his electric wheelchair.

He looks out at the barren moonscape. If this were Earth, something would have changed over the years, perhaps even from day to day. But not here. Exactly the same as the first time he looked out. At times, he would wish for a micro-meteor to add a new rock or small crater to the scene. Today, it would not bother him as there would be plenty of new things to see.

The fair was in Zone A. It was one hundred and fifty kilometres away. A serious lunar trek made easy by lunar rail. He checks his watch and smiles – plenty of time.

Moving his joystick, the wheelchair powers out of his room. He looks down at the floor beneath him. As expected, it is largely deserted at this early hour. A strong smell of detergent lingers in the recycled air from the robotic cleaners whose shift had just ended.

Driving past his workplace, he chuckles at all the work he left for the new girl, Nathalia. He knew she wouldn’t be impressed when her shift started.

Next, he went down on the lift to the main communal area. Later, the place would be bustling with traders and people coming and going. He was happy to get ahead of it all.

Distant Love (Part 49)

The conversation shifts to Maeve’s many cousins and what they are up to. Hours pass over tea and biscuits.

The room grows dark. At first, the light is switched on, then the blinds are drawn, and the conversation turns to where they will sleep.

“There’s a nice little bed for you, Derek, beside the front door. It could be quite tight with the wheelchair, though. And Maeve, you can sleep in the bed beside mine.”

She was right. There was no chance of turning the wheelchair into the room. Derek crawls out of the wheelchair and into the low-rise bed.

Exhausted now, he thinks of what a crazy day he’s had.

His eyelids close, and he drifts off.

*************************

Three weeks previously…

An alarm goes off in Derek’s room. He stretches and opens his eyes. For the first time in quite a while, he can’t help but feel enthusiastic about what lies ahead.

No work, no worries. He had been planning this trip for over a month. The Jupiter Fair.

Jupiter had always entranced Derek. A place where you could be free with just the right amount of human civilization. Aviris 6 was the stuff of legend. Get rich or die within 24 hours.

Distant Love (Part 48)

Derek feels a stiff breeze blow across his face. “Wow, it’s cold here. Is this not the planet where humans are meant to have evolved?”

Jessica looks back at him with a quizzical look. “Eh, not on this part of the planet. Come on, we’d better get the two of yous inside.”

Soon, she was pointing to a nearby white-finished bungalow. “Come on, this way.”

For a moment, Derek worries his wheelchair is too wide for the door, but fortunately, he has an inch on either side to spare.

Immediately, he feels the burst of warm air. It felt good.

Jessica led them to a small kitchen. “Now, what about a nice cup of tea for the two of you?”

Maeves face lit up. “Oh, yes, please. They are mad about their tea in these parts, Derek.”

Derek smirks. “I’ll have to give it a try, so!”

And lovely tea, it turns out to be.

“So, what’s next?” Jessica asks. Her tone is more serious.

Derek and Maeve look at each other, unsure what to say.

Maeve takes the lead. “Auntie, it was all somewhat rushed. We had to take our chances; there was no time to plan ahead.”

“It’s okay, love, you should be fine here for quite some time. They’d never expect you to come to this remote place. That’s for sure.”

Distant Love (Part 47)

“I am indeed.”

The lady walks over and wraps him in a warm embrace. “Thanks so much for everything you’ve done for Maeve. I don’t know what we would have done without you!”

“There is no need to thank me. I would do anything for her.”

The lady takes a step back, looking into his eyes. He can see her wrinkled, weather-battered face now. Still, there is a beauty there, mixed with determination. “You can call me Jessica.”

She waves her hand for Derek and Maeve to follow her. Derek’s wheelchair bobbles up and down on the uneven, pebble-filled surface. It bothers him, not.

Jessica points at one of the few buildings. An unappealing, simple building that is somewhat derelict. “That was once the most northerly post office in the UK.”

Derek and Maeve look at each other in confusion.

“Oh lord,” Jessica says in exasperation, “doesn’t anyone teach you young people history anymore? The UK, or the United Kingdom, once had an empire so large that the sun never set. And now, it might as well have never existed. I guess that the northerly part is lost on you two, you being from space and all.”

Jessica continues muttering to herself as they start to make their way up a road.

Distant Love (Part 46)

A few moments pass, and it comes into view. White dots surrounded by green jutting out of the ocean.

“Is this it?”

“It sure is.” Her voice is full of excitement.

More interesting than the moon, I suppose.

The ship comes to a halt, and Derek feels the vibration of the landing thrusters firing. A few seconds later, a thud as it hit the ground.

Derek shakes. The reality of landing on an alien world hits him.

“You okay, Derek? My Auntie is waiting for us. Everything is going to be fine.”

She places her hand on his shoulder, and he turns the wheelchair.

They go to the rear of the ship, and the hatch opens. A silver-haired, plump woman is waiting for them at the bottom of the ramp.

Maeve rushes forward and wraps her arms around the older woman.

Derek drives down the ramp before coming to an abrupt halt. The smell of the sea, the beautiful cloudy sky, the feel of the wind on his face, it’s so different.

Maeve looks back at him and frowns. “You okay, Derek?”

He looks over at her and smiles. “Oh, yes. I’ve never experienced anything like this. To hear the waves and the wind. I knew it would be different, but this is incredible.”

The grey-haired woman then spoke. “You must be Derek.”

Distant Love (Part 44)

Hours pass, and the magnificent habitats come clearly into view. They are cylindrical in shape, with a constant stream of small vessels travelling in between them.

“Looks incredible, doesn’t it, Derek?” Maeve says, both of their eyes transfixed.

“It is. I read somewhere that we’re reaching the tipping point where more people will be living off Earth than on it. Crazy, really, and there’s a huge universe out there for us to colonize.” Derek’s eyes were wide with wonder.

“Incredible, we’d better dock you in place again. We’ll soon start to feel the effect of the Earth’s gravity.”

Derek began to sweat in nervous anticipation. This would be unlike anything he had experienced before.

Their ship descended between the habitats.

The ship shook. It was almost imperceptible.

Derek thought – It is beginning.

Then another shake.

“Don’t worry, Derek. The ship’s onboard navigation system won’t have any difficulties taking us in. Landing on Earth is routine, not like landing on the moon.”

Maeve smirked, and Derek found it odd how reassuring he found it to be.

The rattling increases with each passing moment. The viewport edges turn red.

“We’re going to the top of the second large island off that landmass. You can’t see the small island itself, yet.” Maeve shouted over the sound of the spaceship crashing through the atmosphere.

My Journey as a Writer: Updates and Goals

Hello, dear readers, I hope you are all doing well. A quick reminder to consider subscribing to the website to be kept fully updated. It really is the best way.

So what have I been up to? Well, not too much in the last day or two (I’m so lazy). Before then, I did make some steady progress.

Wheelchair Wars – The reworking is almost complete of my far future dystopia, where people with disabilities are forced to fight to the death for entertainment. I’m hoping to have it published (probably self-published), but I’ll try to look for an agent in the new year. I joined an online writing group, and I think I have significantly improved my writing skills. Like everything I do, I will always endeavor to improve.

Pegasus – This action-packed story set hundreds of years in the future recently came to an end. Like Wheelchair Wars, it will be reworked and published at a future date.

Distant Love – I only started this recently. It is still easy to find Part 1. This is my latest story – a sci-fi romance. I’m still working this one out in my head, not sure how long it will be.

General Overview:

I am on track to get a record number of views this year. I’m hoping to break the 2,000 mark. From research, to be a professional blogger would need an absolute minimum of 24,000 views per year. I’m a long way off, but not beyond the realms of impossibility to do it in a few years.

I now have 1,400 followers on Bluesky. My plan is to try and get over 2,000 by the end of the year. Then drive that audience towards here, along with my Twitter and Facebook followers.

Please don’t be afraid to comment. It would be great to have some feedback.