Under the Mango Tree: 101 Tales (3)

MOVING OUT

Challenge No.59 - View From Space.

Take a scene from any story you've written already. Re-write it so that it takes place somewhere in a galaxy far, far away.

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This is linked to Story No.50 - Destination Luna

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If you are on Jukihú and point your telescope at Juracán you can see the lights - and vice versa. Jukihú and Juracán are not twin planets in the sense that they orbit each other. But they are twins, in that they traverse the same star and their populations both arrived here from ancient Earth. So ancient we're not even sure where it is.

You look through that telescope and know there are eight billion people living over there. It gives next door a whole new meaning.

My name is Sam and after much consideration, I decided that the time had come to leave Juracán and move; lock, stock and barrel to Jukihú. Juracán will soon be an environmental disaster and I don't want to be a refugee.

It took me five years to save for that one-way ticket and another two for the funds needed to establish myself. Not to mention the endless medical examinations and interviews. One did not just arrive on Jukihú.

But! I did it and I was ready for the four months trip. True it was expensive both in time and money, but it was worth every XECD that I'd spent on the venture. The view of Jukihú from way up there as one approached was breathtaking, amazing, glorious - there are not enough words in the dictionary to describe.

They gave us space suits to wear, that was their version of a lifeboat on an ocean ship. They gave us motion sickness meds too. The rocket took us to the International Space Platform. I call it The Mall because it may have labs somewhere, but I bet the shops, restaurants and entertainment outnumber them.

From there we boarded the cruise ship and off we went. I'll tell you this much - immigration and customs are the same everywhere. Suspicious. Every last one of them. Justified I suppose. Juracán is an industrial wasteland and let's just say that Jukihú is not.

But all that aside, Jukihú was a shock to me. Juracán is a planet where rampant greed has left the planet reeling and the pollution is all over. Juracán has a cepya hue to it. No offence to the Juracánites, because their architecture and fashion are colourful. The natural environment is no longer colourful. Jukihú in contrast is a planet of splendiferous colour.

After years of planning and months of travel, I arrived. I was on Jukihú. The air was so clean!! That's the first thing you notice. You can't help it! Pollution on such a minute scale!

Anyway, that's the tale of how I came to be on Jukihú and not on Juracán. You go there if you want. I've been there, done that, not going back.

"I see you've met Sam." The Head Nurse on duty at the sanatorium interrupted.

The new nurse on the ward frowned. "I thought Sam had never been off-planet?"

"He hasn't. But he wants to. Maybe one day, we will all get to go to Jukihú."

Sam nodded eagerly.

© 28 April 2022

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