The night was dark on this planet. The stars were dim, and where was their moon? On our planet, we had three: a large one and two smaller ones circling it. It was absolutely breath-taking. At least this planet had a similar atmosphere. I could easily walk about this planet safely.
I sat in my ship – more of an escape pod than anything – looking into the dark. I wondered where I had landed. I hadn’t picked a specific destination; I just left. It was best for everyone this way.
I thought I should probably sleep, but there wasn’t any way I could calm my conflicted mind. There was too much to think about.
I knew I must sleep. My body was quickly depleting of strength. The day had been an exhausting one, and it was too dark to explore. It would have to wait until morning. If there was a morning here.
***
My alarm clock was a little too loud this morning. I quickly turned it off and lay there for a moment. Rex, my black and white border collie, was snoring at my feet. Outside, the sun had just risen. I didn’t want to get out of bed, but I did anyway.
I slipped out from under the covers. Rex looked at me and then closed his eyes again. It wasn’t the first time I thought about how nice it must be to be a dog. I walked to the bathroom, relieved my bladder, washed my hands, and then went into the kitchen for breakfast.
I started the coffee brewing and then made myself a bowl of cornflakes. I sat down at the small dining room table and ate. Afterwards, I placed my empty bowl and spoon in the sink and called Rex into the kitchen where I fed him.
While he was eating, I dressed in a pair of old jeans, a t-shirt, and work boots. By the time I finished dressing, Rex was through eating. I rubbed the top of his head, poured some coffee in a mug, and we walked outside by way of the backdoor.
The morning air was nice and cool, and dew dampened my boots. Rex ran ahead of me, sniffing the ground and enjoying the cool morning. I couldn’t blame him. It was a beautiful day. The sun shone brightly on the dewy grass, and the clouds floated aimlessly in the bright blue sky. I couldn’t help but smile as I took a drink of my coffee, feeling the warm black liquid run down my throat.
Rex and I walked down the dirt path leading through the woods and to the lake near the edge of my property. I squinted at the sun shining on the lake but enjoyed the setting in front of me. I was always thankful for the beautiful land I owned.
Rex stopped, took a defensive stance, and emanated a low growl. I looked in the direction he was growling and saw a young woman cowering behind a tree, terrified at the gentle dog warning his master of an intruder.
“Rex, hush,” I said gently as I walked towards him. He immediately fell quiet. I patted him on the head and said, “Good boy.”
Then, I called out the woman. She looked up at me with scared eyes.
“It’s all right. I’m not gonna hurt you.”
I felt like I was talking to a small child. I walked a little closer, as she stood up straight.
“Who are you?” she asked.
“Blake Ford, ma’am.”
“Blake Ford.”
“Yeah. Nice to meet you.” She nodded. “What’s your name?” I asked.
“Ariyana.”
“Where you from, Miss?”
“Where am I?” she asked instead of answering me.
“Amory.”
