Short Stories by Me

A Point in the Distance

Humans know that the Earth is round. But far away, there is a planet that is as flat as a fresh paper. This planet is not like Earth in almost any way or form. The only similarities are that they both have oxygen, trees, and at some point in time, a man named Simon walked through it.

Simon was a man that is very devoted to science. All of his life, he dreamed of traveling to another planet. At the very least, he wanted to assist on a launch of a spaceship. Simon bragged that he was one of the most Simon didn't know was that he would do so much more than assist in the launch of a human science experiment.

***

Simon carefully adjusted the project he was working on. It was Christmas day, and most everyone was home. It was only Simon here.

The machine was beeping quietly. Simon was hoping that, when finished, the machine would transport anything to another planet.

The beeping was gradually growing louder, coming from the pad that people would some day disappear off of.

Simon carefully walked around to the sound, stepping on the platform to find the source of the beeping. There wasn't supposed to be a beeping. He reached up and began tweaking the wires. His head was practically in the panel, and he didn't realise that a cage of blue light was surrounding him, slowly creeping upwards.

When he looked around him, he was too late. He yelped and started screaming for help, but soon the blue light touched the top of the cylinder. There was a flash of light, a wrench in the gut. And Simon disappeared.

***

"Ow," Simon groaned, rubbing his head. He looked around. "This isn't the lab," he observed. There were trees everywhere, like a jungle, but it was completely silent. Far above him, beyond the atmosphere, stars glittered, and through there were three suns, there were no moons.

No moons? Three suns?

That didn't make sense. That's not a thing, and Simon wouldn't accept it. Perhaps that was his first mistake. He valued his own knowledge over the facts that stared him in the face.

Slowly, cautiously, Simon stood up and looked around.

"Hello."

Simon yelped and jumped five feet in the air, then turned, his fists up like he was ready to fight someone.

In front of him sat a girl with deep green skin, and her instead of hair grew vines. Her dress was made of woven flowers and leaves, a laurel in her hair.

"You aren't supposed to be here."

Simon shook his head. "Wha-"

"Shh," the girl said. "I feel that you come from another planet?"

Simon didn't move.

"I say yes. Earth, I will assume. You look like them. Dress like them, too." She paused, looking him up and down. "Do you want to go back?"

Simon nodded. "Please."

The girl smiled, and pointed behind Simon. He turned slowly, and stumbled backwards when the thick forest began parting. Gracefully, magically. The wall divided down the middle, the rustling of leaves breaking through the terrifying silence of the place. It created a path. A very long, winding path. Far, far away, at the end, Simon could see a glowing dot the size of the tip of a sharpened pencil. It glowed yellow, so bright that it took Simon a few seconds to realize that it wasn't a star, but the destination of the road.

"At the end of the path is a door," the girl explained. "Go through it, and it will take you the place your heart longs to be most."

Simon grunted.