MARTIAN REBIRTH, ANOTHER INVASION ATTEMPT
MARTIAN REBIRTH
The last Martians clung desperately to life, knowing their situation was hopeless. Still, they practiced a truth known throughout the universe; life is precious and vigorously preserve. But their society was doomed. The underground cities they inhabited were littered with corpses. Their scientists had predicted this turn of events, but no one believed it true until it was too late.
* * *
As time passes the atmosphere of Mars began to thin, but since the loss began the Martians inhabited the planet’s core and manufactured their own atmosphere, the population worried little. They had their magnificent oceans on the surface, the source of life-giving power, the declining atmosphere was of little concern.
The scientists tried to explain the impact of the loss of the atmosphere. One prominent scientist addressed the supreme council, “We are safe in our cities, we control most of the aspects of our life – the atmosphere, food production – but we have no control over the oceans on which our lives depend.
“Our atmosphere is slowly thinning, escaping into space. A thousand years from now, the atmosphere will be too thin to support life, but you say, “’We live in the planet’s core and make our atmosphere’, that is correct, but we cannot duplicate the surface water that gives us the unique life which is ours.”
“Our oceans will disappear. With little atmosphere, much of the water will sublime into space. What water remains will freeze. No longer will the streams of life filter from the surface to fill our lakes. We may be able to farm the ice, but we will never be able to supply the vast amount of water our society requires. Understand, we can manufacture water, but it will not have the same life-giving properties which water contained on the surface provides.”
At one time that the most advanced beings on Mars were a primal form of life. But gradually, due to some unknown factor, the Martians changed both physically and mentally resulting in an entirely new society. For newborns this factor was unable to cross the Martian placenta causing the babies of the inhabitants to appear nothing like the adults. But once the babies began nursing and drinking the water, they took on the appearance of their parents.
A thousand years passed; the scientist’s prophecy came to fruition. The oceans began to disappear. The planet cooled, the atmosphere thinned and what remained of the oceans froze. Where once the deafening roar of the water from above filling the lakes below echoed through the interior of the planet, now there was only silence.
Rationing began, but an estimate of approximately one hundred years was given for their society to continue. As the years passed, the lakes grew smaller and smaller. Eventually, they became pools of mud and then parched ground.
The last Martians huddled near what water remained. No one had the strength to venture to the surface and gather what little ice which was still there. They grieved for their magnificent cities; now vast wastelands filled with rotting corpses. All hope for their civilization was lost.
TO BE CONTINUED
ANOTHER INVASION ATTEMPT
MARS TRIES ONCE AGAIN TO INVADE EARTH
My next post will be my short story Martian Rebirth published by Bewildering Stories in 2007 and Books To Go Now in 2011.
In the story Mars is attempting to occupy our planet. But this time the plan is nothing like what was attempted in the past (you understand we are talking fiction, as far as I know).
The method being used is quite unique. It involves neither animal, vegetable nor mineral. And the plan is in no was connected to AI.
This should keep you guessing.
Enjoy the story.
THE UNIVERSE IN BALANCE, A REJECTION IN ERROR
THE UNIVERSE IN BALANCE, A REJECTION IN ERROR
You may find this post interesting after reading my previous post a short story, The Universe in Balance. Or perhaps it will spark your interest in reading the story if you haven’t done that yet.
I submitted the short story to a publication where it was rejected. The editor stated that what occurred in the story could not happen. This is because it is now thought that the universe is expanding and will eventually expand so only solitary atoms remain. Don’t worry, this will not happen in our lifetime. But Duh, this is fiction.
By a strange coincidence when I received this rejection I was reading a fantastic book, To Infinity And Beyond, authored by Neil deGrasse Tyson and Lindsy NXY Walker. On page 236 they stated that, “In the Buddhist and Jain religions the universe undergoes eternal cycles of creation and destruction.
I did not know about this before or while writing this story.
THE UNIVERSE IN BALANCE, A SHORT STORY
THE UNIVERSE IN BALANCE
As mentioned earlier this story was recently published by The Corner Bar. Here is a link to the publication.
God does not play dice with the universe.
—- Albert Einstein
God not only plays dice; he also sometimes throws the dice where they cannot be seen.
—- Stephen Hawking
THE UNIVERSE IN BALANCE
Prof. Maxwell Lowman sat in his MIT office deep in thought. It was mid-afternoon, the blinds were lowered and closed creating the setting he desired. The sole illumination is a reading lamp on his desk, a desk littered with books, research papers and correspondence. His office, lined with bookshelves contained works reflecting his eclectic interests running from poetry to the latest volumes in astrophysics.
With his salt and pepper eyebrows and mane of unruly gray hair he looked every part of the college professor. Lowman was an expert on the ‘Big Bang’, as if anyone could claim that title, he often thought. An expert. Might as well be an expert on heaven. Another doctrine born of conjecture. He often mused, “Why did the ‘Big Bang’ take place? How did it give birth to the universe? Questions yet to be solved. And to some, the answers relying on faith. The same as the existence of heaven. But unlike heaven, there was proof, in theory, that the ‘Big Bang’ did take place but for what reason did the universe exist? The question of why the universe came into existence is unanswerable. How is a matter of conjecture.
Lowman’s mind continued on a journey he had come to enjoy. Where some unknown force, some would call God, held hands with science. How could the universe come into existence from nothing? He tried to imagine space before the ‘Big Bang’. Nothing existed. Time did not exist. Light did not exist. Before the ‘Big Bang’ did space exist. Some thought, before the ‘Big Bang’ space did not exist but then unfolded. Did anything come before the existence of nothing. He spent hours musing over these questions thinking that perhaps, science could not and should not answer everything. Some mystery should remain.
* * *
Lowman was conducting his first graduate class of the semester covering the ‘Big Bang’. His lecture would be full of theory, but in reality, no answers. During the course of his lectures, he encouraged questions. And these questions would determine the structure of his future lectures. And this year, with the important upcoming experiment, he wanted to introduce the Higgs boson.
During his lecture, one of his favorite pupils from the past year, Joe Hess, raised his hand and asked, “The ‘Big Bang’ is a mystery to me.”
Lowman said, “Well, you are not alone.”
Hess continued, “We know it happened, or else we wouldn’t be here. But where did all the matter in the universe come from?”
Lowman anticipated this question because it was asked every year. He began pacing along the front of the lecture hall to organize his thoughts for opinions were constantly changing. He began, “Stephen Hawking has a relatively new theory that all matter in the universe was created by the ‘God Particle’. In 1964 Peter Higgs predicted the existence of the Higgs boson which, in a book written by Leon Lederman, was referred to as the ‘God Particle’. The boson is central to our understanding of the structure of all matter”.
Lowman anticipated Joe’s next question, “But where did the ‘God Particle’ come from?”
“That, young man, is the question which remains unanswered. The theory is that the ‘God Particle’ populated the entire universe in the smallest fraction of a second at a speed far beyond the speed of light. Of course, it is accepted that nothing can exceed the speed of light, but we must remember that when this occurred light did not exist. Time did not exist, so anything is possible. When the ‘Big Bang’ occurred, it is theorized that the universe consisted of equal parts of dark matter, which is now accepted to exist, and visible matter. For unknown reasons, the amount of visible matter surpassed the amount of dark matter. And that is the reason that the universe – stars, black holes and you and I – exist.
Lowman concluded his lecture by telling the class, “I am sure you are aware that tomorrow a unique experiment will be conducted. It will attempt to duplicate the material which existed immediately following the ‘Big Bang’. And perhaps create the particle which existed at the moment of the ‘Big Bang’, the ‘God Particle’. He concluded the lecture, and as the class exited the lecture hall, erased the whiteboard of his lecture notes. One fact he saved for his future lecture was that the universe was expanding, not contracting as was originally thought. So rather contracting to the point of, perhaps, another ‘Big Bang’ it will expand into single atoms wandering in space. Nature destroyed along with all the balance which once existed. It made no sense.
* * *
Lowman made his way to his office, excitement in his step. His anticipation of tomorrow’s experiment filled his mind with the possibilities it may contribute to understanding the birth of the universe. He would be counting the hours, the minutes until the experiment was initiated. Wondering at the knowledge to be revealed. It was an experiment in which MIT was a participant, along with a host of other prestigious institutions from all over the world. Prompted by his excitement, he scheduled a meeting with Dr. Volachek, head of the Physics Department, to share his enthusiasm. With a few hours before the meeting was to take place, he returned to the solitude of his office to contemplate what tomorrow’s experiment might reveal. Now he raised the blinds to the dismal gray of the winter’s afternoon.
While sitting at his desk, his eyes wandered over the bookcases lining the walls of his office. He had a love for books since he was a child. During his youth they were his entertainment, and as he grew older, his source of knowledge. He enjoyed being among the thoughts and ideas of the great minds contained in these volumes. Now, with tomorrow’s experiment, he may be witness to a great advancement in the understanding of the universe. The answers to questions great minds had pondered.
With the Hubble telescope and a host of great technologies being developed, questions were being answered and knowledge being gained more rapidly than ever before. The discovery of dark energy and dark matter, once radical concepts, has changed the science of physics. The question is, why does this mysterious dark matter and energy exist? Lowman sat in his office with the only sound the ticking of the old clock sitting on his bookshelf.
As the time of his meeting with Dr. Volchek drew close he donned his overcoat, and through the crisp winter afternoon, made his way to the dean’s office. He had known Dr. Volchek for years. The dean was a good friend and knowledgeable colleague. He entered the office and Dr. Volchek rose and welcomed him with a handshake. “Good to see you, Max. Glad to have someone with whom to share the excitement of tomorrow’s experiment.”
Lowman answered, “I just hope nothing goes wrong. It is an extremely complicated endeavor. This is an international effort with billions of dollars invested. Failure would be heartbreaking.”
The dean replied, “With every experiment there is a risk. But even a failure can produce knowledge. Now relax. Just look forward to the progress we may make in understanding the mysteries of our universe. Tomorrow that device nicknamed, The Hand of God, with gold atoms racing into one another to achieve unbelievable temperatures, will hopefully cause protons and neutrons to break apart into quarks and the gluon particles which hold the quarks together. And then, we hope, the quark – gluon plasma will duplicate the densest material ever created. The material which existed at or immediately after the ‘Big Bang’. Perhaps a Higgs boson. What a mighty contribution to physics that would be. Creating the material unknown to the universe for 18 billion years.”
* * *
That night, at home, his mind was like a whirling dervish. At dinner Max’s wife, Martha, could feel the excitement her husband generated. She said, “Max, calm down. You’re going to make yourself sick. Indigestion will not help you appreciate tomorrow.”
You’re right, Martha. You’re right.”
They finished dinner and spent the remainder of the evening reading. Later, as Martha prepared for bed, Max lie there, his mind working furiously. Once Martha was in bed, she turned off the bedside lamp, kissed Max and said, “I love you.” And he returned that thought. It was their bedtime ritual and meant a great deal to them both. In the darkened room Max turned onto his side. He knew it would take some time to fall asleep, feeling like a kid on Christmas Eve.
The next morning, having spent a fitful night of anticipation, Lowman prepared for work. Before leaving he kissed his wife on the cheek and softly said, “I love you. You make my life worth living.” Martha slightly stirred and smiled.
* * *
The drive to campus seemed to take forever. Lowman had trouble maintaining the speed limit. His excitement transferred to his foot. He parked his car and entered one of the large lecture halls reserved to watch the experiment take place on closed – circuit television and hoped for some kind of immediate results. Dr. Volchek saw Lowman and motioned for him to come over and sit in the seat Volchek saved for him.” The scientists at the ‘Hand of God’ began the introduction of those present at the site and relate a brief history of the journey which led to the experiment.
When that was completed, the experiment was initiated.
Lowman began to consider what knowledge might be discovered but that thought was never completed. In an instant Lowman no longer existed. The universe no longer existed. The balance of nature was revealed. All Lowman’s questions were answered, and the answers would remain forever unknown.
Lowman had always been amazed how nature maintained balance. The balance also applied to the Higgs boson. And true to that balance, the experiment produced an anti – Higgs boson. In a thousandth of a trillionth of a second dark matter, using dark energy, compressed all the matter of the universe into the anti – Higgs boson. The entire mass of the universe was now compressed into a minute particle of unbelievable mass. This process had been repeated for an infinite number of times. For infinity. The anti – Higgs boson sat alone in the emptiness of space. And after billions upon billions of years would morph into a Higgs boson prepared to initiate another ‘Big Bang’.
THE END
AND THE BEGINNING
THE UNIVERSE IN BALANCE, THE STORY’S HISTORY
THE UNIVERSE IN BALANCE, THE STORY’S HISTORY
My next post will be my short story, The Universe in Balance, recently published by The Corner Bar. But before I post it I thought I’d tell you something about its history.
This story is one of my first attempts to write a short story some twenty years ago. It has had a long journey through many edits.
All along this story’s journey I have felt there was something wrong. That something wrong was probably the reason I couldn’t get it published. Finally, not long ago, I realized what the mistake was.
An exciting physics experiment was soon to be attempted. The primary character, Professor Lowman, has a knowledge of the experiment he should not have. He has a deep-seated fear of the results of the experiment. He feels it should not be conducted. That the outcome of the experiment could be disastrous.
Why does he feel this way?
He is a scientist and should be looking forward to the experiment being conducted for the knowledge that might result. I rewrote the story with the professor excited about this experiment and the knowledge that it may yield. After the rewrite it was published.
PREDICTIONS OF THE PAST AND FUTURE
MY PREDICTION OF THE PAST AND FUTURE IN A SHORT STORY
In the past I have referred to a short story published on my blog, The Superior Species, as a story in which I predicted the past. I have recently stumbled upon another example of that prediction.
I had mentioned that the Neanderthals are now known to have made jewelry, buried their dead and may have been able to speak. I recently finished reading a fantastic book, Embers of the Hands by Eleanor Barraclough, discussing the life of the Vikings. In describing different aspects of their life, she delves into the musical instruments they used. One of the instruments she dealt with is the flute. During that discussion she mentioned the oldest flute discovered, made of bone, to be perhaps 50,000 years old. She contributes its manufacture to perhaps the Neanderthals. This would indicate that they had knowledge and appreciation of music. Add more evidence of my predicting the intelligence of the Neanderthals.
It also appears that I may have predicted the future in this story as well. In a recent article in The New Yorker concerning the cloning of the dire-wolf pups it is mentioned that there may be a plan to clone a Neanderthal. Cloning a Neanderthal is the central theme of my short story The Superior Species.
Personally, I hope that is all I have predicted in my stories. To have any of the events in my horror or science fiction stories come to fruition would cause society major problems. Our current society has enough problems without my contributing more.
My next post will discuss my short story, The Universe in Balance. As I said above, if this story contains a prediction, we’re in real trouble
A FATHER’S MOMENT
I’m using this post to brag about my younger daughter, Lynn. I have two daughters, Annie and Lynn, both worthy of bragging, but this post is for Lynn.
Lynn is a farmer. She loves farming. And through Lynn I have learned to appreciate how difficult farming is.
But this article isn’t about farming. It involves a newspaper article Lynn sent to me about the roller derby team she is on. Lynn loves challenging sports. While in high school she was on a rugby team.
I’ve included a link to the newspaper article about her team. Lynn is the tall woman to the far right of the first picture.
I’m lucky how our girls turned out. I’m proud of both of them.
I’m a proud dad.
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