Beneath the Acid Sky

The sky hangs low above our heads. It's more like a tarp, really. A white membrane suspended above a tiny, artificial planet. Structural formulas of various acids pattern the sky. Acetic acid. Hydrochloric acid. By the time you're five years old you know every pattern by heart.

"Phosphoric acid. Boric acid."

I whisper to myself, laying on the vast expanse of grass. Soft folds ripple across the sky. Absently I scratch at the gravity generator clamped around my right upper arm. This planet is so small compared to Earth, at least that's what people tell me. There isn't much gravity, so the sky hangs low enough so that if you tried you could throw something up through the delicate membrane. You're not supposed to, but us kids do it anyway.

"Sulphuric acid. Citric acid."

I name two more wavering patterns printed above my head.

"Nitrous acid."

Suddenly something rockets through the membrane. A clean hole punctured through the white. Almost instantly it starts to knit itself back together, but before it does I catch a glimpse of endless darkness beyond the acid sky. I lay in shock for a moment before reasoning that it's not every day that something falls through the sky. I get up and half-stumble across the field, hoping to find whatever fell before it becomes buried forever. I pick up speed, padded shoes cushioning my every step.

A tiny black smudge in the ocean of green comes up over the horizon and draws closer as I run on. I slow to a stop in front of the smudge measuring about six feet long in the grass. The immediate area surrounding the crater and the object's path is burnt and the dirt has been upturned and flung further out across the field. Already the artificial creations infused with this equally artificial planet work to repair the damage Mother Nature is allegedly able to fix on her own.

Something inside the burnt out crater catches my eye. An orb that somehow looks neither natural nor artificial. Quickly I snatch it up before it gets covered up by a netting of grass. It's perfectly round and may have been a dark brown colour at some point. Now the outside has been painted over with a mottling of burnt, seemingly organic material. I cup my two hands together and let it settle inside. It's not particularly shiny, though that's to be expected after burning through an atmosphere. This is all theoretical of course. I've never seen an atmosphere, let alone watched something burn through it.

"Hello?"

I jolt, every muscle in my body tensing up in a response to an ancient question of fight or flight.

"Hello?"

The voice inside my head repeats its curious greeting.

"He-hello?"

I stammer, peering intently at the object. I'm used to having voices inside my head, because that's how we get information from the internet, but I have to put on a special head set for that to happen. And to my knowledge I'm not wearing one.

"Oh good, you are sentient."

Some deeply engrained instinct tells me that I should be insulted. The orb in my hands seems to twitch and I jump.

"Give me one moment please."

Long delicate rods protrude out of the orb, creating a sort of spiked ball. The ends aren't sharp though. There's a small suction cup like foot at the end of each one, making the object oddly comfortable to hold.

"What are you?"

I stammer, torn between questioning it and dropping it.

"A traveller. Do not worry, I am not going to harm you."

"Um..."

I sit down hard and cross my legs.

"Tell me, what are you?"

"Human."

"Oh."

Its voice, if you could call it that, seems somehow surprised and disappointed at the same time.

"I knew that your species have expanded a long ways, but I had hoped to meet something new."

I realize that it sounds oddly genderless, and all sorts of questions about its species pop into my head. I decide to ask it a fairly unrelated one instead.

"Have you...Ever been to Earth?"

I ask timidly. I've seen thousands of pictures of that blue-green sphere in my life time. We keep an ancient three dimensional model on the dining room table in memory and respect. It's called a globe apparently, and a long time ago humans became stir crazy and fled Earth in an attempt to discover every corner of the universe.

"You can speak telepathically as well. Just direct your thoughts at me. And yes, I have been to Earth. Recently in fact."

I open my mouth to answer, but instantly shut it. Cautiously I form the words in my mind and try to send them to the orb.

"Is it really as beautiful as they say?"

Each word is formed carefully and individually, and my sentence becomes a see-saw of pitches and tones.

"Yes. Though Earth is not the only beautiful planet out there."

A picture flashes through my mind. Great funnels of light arching down through fluffy clouds tinged with reds and pinks. A seemingly endless ocean of sparkling water glowing orange with light and life. Creatures I have never heard of before, nor could I have begun to imagine, break through the surface in spectacular shows of grace and agility. Everything is so alive. Everything is so free.

The image is so sudden and vivid that I gasp and drop the orb. It thuds to the ground but does not roll because of its protruding rods. The vision cuts out but what I've seen still burns brightly in the back of my mind.

"Sorry!"

I apologize hastily and bend forward to cup the orb in my hands again.

"No, it was my fault. I should not have shown you that so soon."

"Does that planet really exist?"

"Yes. And it is not the only one."

"Show me."

Two words formed and sent instantly without the usual awkward pitch. Those two words sounded so deliberate, so commanding, that I'm surprised that they were mine. I asked, no, demanded that it show me what lays beyond that acid sky.

And it does.

Spiralling sky scrapers of ice towering above a vast expanse of pure white snow. It all glitters in the gentle rays of the sun uninhibited by clouds or smog. Animals of some sort, large, hairy, lanky, and somehow wise looking, plough through the snow to an unknown destination. Another world, this time a rocky planet with a heart of flame and fire. Molten lava shoots up into the air then rains down on the crusty dark ground. There is no sun to be seen, but the planet's heart itself illuminates the night sky. Shift again. Patterns spiralling across a flat land of golden grass created by endless gusts of wind. Winged creatures that swoop and dive high in the air, catching everything from the tiniest breezes to the greatest thermals. Their metallic wings catch the light, throwing scattered rainbows across the ground that they dare defy. Image after image flashes through my mind, each one lingering for little more than a few seconds before flipping to another world. I see everything from living shadows snaking through the currents of a gaseous planet to a herd of typical four legged beasts roaming amongst towering and unfamiliar trees.

Finally it shows me a distinct set of images, each one lingering for ten seconds or more. Colourful fish darting to and fro amongst equally colourful living rock. A sunlit canyon ten thousand feet deep illuminated with oranges and reds and yellows and browns. Sure footed creatures darting up and down a sheer cliff side, challenging gravity at every turn. Circling shadows etched against a bright blue sky. Endless worlds hidden beneath the ground where only the small have learned to survive. Death defying creatures living underneath the brutish intensity of the sun. So many more pictures, each one infinitely different from the last. Yet they're all from the same planet. Earth. The real Earth. A half sob escapes me as I'm drowned in the beauty and wonder of it all. The images stop and I'm left with powerful memories and a stark imitation of the real thing.

"Is it still like this?"

I ask, my voice quavering around each word.

"Yes."

Slowly and carefully I stand on shaking legs and knees, all awkward joints and curved lines. I decide that I want to go there. I want to be there, live there at any and all cost. Tucking the orb against my chest I head out for home as the light pouring through the membrane begins to fade.

As usual my two parents greet me with friendly hellos but never any worry. There's not much here that can hurt me except for gravity, walls, and solid objects in general. Therefore there's no real need to worry. It's all pointless, really. I stand in silence and stillness, watching my mother prepare a meal and my father explore the endless universe that is cyberspace.

"Mom?"

"Mmhm?"

"How come we never go to Earth?"

She pauses, almost hesitant to reply. I can't tell if it's because she doesn't want to tell me or because she doesn't know the answer.

"Because there is no more space travel."

"Why not?"

Another hesitation.

"People just felt like they wanted to settle down somewhere so they built these planets. Like colonies. You know about colonies, right?"

I nod.

"We still learn about space of course, we just don't go gallivanting across the universe anymore."

She smiles to herself as if laughing at a private joke.

"Why didn't we go back to Earth? Are there still people there?"

Her hands stop the fast paced motions required to prepare a meal. She looks up, her eyes distant.

"Earth was too full for all the humans, and we were to far away by then. I think there are some who are still there. Yes. There are some who chose not to leave. Not many though."

She shakes her head and returns to her work. That's a sign that there will be no more questions and no more answers for tonight.

"I think I'll just have dinner in my room."

"Okay."

I make my way to my room, still cupping the orb against my chest. Sitting down on my bed I begin to address it again.

"My mom says there is no more space travel. How can I get to Earth if there is no more space travel?"

An unexpected pause follows my question and I wonder if it has fallen asleep or something.

"Humans still travel through space."

"That's not possible. My mom would never lie to me."

"Then perhaps she is not lying. Perhaps she just does not know."

There's a thought. If that's true though, then why would it be kept a secret? Wouldn't people want to know?

"There are ships that leave this planet. I have seen them."

Another image flashes through my mind. A pitch black rocket, similar in design to the ones I've seen on the internet, soaring up against the confines of gravity. I can see a massive hole in the white membrane sealing up behind it.

"How can I get onto one of those?"

"I do not know. All I can do is commend your curiosity and desire to explore."

Suddenly I remember one of the first things this orb told me. I've forgotten in all the things it has told me since then.

"You said you're a traveller."

"I am."

"So...If I can't leave, then how will you?"

For a long time it doesn't answer, and I begin to think that it won't. Outside my window the light has faded but I can still see our neighbours' houses glowing with a soft yellow glow.

"I do not know."

Four words. A sad admittance whispered so quietly in my mind that if it weren't for the silence I would have missed them.

"Usually the world that I am on is, over time, destroyed and that is how I escape. I live for a very long time after all. However, this world that is not even a world will never age and never die."

That makes two trapped souls dying to see the universe beyond the acid sky. I cast my gaze around my room. Four walls and a section of the domed ceiling are painted with a powdery blue. A massive window covers the majority of the outside wall and a curved skylight makes up a small portion of the ceiling. My bed is pushed up against the wall perpendicular to the window. The internet port and its headset are mounted on the wall opposite my bed. An automatically closing closet door is propped open by a chaotic pile of clothing and old toys. Something in that pile catches my eye. A slingshot based off of a model older than I'm capable of imagining. Despite my mother's protests my father gave it to me on my seventh birthday. I hop up off the bed, still cradling the orb, and pluck the dusty old toy from its resting place. The cup is just the right side to cradle the orb.

"What if I used this to throw you up into the sky? Would you be able to escape then?"

I know from experience that with this I can send a small stone flying through the sky. It's just a matter of whether or not it will be able to escape the planet's orbit after that.

"Yes. With some momentum I am capable of propelling myself out of the gravitational pull."

Good. My eyes are drawn back out to the sky. The structural formulas that are perfectly outlined with black in the day glow with an artificial pale blue at night. Suddenly I see it. A faint line distorted by the fluttering of the membrane and only visible by the glow of the patterns runs across the sky and into the distance. I know for a fact that the membrane is self repairing, so why would there be an imperfection such as this?

"What is that? Do you know?"

If the orb turned to look at it I wouldn't know, but I assume it must be able to see somehow.

"It is a path."

I prepare to ask it to try and elaborate but I find that there's no need to.

"Yes. I have seen paths such as these before in human culture. Your species is so fond of riddles and clues. They call themselves pirates and sentient beings pay to be taken somewhere."

I realize that this could be my way out. If I find these pirates, then maybe they could take me to Earth. Except I don't know how much I have to pay, and I have no money. You take what you need and give what you don't. That's the way things are here. I don't know about them.

"I have no money though."

I explain, my hopes sinking faster than they rose.

"If you offer to work for them, they may still take you. I am not sure though. I am only an observer."

My hope is on a roller coaster. It climbs slowly before plummeting wildly then gradually works itself up again. Behind me my mom brings in my dinner packed into a clear container with its lid sealed tightly on the top and sets in on the floor beside the door. She doesn't say a word, but lingers a while to see if I'm okay. While all this is happening a plan finishes forming in my head. Once she has left I rest both the slingshot and the orb on my bed then dig up my backpack.

"First I'll get you out of here. Then I'll follow the path to the pirates and convince them to take me to Earth."

I grin as I fold and stuff various articles of clothing into the bag. I have no idea what I'm going to need, so I take the most practical items I can find. As an after thought I decide to bring my dinner along just in case. I press the little green button on the window frame and it slowly swings open, a cool breeze wafting into my room. Suddenly I become aware of exactly what I intend on doing. My parents have no idea what's going on and they never will. Children go out all the time, but surely they'll worry at some point. I think about my memories of them and all the times that they helped me get through the harder parts in life. I'll miss them, and I try hard not to cry. Wiping away the unshed tears I leave a quick, but meaningful message on my internet port before I pick up the slingshot and the orb and make the several foot jump out of the window.

The grass surrounding our little domed house and my padded shoes cushion my fall. I look up and follow the line until I'm far away from the cluster of identical looking houses forming our neighbourhood. The little domed roofs disappear over the horizon and I can see nothing but grass. I stop, set down my backpack and unfold my slingshot.

"Can you retract your..."

I trail off, realizing that I have no idea what those rods are called. I could call them legs, but I don't want to offend it.

"Yes."

It understands anyway, and the rods pull back into the orb and once again it settles neatly in my hand. I load it into the slingshot and draw my arm back.

"Good luck."

I whisper and the involuntary tears start coming again. This time I make no effort to wipe them away. Let them come. I swing the slingshot in full circles, accelerating with every loop. The band sings through the air as it spins faster and faster and faster and faster. My arm aches from lack of practice but my skill is still there. Everything is silent except for my heavy breathing and the husky singing of the slingshot.

"Thank you."

For a moment it feels like time has stood still. My arm pulls tight against my body and my wrist snaps upwards, shooting the orb high into the sky. It goes higher and higher until it breaks through the membrane, much the same way it did when it arrived. Darkness is revealed for a brief moment before the hole starts to knit itself back together as if nothing happened.

I can't see it sailing away into space, no matter how much I try. If all goes well though, it won't be the only one that's free. I fold the slingshot into the outside backpack pouch. Looking up I settle the pack onto my shoulders. I smile. The first step is always the hardest, they say. So I focus on the faint line running across the acid sky and take the first step on my journey back home.