This unit in our Humanities class, called Stories, we learned about etiology and how different cultures believe they came to be. We also studied metaphors, similes, adverbs, and adjectives and how they can be used to enhance stories and make them easier to understand. Our Action Project was to write a descriptive short story about our the etiology of our own new society. One of the hardest parts of this project for me was not over- describing my planet. It was hard to not keep describing the same things over and over. The way that I fixed this problem was reading back through it and seeing if I could clearly picture each component of the planet.
“After the Earth was completely unlivable for humans, where only cockroaches and garbage roamed our former home, our race traveled in huge, powerful rockets, terrified of leaving the only place we had ever known, only carrying with us an assortment of bags and suitcases. Each planet needed to be altered for life. Mars was shot with nuclear missiles, which released hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen into the atmosphere. The only planet that the engineer’s of our time could not figure out how to make livable was Pluto, our home, which we now call Kvenkyns A cold, bleak, desolate land with barely any hope of survival. The only people who landed here were forced to by the highest forms of government. These people were the rebel group called Uppaf, a blasphemous group of feminists who were trying to clear some of the chaos that happened to the world after Trump was elected in 2016, over three thousand years ago. He forced these women, who he thought were weak, stupid, agitating and in love with him, to go and attempt to survive on the hardest elements ever seen by humans. The first woman, a woman named Klar, stepped on the slippery, unforgiving surface ahead of her with her thick rubber boots, edged along by the overpowered soldier behind her, poking her in the back with the butt of his gun.”
“How do you know all the details, grandma?” One of the small girls spread out by my feet interrupted.
“I am Klar, sweetie,” I responded, not surprised by the looks of shock on my young family’s faces.
“Can I continue my story now?” They all nodded, eager to hear of my adventures, and I slipped back into the memories...
I shivered, pulling my parka closer around my small body, and feeling my dark curly hair freezing in the crisp air. I started to slowly step forwards, careful of the patches of ice hiding like traps underneath the soft snow, glancing at the desolate landscape around me. My mind was anything but desolate, already working out how I could survive with my loyal followers on this seemingly dead planet. My mind spinning, I continued walking, when suddenly I stepped my left foot forward and felt the ground collapse under me, and, faster than lightning, I tilted my whole body backwards to avoid falling into the huge gap. After I recovered from the shock, surrounded by my worried friends, we all leaned carefully forward, into the rip in the surface of the planet and all we could see was bright, vibrant green, something I thought I would never see again. After discussing the enlightening discovery, we decided that only I and my closest friend, Astrid would journey down to explore.
Excitement rose in my throat as they carefully lowered me in, with thick ropes tied around my waist. An immediate wave of heat strikes me, and I feel my feet squish into the slightly soft ground. I untie myself after yelling up to the waiting crowd that I was safe, and carefully observe as I wait for Astrid to be lowered down. Lush plants surround me, springing from the soft soil and I catch a glimpse of movement behind a tree. I motion to Astrid and she follows me towards the large oak, confusion clear in both of our expressions. A rustle from the undergrowth startles both of our overly tense bodies, but only a moment later, a small squirrel, the same we used to see on Earth peers out at us newcomers. We both gasp. How did this appear? Who else is here? Who seemed to recreate Earth? We decide to bring the rest of our party down, eager now to start our new lives. As the rest of them are lowered by a pulley system we set up, I call out into the strange underground forest, “Hello? Anyone here?”, only managing to rustle a few birds from the brush. Birds?! How do they survive? As the last woman is finally lowered, we head out in a loose group, all gasping in wonderment at the fantastical scene unfolding before us, knowing we will be able to survive here.
We search the entire planet over months of tiring observations, living like queens on the rich vegetation and the abundance of wildlife, confirming we are the only other humans on the planet.
We discover a large mirror on the cold, icy surface, reflecting the weak sun rays down onto the plants, and after further exploration, we find symmetrical mirrors set up to multiply what little light they could. This is how they receive heat and light!, I realized. The icy ceiling that covers us was coated with small cracks, much like the one I fell into,which allowed air and light to sneak through, spiraling like snakes falling from the sky.
“We are lucky enough to receive a second chance to create an Earth that will survive,” I passionately shouted to my people, “We must create a society that exists along with the other life before us, a society that treats everyone and everything equally.” A cheer rises up across the small crowd, along with shouted suggestions of how to set up our new lives.
After complicated discussions and debates, we decide to allow anyone to come live here, but after any offenses of homophobia, sexism, racism, or any other bigoted happenstances, they would be forced to leave, no questions asked. I am elected onto the council of leaders, a system where ten women work together to make the planet better to live on. We allow the plants and animals to stay where they already live, building shelters from already dead trees, and only hunting when we are forced to.
....I realize I was lost in the memories, and pull myself back out to speak to my kin, “This is how we still live today, and that is how we can all live so long. The fresh air, roaming animals, the curling plants, and our amazing scientists’ research.”
“Happy 3052th birthday grandma! We love you!”
“After the Earth was completely unlivable for humans, where only cockroaches and garbage roamed our former home, our race traveled in huge, powerful rockets, terrified of leaving the only place we had ever known, only carrying with us an assortment of bags and suitcases. Each planet needed to be altered for life. Mars was shot with nuclear missiles, which released hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen into the atmosphere. The only planet that the engineer’s of our time could not figure out how to make livable was Pluto, our home, which we now call Kvenkyns A cold, bleak, desolate land with barely any hope of survival. The only people who landed here were forced to by the highest forms of government. These people were the rebel group called Uppaf, a blasphemous group of feminists who were trying to clear some of the chaos that happened to the world after Trump was elected in 2016, over three thousand years ago. He forced these women, who he thought were weak, stupid, agitating and in love with him, to go and attempt to survive on the hardest elements ever seen by humans. The first woman, a woman named Klar, stepped on the slippery, unforgiving surface ahead of her with her thick rubber boots, edged along by the overpowered soldier behind her, poking her in the back with the butt of his gun.”
“How do you know all the details, grandma?” One of the small girls spread out by my feet interrupted.
“I am Klar, sweetie,” I responded, not surprised by the looks of shock on my young family’s faces.
“Can I continue my story now?” They all nodded, eager to hear of my adventures, and I slipped back into the memories...
I shivered, pulling my parka closer around my small body, and feeling my dark curly hair freezing in the crisp air. I started to slowly step forwards, careful of the patches of ice hiding like traps underneath the soft snow, glancing at the desolate landscape around me. My mind was anything but desolate, already working out how I could survive with my loyal followers on this seemingly dead planet. My mind spinning, I continued walking, when suddenly I stepped my left foot forward and felt the ground collapse under me, and, faster than lightning, I tilted my whole body backwards to avoid falling into the huge gap. After I recovered from the shock, surrounded by my worried friends, we all leaned carefully forward, into the rip in the surface of the planet and all we could see was bright, vibrant green, something I thought I would never see again. After discussing the enlightening discovery, we decided that only I and my closest friend, Astrid would journey down to explore.
Excitement rose in my throat as they carefully lowered me in, with thick ropes tied around my waist. An immediate wave of heat strikes me, and I feel my feet squish into the slightly soft ground. I untie myself after yelling up to the waiting crowd that I was safe, and carefully observe as I wait for Astrid to be lowered down. Lush plants surround me, springing from the soft soil and I catch a glimpse of movement behind a tree. I motion to Astrid and she follows me towards the large oak, confusion clear in both of our expressions. A rustle from the undergrowth startles both of our overly tense bodies, but only a moment later, a small squirrel, the same we used to see on Earth peers out at us newcomers. We both gasp. How did this appear? Who else is here? Who seemed to recreate Earth? We decide to bring the rest of our party down, eager now to start our new lives. As the rest of them are lowered by a pulley system we set up, I call out into the strange underground forest, “Hello? Anyone here?”, only managing to rustle a few birds from the brush. Birds?! How do they survive? As the last woman is finally lowered, we head out in a loose group, all gasping in wonderment at the fantastical scene unfolding before us, knowing we will be able to survive here.
We search the entire planet over months of tiring observations, living like queens on the rich vegetation and the abundance of wildlife, confirming we are the only other humans on the planet.
We discover a large mirror on the cold, icy surface, reflecting the weak sun rays down onto the plants, and after further exploration, we find symmetrical mirrors set up to multiply what little light they could. This is how they receive heat and light!, I realized. The icy ceiling that covers us was coated with small cracks, much like the one I fell into,which allowed air and light to sneak through, spiraling like snakes falling from the sky.
“We are lucky enough to receive a second chance to create an Earth that will survive,” I passionately shouted to my people, “We must create a society that exists along with the other life before us, a society that treats everyone and everything equally.” A cheer rises up across the small crowd, along with shouted suggestions of how to set up our new lives.
After complicated discussions and debates, we decide to allow anyone to come live here, but after any offenses of homophobia, sexism, racism, or any other bigoted happenstances, they would be forced to leave, no questions asked. I am elected onto the council of leaders, a system where ten women work together to make the planet better to live on. We allow the plants and animals to stay where they already live, building shelters from already dead trees, and only hunting when we are forced to.
....I realize I was lost in the memories, and pull myself back out to speak to my kin, “This is how we still live today, and that is how we can all live so long. The fresh air, roaming animals, the curling plants, and our amazing scientists’ research.”
“Happy 3052th birthday grandma! We love you!”
 |
| (Kvenkyns MDS, 2016) |
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