TBT #13: Space Stories

Earlier this morning, Mortimer “Morty” Krenzler wrote five stories about outer space. Though not a professional writer by any stretch of the imagination, Morty’s writing is undoubtedly powerful, touching on themes that resonate even with those who normally have little interest in science fiction. His stories are unique in that all of them are complete tales told in a single paragraph. Read correctly, his stories are poetry, encapsulating the mind of the reader with fluid grace.

His stories were the best things ever written on October 22, 2004.

Story #1: With an interstellar burst

“Damn,” said Captain Major Vance, as the spaceship under his command began to drift sideways towards the stars, “we’re drifting sideways towards the stars.” The hull of the enormous spacecraft shuddered as it moved, the ion-powered engines unable to control the motion of the ship any longer. Captain Major Vance stood stoicly, as the other members of the ship’s crew panicked. Some of them stared blanky at their computer terminals, with blinking lights and flashing screens. Most of them were running towards the escape pods. “Don’t leave!” cried Captain Major Vance, as he saw his first lieutenant running to the exit, “I can stop this spaceship! I can stop it from hitting the stars!” But he did not stop it. With an interstellar burst, everything became unravelled, and Captain Major Vance died when the spaceship exploded.

Story #2: Alien To Me

For all his life, Tom Jackson had felt like something was wrong. One day he was walking in the forest when he came upon a mysterious creature that slowly revealed himself to Tom. He said that Tom was an alien. Tom could not believe his eyes. “So everything I am is a lie?” he asked, with a gasp. “Yes!” thundered the massive god-like creature made of rocks and sticks. “You are not of this planet!” the creature bellowed. Tom just stood there, frozen, with a look of horror upon his chiseled face. “Impossible!” he said, finally. The creature before him laughed and pointed a rocky branch of a finger at Tom, and with a flash of light Tom saw that nobody really loved him and that the only times he had ever been close with anyone were based on lies. “I guess I am an alien,” said Tom. The god creature nodded.

Story #3: Hero to everyone else

“Why do you have to go back to SPACE?” his wife asked, tears streaming down her face. “They need me,” said Colonol Max Shipley, as he fastened the special anti-gravity spacebelt to his waist. “They need me in space!” His wife looked at him for a while, as he gathered his things from around their modest future-style bedroom. “I need you,” said his wife. “I need you here.” Max turned and looked at his wife on the bed. She was very beautiful. He hated to see her cry. “You knew who I was when you married me,” he said. “You knew that I was a space adventurer hero. You knew that it is my sworn duty to uphold the laws of this galaxy and its neighbours!” His wife started to speak, “I know, but –…” Max cut her off. “Isn’t that why you loved me?”

Story #4: Giant Space Octopus of Saturn

It was Private Eric Stanley’s first time off his home planet. He had no idea that his first mission with the Intergalactic Space Heroes would involve him going face-to-face against the renowned Giant Space Octopus of Saturn. It was only him and a small batallion of other space heroes, most new to the game just like he was. The night before they were to descend on the Giant Space Octopus of Saturn, Private Eric Stanley could not stop shaking. “I can’t stop shaking,” he told his commanding officer. The rugged officer looked him up and down and said quietly, “I can see that.” Eric was looking for stronger words of encouragement from his commanding officer, and so he began to shake even harder. “Look, kid,” said the grizzled older man, “This Giant Space Octopus of Saturn isn’t really that big. And it’s only deadly if you turn your back to it.”

Story #5: My girlfriend is solar dust

James Martin had been dating Sandy Jenkins for just over a month at the time when she was accidentally vaporized with the giant space laser the people from Jupiter had built on their moon. They were going for a spacewalk through the stars. Sandy held his hand and they bounced from nebula to nebula, careful not to trip over the comets. “People become constellations!” she said, smiling in her protective spacesuit. “They do?” said James. “Yes,” Sandy confirmed, “When they die, they become cosmic!” “So death isn’t that bad?” asked James. Sandy just continued skipping through the bright lights of space. James grinned as he watched her. Life, he thought, is so great, it’s not worth thinking about death. And then Sandy accidentally crossed the border into the forbidden zone of Jupiter and was shot with a space laser and vaporized. There were no stars where she died. Pieces of Sandy floated towards him like solar dust, sticking to his spacesuit as he tried to breathe.

Discussion Questions
1) What kind of person is Mortimer “Morty” Krenzler? What does his writing reveal about himself?
2) Does Krenzler’s treatment of the two female characters allow you to speculate about his past relationships with women?
3) Why does everything end so abruptly?

Matt