MARS
by Thea Swanson

Description

The brief, energetic and quirky tales in MARS are set in the future, 3500-3700, on the planet Mars. Regret infuses the stories as human participation in Earth’s climate change cannot be undone and has caused the need for planetary evacuation.  (Cover image by Greg MacDonald.)

from Stargazers:

Star Gazers…point the telescope…. That one is Earth.

What happened to the people? Their Children say.

Some stayed and some came here.

Why did they leave?

Because they ruined their planet.

What did they do to it?

They drilled into it and took stuff out—oil, coal. They burned the oil and coal and made the air kind of like the air on Venus. Everything got too warm. And then it was too late.

What are the people who stayed doing?

Those people are dead now. That was a long time ago. Star Gazers shake their heads. But who knows. Maybe some lived and had children and fixed things. 

Do you think they can see us through their protecto-dome?