Leaning over, conspiratorial,

he starts the conversation.

“In a world full of roses,

be a cannon ball,” he says.

Heavy silence.

A lady in a floral dress sidles away.

Someone coughs.

He leans closer.

“Think about it.

Everyone loves a rose,

but they aren’t a nice flower,

are they?”

He pauses, staring.

Waiting for a response.

A barely imperceptible nod is all he needs.

“Roses are ...

Tisho sat down heavily by the lake and turned his sunburnt face upwards. The Falling had already commenced. He could tell by the number of stars beginning to flicker softly around the edges of the solar system.

They had made it just in time.

With a grim smile, his eyes locked on the brightest light in the sky. Elvira, the final starship to carry evacuees from their dying planet. His breathing sl...