Excerpts from the journal of Dr. Rory Zlatko

Day 1

Their ethereal forms drifted in and out of the clouds, limbs indistinguishable from the cumulus floating around them. Sometimes only a speck of azure or lilac betrayed their locations. We would never see forms like this on Earth, and we never expected to find them here.

Planet 282B47, Soiphus, or as it has become informally known: Earth 2.0, i...

My nemesis glares down,

its gaze boring into my flesh.

Alabaster becomes vermillion.

Hot becomes searing.

Salty sweat soaks my skin –

The only obtainable liquid

cannot quench

my insatiable thirst.

Grains of sand congregate

in my mouth,

on my teeth,

under my tongue.

World’s worst toothpaste.

Roiling, boiling sea

beneath my feet.

Above?

Endless, fiery sky.

On the hor...

Three minutes, huh? Well, that wouldn’t be enough time, but I’d make it work. It’s not like I had much to do or many places to go. My feet carried me steadily to my destination autonomously. With my mind and eyes free to wander, they did.

Overturned cars and abandoned shopping carts littered the street. Shop fronts, once enclosed in glass and bearing the tastiest new treats in fashion and food...

“All right! Let’s go!”

The woman leapt out of the van and stretched her arms high above her head. Her auburn hair shone bright in the afternoon sun and rivalled the star in its fiery façade. She reached an arm down and grasped the hand of a mini-me standing beside her. While the girl was no more than five, she was the spitting image of the young woman beside her. Where her mother’s hair was lo...

Out and about,

I never thought I’d see

the Grammar Gremlins

coming for me.

They crawl through my poems.

They stomp through my stories.

They steal my commas

and they eat my ‘e’s.

I thought they were mine;

only here to torment me.

But I now know the truth;

I’m beginning to see.

All will fall prey

to their tormenting ways.

Try as you may,

you won’t get away.

Even the Dail...

Running.

Gasping.

Screaming.

Stumbling.

Breath hot as hell fire

paints the back of my neck.

Snarls loud and vicious

scrape skin from my ear.

Claws reach out.

Teeth snap shut.

I brave a look,

but nearly wet my pants.

Bumpy, armoured, scaly flesh

with beady malicious eyes.

It doesn’t tire

despite our race.

I am forever engulfed

in its looming shadow.

Its maw opens wid...

Branches lashed out and bushes grabbed at her dirty, threadbare rags. Braying hunting dogs chased her unrelentingly through the thick underbrush of the woods. With only a sliver of moon in the clear sky to guide her, she continuously stumbled, cutting her feet and shins on rocks, logs, and other unseen hazards. No matter her injuries, she didn’t slow down or stop.

Without warning, she burst fr...