Tag: romance

Distant Love (Part 51)

He now continues down a long ramp to the underground corridor that leads to the nearest lunar train station. He is more or less alone, except for some stragglers that he powers past.

The corridor is bright and white. Ten minutes pass, and he hears the bustling of a crowd in the distance. For a split second, he worries there will be no space for him. Fortunately, an echo has made it sound far busier than it is.

There is a group of six teenagers to his right. A mixture of girls and boys is laughing hysterically. He put them at around fifteen years of age.

To his left, a woman close to his age with short, jet black hair and tattoos on her arm.

I wonder if any of them are going to the fair.

He asks the AI on his wheelchair, Sarah, what time it is? He has time to spare.

Three minutes pass, and the lunar train arrives. Its doors automatically open, and he drives inside to the area reserved for wheelchairs. The wheelchair is then clamped in place by a robotic arm.

A smile broke out across his face as his excitement built.

There were numerous stops along the way. Each time, the crowd on the train grew.

Distant Love (Part 50)

Derek methodically gets dressed and transfers into his electric wheelchair.

He looks out at the barren moonscape. If this were Earth, something would have changed over the years, perhaps even from day to day. But not here. Exactly the same as the first time he looked out. At times, he would wish for a micro-meteor to add a new rock or small crater to the scene. Today, it would not bother him as there would be plenty of new things to see.

The fair was in Zone A. It was one hundred and fifty kilometres away. A serious lunar trek made easy by lunar rail. He checks his watch and smiles – plenty of time.

Moving his joystick, the wheelchair powers out of his room. He looks down at the floor beneath him. As expected, it is largely deserted at this early hour. A strong smell of detergent lingers in the recycled air from the robotic cleaners whose shift had just ended.

Driving past his workplace, he chuckles at all the work he left for the new girl, Nathalia. He knew she wouldn’t be impressed when her shift started.

Next, he went down on the lift to the main communal area. Later, the place would be bustling with traders and people coming and going. He was happy to get ahead of it all.

Distant Love (Part 48)

Derek feels a stiff breeze blow across his face. “Wow, it’s cold here. Is this not the planet where humans are meant to have evolved?”

Jessica looks back at him with a quizzical look. “Eh, not on this part of the planet. Come on, we’d better get the two of yous inside.”

Soon, she was pointing to a nearby white-finished bungalow. “Come on, this way.”

For a moment, Derek worries his wheelchair is too wide for the door, but fortunately, he has an inch on either side to spare.

Immediately, he feels the burst of warm air. It felt good.

Jessica led them to a small kitchen. “Now, what about a nice cup of tea for the two of you?”

Maeves face lit up. “Oh, yes, please. They are mad about their tea in these parts, Derek.”

Derek smirks. “I’ll have to give it a try, so!”

And lovely tea, it turns out to be.

“So, what’s next?” Jessica asks. Her tone is more serious.

Derek and Maeve look at each other, unsure what to say.

Maeve takes the lead. “Auntie, it was all somewhat rushed. We had to take our chances; there was no time to plan ahead.”

“It’s okay, love, you should be fine here for quite some time. They’d never expect you to come to this remote place. That’s for sure.”

Distant Love (Part 47)

“I am indeed.”

The lady walks over and wraps him in a warm embrace. “Thanks so much for everything you’ve done for Maeve. I don’t know what we would have done without you!”

“There is no need to thank me. I would do anything for her.”

The lady takes a step back, looking into his eyes. He can see her wrinkled, weather-battered face now. Still, there is a beauty there, mixed with determination. “You can call me Jessica.”

She waves her hand for Derek and Maeve to follow her. Derek’s wheelchair bobbles up and down on the uneven, pebble-filled surface. It bothers him, not.

Jessica points at one of the few buildings. An unappealing, simple building that is somewhat derelict. “That was once the most northerly post office in the UK.”

Derek and Maeve look at each other in confusion.

“Oh lord,” Jessica says in exasperation, “doesn’t anyone teach you young people history anymore? The UK, or the United Kingdom, once had an empire so large that the sun never set. And now, it might as well have never existed. I guess that the northerly part is lost on you two, you being from space and all.”

Jessica continues muttering to herself as they start to make their way up a road.

Distant Love (Part 46)

A few moments pass, and it comes into view. White dots surrounded by green jutting out of the ocean.

“Is this it?”

“It sure is.” Her voice is full of excitement.

More interesting than the moon, I suppose.

The ship comes to a halt, and Derek feels the vibration of the landing thrusters firing. A few seconds later, a thud as it hit the ground.

Derek shakes. The reality of landing on an alien world hits him.

“You okay, Derek? My Auntie is waiting for us. Everything is going to be fine.”

She places her hand on his shoulder, and he turns the wheelchair.

They go to the rear of the ship, and the hatch opens. A silver-haired, plump woman is waiting for them at the bottom of the ramp.

Maeve rushes forward and wraps her arms around the older woman.

Derek drives down the ramp before coming to an abrupt halt. The smell of the sea, the beautiful cloudy sky, the feel of the wind on his face, it’s so different.

Maeve looks back at him and frowns. “You okay, Derek?”

He looks over at her and smiles. “Oh, yes. I’ve never experienced anything like this. To hear the waves and the wind. I knew it would be different, but this is incredible.”

The grey-haired woman then spoke. “You must be Derek.”

Distant Love (Part 45)

The ship finally stops rattling, and a blue sky appears with white puffy shapes below.

Maeve shouted back to him. “It’s amazing, isn’t it?” That’s clouds below us.”

“Wow, much more beautiful than the moon.”

She looks back and smiles. “You haven’t seen anything yet!”

There is a crackling sound over the communications array –

“You are about to enter His Majesty’s airspace. This is an unscheduled flight. You have sixty seconds to identify yourself. Otherwise, the aerial defence system will be activated.”

Derek’s heart sinks. “What do we do now?”

Maeve twitches her fingers. “I have an idea.”

She then replies, “This is the vessel 4573 requesting permission to enter. Code Alpha Beta Two niner omega tr34”

The voice replies, “You are cleared to land.”

The thought crosses Dereks’ mind – How did she know what to say?

Seconds pass, and the ship descends below the clouds. A blue sea is revealed. Derek’s eyes open wide with wonder. It is one of the most beautiful things he has ever seen.

“Incredible, isn’t it?” Maeve says in a hushed tone.

“Yes. Yes, it is.”

“The island will shortly come into view. It will be unlike anything you have seen before. Let’s hope you like it.”

Distant Love (Part 43)

Hours pass, and the Earth now looms large in the viewport. Derek stares in fascination at the multitude of space habitats now visible in orbit. “Which one is the New Yorker habitat?”

Maeve smiles and holds her hands out in front of him. “There it is. It has a blue hue. See it?”

“Wow, it looks so small, hard to imagine one hundred million people living there. Did you ever visit?”

Maeve stays silent for a moment, then responds, “Yes, I have. It looks small from here, but it actually has a huge living space. There are huge areas with no one. Of course, it’s very crowded in places too. It’s crazy, though, looking up and seeing people living their lives above you.”

Derek drives forward, “Is it true that it is the wealthiest place in the solar system?”

“Oh, yes, no poor people allowed. If you can no longer afford the fees, off back to Earth with you. It’s supposed to be very cutthroat. All smiles to your face, but get lost if you have nothing. I guess that’s why they left Earth.”

Derek nods his head in agreement. Do you know any of the others?”

“Of course, there is New Ireland, that’s Gallois, there’s Quantus. I could go on for a good half day, I’d say, there are so many.”

Distant Love (Part 42)

After some time, Derek asks, “So, tell me about this aunt of yours. You never mentioned her previously.”

“Well, no, I haven’t. But I don’t see her often, so it wouldn’t just crop up. As I mentioned, she resides on the island of Haroldswick in the Shetland Islands. Ever heard of them?” Her eyes opened wide.

Derek nods his head, “No, should I?”

Maeve smiles, “I thought not, they are islands that are part of an ancient country called the United Kingdom. And to be honest, I’d say most people in the UK would have no idea where they are. They are far from the mainland, and all of Shetland has a population of only twenty-five thousand people. And in Haroldwick, only a couple of hundred at best.”

Derek winks, “Should be easy to stay out of the limelight, so!”

“That’s what I’m thinking. I was there, just the once before. Looking out at the sea, and watching the crashing of the waves against the cliffs. It looked unending. And the quaint little houses and streets. The people are really friendly. Nervous of outsiders, but it will be fine once they know about Aunty.”

“Should be fun. I just hope it’s wheelchair-friendly to some degree.”

Distant Love (Part 41)

Derek’s heart misses a beat with the anguish in her voice. “I’m sorry, Nathalie. I couldn’t tell you what I was about to do. It would only get you in trouble. You were the best friend I ever had.”

“Don’t be a fool, she’s not….” The message cackles before it stops altogether.

Maeve glances at him, but he looks ahead.

“Where’re now, Maeve? Any ideas? We can’t stay here.”

There is a moment of silence, then she says, “Why not Earth? My aunt lives somewhere in Haroldswick in the Shetland Islands. It’s remote, and we can trust her. We’ll never be found.”

Derek smiles, “Never heard of it but that’s probably a good thing. I’ll put in the coordinates for Earth. It’s going to take a couple of hours.”

An hour later, the ship has stopped its acceleration. The harness automatically removes from Derek’s wheelchair, and Maeve unstraps her belt.

A moment later, she throws her arms around Derek’s neck and presses her lips against his. “You saved me. Nobody has done something like that for me before. You’re a hero.”

Derek gazes into her eyes, “Anything for you, love. You have the rest of our lives to make it up to me.”

They laughed and began to kiss once more.

Distant Love (Part 40)

Derek drives his wheelchair into position in the middle of the deck. Clamps lock onto the wheelchair as a belt closes around his torso.

There is a large computer monitor in front of him showing the grey hangar door blocking their exit. The rest of the deck is full of red leather seats and various computers that combine into an AI hive mind known as “The Ship”.

He looks to see that Maeve is strapped in, then issues the command to the ship’s computer to initiate take-off.

The ship replies, “Good to see you, Derek. And I see you have a guest. Initializing the thrusters.”

Derek feels the ship rattling. Then it stops dead.

“What happened?” Maeve yelps.

“The station has given a counter order,” the station replies matter-of-factly.

Everything is going exactly as Derek foresaw, “Issuing Emergency Order 563.”

The thrusters ignite one more, and the hangar door opens to reveal the lunar landscape.

Then, they lift off. Earth comes into view, a blue dot in the vastness of space. The orbiting space habitats are invisible at this distance.

A buzzing sound comes over the communications array.

Then Derek hears Nathalie’s voice. “What are you doing, Derek? This is crazy. You need to come back right now!”