by Terry Smith
They don’t know what to do and discuss the possibility of someone going outside of the vehicle to look around. They don’t have any type of vehicle to help transport a person around so any movement would need to be by walking. They test their communication equipment that would allow the group inside the vehicle to communicate with the person outside, and it works fine. After much discussion Evin and Dave decided they would exit the vehicle together and move about 100 yards from the vehicle just to look around, test the ground and possibly the atmosphere.
Evin and Dave were ready to go. They exit through the release chamber and were soon outside of the vehicle. The ground is solid and they have enough gravity to allow them to walk comfortably. They moved out together to about 100 yards away from the space ship and took their time to look around. They didn’t observe any vegetation or other living animals, but the river held their attention and they reported to the vehicle that they wanted to move another 200 yards in that direction. They carried a telescope-type device that gave them a better view of the river and saw that indeed the water was flowing but they could not detect a sound. They took a couple of photos through the telescope and continued their trip around the vehicle, now moving a little closer back toward the vehicle but now in a circumference of about 200 yards. The ground still maintained a good feeling and was not perfectly flat. They took a sample of the ground to take back to the vehicle for testing.
As they approached the vehicle having completed their walk Dave had an idea. What if he removed his helmet to see what the atmosphere was like? He knew they could test the atmosphere back in the vehicle, but he wanted to get a first-hand feel for it. Of course he was a little nervous, and Evin stayed by his side to reattach the helmet if Dave had a problem. Dave did it, although the team still in the vehicle advised against it, wanting to wait until they tested the outside air. But Dave was stubborn and did it anyway. He didn’t have any issues after he removed his helmet, and the air seemed perfectly normal. It was a little cooler than the controlled air inside the vehicle, and it had a somewhat sweet smell. In other words, he liked it. He wanted to take a deep breath, but Evin convinced him to put his helmet back on and let Ivan examine him to see if there were any ill effects from his exposure to this atmosphere. They returned to the vehicle through the release chamber and were greeted by a happy group inside the vehicle.
Ivan wanted to examine Dave completely before he came in contact with the other group members to insure he hadn’t come in contact with anything unhealthy. While Dave was being examined Dianne tested the soil that the two had bought back with them. First, Dave’s examination found no problems, in fact he seemed more alert than normal. He felt great, like he had just had a short walk through a forest listening to the birds. Dianne’s analysis of the soil took about an hour and determined that it was rich and normally would have an abundant amount of vegetation growing. Any farmer would be happy to have this soil to grow their crops back on earth. The group was excited, but went back to their original question – where are we and what were they doing here?
It was time, they thought, to contact Gus. Woody was the first to say “Hey Gus. We need you.”
They were more than thankful when Gus responded “What do you need my friends?”
Woody asked “Where are we and what are we doing here? You have us told not to be afraid, but we feel helpless.”
Gus said “But you are not helpless. You have everything you need to begin to develop a source of food, you have water close by and the atmosphere is good, plus you probably noticed that there isn’t any pollution in the air. See what you can do to survive until you can determine a way to communicate with Earth. Do for yourselves for now. Do not be afraid. You have the team that anyone would want in your situation and you just need to work together at this point. I will see you again later.”
And he was gone – at least his voice was gone. They really wanted to see Gus someday, but they guess it wouldn’t be this day.
After a long day they all felt a good rest was deserved, but it didn’t happen. They were all too keyed up about what Gus had said that they needed to do for themselves. They still had food and water, but they would need more.
The next day began with Wanda saying “Ok, we will need some help from Gus with the basics. We probably will need some type of meat, or protein. So how about asking him for a couple of cows? It would also be good if we had some fish in the river. Maybe we could put together a list and talk to her. Since we all seem to think she is God, maybe she will use her powers to create life, like some cows for us. Anyway, she seems to be like God, but I think we have all been afraid to ask her if she is God.”
Larry responded with “I think he is God and he can create life. But if he did create a couple of cows, we would need something for them to eat in order for them to survive. And we would need to make sure we had a bull also so we can get more cows.”
“This is tough” Evin proclaimed. “We will need some plants for us to eat like corn and vegetables. Dianne did bring some seeds for her research. Dianne, based on your research of the soil, could we grow corn and vegetables if we could get the water from the river to irrigate?”
Dianne responded, “Yes, as long as the water is not too salty it would certainly be possible.”
“You know, I miss my dog” Wanda blurted out. “We should ask Gus for a dog.”
“Wanda, we are trying to come up with what we need to survive, not pets,” the always practical Evin replied.
“Well, ok” replied Wanda, “But I sure would like what they call a Service Dog for people who have been exposed to some type of trauma. I sure would call this trauma. Can’t I at least ask Gus? Woody, you are our Gus contactor. Call him.”
“Alright Wanda. Hey Gus, we need you.”
Gus responded, “I have been listening to you, and think you may be on the right track. I can, and will, help you for things that you aren’t able to do yourselves. So, let’s start with your cattle. We will start with a mixture of cattle, including bulls, and some grass for them to feed on. Don’t forget you will need to have water for the cattle and for the grass. Your cattle will be here soon. And, Wanda, I think your wish for a dog is great. I have one myself and find my dog a great comfort.”
They all felt good about what they had done, even though it was just a small start. They knew that their first task would be to get some water diverted to their spaceship landing. They thought about moving the vehicle but Jim said he had tried the controls already and still no success. They decided to rest for a couple of hours and then a small group would head out to the river.
When they were all awake Dianne, Dave and Evin set out to the river. They took their space suits as at least Dianne wasn’t yet comfortable with the idea that the atmosphere was adequate to sustain them over a long distance. They had a digital measurement device to measure distance walked so they could determine how far the river was from their vehicle. They walked in silence observing the terrain around them and watching their footsteps. It was amazingly peaceful. There was even a slight breeze that was refreshing. The estimate of the temperature was in the low 70’s. There were no clouds, and they couldn’t remember if they had seen any clouds since they landed. They had measured the gravity after landing which was slightly less than what was experienced on earth, and their walking was easy. They were able to maintain direction which would have been difficult without adequate gravity as they would be partially floating along. They realized that normally they should be afraid walking into such an unknown area, but Gus’s words were there to not be afraid.
When they reached the river it was about 50 yards wide and was flowing away from the mountainous area. Dianne took a sample of the water to take back to the spaceship to test, but Evin wanted to show his bravery and cupped his hands to take a drink. Wow, it was delicious and cool. It was so clear they could see the bottom of the river, but they saw no fish or vegetation. The river was a little over
a mile from their spaceship and they tried to think how they could possibly divert some of the water in their direction. The soil was a little soft to allow water to flow without soaking into the ground, so that didn’t seem to be a solution. The three decided to bring the whole group back to the river to brainstorm the problem. They realized it was time to head back to the vehicle as they were anxious to see what Gus was bringing for them. They continued to be amazed that Gus was there and willing, and able, to help them.
They reached the vehicle and were met by a herd of cattle of all types, 20 in all, including milk cows, cattle for beef, bulls, and even a couple of calves. The cattle were housed in a large fenced-in area with grass and a pond already in place. There were even some chickens, which they had not included yesterday in their wish list. And they were greeted by two puppies yelping and welcoming them home. It was a wonderful sight.
Gus said, “I hope you like your welcoming gifts. I took the liberty of adding a couple of things since I know it is hard to think through such needs at first.”
Evin said, “But Gus, we know you are experienced at this and must be really good at it. You created the universe in only six days. I noticed a couple of other things that are in the area, like the smell of skunks, a few rats and some weeds growing in the grass. What is up with those things? And, by the way, is there something we can call you besides Gus. We assume you are God, so why not call you God?”
Gus responded, “First, whenever you have something good, or something you want, it often comes with something you don’t want or not so good. Like you know on earth there are rattlesnakes, mosquitos, and the list goes on and on. I went easy on you for now because you are just starting with this. And, as far as what to call me, many people have what they feel are supreme beings that are not called God. So, there may be many gods so you can call me anything you want. I just happen to like Gus. It’s kind of a cool name, don’t you think?”
“And as far as creating the universe in only six days, I did make a lot of mistakes. Some have been corrected and some still exist. I am sure you can each name a few of my mistakes, but have learned to live with them. And, no ladies, creating man was neither a mistake or creating something not so good. I have heard that one before. I guess I could have done a better job, but I was ok with the outcome.”
“I will be back, but you have some work to do in the meantime. You already know that you will need to develop a way to get water from the river to the pond and for your drinking and bathing. You are some of the most creative minds from planet Earth and I feel confident that you can come up with a solution. Be positive about your position, and do not be afraid.” With that Gus was gone, and the ladies were still laughing about the creation of man. Even the men thought it was funny and amazed that Gus had a sense of humor.
Jim was ready with the solution to the first problem facing the group. Among the repair materials they had with them was some round tubing, about a 4 foot diameter, to replace some of the space elevator used to send supplies to Space Station America from the NASA site. This tubing would be perfect to use for water to flow from the river to the cattle pond and the vehicle living quarters. There was a big cheer for Jim and they decided to name the water system after Jim – Jim’s Water Works. Of course Jim was worried when it came time to develop a sewer system his name would come up again. So the next day the crew set up the water system along with an on and off control; quite a work of art. They were proud of their accomplishment and how well it worked.
Now that they had an irrigation system it was time to plant some of the seeds that Dianne had bought along for her research. They only planted about a third that they had as they were not quite sure of the outcome in this soil even though it seemed ideal. They had a good mix of vegetables and even a couple of fruit trees. They were really excited as they planted their farm, and decided to name it Dianne’s Farm, and sang Old Dianne had a Farm the whole time they were planting. Obviously singing was not among their skills and they were happy they went into different lines of work. They worked on the irrigation system for the plants and watched it daily as the seeds began to sprout and grow.
They liked the idea of naming their additions. First, they needed to name the puppies. They named the girl puppy Gorgeous and the boy puppy Handsome. They looked around and decided that no one in the group would qualify for these names so they were available for the taking and again had a good laugh. They named the ranch with the cattle and chickens El Rancho de Larry. Then a name for their space ship, since it really wasn’t a space ship anymore as it didn’t move. They decided to call it The Neighborhood. They began to take the assembly that was going to be attached to Space Station America and use it for living quarters. Since the weather was ideal in the area and there were no flies or other bugs to bother them, they could eat outside and even sleep outside under the stars. They still saw no clouds, and no sun or moon, but they did somehow have night and day. It was a paradise in the making, but not the paradise they wanted as they were away from their families and didn’t know when they would see them again, if at all.
They built a large dining table and beds from some of the materials that were bound for the Space Station America. They made a stove, sinks and other furniture which didn’t always look like the items they were intended to be but they decided it really didn’t matter. If someone would come upon their housing unit they would be hard put to decide what it was, but they didn’t expect any visitors any time soon.
They were impressed with Jim’s creativity in building the things they needed. Just think if they had a Target store around how well they would be outfitted. They could have a 4-star hotel. They may even have a Jacuzzi and chocolate fountain.
The group began praying each morning and each night. Evin continued to lead the prayers, but left time for the group to pray in silence for special things they wanted to include. The two puppies began to grow, and Gorgeous became specifically attached to Dianne and Handsome took turns letting the rest of the group pet him. It was a job to keep them away from the cattle and chickens, but after a while they didn’t seem to pay any attention to each other. The cattle were thriving and the milk cows were providing a good supply of milk. The group knew someday one of the beef cows would need to be butchered and become supper, but they were not anxious for that day to come. The chickens were laying eggs, but the group was also not anxious to have chicken dinner. The cattle and the chickens were more like pets than future meals.
The group spent most of their time working on improvements to their living quarters, their garden and cattle and chickens. They would often go out in groups of 2 or 3 exploring the area, and discovered a lake and a small area with trees. The mountains were a little too difficult to climb as they had no climbing equipment and they were unsure of what they would find as they climbed them. They seemed different than mountains on Earth.
The group would exercise daily under the direction of Ivan, who would check their vital signs and provide a general checkup. They all remained healthy and saw no weakening like the astronauts were experiencing by living in weightless conditions on the Space Station America. They were friends. They laughed together, told stories about their childhoods, adventures and their work. They continued to keep their log of their adventurenot knowing if it would ever be read.
Among their many projects needed to be some type of outhouse, and a shower. No one in the group had ever even seen an outhouse, much less know how to construct one. Woody had seen the old movie Platoon where they were using drums to catch the waste, and then burn it. The rest of the group thought that it could simply be a large hole under the toilet seat to catch the waste and cover it with soil. They were a little concerned about the environmental impact of the waste impacting the ground water, but there would be so little at this point maybe they shouldn’t worry about it. They decided to dig the hole at this point, making two outhouses, one for the ladies and the other for the men. They used some tarp material to provide
a little privacy and they were done. The ladies were especially happy that they didn’t have to share their facility with the men. Wonder why?
The shower was a little more difficult as they had very little material that could be used for plumbing. They decided to put a large tub unit on top with a small faucet that they took from the repair materials being sent to the Space Station. They would use a bucket to fill the container and whoever was using the shower would need to be a little stingy with the amount of water that they used. There was only one shower stall and they would place a colored piece of material on the side when in use – blue for men and red for the ladies since they didn’t have any pink. They also took a container from their vehicle for hand washing outside of the outhouse facilities as Ivan had convinced them that they needed to improve sanitation practices. They also made a sink for washing dishes.
They were making a home of it, but were still hoping that The Neighborhood would be temporary and they would be back on Earth sometime soon. They continued to pray for this and even asked Gus to help them. Although Gus listened he continued to just tell them not to be afraid. They wondered if this had some meaning behind it, but didn’t want to face the possible options.
The members of the group continued to work on their research projects, even though a great deal of their resources were not available as they had been sent to the Space Station America on previous flights. After the months that had passed since their launch date they were not sure if their research would ever reach Earth, but they needed something to occupy their minds and maintain some hope of returning to life on Earth.
Woody and Jim were involved in continuing to make improvements in the group’s living quarters. They were restricted due to the lack of materials and had to be innovative in the things they did. They no longer worried that they were using supplies that were intended for the Space Station America as by now they felt sure that everything they had was replaced. They also continued to monitor the communication systems on the space ship hoping to someday receive some type of transmission.
