Tree Hugger

by Tyree Campbell

Gone . . . her kith and companions, all gone. Their passing was not unexpected. They had known the damage done to this world by the Others was irreversible. Still, this past winter had taken most of them unawares, killed them while they stood, dormant and helpless, the precious, life-giving light from the two suns blocked by clouds and particulates. Only she, Pagan the youngling, had survived, and that barely.

As the winter faded into summer the sunlight returned, too late to save her kin. If only there were one other left, just one. Pagan dreaded what was to come, what had to be done. Like her ancestors, she would have to move on, to find another world suitable for her survival. To do that she needed to soak up every last ray of sunlight, for light was scarce during interstellar journeys. Her ancestral memories spoke of those who had been lost while traveling to this world of a double sun. Pagan hugged herself, shivering. This past winter the darkness and shadows had proved relentless and remorseless, leaving only husks that stood on the bluffs, stark skeletons against a blued steel sky. With the arrival of spring one sun bravely shone through the unnatural haze, and hope stirred within her when she saw an opening in the distant clouds. Soon the other sun would join in, and replenish her. Then, and only then, could her journey begin.

41 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 17, 2015

About the author

Tyree Luck Campbell III is a retired U.S. Army translator with some 100 stories and two dozen poems [including a 2003 Rhysling finalist] published to date. His first novel, Nyx, about an assassin who rediscovers her emotions while on assignment on a strange world and is now a series, with a 3rd novel forthcoming in 2012. His second novel is The Dog At The Foot Of The Bed, an epic SF tale of love and revenge across space and time, and also available at that site. He is also the Managing Editor of Sam’’s Dot Publishing, and invites you to http://www.samsdotpublishing.com .

Reviews

[Debby · Rating 5 out of 5]

wonderful SciFi idea with interesting characters. Hope there is a sequel