Rings ‘n Things

“Ah, you’re back!” Onta said. “You were right, the smith had the coal tar pitch ready.” “Perfect,” Onta said, rubbing her hands together. “He said he melted coal for you. That doesn’t seem right.” “Just because he has biceps the size of my waist doesn’t mean he’s stupid.” “How do you melt coal?” “Very carefully!” Joesph laughed. … Continue reading Rings ‘n Things

Seeds

Round and round went the pestle, relentless in its actions. Nothing came out of the mortar whole. Gavindra dumped the powder into a bowl and added more seeds to the mortar. She began grinding this batch. "Watch me, Grandma!" Carl shouted as he ran to the end of the large rock and jumped off into … Continue reading Seeds

Through Another’s Eyes

The section of wall was clear and Caroic could see the landscape outside the habitat. The plants grew tall, with thin brown trunks. She couldn't believe those thin trunks could support all that green foliage. She missed the tangerine sky of home and the rocky landscapes. The low growing plant life was sparse. Here, carbon-based … Continue reading Through Another’s Eyes

Connections

Kaia's nimble fingers wove the complex knot in the strong rope. She finished with tying on a bight with an overhand loop and dressed the knot. The knotter next to her slid her working end into Kaia's loop, finished the knot, and dressed it. Kaia looked up, and all along the line the knotters were … Continue reading Connections

Take it Back

"Let go!" I said. Pat did not. She kept pulling on my lab notebook. "I just want to see what you got for the density." We had a few minutes before 8th grade science class started, and Mr. Bohr was on hall duty until then. Every period it was something with her. She sat in … Continue reading Take it Back