Photo courtesy of Michelle De Angelis
“Do we really need umbrellas?”
“We always walked with them back home,” Melissa replied. Lana never seemed to appreciate the value of tradition. In this strange place, it was all they had to tie them to what they’d left behind.
The two walked side-by-side along a stone path, as the sea of green around them grew and breathed. Like the wildflowers of their garden in Osaka, they reached upward, their delicate leaves aspiring for the heavens, hungry for the light. But here, the light was not yellow and warm but garish blue, streaming down from grow lamps that covered the inner surface of the dome.
Like them, the plants were aliens in this place of red sand and rusty storms. Like them, they yearned to breathe free. Perhaps one day, they would, but for now they were trapped, as Melissa and Lana were, beneath protective glass. One day, all of Mars would be as green as the world they’d left behind, and the girls could breathe free as well. Until then, this would do.
Written for the FFfAW Challenge – Week of July 3, 2018. Word count: 174. Read other stories based on this prompt at InLinkz.com.
Michael T. Kuester 
I hope they’re underground, otherwise people and plants won’t survive long in the harsh radiation. Sorry. First thing that popped into my head.
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Plants wouldn’t survive long underground, either. Most concepts for potential habitats on Mars involve habitat domes, some of which would function as green houses. I’ve long envisioned certain domes that would serve as “terrariums” (hence the name of the story): little pockets of simulated Earth, which would serve both to produce breathable oxygen and provide a taste of home. With sufficient radiation shielding, it would work. There have been numerous suggestions as to the material used; it’s long been speculated that lunar soil could yield the necessary materials to shield domes on Mars against radiation.
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It would be pretty expensive to haul dirt to Mars from the Moon, but then again, at least at first, everything people would need to survive on the Red Planet would have to be brought in.
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I love how you picked up on the strange lighting in this photo. Great story! Almost chilling to think we could all be living on Mars one day.
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That was imaginative.
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This is my kind of story, really enjoyed your use of the prompt
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I’m glad you enjoyed it.
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