Chapter 3

Dear Jim,

It seems like only yesterday that we had the farewell party at the space center. It's such a strange thought that for me it was only a week ago, while so many years have passed for you. I hope you are all well. All the things that I must have missed. . . Sally must have been at school already for a couple of years. How is she doing? Last time I saw her she was still so little. . . Did you ever get that apartment you wanted? I hope I will get news from you soon. For the time being I will tell you about what has happened here.

Today was the day we have been waiting for. Everyone woke up early and there was a noticeable tension in the air. People ran around nervously. Most of us had just a light breakfast so as not to upset their stomachs, and then we were all led down a maze of badly-lit corridors and staircases to our landing pods. They had already been loaded with our personal things, food, and various pieces of equipment we would need. This meant that each pod was basically stuffed from floor to ceiling with boxes that were strapped down and secured on hooks everywhere. Only a small corridor was still empty. There were two chairs and a console in front of them.

I will share a pod with Barbara, whom I met a few times during the last few days. Barbara gave me an insecure smile when she sat down and buckled herself in the chair carefully. Then, someone behind us wished us luck and closed the inner and the outer door. There was the sound of various tools, when they sealed us thoroughly in this little nutshell in space. I took a deep breath when I saw the numbers counting down on the screen in front of us. All the pods were ready by this time. Barbara closed her eyes as the countdown reached two.

Suddenly our pod was ejected from its docking station and we were propelled towards the planet below us. Soon we were caught up in its gravity field and started our fall towards the surface. We seemed to fall and fall for a very long time.

Then there was a sharp jolt as the parachute opened above us. Our fall was noticeably slower, but when we finally reached the ground the impact hit us like a hammer. We remained strapped to our seats. We could feel the vibration as the pod's legs extended and slowly lifted us to a level position. Even if this hadn't been what we were taught, we certainly didn't feel like getting up. In fact, Barbara looked like she might throw up any second. I closed my eyes and leaned back in my chair. I didn't feel well. I was only half aware of several mechanical sounds around us. Then, there was a hiss of escaping air, followed by a loud clank. This must have been the hull plates which had covered the door.

Slowly I opened my eyes and looked over at Barbara. She had managed to keep her breakfast in and slowly nodded at me as I unbuckled the seatbelt and tentatively got up from the chair.

'Just go,' she said weakly, 'I'll be with you in a minute.'

Then, she closed her eyes again and breathed deeply. I turned to the exit. I opened the inner door of the airlock and stepped into the small chamber. A narrow streak of light lit up the interior from a tiny window in its center. I took a deep breath and unsealed the outer door of the airlock. According to our scientists, the air was perfectly breathable. I pushed the door, which swung outwards without effort. The sunlight was bright in comparison to the darkness of the pod, so I narrowed my eyes and blinked as I looked at the surrounding landscape. A cool wind was blowing. The air was fresh and the sun was warm on my face.

Surrounding the pod there was a grassland, stretching almost as far as the eye could see. It undulated in the wind like the waves of an ocean. A small river meandered through the waving grass. It flowed into a lake that glittered in the sunlight. Not far from me there were other pods which had just landed. The dust was settling around them and their parachutes lay on them like crumpled blankets. Their silver hulls gleamed in the sunlight.

Now that my eyes had adjusted to the light, I could make out a dark streak of mountains far away on the western horizon. Small white clouds were hurrying across the blue sky. There were also creatures flying around which I think must have been animals similar to birds. They drifted in the wind. The endless grass was only interrupted here and there by larger. . . what are they? Structures? Plants? I cannot tell. They look like tall, motionless, leafless trees with many large branches – and then again, they do not look like trees at all.

I had pressed the button to extend the metal staircase down to the ground, when Barbara showed up in the doorway behind me. She was still whitefaced and leaning on the doorframe for support. I hesitated before stepping out on the stairs, but she motioned me to go on. I stood in the grass, which came up to my knees. Insects buzzed around me. I took a deep breath of fresh air and looked out at the horizon. What a change compared to the tiny space of the ship where I had spent the last few weeks!

When Barbara had recovered we got to work. We had to get most of the boxes out of the pod so we could move around in it and get to our beds and the bathroom. Do you remember Uncle Robert's caravan? That's about how large it is, but with a separate shower. We also have a tiny kitchenette and work spaces.

We had no other option than to stack all the boxes down in the grass, organized by type. We seem to have quite a large amount of insta-meals and emergency rations, first aid stuff and other medical supplies, tools, clothes, sanitary products and cleaning products and anything else anyone would think could come in handy. The boxes were big and many of them heavy, so we often struggled to get them out of the door and down the steep, narrow stairs, but at least there is no danger of their being blown away and they are watertight. We will have no other option than to keep them outside.

It is a bit like moving to a new apartment – only you have to live in the moving van afterwards.

Now Barbara and I are both completely knackered and will retreat to our bunk beds.

Love,

Sarah

Tavaron

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