I stand here now, with new family, and heartbreak, and understand that the battle is won.
Will it be of consequence?
Will they write of my world? Those humans who have gone to new stars, will they remember us?
Will we be free?
I stand, unsteady, as the medicines which hold me awake fade from my mind. My body is exhausted.
But it knows love.
The feeling could grow to infinity in the feeble gravity of this world. Perhaps that is why the hearts of Old Earth could not succeed – they were too heavy, dragged down to stone in the planet’s relentless embrace.
Here, the embrace is gentle.
But my body is tired.
The tiredness is familiar, like my grandparents’ smile. I am thinking now of a den – warm and soft, for long slumber, and protected from the frozen air.
But first, there is urgency.
We have won the battle, but the days of Earth are short, and vicious, and I fear the oppressors’ return.
So, quickly now, attentively, I will tell my story.
Listen, and hope with me that blood will never be shed here again.
(^^Prologue from a scifi novel I've been working on^^)
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Photo Info
Captured October 11th, 2025 from the summit of Mount Diablo / ṭuuštak in California, USA. The peak overlooks the San Francisco Bay Area as well as significant portions of northern California. Seen in this photo are portions of the metropolitan area, hills, ocean, and setting stars to the west of the mountain.
Approx. 1 hour of exposure shot on a Nikon Z 6 ii, processed using Sequator and GIMP.
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#astronomy #astrophotography #gimp #sequator #science #nature #california #sanfrancisco #oakland #contracosta #writing #scifi
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