IGMS Issue 30 by IGMS

Author:IGMS [IGMS]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Hatrack River Enterprises
Published: 2012-09-01T04:00:00+00:00

A drift-shuttle works on a similar principle as our space-faring ship. Just as our starship bends time for energy and is snapped back to Earth while recouping the stolen time, a drift-ship just falls, spinning like an old oak seed.

The surface grew slowly closer. I observed an ocean that covered sixty percent of my view and we drifted toward a reddish land mass.

The land mass came to take up my entire view and I saw that we were headed for a coastal area. This soon formed into tangled red forests and cliffs that stood against violent waves.

"How did we know where to find . . ." I wanted to say "her." But we weren't to refer to gods by name or gender. ". . . the god."

Andern patted the linen doll on his belt. "This is a genuine worship totem, given freely by a true believer."

"That's against the law."

"It is, but there's always someone."

I wanted to ask how a god-killer convinced a true believer to give him a religious totem, but it seemed impolite.

He said, "The laws are flexible enough that I can do my job."

Other questions occurred to me, but at that moment, the drift ship met the ground. I felt increased gravity and heard a popping sound as the landing claws dug into the soil.

"We're here." said Andern needlessly.

The hatch was loud and slow. Andern hopped out as if sucked by vacuum. When I followed, I saw him lying on the earth, hands buried in sharp-looking grass.

The air smelled a bit of coriander and I sneezed. Andern rolled the back of his head against the dirt. Before I could ask what he was doing, he said, "Been on the damn ship too long. Need to ground myself." He barked a short laugh. "If I was spiritual, I'd say I needed to pull energy from the dirt." He laughed further. I do not understand why.

I came down from the door and stood a respectful distance from him, waited for his instruction. No two god-killers acted the same before a kill. Some were jovial, others somber. Some needed time to prepare, others rushed in.

"Going to be here for a while. Sit if you like."

I felt curious about his hands in the dirt and weeds, so I took off my zip shoes and under-socks. I stepped carefully into the grass near his hands. The grass felt itchy and cold. I waited to observe if the feeling would change.

Andern tilted his head, looked at my bare feet and laughed again. Chuckling, he unstrapped his boots and put his own bare feet in the grass. He seemed more alive in this moment than in the entire previous forty days.

He said, "Damn grass is scratchy."

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