Once Upon a Parsec: The Book of Alien Fairy Tales by unknow

Author:unknow
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Publisher: NewCon Press
Published: 2019-09-03T00:00:00+00:00

Life is a series of journeys. Some of them are straight lines. Many of them are circles.

The unremarkable clinger woke, freed from her sisters once more, and for a moment she was certain she was back at her beginning. She felt very small, and a sweet, rotting smell surrounded her.

But then she realised she was still inside the ball, surrounded by the little worms that were now all dead, and she remembered how she had journeyed far already, with the help of the Tiny Traveller. She had seen much, and was ripe with knowledge. And now she bore a new burden: little Clingers nestled within her. They were waiting, as Clingers do. Waiting for their birth, at the right time, in the right place.

Finding the right place was up to her.

And there it was again, building: the desire to move. She wanted nothing so much as to get her babies to that time and place. Could this – her motherhood – be the reason why she was important? It was an interesting idea. Maybe her babies would do incredible things. She thought about it. But she didn’t think about it for long because a new thought had come along, tied to the first, and that thought demanded immediate action.

Out.

Her instinct was clear. It wasn’t just a thought, either. She realised it was coming from everywhere, all around her; her sisters were vibrating it, as one, louder and louder. She could not help but join in.

Out out OUT!

They began to rise.

They headed for the decaying tunnels inside the dead red ball, and streamed through them, jostling, competing. It was a race to an unknown destination.

Out.

The unremarkable clinger set off. She rose up, up through a ragged tunnel, the organic matter shredding as she brushed by. It was very difficult to see anything through its waving strands, but she kept moving, trying to control her fear of being overtaken by her sisters who were at least as desperate to escape as she was. And then, behind her, the screaming started once more; the tunnel was collapsing! She pressed onwards, using every last inch of her energy, and – thank goodness – the way became clearer, and the tunnel widened, and suddenly she was out. Out, into the cooler clear liquid, and she turned to look at the remains of the ball, now deflated and baggy, dropping away.

The clear liquid was both the same as before, and changed. Strange silvery poles grew in it; they were very tall and straight and long, and they were numerous. Her fastest sisters had already arrived at the nearest one, and made a net around it with their joined spikes that looked mightily strong; other sisters were turning away, and heading for the second nearest pole. How fast and determined they looked.

She knew she needed to reach a pole, and form a net. It was another of those revelations that comes from inner knowledge, but knowing it and managing to do it was not the same thing;

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