52 bad short stories.

The Flame: Mars Day (Sol) 42 Days from landing    Dear Readers,  I am delighted to be writing this to you from OUR planet! I call it this because its only inhabitants are us, Earth born humans (and those adorable little rovers who've been here the last 100 years!), but soon, (many months from now) Martian born humans will join us. Many of you are expecting and now, myself as well! I know it has been a crazy few weeks, the carbon scrubbers and domes just getting started. The pressure alarms are going off less and less as our new living spaces are being used more and more. Our spaceships and sleep pods are now being abandoned for our permanent homes. It's bittersweet, to finally have our dwellings in this place. Sweet, because now we can begin the amazing process of creating societies and families. Bitter because some of us are home sick from not having our familiar gravity, water sources, fresh fruits and veggies, and all the smells. Does anyone else miss the smells, ...

It was a slow passionate kiss. That is what he noticed the most. His wife always said goodbye in the morning, but this morning was different. This morning it was like she was afraid he wouldn't come back.  "I hate it when you have to go inside the mines like you do today. Keep your helmet on and pay attention. I want you to come back to us." Mike knew she was worried. All he had in him was a joke, "Oh I should tell you I'm going into the mines everyday if I'm going to get kisses like that. I almost don't want to leave today."  She slapped him gently on the arm. "I can always call your boss and check the roster."  He smiled at her one last time and stepped out of their living pod and into the hallway. The tunnel felt a little extra damp this morning, but it was the same temperature and smell he'd grown accustomed to, the ozone and burning smell. Everything was controlled by machines, and they were below the surface, safe from the radiati...

The giant glass dome glowed red from the sky, reflecting the color of the Martian regolith surrounding it outside. In the distance the view of the Mountain and other domes clearly in view, no dust storms today. Inside people were gathering around and looking at the green plants scattered throughout the space. Automatic watering devices whirring while tending to the plants. The hellish land outside was unimaginable in this green, lush paradise.  "It's beautiful in here and it smells great!" Roberta commented to her husband, various plant and flower smells filled the dome. It was very different from the ozone and machine smells all the human Martians were accustomed to experiencing. Edward was ignoring her and looking in the direction of a blonde woman serving small liquid beakers for nourishment. The theme was science and technology; the decor and food, down to the smallest detailed microchip shaped crackers, were perfect. Even the test tubes of flavored protein showed the...