An exercise in our writing class was to write about an astronaut or explorer who loves nature and goes for a walk on a new planet.
Dear Mom and Dad,
Planet Zena is not at all what I expected. Unlike Mother Earth, which has every color imaginable, Zena is colorless. I feel like I stepped into a 1920’s film by Donald R. Dickey, where everything, including the plants and animals, is black, white, or gray. The naturalist in me wants to turn this newfound planet upside down to examine Her contents. But She seems to be studying me instead, with her wind at my back at all times.
As you know, I am alone. The animals keep me occupied. A white deer-like creature who also resembles a bear, eats black grass that grows in small circles. I don’t yet know why this creature rolls himself in stardust after he eats, but if I stay longer, I will observe and find out. Another animal by my side since I arrived is “Rivet .” He resembles our beloved dog, River, but he has zebra stripes and sounds like a parrot, mimicking everything I say.
Maybe the animal can understand me, because I need someone to talk to, I have been here too long without human interaction and it's making me sad and delusional. Perhaps it’s time I wrap this project up early and come home.
The scientist in me, however, tells me not to let that happen. There is much to discover here. I will finish what I set out to do, I guess, to determine if humans can live a good quality of life on Zena.
At the space station, I received your question asking me if I had enough to eat. Yes. There are edible rocks that are similar to gumballs back at home. This planet is unlike other planets yet very similar to our world. By the way, it rains here, but no waterfalls, streams, rivers, or oceans exist. All rainfall is absorbed into the plants immediately. All the plants are white and have stems as wide as my thigh. The tallest is about about 10 feet tall, and inside all of them are pockets of water. Each pocket holds about a liter of water. I drink this when I am gone from the station for several days but it's a little nauseating. Also, I can switch from my astronaut suit when I am here to a light-ferta suit. I’ll explain more about the attire when I return. I will have Mission Specialist Musgrave scan my letter and send it to NASA, where dad can get it.
All the best,
Your son, Kensington
