The Marsformation of the Earth #SciFi #VeryShortStories


Art: Marcelo Galvan

The Marsformation of the Earth

Terraform a planet is torn will so similar to Earth. The term first appeared in the American magazine Astounding Science Fiction in July 1942 in Jack Williamson's Orbit of Collision, which in turn was inspired by a book by Konstantin Tsiolkovsky, written on a log tree trunk, around the Russian city of Kaluga in 1900.

One morning on January 30, 1900, in the main square of the small town of Kaluga, the figure shrouded in tufts does not even feel the cold of autumn, for its eyes are metallized like two spheres of lead and their hair thin and disheveled indicates madness or genius.

All little madness is silly. If it is to be madness, let it be full with visions and hallucinations. This is what the few passers-by of the square think.

With encouraging eyes, typical of the Russian people, they encourage the comrade to climb into the gazebo and speak.

Let us say the character is nothing new, it is the new guest of mathematician Tsiolkovsky - who lives in a log cabin on the outskirts of the city. The contact with the master's advanced ideas drove the little thought he already had. In addition, then from time to time he appears in the city, climbs the bandstand and begins an endless harangue about the 21st century Martian invasion.

However, today your countenance is more focused. His figure rises majestically (which piques curiosity with what will come next).

— Kaluga unbelievers, this night dawn I had the illumination that made me glimpse the whole plan of these Martian invaders. At first, they will be just a few dots coming out of the Martian sky towards Earth. Scientists will find that they are just spots on the Martian surface. They will only realize the terrible truth when these ships approach and circle the earth, pouring into our atmosphere the toxic gases of carbon dioxide, methane, and ozone. Immediately, the damp green grass, the reeds and the plants will be opaque and gray. Their sheets of smoke and soot will cover every city on the planet. Moreover, over these dark cities, dozens of arm-wrestling machines will dig the ground into the bowels of the planet. Many noble gases and oil will be found. Now, this is no longer precious. The boiling oil swims with pleasure, and its flaming, hissing tentacles rush into flames upon the proud and upon the vehicles of the proud, who fall in droves, chanting the sad roar of the terrified. However, the plan of these invading Martians is far more terrible. Only channels and channel, and channels will be left over the earth, made with great grooves in the concrete, scratched from cast iron, and at the bottom of them the post-chemicals of a completely devastated technology. The Man - this collection of rare skeletons - his clothes, his coins, his fierce tongue, are completely certain of extinction. Then the oceans will slowly warm, reddening as if at last the blood of the last ghosts of the human circus is also diluted in suffocating foam. It is not long before the runaway heat, the thaw, the released gases and all sorts of decomposed organic matter reverse into a toxic rain that germs the red bacteria of Martian cells in the air. See, unbelievers. It's all over! In the rear a softly hissing ship will appear. From a lower opening the scornful enemy will leap. The whole earth will tremble. The Portal gave way, at last. These ships have only one mission: THE MARSFORMATION OF THE EARTH! And when they are done, all of the earth will have only one quicksand, red in color…

In this, the prophetic character kneels in ecstasy, with open arms and bright eyes, facing the planet Mars.

Another figure approaches the square, is Professor Tsiolkovsky , who by his deafness could not understand all the words of his guest, but in the name of the reputation of recognized teachers feels the duty to climb the bandstand and drag the indiscreet guest of the square. .

— Gentlemen, sorry about that fellow. It's just a pilgrim I landed on. This will not be repeated. Promise.

Moreover, apologizing here and there, the teacher led the strange visitor to the city gates, repelling his own concepts.

The people in the square stomp their feet for warmth and prepare to go to work. This whole story of Marsformation is surely just a way for the madman to imitate the wise.

Certainly…

 ***


Herman Augusto Schmitz

Originally published in Portuguese in the book "Terrassol" in 2014.