Philip G. White

Silent Earth

A Short Story

Neo is a Martian. At seventeen, the only ground he's ever seen is red, the only air he's ever breathed is filtered, and plants only grow in the underground greenhouses. He also knows every living person, all fifteen of them. Mars is as much a part of him as is his family and the others in their makeshift colony. The planet is also trying to kill him. With no way to repair their habitat's aging systems, their survival hinges on help from Earth—but the blue dot in the sky has been silent for twenty years. They have enough power for one last message. Now Neo must face reality: he and his family will die if Earth doesn't respond, and if by some miracle they do, he stands to lose everything anyway. Among the red storms, barren landscape, and his dark cavern home, Neo must decide if he will let his despair chip away at him like the aging habitat, or if he will send the final message through the void.