“Far over the misty mountains cold
To dungeons deep and caverns old
We must away, ere break of day
To seek our pale enchanted gold
The dwarves of yore made mighty spells
While hammers fell like ringing bells
In places deep, where dark things sleep
In hollow halls beneath the fells
Far over the misty mountains cold
We must away, ere break of day
To claim our long-forgotten gold”
I burst out laughing and Eliza’s eyes shot to meet mine in a glare that could kill. Looking around I could see that no one else got the joke. Dad was singing verses from a song out of an old book-The Hobbit. Many a night was spent with him by my bedside weaving tales of ancient treasure and Smaug the dragon. It wasn’t inappropriate for the occasion; we were heading into lands where there be dragons. The people whose expressions I could see tried desperately to hold onto a respectful gaze—even if they didn’t understand a thing my father was saying.
With that, we were off. The first fingers of dawn creeped over the horizon, staining the deep blue with rivers of deep red. Against my better judgement I volunteered to carry one of the sleds. Keeping the load balanced on my shoulders let me settle into a rhythmic pace with the group. Left, right. Left, right. Before we were out of sight of the colony I turned back to see that people were still standing there. Some waved, and a couple even cheered, but most just stood still. Watching their loved ones disappear into a whole new world.
It took almost two miles before I realized that my feet were killing me. Unlike Dad, the last real exercise Eliza and I had gotten was a couple of decades ago. Even with the extra protection of boots, I knew the trek was going to hurt like hell come the morning. More than once Marcus tried to take the sled from me but I refused, citing the need to bulk up for the journey ahead. The silence of the world was unnerving. I strained my ears to pick up any sound outside of the breathing of my fellow colonists and found nothing. The grass was slick underneath our feet and smelled of fresh Earth. The whole scene was surreal; I would have believed it if someone told me we were back in the virtual world. This place seemed too perfect to be true. I wasn’t the only one. Looking around, the expressions on people’s faces ranged from incredulous to afraid. We were strangers in a strange land.
Never a dull moment.
Chapter Eight
According to our rudimentary celestial navigation, we made it nearly fifteen miles that first day. That was better than expected, but the light seemed no closer to us than it had at the colony. After we had made camp the first of the potatoes brought with us were doled out and heated over a fire. It was simple fare, each person provided with a packet of spices to flavor their meal with. Like the space missions of old, the best food came first. We would quickly run through our supplies of potatoes; it was best to enjoy them while you could.
The meager light pollution of the colony had more of an effect than I had realized. Out here, it was almost as bright during the night as it was during the daytime. Once everyone was settled into their tents, the silence that had pervaded our journey during the day gave way to a symphony of animal noises. Some were recognizable, like the rustle of grass as the area’s rodents sped through the night. Others were completely unidentifiable. I jumped at a long and lonely howl of what sounded like a wolf, only to see a large goose-like bird waddle from the brush. It peered at me with reflective green eyes before taking off with a frustrated chuff.
Like being in any new environment, I couldn’t sleep. I tossed and turned but even the texture of the ground underneath me kept me from drifting off. Around three in the morning I gave up and slid as carefully as I could out of the sleeping bag. Eliza shifted slightly and I froze, but she didn’t seem to wake up. Good. God knows she had been through enough today. It was downright chilly outside now and I exchanged my lighter pajamas for a warmer covering. I stepped out from the tent and yelped as I remembered that we were camping on grass speckled with rocks. A quick dash back into the tent to retrieve my shoes and I made my way to the fire pit, now empty save a few embers still glowing in the dark. The air was permeated with the smell of fire and food. I heard faint snores from the surrounding tents and smiled. We had chosen a good group. Maybe I was getting ahead of myself, but I had high hopes for the journey.
Using my tablet, I queued up a program that superimposed the constellations and planets against the night sky and held it up. Translucent labels sprung to life, connecting themselves to the endless white dots in the sky. I used my fingers to zoom in, spreading the stars apart. Dad had told me stories about the night skies on the surface. He would weave tales of how the constellations got to be there, sagas of heroes and villains, monsters and men. Legends that were thousands of years old, and that would survive thousands of years more. Looking up now, the tablet superimposed the figures over the stars for me. I could see the massive paws of Ursa Major, claws stretching across the night sky. Not far away were the mighty weapons of Orion the hunter, the three studs of his belt easily picked out
