Martian Excursion

I actually wrote this for my college application...go figure. Anyways, I was happily pleased with the way it turned out.

Stardate: Wednesday, Sept. 5, 2107

Dear Mom and Dad,
What a day it was! Today, I took an excursion to Mars on the new Hyperspace Dart Line. The ride was a little rough due to the meteor shower we flew through, but the turbulence subsided in a matter of minutes. As we flew over the Red Planet, I couldn’t help but gasp at first glance. I had seen it numerous times on CNN, the Cyber News Network, but only in conjunction with information about the new Mars colony. It was so tremendously red (obviously). As I watched the sand storms roll across its surface, it reminded me of the waves on the shores of a desert island, powerful yet peaceful, a monster with the gracefulness of a ballerina.
As we descended, I heard the hiss of the brakes and then…thud, we had landed. I stepped out and right away I was bombarded with a wave of salesmen, all ready to prey on the tourists coming to the Martian colony. I hurriedly walked past them and when I got past the crowd I caught a glimpse of the monstrosity of the structure in which I stood. The giant Biodome stood twenty stories high, and from its ceiling hung numerous green plants: ferns, trees, bushes, flowers, all being held in hanging pots, reminding me of Babylon’s Hanging Gardens.
This little metropolis was teeming with life, people were running around frantically, heading to work, visiting friends, going to find the best bargains at the nearest outlet mall, and it was all too much for me. So after a mere five minutes of being on the surface, I turned around and headed back for the Dart station. I boarded the next ship and sat quietly at the back, watching the diverse people stream in and sit down also.
I thought about home on Earth and the way it was changing for the future. The moon had been colonized twenty years before, and now Mars was being inhabited. “What is the fate of Earth?” I thought. “What if it becomes merely a relic of the long-forgotten past?” And almost immediately after I asked myself that question, I got an answer…the Earth will never be forgotten. Just because times change, doesn’t mean the past is gone. Sure there are colonies on the Moon and Mars, and Donald Trump III is thinking about going for Jupiter next because it’s “the best real estate in the galaxy,” but it will all fade away. People will get tired of being so isolated and they will become sick, longing for their home and heritage…Earth.
So, Mom and Dad, Mars was fun, if only for a short time, but I think I’ll stick with Earth. It’s my home, and it will always have a place in my heart.

Terminate
transmission,
David

P.S. Maybe next weekend I’ll visit the Moon…

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