[ IP ] Black Ice

Frost trickled down like stardust, effortless, free, twirling elegant spirals before touching the planet's surface. Each speck pockmarked the black ice of a lake as if it were a greyscale of polka dots. A gust blew through, siphoning the flecks onto the surrounding land, creating a stark contrast between the sheen of dark ice that had once been water and the now white ground around it. The idea that I might be trapped in a black and white flick brought a smile to my face, however, this was short-lived, serving as a reminder that Earth was still a planets breath away. 
 
 The black communication device in my right hand may as well have been a child's toy. I tried it once more. `` Planet X to Earth, do you read me? Planet X to Earth, this is Dane calling in.'' 
 
 Silence was punctuated by a howling wind against the exterior of my crashed dome. The circular shell was something like a metal soccer ball with oval windows fitted on each end. The crevices were filled through with snow and the machine had most certainly frozen to the dirt below, becoming a tomb rather than a spaceship. The fact that winter on Planet X lasted five years did n't help to numb my anxiety. On the plus side, if I did n't freeze to death, I might still make it back home. 
 
 The day before departure, men in white coats, rushing from room to room at NASA with more haste than a man claiming lotto, had boasted their consideration for the temperature on X, labelling miscalculation as implausible. The oversight was that the landing legs could n't unfreeze once overcome by black ice. In this case, my touchdown prospect became a field trip, without the cookies and sightseeing. Men had gone crazy in solitary confinement, enough Prison flicks had documented the fact. Therefore fixing the black communication box became priority number one, for now at least. 
 
 `` Planet X to Earth,'' I said, gritting my teeth. 
 
 No response. 
 
 The communication box became my personal torpedo, smashing into the side of the dome. My knuckles blazed white as the black box hit the floor. I took a deep breath, pushing away my thoughts, only to be distracted by the soft flecks of snow as they drifted down without a care in the world. Getting worked up was futile, whereas being carefree might help me think straight before I did something I'd regret. 
 
 I let my fingers uncurl and then slumped back onto my mattress, staring at the ceiling. 
 
 There was a crackle from the corner of the room. Hail against the window, I figured, or maybe more wind siphoning snow in interesting patterns. The noise came again, this time with an audible voice. 
 
 *'' Earth to Planet X, do you copy? `` * 
 
 I shot up, eyes wide and heart racing. 
 
 The black communication box vibrated with sound once more. *'' Earth to Planet X, we repeat, do you copy? `` * 
 
 
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 /r/TheHarshC 
 
 
 
 

