Far From Summerland, page 1

Far From Summerland

December 7th, 2015

Earth is so far away. I dreamed often when I was young of being up here, conducting experiments, doing my duties as an astronaut. My dreams came true, but none really prepared me for the beauty of it all. It's wonderful. This planet is just a marvel of God's creation. Yes, I believe in God and I'm an astronaut. I studied all these years in scientific concepts such as physics and engineering. I am a paragon of logical processing. Yet I never really let go of that spark inside me. The spark always told me to hold on to your family and their beliefs. Really, my faith in God is the strongest it's ever been. Circling thousands of miles above the Earth cements that fact in my mind, and my heart.

December 7th, 2065

I can barely see home now, that damn beautiful blue marble. It's just like any other star in the night sky, although I made sure to bookmark it in my brain. It makes me wonder how people could think that a "God" could exist. Ever since the collapse of the Catholic Church a few years back, I was certain that if there was a god that he didn't have our best interests in mind. My atheism hasn't held me back a single step of the way, though. It won't hold me back once I become the first man to step onto Mars, either. Sleep is important, so I'll end this log here. I'll just say that my father, while a proud Christian, would love what I've done to progress humanities overall long list of accomplishments.

Twelve 30, 65 A.E.

0.87 LYs from Earth. Alpha Centauri is in view. Never thought I'd see the day. The cryogenic freeze really gives you a cramp in the neck, but if this is the result I'll never mind. Such beauty from such a small speck in the universe. I can't believe anyone hundreds of years in the past would even think to believe in a concept such as God. Were they insane? To think, if I said that in what our ancestors referred to as "2015" some people would frown at me. And even farther back then that, they'd fry me like some unintelligent chicken! But enough of that noise: I'm going to be the first woman to reach another star system. That's all that matters now. Everyone in the Solar System is viewing my expedition as I speak. The entire civil war between Earth and my homeworld of Titan is in ceasefire just in preparation for this astounding achievement. To think that I potentially saved millions of lives one day because of a single expedition. Boggles the mind.

Twel IIG, 1-065 A.X.

My grandma told me the story of her thirty-three times plus great grandmother, and how she was the first to ever step foot on a planet orbiting a star. Being an adventurer sounds like fun! Late at night she'd also tell me stories of a planet called Earth, and how humans "evolved" there, whatever that means. She told me about the time when "original" humans were all killed in a big war. She could tell I was getting scared, so she told me "Don't worry. We're the remnants of those original humans from Earth, and we carry their stories in our genes." I have no idea what any of that means, but it sounded interesting. She looked sad for a moment, and then said "We will never die, because we are the children of God." Then she laid me down in bed, kissed me, and left the room. I heard mommy yelling at grandma about her "fake" stories about "Earth" and "God", calling her all kinds of bad words. I don't like it when mommy's like this. Sometimes I feel like I could travel to Earth, and excavate the lost ruins of humanity. Then everyone would believe grandma and mommy would like her again. But I know deep-down it's just a story.