A distant lilac ball hung in a clear desert sky. The sun reduced to a small purple sphere before it set behind volcanoes. Streaks of silvery blue clouds shone in the twilight before relenting to the night and its two silver moons. Deep, deep down inside a canyon, amongst red cracked regolith, reaching up with twisted branches, a tree grew on Mars.
***
In "Manchineel" by N J Delmas, the haunting beauty of Mars serves as a backdrop for an explorer's journey. Amidst the stunning, twilight desert landscape and under the watchful gaze of two silver moons, X, a dedicated mycologist, embarks on a pivotal mission to a 50-year-old colony. Driven by a thirst for knowledge and the desire to secure a future for herself and her daughter, X delves into the mysteries of alien flora. As she navigates the red cracked regolith and encounters a enigmatic tree reaching for the stars, she must confront the challenges of survival, discovery, and the sacrifices required to ensure their legacy on this desolate yet captivating world.
About the Creator
N J Delmas
I lean towards the darker side of fiction and poetry. I love folk lore, fairy tales, ghosts and witches, often giving old themes a new twist. I have published with several magazines and am in the process of writing a dark YA fiction.
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