Shawn Powers' Stories

Galaxy Tree

2007-11-26T00:03:24Z

It was a Christmas tree constellation. That was the difficult part. It wasn’t like the big dipper, or Orion, it was a fully decorated tree. All the observation posts around the globe (and in space) agreed that it was created from a huge collection of stars and nebulas varying from millions to hundreds of millions light years away. It didn’t make any sense that the light would just start to reach Earth, and it made even less sense for them to be arranged like a perfect Christmas tree. Yet, there it was, as plain as day.

Rumors of the end of the Earth, Armageddon, Santa God, and even intergalactic pranksters circulated the news channels hourly. It was hard for anyone to come up with a scenario that was any less absurd than the tree existing at all. That is, until Rudy Blephson wrote his paper…

Collision Course

2007-04-02T02:15:00Z

Oh sure, the government think tanks had grandiose ideas to save the world. Some thought speeding up the revolution of the moon around the Earth would counteract the centripetal and electromagnetic forces that were bringing certain death. Yet others insisted the best plan was to start the moon spinning, which would put the magnetic attraction in flux (plus, John mused, give backyard astronomers a new face of the moon to view).

John marveled at the ideas that were actually feasible when “energy required” was taken out of the equation. He’d read in the USA Today about plans to blow up the moon, and constructing a ring system around the planet. Even Gerald had proposed (privately, as he hadn’t done the math yet) allowing the moon to collide, but slowing it down enough that it was a gentle merging of the two.

John sat in the quiet, dark room, and laughed out loud at the thought of a snowman shaped planet. The green and pink dancing sky memorized him, and for a moment he forgot about the impending doom.

Global Aurora

2007-04-01T00:16:17Z

John laughed as he remembered a mere 2 decades ago, when the global concern was a lack of energy, and now the Energy Distribution Department was begging citizens to use as much excess electricity as they could. His grandfather was the man who originally proposed the idea for the inter-solar gravity well, which attracted the solar flares into Earth’s collectors. What was then the salvation of mankind has proven to feed a problem we didn’t even know existed.

As it turns out, the Earth had plenty of energy all along. Just like a child wanting more candy, however, we consumed until it was too late. The planet was in the middle of a huge, metaphorical belly ache. John turned off the light. Well, to be precise, he turned on another light, of opposite polarity, so as to cancel out the first light. Many such devices existed now, and apart from the green glow of the global aurora, life appeared the same as it had always been.

It was a problem much bigger than lamplight that worried John that evening…

Sweet Carolina, Part 3

2007-03-30T01:27:14Z

Carolina was so perfect, that ordering a cup of tea seemed almost insulting. In fact, the first time I saw her, I actually tried to be manly, and ordered straight espresso. The “manly” effect was short lived when I involuntarily spat the vile liquid on the counter.

It was in her response that I found perfection. With a genuine smile, and brushing humor, she commented, “yeah, I think the machine is letting some coffee grounds through—sometimes I end up serving a cup full of mud. You probably aren’t in the mood for coffee anymore, would you like a Coke?”

If it weren’t for the work I had to do, and the line of eager Carolina-watchers behind me, I might have proposed on the spot. Every day since, I’ve been here, building up the nerve to discuss more than the nuances of bean-based beverages. In fact, just this morning,

Bumbling Barbara

2007-03-29T20:58:39Z

“C-O-F-F-E-E. Yep, all lowercase. No problem.”

Barbara forgot her password again. A year ago, I might have changed it to something new, but it just makes more work for me in the long run. She really does forget, so last time I just made it something I’d remember. Now, every few months, Barbara calls because her password doesn’t work. I’m not sure if she tries random passwords, and can’t remember, or if she spells it wrong once and assumes it’s broken. When I tell her her password is now “coffee”—she types it in, thanks me, and hangs up. Then she gossips to her neighboring teachers that the &#*(@ computers messed up again, and she had to lay the law down and get me to fix it.

Today’s episode was a little different, however, because…