Trouble Atop Pluto Base

I crawled along the beam, trying not to look down, and admittedly, scared out of my mind. I neared the complex ever so slowly, and hoped that the beam would hold. They were building a base on this planet, and exploding methane had sent me flying, harshly landing here, on a beam high above the ground near the top of the base. I passed out when I made contact with the beam, and woke up nearly three hours later. So now, with a small cut under my right ear, and a broken left leg, I neared the elevator that construction workers were using to reach various areas of the building. Just as I was getting on the elevator, disaster struck. One of the four main support beams gave way, and the section of the construction area I was on began to collapse. A fast reaction by the construction crew stopped the collapse, but after sliding just over thirty feet, I was hanging off one of the northern beams, hanging on for dear life. A large cherry picker was on its way, but I was slipping, fast. All of a sudden I heard a cracking sound. This was an older beam that they were trying to reuse, and it was nearing its breaking point...

To be continued...

"A Secret for Two" Response

Author’s Note: This is a response to the short story “A Secret for Two” by Quentin James Reynolds (1902-1965). This is not a description, rather how the story made me feel, and you are in no way required to agree. Please do not use this for anything but its intended purpose, and do not use without permission prior to usage. Enjoy.

Friendship is a very important part of life, even if your only friend is an animal. It is essential as water because, with friends, comes knowledge, and with knowledge, comes the future, the future of technology, the future of man, the future of life itself. In “A Secret for Two”, Pierre experiences this.

Pierre and Joseph have an obvious bond. They seem to be inseparable, and help each other learn about life. Despite being blind, Pierre is driven by the thought of delivering milk with Joseph. They worked hard every day. Pierre even declined an offer to retire and keep his paycheck because he knew, that if he retired, he would never see Joseph again. Joseph was the only one, other than Pierre himself, that knew he was blind, and therefore had a special spot in his heart.

The pair remind me of my dog, Radar, who is undoubtedly my best friend. She is hilarious, always making me and my dad laugh. Whenever she needs to go out, she howls in the cutest way and then chases her tail. And when she wants to play, she howls and brings a toy over to us. Radar can usually be found in one of three places, on my dad’s bed, on my dad’s chair, or on the couch.

At the end of “A Secret for two”, Joseph dies of old age and Pierre, without his best friend, was less alert and got hit by a truck. Just like Pierre and Joseph, If my dog Radar died, I don’t know what I would do. If this short story had one point, it would be that friendship is extremely important, even if it comes from an animal.