Eighty-Third Entry

March 16^th, 2037

0600

Dear Space Diary

Mary had crawled into the spacesuit and gone to sleep (face down, I notice) by the time I got back from reading NASA’s bizarre message. So I decided to go back to the space ship and start reading through the mission parameters.

At least that was the plan. Instead, I sat down, fell asleep, and woke up with a clear head and a sore neck. Ow.

Still, I guess it was a better use of my time. Sleep is productive, right?

0610

Mary’s still asleep, so I’ve come back to the ship. Good chance to read these parameters.

Ok. Table of Contents.

“What you doing?”

…crossword puzzle.

“Oh cool! I love those. What word are you on?”

Oh look, the computer crashed. Oh well.

“Lame.”

Yeah I hate it when the computer crashes.

“No not that, your ability to lie. Whatever, keep your secrets. Shall we get started?”

0700

Made good progress. Same plan as yesterday, dung beetle and hamster. What an unlikely team.

I’m only half talking about the metaphor.

I hid the parameters in the, well, the mission parameters folder. It’s full of various revisions of 400 page documents and appendices, so I doubt she’ll go in there. Fortunately Mary can’t hear me from inside the spaceship so I’m free to narrate in peace.

0830

This is actually quite easy. Probably a decent workout, too. Everybody wins. Terrain is nice and flat.

0900

Blast. A hill. A large one at that.

0910

This is no longer easy.

0915

Nearly there.

Akk! I slipped! I… oh dear.

0920

I, um. I dropped the spaceship.

It really does roll quite well, doesn’t it?

0930

It’s rolled down the hill, around the corner and stopped in a small furrow. Now it’s just sitting there.

I should probably go down there and see if she’s ok.

…but I’m scared.

Not that she might be hurt. More that she might be angry.

Which she probably has every right to be.

…Dammit, ok. Here goes.

0935

Door opening.

Hello, Mary, you there? You ok? Are you?

“AAAAAAAARRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!”

0940

Good news is she’s fine.

And boy, can she run fast.

0943

Mary’s decided not to kill me at this stage.

I’m entirely pleased with this outcome.

We’ve decided to take a break before we start pushing again, given we just lost a fair bit of progress and we’re both tired from our morning run.

0946

Actually kind of peaceful.

0950

“Hey.”

Yes Mary?

“Listen, you should know, I’m really not that keen to go back to the city.”

I know, Mary. But I have to go home. And unless we find fuel for the ship, I’m going to be waiting with you anyway.

“No it’s not that. I just don’t want to go back to the city.”

Why not? You can hardly sit outside in a spacesuit for the next however long.

“Listen.”

Actually I suppose you could…

“Listen!”

What?

“It’s… wait, is that a lightdog over there?”