Ryan stared through the reinforced plexiglass of the Brawley-Void Observation Deck, watching the orange dust of the Salt-Silt Nebula swirl like a giant, radioactive tumbleweed. It looked just like the desert back home—same oppressive heat, same distinct smell of sulfur and disappointment.
Except the dust here is sentient and trying to file a class-action lawsuit against the ventilation system, Dover grumbled, his metal handrails clicking rhythmically. “You should not miss Earth, Ryan. At least here, the existential dread comes with a dental plan.”
Ryan sighed, clutching a lukewarm Slurpee-X. His nostalgia was interrupted by a loud squelch as his sometime-girlfriend Nebula Norris emerged from El Pluto Loco, her third arm holding a dripping, translucent orb. She tossed it to him, explaining it was “a discount Earthly Comforts souvenir from the Outer Limit Factory Outlet.”
Ryan shook the sphere. Inside, a miniature holographic projection of his childhood bedroom appeared. For a second, his heart ached with genuine longing. Then, the hologram glitched. The miniature Ryan in the projection grew four extra eyes, unhinged its jaw, and began eating the furniture while screaming in a frequency that made Ryan’s teeth itch.
“Is that what your species does for fun?” Nebula asked, poking the glass.
“No,” Ryan groaned, watching his tiny self swallow a holographic lamp. “It is a corrupted memory-loop. I never owned a lamp that bled when you bit it.”
Suddenly, the orb cracked, and the tiny, carnivorous Ryan leaped onto his nose, growling for more wood-based snacks.
(This story created by a California earthquake on July 22, 2026. Magnitude of: 3.61703988682385. 7 km S of Brawley, CA. URL: https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/ci40659802)
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