copyright Douglas M. MacIlroy
The Birth of History
Hector’s breath hissed through the ventilator and he surveyed the delivery room through the windows of his mask. All outside sounds were muffled, including the wail of his newborn son, lying in its mother’s arms.
“The doctor says all is well,” she said. “He can breathe normally.”
Hector nodded. “I wish I could touch him.”
“At home. The atmosphere is optimized for all three of us there.”
“Do you think he will be alright?”
His wife took his gloved hand. “He will be celebrated. The first offspring between a Terran and a Venusian is a cause for joy, not shame.”
The Green-Walled Tower 
April 16th, 2014 at 5:45 pm
Love across the galaxies 🙂
April 16th, 2014 at 11:26 pm
Yep, something worthy of Star Trek. 🙂
April 16th, 2014 at 5:49 pm
Haha! That story has got your style stamped all over it! Nice one!
April 16th, 2014 at 11:25 pm
🙂 I’ll take that as a compliment. Glad you liked it.
April 16th, 2014 at 5:50 pm
Oh, I hope his wife is right about their offspring being celebrated ….
April 16th, 2014 at 11:25 pm
I do too, although I guess she has some reason for thinking that. Who knows what the culture is like on Venus.
April 16th, 2014 at 5:57 pm
Dear David,
Clever sci-fi. I’m trying to imagine what they look like.
Shalom,
Rochelle
April 16th, 2014 at 11:24 pm
I was kind of wondering that too, although with only 100 words to work with, you’re going to have to make that decision for yourself. 🙂 I guess Venusians are somewhat compatible with humans though.
April 16th, 2014 at 6:54 pm
Thats a new POV David! 🙂
April 16th, 2014 at 11:24 pm
🙂 That’s what I like to do.
April 16th, 2014 at 7:21 pm
Dear Dave,
I love where you took this story. Well done.
Aloha,
Doug
April 16th, 2014 at 11:23 pm
Thanks Doug. This is a great picture you submitted. Is this you or someone you know?
April 16th, 2014 at 8:52 pm
Very interesting take. I enjoyed it.
April 16th, 2014 at 11:23 pm
Thanks, I’m glad.
April 16th, 2014 at 9:29 pm
This story took us to the stars and beyond. Good story and well written.
April 16th, 2014 at 11:23 pm
Thanks. 🙂
April 16th, 2014 at 10:35 pm
Brilliantly done, and very imaginative! I hope the other children are accepting!
April 16th, 2014 at 11:23 pm
I sure hope they are, contrary to most of history. Hopefully this is in a more enlightened period. 🙂
April 16th, 2014 at 11:28 pm
A cause for joy not shame – as all children should be. Nicely done.
April 16th, 2014 at 11:29 pm
Exactly. It’s not the child’s fault for the circumstances it is born in, and all children are a blessing.
April 17th, 2014 at 12:55 am
Enjoyed this as always, David, although a bit different for you.
Interplanet Janet (She’s a galaxy girl.)
April 18th, 2014 at 10:50 am
I’m glad you liked it. When you said it was different for me, I thought: What is normal for me? I tend to write just whatever comes to mind, so what would you consider normal for me? I’m curious to have an outsider perspective.
April 18th, 2014 at 11:18 am
I think I mean this was a gentler story than some you do, if that makes sense.
April 18th, 2014 at 11:35 am
That does. I don’t usually write love stories, but every now and then… 🙂
April 18th, 2014 at 11:42 am
Nothing wrong with that.
April 17th, 2014 at 1:14 am
Hi David,
It’s been a while since my random number generator sent me over here and I wanted to see how you were doing so I fixed the draw and here I am.
I love how you’ve made this sci-fi world feel very natural and how ‘human’ you’ve made the characters (I mean that as in I can empathise with and believe in them, not in a bad way). Even in just a few words, I get a sense of the parents’ characters and life together.
One little niggle, although I’ve no suggestion for you on how to improve it, is the line about the atmosphere being optimized for them all at home. I feel like he would know that, and therefore this is really exposition for the reader. It’s a small thing though, and feel free to ignore me.
I’m going to have to rig that generator more often in future. I’ll be back!
April 17th, 2014 at 7:20 am
Thanks for the great comments, Jen and for rigging things in my favor. 🙂 You’re that that line is really only for the reader. I tried to get around that but ended up justifying that he was a new father with a frazzled brain and she was reassuring him. 🙂
April 17th, 2014 at 1:23 am
this is how cultures come together. well done.
April 18th, 2014 at 10:50 am
Thanks. It takes someone making the first step to bridge the gap.
April 17th, 2014 at 2:06 am
Enjoyable read but above all I love the title!
April 18th, 2014 at 10:51 am
The title says it all, right? 🙂
April 17th, 2014 at 3:20 am
When Major Tom came home, no one expected it would be with a new wife. And no one expected his cousin Hector to find one of his own…and marry her, and have a child.
Go figure! 😀
April 18th, 2014 at 10:51 am
That will be a new one for the family gathering, when his new wife can’t even breathe the same air as the rest of them. 🙂
April 17th, 2014 at 7:23 am
David, I like that you took this to the subject of alien lifeforms. I hope they live happily ever after. Great story!
April 18th, 2014 at 10:53 am
Thanks, Amy. When I first see the prompt picture, I usually run through various scenarios in my head, looking for one that clicks. It all depends on my mood and what strikes me most about the picture. How do you decide what to write on each week?
April 18th, 2014 at 12:11 pm
Yes, I go through the same process. I go with the idea that I’m excited about the most. Sometimes, I will read a few stories if nothing comes to me. It will motivate me to come up with something. Usually, other stories don’t end influencing me at all. I just end up writing what, as you say, clicks!
April 19th, 2014 at 8:20 am
Usually I have a couple of ideas, and I stick with the one that clicks. Then, there’s nothing else I could write. Sometimes, I read a few to get motivated, but surprisingly, other stories don’t really influence me. Then, I just hope for the best. 🙂
April 17th, 2014 at 12:49 pm
Great use of the prompt. I only hope that the Terran is good enough for our Venusian and will be a halfway decent father. Or mother.
April 18th, 2014 at 10:39 am
Thanks, Perry. I think they’ll be okay, although who knows what living on Venus will be like for a human. I guess you can fill in those details yourself.
April 17th, 2014 at 2:11 pm
its amazing! loved the concept of inter planetary love. 🙂
April 18th, 2014 at 10:35 am
yep. Not so different after all, even if they’re from different planets.
April 21st, 2014 at 3:45 pm
if two people actually love each other they can be together, remember Bella and Edward? If a vampire and human being can fall in love and stay in love… then why not two similar species.
BTW, why dont people fall in love with monkeys or other primates? I have heard that they sometimes develop such feelings… I hare read about a female swan that used to chase away her owner’s wife, or harass them regularly when they were together by honking around their bedroom! really. its a true life incident I read in Reader’s digest.
April 17th, 2014 at 4:14 pm
another out of this world story from you. masterfully crafted, as always 🙂
April 18th, 2014 at 10:35 am
Thanks KZ. 🙂
April 17th, 2014 at 9:30 pm
Love it! Happy Easter!
April 17th, 2014 at 10:21 pm
Thanks. Happy Easter to you too!
April 17th, 2014 at 10:37 pm
Good, old-fashioned sci-fi. The way mother used to make. Bravo!
April 18th, 2014 at 10:35 am
Thank you. Something out of the pulp fiction sci-fi era, eh? 🙂
April 18th, 2014 at 11:29 am
Very much so. Something I have missed in there last thirty years.
April 17th, 2014 at 10:50 pm
A clever take on the prompt which I thoroughly enjoyed.
April 18th, 2014 at 9:40 am
Thank you so much. 🙂
April 18th, 2014 at 12:48 am
The first FF story about a Terran and a Venusian is also a cause for joy and smiling readers.
April 18th, 2014 at 9:40 am
If it is the first. 🙂 We get some far out stories here, so I wouldn’t be surprised if it happened before. Someone should keep stats on all our stories. 🙂
April 18th, 2014 at 3:07 am
I really enjoyed this one David. I like the way you make this sci-fi story feel very normal and approachable. Nicely done!
April 18th, 2014 at 3:08 am
Hmm, “normal” should read: realistic. Realistic and approachable.
😉
April 18th, 2014 at 9:39 am
Thanks. I like the challenge of taking far out things and trying to make them seem realistic, or at least plausible.
April 18th, 2014 at 7:41 pm
I hope the other kids at school don’t tease him and call him a half-breed. Very well written (as usual) piece.
April 18th, 2014 at 10:39 pm
I love your stories…but I can’t help thinking about you and this ferry accident since you live in Korea. I know you teach kids. Hoping it didn’t effect you personally…please let me know if you have a minute…
April 18th, 2014 at 11:17 pm
Thanks for your concern, Susannah. It happened off the coast, a few hours from here, so relatively close. It has really affected my students and I’ve had a couple come up to me and tell me that they’re sad or upset about it. It was a big disaster and since most of them were students, it hit even harder. I take ferries out in the Yellow Sea to islands all the time, and I’ve never considered it dangerous, but accidents do happen, unfortunately.
April 18th, 2014 at 11:29 pm
Thanks for answering me. It’s been on my mind…horrible thing and now the principal taking her life. On a brighter note, I know you celebrate…have a peaceful Happy Easter. I truly believe we’re privy to disaster to remind us to live, and live fully right now.
April 18th, 2014 at 11:48 pm
Ah, I didn’t hear about the principal. You probably get more news there than here, since I don’t usually watch the Korean news. That’s terrible. But yes, despite everything I hope it will be a good Easter, for you too.
April 19th, 2014 at 1:17 am
Thanks David…he has risen..well at least he will.
April 20th, 2014 at 12:50 am
Great story, and – as with many of your stories – it could easily be the start of something longer. I’m imagining what the baby looks like, and what the neighbours will think…
April 20th, 2014 at 2:14 am
David I love when opposites collide- miracles are created. Love the sci-fi take on the prompt. Dana
April 20th, 2014 at 9:23 am
Oh I liked that! I’m enjoying all the scifi takes on this prompt 🙂
April 20th, 2014 at 9:56 am
not only a celebration of new life but the beginning of a new chapter in history…love your story, David.
April 20th, 2014 at 1:35 pm
David, I like your story – it is quirky but I like science fiction! Thanks, Nan 🙂
April 22nd, 2014 at 1:35 am
Great title for a great little number. Cigars all round.