Upon a Waking Dream: A Preview!

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Upon a Waking Dream is a collection of 12 science fiction and fantasy stories...and you can read one of them right here. Keep scrolling!

Day 1

Greetings, daily log! Wow, it’s fun talking into this thing—I don’t even have to type! Good thing, because I’m all butterfingers on a keyboard. Right, right…okay. My name is Kwame Pattison, not that I’m important. Porter and I arrived at Outpost #602 on Kuiper Belt Object Perez 9276b this morning at 0800 hours Eastern Daylight Time. Morris and Jeong were so glad we came to replace them, they burst into actual tears. It’s a funny thing to watch in ultra-low gravity. They said they’d nearly died of boredom out here. I’m smart; I brought some old shows with me, a stack of books, and a few two-player games. Porter brought knitting needles and a basket of yarn. Some people are just full of surprises.

Day 2

This place is the shape of a potato, and isn’t much bigger than one. While Porter stayed inside the compound, I suited up and went for a walk around the surface of Perez 9276b. There’s no air, of course, and the ground is the color of old concrete. Before he and Morris left, Jeong warned me not to attempt running outside; the gravity is so low I could send myself into orbit if I go too fast.

I’m tempted to try, but I’m not entirely stupid. I won’t die in space.

Day 3

When I was assigned this job, I was told that Outpost #602 had been listening for signals from interstellar space for nine and a half years. Nobody’s ever heard an abnormal peep out of the scanners in that entire length of time, but it’s still a good-paying gig. By the time they send me back to Earth in four months, I’ll have enough money to put a down payment on a house. Kimmy and I were thinking of looking at places near Denver. I can practically smell the mountain air!

Day 4

I guess I should be talking more about actual work in this log. Well, guess what: I haven’t heard anything, and I have a fairly decent ear for anomalies. My elbow hurts from leaning on it half the day while I listen to the equipment. Once I thought I heard an eerie warbling coming through, but it was just Porter singing in the shower.

Day 5

It’s getting a little dreary out here. The sun is so far away, it’s just a bright dot a little bigger than the other stars. This rock’s orbit isn’t much farther out than the orbit of Neptune, but Neptune is way around the other side of the sun right now, so we can’t even look at that.

I wish there were sunshine, or weather, or something. Even a little earthquake would be nice for some excitement, but you can’t have an earthquake if you’re not on Earth.

Day 6

Still no alien signals. I started watching reruns of I Love Lucy. Porter tried to make some cakes in the kitchen but made a sloppy mess everywhere that I had to help clean up. Spilling flour in ultra-low gravity should be a punishable offense.

I’ve sent Kimmy a few messages letting her know I’m safe. I hope my messages don’t interfere with anything the aliens might be sending us. If there even are aliens. It’s not like anyone’s actually heard one, or seen one. I’m starting to think they’re as real as Bigfoot.

Day 7

Porter and I have been discussing what the aliens might look like, if we ever do meet them. We agree they would probably be humanoid, with opposable thumbs that would help them build their spaceships. But what color would they be? Would they have hair and wear clothes, like us?

Yes, Porter, I’m talking to myself. Where have you been the past week when I record the day’s thoughts? And you say you have a degree in physics. I guess nobody can major in The Obvious.

Day 8

Porter is pouting now. I didn’t mean to hurt his feelings, but come on.

Yes, Porter, I’m talking about you again. It’s called “venting.” Who the hell else am I going to talk to out here? The ghost of Neil Armstrong?

Sorry, getting back on track now. I spent part of the day suited up outside, getting my exercise in. It only takes an hour and a half to completely circumnavigate this rock. Magellan would be green with envy! Did I mention how glorious the stars all look out here, with no atmospheric haze to dim them? It’s a backyard astronomer’s wet dream.

But still no alien signals.

Day 9

Today was boring. Porter still isn’t talking to me. I might hold a séance later to conjure up old Neil. I bet he didn’t have to deal with this crap on the moon.

Day 10, Part 1

Nothing new to report. I—

What the hell was that? Porter, get in here!

Day 10, Part 2

Something’s shown up in our sector, heading straight toward us from the direction of interstellar space. It’s like it just materialized there, but now it’s moving fast. Our scanners can’t identify it as any previously-known object in this region. We’ve already alerted the other Kuiper Belt bases, as well as the ones on Titan and Ceres, even though they’re farther in. It’ll take a little longer for the alert to reach Earth.

This thing isn’t moving like an ordinary space rock. What if it hits us? There shouldn’t have been anything like this out here at all, dammit!

Day 11

The object moved sharply off course early this morning, saving us from certain disaster.

We can’t just shrug it off, though. Four more objects like it popped up out of nowhere on the scanners today. My teeth won’t stop chattering. Porter’s used the lavatory about seventeen times. We received the confirmation that Earth and all outlying bases have been placed on Red Alert. The first object is already closing in on Jupiter’s orbit. Scanning probes near the Jupiter system indicate the object is metal. I’d bet my salary all the new ones are, too.

Oh, God. One of the new objects is coming right toward us.

Day 12, Part 1

We’ve requested evacuation. It sounds nice, but it won’t be fast enough. This thing will be here in three hours if it doesn’t change course. A ship from the Titan base will be here next week. If there is a next week for us. We don’t have any weapons.

Day 12, Part 2

I can see the damned thing. The object is a bright light moving toward us. This is utter insanity. Can I please wake up now? They must have picked up our signals and homed in on us. Porter picked up a frequency coming from the object and dialed the volume all the way up. It sounded like a pure cacophony that had to be biological in origin. We think it was the aliens talking to some of their other ships. No humanoids would make sounds like that.

I don’t think I want to know what the aliens look like. God, get me off this rock!

Day 12, Part 3

The object has just landed on Kuiper Belt Object Perez 9276b, about one kilometer from the compound. We can see it through the viewports—it’s shaped kind of like a big, metal chicken egg with some running lights around it. I keep praying these people are friendly. I can’t stop shaking. We’re about to make history here…

Shit, figures just started emerging from the object. Three—no, four, of them. They’re suited up, so they clearly need air like us. But what kind of air? Oxygen? Methane? Oh, who the hell cares! They’re moving right toward the airlock!

I can see them better now. They’re tall, at least two meters, with round, plump bodies. And they’re walking on two slender legs.

Porter just vomited on the floor—of course I’m telling that to the machine; I just saw it happen! Don’t worry about cleaning it up. Maybe they won’t mind the mess? Oh, boy. They’re at the airlock now. I’m going to go arm myself…there’s a knife in the kitchen…okay. I’ve got the knife now.

Use your knitting needles, Porter! Stab only if provoked!

They’re inside the airlock. The knob is turning…

They’re stepping into the room. Oh, Jesus…okay. Their suits are blue, and their helmets have tinted face plates. Their necks are a meter long—about half the height of their entire bodies. Their legs are so skinny, it just reminds me of something…

One seems to be scanning the air in here with an alien piece of equipment…it just said something in its own language. Now they’re taking off their helmets!

Jesus Christ, they look exactly like…

Porter, watch out! They’re firing at us! They’re—

Day 12, Part 4

Quack. Quack. Quack-quack quack. Quack quack? Quack.