Children of the Failing Earth

The Earth was dying. The core of the planet cooled. That meant the electromagnetic shield around Earth had diminished allowing solar radiation to begin stripping away the oxygen from the atmosphere.

Within 50 years, it would all be gone. So people got busy . A plan to send 400 people to Mars developed. Within a few years there was a launch date. People said goodbye to loved ones.

There were twin girls who were close. Mara and Mitzi. They both were in college. Mara was chosen to go to Mars . Mitzi had to stay behind. Before Mara boarded the spacecraft, her sister gave her a gold heart locket to wear around her neck in memory of her.

With everyone aboard the huge monolithic rockets, the 400 earthlings began their journey toward the red planet. It took six months.

When Mara and the other colonists landed on Mars, it was a fight for survival. The technology they brought with them was designed to help them survive. They depended on technology that was untested.

Some of it failed. Finding better sources of water took most of their time. The colony moved a few times when better resources were discovered. A new industry emerged. They collected and made use of metals and ceramics found on Mars.

Greenhouses grew in size and fed everyone. Within a few Martian years the colonists had become consistent in the ways of Martian life. They increased their technology that improved all the while.

Meanwhile on Earth life was bad to worse. The solar radiation bombarded the precious atmosphere. Forests were dying. Crops were hard to grow. Animals were vanishing fast. People were dying too. Wealthy people built airtight colonies inside their huge warehouses. If a person could not seal their dwelling, they could not live.

Green houses were built but it was too little too late Mara's twin sister managed to work in one huge green house growing fruit trees and chickens. It was all contained in a 2 acre biodome building near the shore of a large lake.

Man was thrust backwards in his technology. No cars, cell phones, no internet, or cities. The Earth was dying and no one could stop it.

Mitzi wished she could contact her sister on Mars. There was a ham radio that sat on the table in the control room. It was used for emergencies. Other small settlements had ham radios also. Every once and a while a garbled message came through. Usually when a settlement was on the verge of collapsing.

At the colony on Mars, no one had heard a message from Earth in many years. There was no space agency or government on Earth to contact them. They were alone.

The colonists started to see the effects of the lighter gravity on their physical bodies when in one week two colonists died of an unknown condition that affected the bones and immune system. The physician at the colony tested everyone.

The results came back that most of the colonists had the condition. Some worse than others. Eventually every colonist would die. So they really tried to come up with a solution. Mara spoke up. She explained ever so simply," Why don't we go back to Earth?"

The colonists realized that Earth still had more of an atmosphere. Water was still in abundance . It would be easier to live on Earth than Mars.

So they planned the exodus back to Earth. Their technology they developed would work very well on Earth. Over the years on Mars the colonists changed. They were very pale with very slender bodies. Their teeth were gone and they would be a little hunchback on Earth.

One difference between the Earthlings and the Martians was that the Martians were the most technologically advanced between the two. The colonists would be aliens in their home world. They were truly Martians coming back to take over Earth.

Maybe we can learn something from the Martians, before it is too late. What do you know , Mitzi finally got her gold heart locket back from her Martian twin sister.