Dara and the Sunward Shortcut — Every day, Dara zipped along the wide black track with a frost message tucked in her pebble pouch, clicking past the striped moons before the silver rings began to sing. Read the full story →
Every day, Dara zipped along the wide black track with a frost message tucked in her pebble pouch, clicking past the striped moons before the silver rings began to sing. She knew each star-bump, each cold hush, each place where space smelled faintly like metal after lightning. Until one day, a sizzling speck bounced beside her and shouted, “Wrong way is faster!”
Because of that, Dara swerved toward the twin suns, where heat licked her edges and made her pouch drip. Because of THAT, the frost message softened into mist, spelling the missing words across the ringed planet’s clouds: OPEN THE SHADE GATES. Dara gulped, then raced through the bright danger, using the curved orbit like a slingshot.
Finally, the gates bloomed cool blue over the planet, and the rings chimed low as rain. Dara kept one tiny spark in her pouch for the next emergency. If you follow the bold orbit past the small moons, you may spot where she first dared the sunward shortcut.
