New to Space Traveler Fargone? Start at the beginning
We walked into The Diner—yup, that was its name—and sat at the counter. The diner had a row of booths on one wall and red padded stools lining the counter on the other side. It reminded me of the diner I stopped at on Planet Joe. Like something out of a 20th-century movie.
An older lady was behind the counter.
“Good day, Reelan. Who are your friends?”
“Good day, Heelan. This is Fargone, Emma, Flow, Leonard, and Harold. They are space travelers visiting our planet.”
“Oh, how nice. How do you like our planet?” Heelan asked.
“It is beautiful,” Em said.
“Quite remarkable,” Flow added.
“It makes me hungry,” Harold said. Leonard punched him in the arm.
“Well, you came to the right place. Feeding people is what we do best. Here are some menus.”
“I am going to show them the underground after lunch,” Reelan said.
“I am sure you will find that interesting,” Heelan replied to everyone.
I noticed that Leonard was uncharacteristically quiet and kept stealing glances at Heelan. I smiled. It seemed romance was in the air on Parcum.
We ordered lunch and enjoyed some chit-chat about the town and its residents. Heelan was very attentive, especially to Leonard.
“Would you like some apple pie for dessert? I made it myself,” Heelan asked Leonard.
“That sounds delightful,” Leonard replied. Then he held Heelan’s gaze for a moment. “Everything about Parcum has been delightful.”
Heelan smiled.
“Smooth,” I whispered to Em.
“Gross,” she whispered back.
We finished lunch, and Reelan asked for the bill.
“Space travelers get their first meal for free,” Heelan said.
“Oh. I didn’t know that was a policy,” Reelan replied.
“I just made it one,” Heelan said and laughed.
We all thanked Heelan and showered her with compliments. Then we left the diner.
“How do we get to the underground?” I asked Reelan as we walked down the street.
“There is an entrance at the end of town.”
“Great. Lead the way.”
We walked until the town stopped and became park as far as I could see. We kept going for about 50 meters. In the grass, there was a small pole. A metal box with a single red button was attached to the top.
“Everyone gather around me,” Reelan said.
We all stood in a circle surrounding the pole. Reelan pushed the button, and a huge section of the ground—it must have been 10 meters square—started to descend like an elevator.
My eyes got big, Em gasped, and Harold said, “Whoa!”
Reelan smiled. “I am sorry. I should have warned you, but I couldn’t resist seeing your reactions.”
“A lawn elevator. How clever,” Flow said as we descended.
“We like to keep the park looking nice.”
A few moments later, we stopped at an opening in the ground. A tunnel stretched out before us. Reelan started walking down the tunnel, and we followed. A few minutes later, we arrived at an opening. It was my turn to say, “Whoa!”
The opening was vast. Far larger than the town above. The walls were lined with shops and residences. I saw a library, a bowling alley, restaurants, and a movie theater. But the most surprising thing was how bright it was. It didn’t seem like we were underground. I looked up and saw an expansive skylight with green-tinted glass panels that was easily 100 meters square. It flooded everything with light.
In the center of this underground town was a small park, where children were playing on swing sets and running around having fun.
“This is amazing,” I said. “But why do you have parks down here when you have endless parks on the surface?”
“Centuries ago, everything was on the surface. It became overcrowded and polluted. The people of those times decided to take action to save our planet. They began tunneling and building useable space underground. The dirt they removed became the parkland we enjoy now. Parcum residents are allowed two days per week on the surface. That keeps the surface beautiful for everyone to enjoy. Over the centuries, we have tried to make the underground as nice as the surface.”
“It reminds me a little of Mallentia,” Leonard said.
“It does,” Em replied.
“Without the goons,” Harold said.
“Yes. What about law enforcement? Surely you have some?” I asked Reelan.
“Oh, sure. Each underground section and town has a sheriff and a deputy.”
“That’s all?”
“There isn’t a need for more. People have everything they need. We live on a beautiful planet. Most folks are happy and content.”
Em and I looked at each other. This sure wasn’t Earth.
We strolled along the various shops until a man walked up to us and said, “Who are your friends, Reelan?”
“Pappa!” Reelan gave the man a hug. “This is Fargone, Emma, Flow, Harold, and Leonard. They are space travelers visiting our planet.”
“Wonderful. I’m Drooba. Reelan’s father and owner of Friendly Donuts. I am pleased to meet you.”
We all concurred.
“You’re donuts are great. Are you hiring?” Harold said.
“Hank!” Leonard snapped.
“Truth be told. Reelan will be going off to advanced school soon. So will Seelan. My wife and I had planned to work the store, but if I could find someone with a passion for it, I might reconsider,” Drooba said.
“You found him. Me,” Harold said.
Drooba stared at Harold, trying to figure out if he was serious.
Harold turned to me. “Fargone, I want to stay here.”
“What?” Leonard said.
“I love it here. It’s beautiful. We get to go outside. The people are friendly. And they have great donuts.”
“Get serious,” Leonard said.
“I am serious. I am sure the Canyon Planet is nice, but this place seems perfect to me. I want to stay.”
I wonder if you might want to say "descend" like an elevator, rather than "lower down" like an elevator. What do you think? This is amazing, Mark! By the way, I seem to be missing episode 26. Could you send it to me? The next one I have is episode 27 - Old West Planet. Thanks! - Tim