The Debriefing

“You participated in the shuttle mission Horizon?”

“Yes, as first officer.” Lisa Clark swallowed; she was nervous and took a deep breath to calm herself. She looked back at the panel of six all dressed in white lab coats. “How did I get here?” she asked

“Describe what happened when you landed.”

“We thought the surface…”

“Who is we?” One interrupted.

“My second officer Michele Wiley and I,” Lisa continued, “…we thought the surface was liquid or something definitely fluid like, it looked blue and cast shadows as if waves were lapping gently against an island or hill in the middle of the blue expanse, it was jagged and resembled crystals or an ice formation, it was brilliant blue and turquoise and was quite beautiful.”

“What was the mission?”

“The mission was to collect ground samples, water, plant and other specimens. Whatever we could find that resembled life as we know it. We were looking for another planet that human life could grow and prosper.” She told them.

“How did the mission proceed?”

“My second officer, Michele Wiley and I disembarked from the Horizon and gathered the samples. The surface wasn’t water, but something sandy…not quite sandy, but glittery or made of sequins because with each step we took, the surface would shimmer and turn a different color of blue, green, and some crazy purple color, it was really quite fascinating. I was mesmerized by the texture and the way it turned a different color, not by a light source, but by pressure applied. Lisa looked at them, all of them taking notes.

They never looked up, they just kept taking notes.

“Do you think she’s crazy?” One scientist asked.

“Yes, she never left her cell, much less the building.” Another replied.