by Beth Hoyer
2049. I’m sad that happened that I can’t believe it. I checked on Sue’s family tree. Lucky! Her brother Max got married and had three kids. Two boys and a girl named Suzanna. The boys are named Michael and Nick. Max died in 2099 unfortunately two years early. The kids are alive and grandparents now. I can’t believe it. Cars are gone replaced with hover and electricity cars. Houses are powered by electricity and solar power. Computers are voice active. I looked up Terra. There are differences from Earth. Terra is mainly cold with ice caps of winter while Earth has all kinds of weather. I looked up the ship we’re on. The ship's name is Christa. The ship crew slept frozen for twenty years while the ship traveled to Terra. Some things I learned about the ship have rotating parts for gravity and are quite big enough to fit three hundred people on it. I can’t believe that science has created this so fast in one hundred years. It’s utterly amazing. I discovered that there are cures for AIDS and several deadly diseases. Gasoline is a thing of the pass. Sue woke up and I showed her what I learned from the computer.
Yours,
Elizabeth
January 20, 2101
Dear Anne,
Sue was impressed with the stuff on the computer I showed her. Mathew came back he told us the date is the January twentieth Earth date then he asked us how we're feeling. I told him I felt fine and so did Sue. He told us we should be fine enough to get out of bed. I asked him feeling embarrassed for the restroom. I can't believe I asked him that. He went to the room's corner and opened a door, which slid open. He gestured. Then he left the room. I got out of bed and nearly fell to the ground. My legs felt like rubber. I couldn't wait change into my twenty first century clothes. It was nice to change. When I came out I found Sue had changed her clothes too. I don't know what I'll do with the big v-neck shirt. Sue told me Matthew said we could keep them. I stuff the shirt in my backpack while Sue folded hers. It was nice wearing something that is oddly one hundred years old. I can't believe the material feels like new. I also found a comb and a brush in my backpack pocket. I can't believe the surprises that keep popping up. I crossed off the days on the calendar I found on the wall. It eerie looked like the calendar the space suit nurse crossed off. I managed to brush my hair and put it up in a ponytail. Sue used the restroom and came out with her hair up in a ponytail. We think alike. Mathew came in. Said it’s time for dinner.
Mathew took us out the room into a white hallway on the way Mathew told me that the hearing aid device is coming soon. I can’t wait. I want to know what the hearing aid devices of the future look like. The computer explanation really wasn't clear about this. Duh would be like it. We passed several gleaming white doors in the hallway until Mathew stopped at a door with a strange sign on it. It slid open showing the cafeteria. Sue and I and Mathew didn’t see any crewmembers while eating in the cafeteria. The cafeteria was a medium sized room in a square shaped with gleaming silver tables and chairs in contemporary style. At one side of the room were what appeared to be vending machines with pictures of items I couldn’t deciphers. The three of us ate dinner alone in the cafeteria. The room is bigger than the room we’re staying in with a rectangular shape. I had some white creamy stuff that tastes like vanilla. I ate it with a spoon. We both had cream stuff with green drinks. I found this experience weird. Mathew stayed with us. He told us what were eating is vegetables mashed together. The drinks are also vegetables too, which helps us live longer. After eating Mathew took us on a tour of the ship. We left the room and entered the long hallway to a door at one end. It opened and he showed us that it was the bridge. Five crewmembers were working at consoles there. The bridge is like the one on a space shuttle. It was triangular shaped. In front were windows to outside. I could see stars whizzing by. In front of the windows were two crew members wearing head pieces. They appear to be pilots. Then behind them was a chair with a console in the middle of the room. There are consoles with buttons on them and some of them look like touch typing. The consoles look interesting. Behind the chair was a third crew member who was also wearing a head piece. All five were wearing bike helmets with screens in the front of the helmets. On my left was another console with a fourth crew member. The fifth crewmember was standing around watching us. I told Mathew about space shuttles and how the room reminded me of one. He told me the ship is based on the space shuttle. He also added that several parts of the ship are based on the space shuttle. The rest were made up from watching TV shows on space. The bridge is big and roomy. It had windows to outside. I saw the stars for the first time. The ship according to the computer is rotating clockwise for gravity.
I asked, “Where’s Terra?”
Mathew gestured to a table I didn't notice sitting besides the chair in the middle of the room. A holographic screen appeared. It showed many stars on it. The screen showed our position as a red dot and Terra as a green dot, showing where we are. Mathew told me that Terra is five Earth days away. I can’t wait. I hope I have fun on Terra. After the tour of the bridge and meeting the crew members Mathew finally told us he’s the ship’s doctor. He could have told us when we met him at first. I felt creep out about this. I noticed that he and Sue exchange looks. I'm very curious and I'm wondering what's going on. Mathew explained that some of the people put frozen broke the laws of today. (Sad that happened.) Mathew added he was cautious with us. (I’m sorry to "hear" that.) After the bridge tour Mathew showed us the rest of the ship. The ship has one long corridor with doors on both sides. It’s all white except the bridge is blue color. He showed us the brown cylinder engine room. It's brown with a cylinder in the middle of the small square room. There were consoles next to the cylinder. Also there were three crewmembers were already working there.
We met them all who introduced themselves despite Mathew’s protests of “No need to do that.”
They were Anna Yulila, Frederick Wallberg and Isreala David. They seemed to be nice. The rest of the ship was crew quarters, the gym to work out and the infirmary. Sue told me she felt tired. I also felt tired too. Mathew led us back to our room. Sue went to sleep on her bed. I wonder what I’ll be doing on Terra. I hope the people there are nice. I hope I get my hearing aid device soon. I’m tired. I think I’ll go to bed now. Oh one odd thing, Sue has been cranky today. The crew members gave me odd looks that bothered me. I don't know why but I hope it's nothing. Well good night.
Love,
Elizabeth
January 21, 2101
Dear Anne,
Mathew woke us up. He told us today is the twenty first We had breakfast, which was gray cream stuff with gray drinks that both tasted like Caramel. Mathew and half of the crew ate with us. It was nice seeing them but I felt left out when the crew was talking to Sue the most. They seemed interested in the past. They were asking her about the twentieth century. I lip read them asking her. Why can’t someone talk to me? I think it’s because I’m deaf. They probably don't know how to talk to me. Mathew waved to get my attention. He told me the hearing aid device is coming along shortly. I’m annoyed at that. Humph. After breakfast we went to a room that looked like a futuristic electrician workshop. The room was a small square with only a table on the wall. There were all sorts of electronic ware on the table. Mathew sorted the electronics and picked up a device. I was given the hearing aid device. It’s like my old hearing aids runs on electricity and solar power. It has no small battery for charging. I was told to have it charged every week by either electricity or solar power. I put the hearing aids on. It was great to hear. I could hear Sue’s voice and Mathew’s voice. Her voice is higher than Mathew’s. After the workshop was the weight room. The room is nearly the same size as the room Sue and I are staying in. We worked out on weight machines. The machines seem to be like twentieth century machines. It was quite a tiring working out. My muscles complained a lot. Then we went to the cafeteria to eat lunch. The stuff was red cream stuff with red drinks. I didn’t ask Mathew what was in the drinks. I'm still mad that the crew is still ignoring me for Sue. After lunch was more working out then we went
to our room to rest for a two hour nap. Dinner came. It was like yesterday green cream with green drinks. The crew ate with us. They have rotating nine-hour shifts. Sue told me that. Once again they focused on Sue. I could lip read and understand what they were talking about. They asked Sue about the twentieth century. They were interested about her life. I don’t believe it. Idiots! Don’t they have history books? What are they learning in school this time? Ridiculous. I finally got around to asking Mathew about the marks on my left arm. I keep forgetting. He told us they weren’t removable. They were there to mark us. I’m glad Mom isn’t around. She’ll be mad. My Mom has told me over and over not to get tattoo.
"Ruins your chances of getting an office job" she told me from what I remember.
After dinner was more working out, then to bed. Sue went to sleep. I decided to charge my hearing aids. I feel I really need to be more assertive in getting the crew to talk to me.
Love,
Elizabeth
January 22, 2101
Dear Anne,
Man what a night. I had a nightmare, which went out