Zoo
Page 26
“I claim this planet for his Majesty the King, for Great Britain and the people of Earth. Command, we’ve made it. Astronauts Karl Hartley and Tim Bancroft are coming to you live from Proxima Centauri-B. It sure is beautiful up here.”
“Another giant leap for mankind,” Bancroft added, drawing a huge smile from Hartley.
“Jones,” Hartley said into his intercom.
“Yes, Captain,” replied the co-pilot from the cockpit of the ship, its name painted along the hull in bright yellow. Goldilocks-1.
“Gravity feels very similar to Earth’s. Ground temperature is minus fifteen degrees Celsius, so I’m glad I didn’t pack my beachwear. And there is definitely an atmosphere, clouds and water.”
“So, we have a magnetosphere.”
“Affirmative, although we can do all the technical stuff later. For now, Bancroft and myself are going for a hike.”
“Be careful out there. We’ll start unpacking.”
“You do that. Over and out,” replied Hartley as the two men began their first adventure, walking towards the rocky horizon, many new horizons, now within their reach.
THE END
About the Author
Phil Price was born in Sutton Coldfield in 1974. He lived in various places until his family settled in Rednal, Birmingham in 1979. Growing up with and older brother and sister he always flirted with reading, as there were always books lying on shelves around the house. Then in 1997 he embarked on a travel expedition that took him from Greece to Thailand, via East and Southern Africa. Sitting in dusty bus stations in Kenya, Tanzania, and Malawi gave him the opportunity to ignite his imagination fully. Since those far off days he has never been without a book to read.
He toyed with the idea of writing a book in 2009. After writing a few short stories he caught a whiff of a story in his head. It grew and grew in 2010 until he had enough to begin his writing journey. Marriage and two children came along, with the story being moved to the back burner for periods of time. However, during those periods of writing inactivity the story continued to evolve until it just needed to be written down.
The book was littered with places that had influenced Phil's life. From the Lickey Hills in Birmingham, to the Amatola Mountains in South Africa with other locations, in-between and far beyond.
The book was finished sometime in 2014 and was left on his computer, until a chance conversation with an author friend made Phil take the bold step to publish his story, Unknown.
From there, Phil’s love for the first book spurred him on, creating The Forsaken Series. A vampire/paranormal/horror trilogy, set in our world, and others too. His love of horror and all things supernatural, inspired by authors such as King, Herbert, and others, helped create the epic series.
Next on the horizon, is a science fiction novel, titled Zoo, which will boldly go where Phil has never been before…
Aside from his writing, Phil lives on the edge of a small town in Worcestershire, UK. A wife and two sons keep Phil happily occupied as he steers his way through life, playing husband, dad, and world creator in equal measure.