more perplexed Fangs asked.
“You just mentioned the first step toward a new civilization,” the Marshal explained.
“You,” Fangs could hardly believe his own words, “want to be ants' food?”
Earth's soldiers all nodded. Fangs wordlessly gazed at them for what seemed like forever, before turning and slowly hobbling back to his spaceship, heavily leaning on his walking stick.
“Farewell, friend,” the Marshal shouted after Fangs.
Fangs replied with a long, drawn-out sigh. “An interminable darkness lies before me and my descendants; the darkness of endless war and a vast universe. Oh, where in it could there be a home for us?”
As he spoke, the humans saw that the ground beneath his feet had moistened, but they could not tell if he could, or did, shed tears.
With a thunderous roar the Dinosaur's spaceship lifted off and quickly disappeared into the sky. Where it had disappeared, the Sun was now setting.
The last warriors of Earth seated themselves around the living soil in silence. Then, beginning with the Marshal, they all, one by one, opened their visors and laid their bodies on the sandy earth.
As time passed, the Sun set. Its afterglow bathed the plundered Earth in a beautiful red. As it faded, a few stars began to twinkle in the sky. To his surprise, the Marshal saw that the dusky sky was a beautiful blue. Just as the thin atmosphere began to deprive him of his consciousness, the Marshal felt the tiny movements of an ant on his temple, filling him with a deep sense of contentment. As the ant climbed up to his forehead, he was transported back to his so very distant childhood. He was at the beach, lying in a small hammock that hung between two palm trees. Looking up to the splendid sea of stars above, he felt his mother's hand gently stroke his forehead …
Darkness fell. The remnant ocean lay flat as a mirror, pristinely reflecting the Milky Way above. It was the most tranquil night in the planet's history.
In this tranquility, the Earth was reborn.
(END)
More Wonderful Works of Liu Cixin are available on the Kindle store, free to borrow for prime clients. Check out the author's Amazon page: http://www.amazon.com/Cixin-Liu/e/B007JP96JU
We want to hear from you! We welcome all your comments, suggestions, criticisms and ideas!
As a Chinese publisher, we are very interested in the opinions of our Western readers and the author welcomes your feedback and the opportunity to improve his work. We are happy to offer anyone who reviews one of our stories and tells us about - and anyone who just sends us some feedback - another science-fiction story free of charge.
We also appreciate recommendations and feedback on Twitter, Facebook, forums or other channels. A free story can also be yours if you notify us of such contributions by email. This free story can be yours in addition to the one we offer for a review!
“You just mentioned the first step toward a new civilization,” the Marshal explained.
“You,” Fangs could hardly believe his own words, “want to be ants' food?”
Earth's soldiers all nodded. Fangs wordlessly gazed at them for what seemed like forever, before turning and slowly hobbling back to his spaceship, heavily leaning on his walking stick.
“Farewell, friend,” the Marshal shouted after Fangs.
Fangs replied with a long, drawn-out sigh. “An interminable darkness lies before me and my descendants; the darkness of endless war and a vast universe. Oh, where in it could there be a home for us?”
As he spoke, the humans saw that the ground beneath his feet had moistened, but they could not tell if he could, or did, shed tears.
With a thunderous roar the Dinosaur's spaceship lifted off and quickly disappeared into the sky. Where it had disappeared, the Sun was now setting.
The last warriors of Earth seated themselves around the living soil in silence. Then, beginning with the Marshal, they all, one by one, opened their visors and laid their bodies on the sandy earth.
As time passed, the Sun set. Its afterglow bathed the plundered Earth in a beautiful red. As it faded, a few stars began to twinkle in the sky. To his surprise, the Marshal saw that the dusky sky was a beautiful blue. Just as the thin atmosphere began to deprive him of his consciousness, the Marshal felt the tiny movements of an ant on his temple, filling him with a deep sense of contentment. As the ant climbed up to his forehead, he was transported back to his so very distant childhood. He was at the beach, lying in a small hammock that hung between two palm trees. Looking up to the splendid sea of stars above, he felt his mother's hand gently stroke his forehead …
Darkness fell. The remnant ocean lay flat as a mirror, pristinely reflecting the Milky Way above. It was the most tranquil night in the planet's history.
In this tranquility, the Earth was reborn.
(END)
More Wonderful Works of Liu Cixin are available on the Kindle store, free to borrow for prime clients. Check out the author's Amazon page: http://www.amazon.com/Cixin-Liu/e/B007JP96JU
We want to hear from you! We welcome all your comments, suggestions, criticisms and ideas!
As a Chinese publisher, we are very interested in the opinions of our Western readers and the author welcomes your feedback and the opportunity to improve his work. We are happy to offer anyone who reviews one of our stories and tells us about - and anyone who just sends us some feedback - another science-fiction story free of charge.
We also appreciate recommendations and feedback on Twitter, Facebook, forums or other channels. A free story can also be yours if you notify us of such contributions by email. This free story can be yours in addition to the one we offer for a review!
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