Heritage and Shimmer by Brian S. Wheeler

PLEASE
CONSIDER SUPPORTING THIS WORK
     
    Thank you for downloading this ebook of “Heritage and
Shimmer.” Should you enjoy this story, please consider supporting
my efforts by visiting my website located at www.flatlandfiction.com ,
where you can find additional stories of science fiction, fantasy
and horror. Crafting each story takes a substantial amount of time,
and each act of support allows me to devote more of my day to the
dreaming and writing of my stories. Please consider offering a
financial show of support for this story by following the
instructions found on my official website, or consider leaving a
review at Smashwords to help my work attract the interest of
additional readers. Thank you for your interest in this story, and
readers are always encouraged to send me feedback through my email
at [email protected] .
     
    Sincerely,
    Brian S. Wheeler
     
    Heritage and Shimmer
    Brian
S. Wheeler
     
    Published by Brian S. Wheeler at Smashwords
     
    Flatland Fiction thanks you for your purchase of this
ebook. This ebook remains the copyrighted property of the author
and may not be reproduced, scanned, or distributed for any
commercial or non-commercial use without permission from the
author. Quotes used in reviews are the exception. No alteration of
content is allowed. If you enjoy this ebook, Flatland Fiction
encourages you to send us a review at [email protected] .
Unless otherwise instructed, Flatland Fiction reserves the right to
post such reviews online.
     
    Your support and respect for the property of this
author is appreciated.
     
    This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to
persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely
coincidental. The characters are productions of the author’s
imagination and used fictitiously.
     
    Copyright © 2015 by Brian S. Wheeler
     
    Contents
    Heritage
and Shimmer
    About the
Writer
     
    Heritage and Shimmer
    Brian
S. Wheeler
     
    “It’s amazing to think about what all this
brown land used to look like before the alien attack, how green it
must’ve been. Amazing and heartbreaking all at the same time.”
     
    Jayce Gorman removed his right hand from the
steering wheel and set it upon his fiancé’s knee. “Well, Bev, all
that land was never as green as most people imagine it was. Some of
the fields were just brown and tan during the years a crop could
still be harvested.”
     
    Beverly sadly smiled. “Oh, I know. And you
always tell me the land was as flat then as it is now.” Beverly
sighed at the barren landscape scrolling outside her passenger’s
window. “Some people say that the land fell into ruin because too
many crops emptied the underground aquifers, and some people say so
many pesticides finally created an irresistible bug.”
     
    Jayce snorted and shook his head. “That
sounds like something an alien apologist would say. I can’t
understand why those people keep trying to place the blame for this
planet’s hardships everywhere but where it truly belongs – at the
clawed feet of those aliens.”
     
    Beverly closed her eyes and focused on the
sound of the car’s strained engine. They were driving across the
heartland to reach the home of Jayce’s mother nestled in the
mountains. They would have such little time for a honeymoon
following the simple wedding ceremony waiting for them in that
stone cottage, and Beverly didn’t want to waste a moment fretting
about those horrible aliens. But she couldn’t help it. The aliens
had inflicted such harm upon their world that a soon-to-be bride
couldn’t be faulted for worrying.
     
    “Do you think the aliens will come back?”
     
    Jayce softly squeezed Beverly’s knee.
“They’ll be back. We have to assume they will be so that we’ll be
prepared. They might return tomorrow, or they might not return for
another century. Sooner or later, they’ll be back, and we’ll be
ready for them.”
     
    Beverly returned Jayce’s hand to the steering
wheel before