This Martian Spring 2078. SP2019. Writer.

"I'm really sick and tired of this martian wind and dust crap. It's been goin on too long now."

Al was playing about the 200th poker game with Damo. Al was an Aussie, Damo was a Kiwi.

Damo replied, "It's alright bros, just bet yer wages. When I go back I'll buy the whole South island. Heh heh heh, me missus

will be stoked bros."

"Yeah right cobs. I bets me wages and I'm stuck here for another year. Whatta you gonna tell yer missus if you lose?"

"Heh heh heh, I won't fly out. I'll pull a sicky. Bride is looked after. She's got the royalties for the driling."

"That's what I mean yer wanker, we go and theys here got no one, absolutely no one to drill. Just some retard rookies that will have

to be trained up. What's our relief looking like?" Finished Al.

"Well, I don't care bros. Doc says I only got ten years in me. I just wanna go home an do some fishing bros. Even if I fry

white bait and have a feed before I cark it. I'll be happy. Look at my face, I'm white like you cuz. I know me family is gonna

be rich bros. What you got?"

Al considered his cards and his life. Three years on the planet had sapped him. He really didn't want to fly out. Drilling for

10 hours over the Martian day, every flamin Martian day had seen him 'zapped' as they coined it. Drilling hundreds of holes to

about 1,500 miles depth through the surface so they can drop nuclear rods to reignite and melt the core hadn't seemed to work.

All this to get a magnetic field to deflect the suns radiation. Some crazy Hawaiian scientist who flew kites for a hobby had dreamed up the idea. Trillions of dollars tied up in this.

Al was more radioactive than the rods, so he thought. Every Martian spring. Same old, same old. Wind, dust and isolation in the cramped quarters.


But there was no life for him back on Earth. They still can't cure radiation cancers. They just cut you piece by piece and

prolong your life for maybe a couple of months. Happened a lot to returnees. Not so much on Mars. For some inexplicable

reason life expectancy was longer here than on the home planet. Thinking back Al could have taken a position with Asteroid

mining. Least those miners lived to a hundred and fifty or so.

He looked at his cards. Three Twos and two sevens. Good hand.

Al said to Damo, "I tell yer what, if yer raise me another billion, I'm in, here's me tag, there's me wages, look at the screen

with yer flamin happy face and place yer bet."

The grin on Damos face said it all. "I'm in bros." Damo laid his cards face up on the table. He had three queens, a six and

an eight.

Al said, "Crikey cobber. Beats me, I'm out. Guess I can now only bet on the cricket after spring." Al folded.

Heh heh heh, bros we always do you in cricket and rugby union. Those are loser bets for you aussies."

Al pondered over another Martian year drilling. "Yeah whatever, say g'day to the missus and young ones when you hit soil.

Enjoy the fried white bait mate."

The End

a reply to: bally001

Humans engaged in a 2,000 year project still live day by day, season by season

a reply to: bally001

Liked it a lot mate , for a second i thought you had the Kiwi winning . You know you need a follow up for this right .

a reply to: hutch622

Cheers for your comment Hutch.

Not sure how to follow it up. I'll chew on that thought'

Bally

a reply to: pthena

Cheers for the reply pthena.

Having trouble formatting the paragraphs. When it's copied and transferred to ATS then gaps appear.

Tends to break the story up. Arh well. Have to work on that one.

Kind regards,

bally

a reply to: bally001

Having trouble formatting the paragraphs. When it's copied and transferred to ATS then gaps appear.

I think the ATS editor has changed since last year. I don't remember it placing line breaks on its own.

a reply to: pthena

Thank you, but I'm sure it's my end.

Happened to my last entry too. Pretty sure it's my computer. Will check it out.

Kind regards,

Bally

a reply to: bally001

How did the linking thing go mate .

a reply to: hutch622

I got Gordi as usual to link this story for me. Will take your advice. Need to practice.

Cheers for asking

a reply to: bally001


Man, that was bleak and beautiful. Seemed to capture the essence of being a working class bloke perfectly there.
Just goes to show, no matter how life changes, for most it will remain stubbornly the same.

a reply to: SprocketUK

Thank you Sprocket.

regards,

bally