The crew struggled, working endlessly to keep their great hulking mass of a ship sailing across the fabric of space without tearing apart.
Their destination orbited a minuscule point of light. Almost too far now with damaged engines.
Almost.
Directly ahead hung a glittering planet of ice. They met it among the limits of its orbit, the distance protecting the ship from its swollen red star. Its solstice their saviour.
They sunk close to the icy surface before their velocity pulled them back out, the planet’s gravity well adding speed to their motion as they resumed course.
They’d survive.
© 2021 Rebecca Glaessner
June 18, 2021, prompt: In 99 words (no more, no less), write a story that features a solstice. What is the era and setting? Use the solstice as a celebration, metaphor, or talking point. Go where the prompt leads!
Submissions now closed. Read the full collection here.
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Rebecca Glaessner Author 
This is a great story it has many possibilities 💜
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Thanks Willow! It’s inspired by the worlds of the novel I’m working on.
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That sounds very interesting Rebecca.
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The science ❤️loved the logic sewed into it. This should become a series 😉 it will make a super science fictional short series😍
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I’m so glad you enjoyed it and it’s actually inspired by the debut novel I’m working on. So it sort of will become a series. I’m also working on an anthology of slightly longer flash pieces which you might enjoy too! I post on both projects via the Updates section of my site here (though I haven’t mentioned the anthology yet, you’re the first to hear of it). Thanks for stopping by!
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That’s great to know 😍❤️ Good Luck to your debut novel, 💐 Looking forward to your Anthology work too 🤗😍 I’m super happy, I’m the first to know about it ☺️ yay! 🎉 Do well, I’m excitedly waiting to read your books 😍
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Thanks so much for the support and encouragement Simon, it means a lot! I really appreciate it.
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Great world-building woven with such simple visuals – perfect mix of a tense journey and an uplifting ending!
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Thanks Tom! Your words are humbling. I appreciate it and am glad you enjoyed this one!
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You create story with visuals and science. Both draw me into the underlying tension and sense of hope.
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Glad this one drew you in! I find myself deeply enveloped by most sci-fi, I love that I can share that feeling.
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Your piece reminds me of the movie ‘Hidden Figures’ where the woman (computer) used an obscure formula to get the space ship back to earth safely. When your resources are limited you use what ever you can to stretch them! :)
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Fantastic movie! And I couldn’t agree more. Our basic nature is toward survival, so I think it’s only natural to be drawn to stories where the characters best the odds and refuse to quit, even if it seems the universe itself is trying to hold them back. Thanks for stopping by Jules!
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“Almost” Tense, yet positive. What an other worldly take on ‘solstice’!
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Thanks D! Glad you got a positive feel from this one. I can imagine space travel would be mighty tense!
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I wonder what will happen next to the crew.
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Let’s hope there’s no more need for close-call speed boosts! Thanks for stopping by Leanne.
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