2025 Love Story Winner & Runner Up

The sun shone brightly from the sheer curtains. It was 11am, and I begrudgingly rolled out of bed for my standard brunch of a bagel with cream cheese and a glass of water. I hated walking down to the kitchen after waking up, I always felt embarrassed that I was the last one down there. Between my younger brother doing as many activities as he could and an older brother home from college, waking up so late made me feel like I failed before it was even noon. I stopped and listened in the kitchen, and thankfully, I was greeted with silence. I waltzed into the kitchen with a creek, grabbed the bagels from the cabinet, and popped them into the toaster. After I grabbed the cream cheese from the fridge and was sipping on a glass of water, I felt a slight buzz on my hip. I felt around till I finally reached my phone; 2 new notifications were waiting on my homescreen. 1 was a followings suggestion from instagram and the other was an email back from the library! I quickly skimmed through the email and realized that I needed to be ready in about 3 hours to come in to fill out some extra forms and book my shifts. I ran upstairs, ignoring the bagel, straight to my closet. 90% of my wardrobe consisted of baby tees and baggy jeans. Neither felt very appropriate to wear, so I dug into the depths of my closet to find a decently cute black dress with the prettiest bell sleeves. I paired it with some tights and boots and, bam, I was ready. I felt like I could take on the world, or at the very least get somewhere in this interview. I ran downstairs and finished assembling my bagel. The crunch of the bread paired with the tang of the cream cheese just hit a spot that nothing else could replace. I tapped my phone screen, and it lit with the numbers 12:03pm. I still had about 2 and a half hours before I had to be there, so I sat and scrolled, and scrolled, and scrolled till the corner of my phone said 2:03 pm. 

There were probably better ways to spend my time, but this was supposed to be the better thing that I’m actively working towards. I texted my parents that I was heading out and snagged my keys off of the end table. If there was one thing that’s my pride and joy, it was to be my car. Is she a little beat up? Yes. But that just adds to the charm that comes with driving in her. I slid into the driver's seat and checked the time again just to be sure. It’s still only 2:05 and it only takes 15 minutes to get to the library. I have plenty of time.

I put the car in drive and hit the open road till I reached the old brick building that I had spent most of my time growing up in. I used to come to this place everyday, but whenever my brother was born, the trips became fewer and farther between till eventually I was stuck at home with an Ipad. A wave of nostalgia as I walked in and asked where I could find the head of the library. “She’s in the back,” the woman at the desk said to me sweetly. I responded with a quick thanks and rushed to the back. I knocked on the door, and made my way only to be greeted by a boy my age with dirty blonde hair and freckles. I’d seen him before, but I couldn't quite place it. “Hey, I’m looking for Ms. Serele, I was supposed to have a meeting with her today about getting me down for some shifts and finishing up my forms,” I said with a meek voice. What was happening? I was usually so confident, but out of nowhere I suddenly felt like- butterflies. I don’t like him, I know that but for some reason, my brain and heart are telling me two different things. “Oh, well I’m her son, Daniel. I basically live here, so I can probably do this for her. She’s at lunch, and I don’t want to bother her.” Awww, he cared about his mom. That’s so cute. WAIT. I just said that I couldn’t place him, but that’s how I know him. Whenever I came to the library, we would always play and read together. My trips became less and less frequent, and I saw less and less of him. But somehow, this little sparkle in his eyes never went away. I probably looked really awkward as reality snapped back, and I realized he was saying something about working. “Yes, yes totally,” I responded without knowing what I had agreed to. Turns out I had agreed to doing my training today. With him. Don’t get me wrong, he didn’t give me a bad vibe, in fact it was more so the opposite. But I could get through this professionally. I could.

Oh.My.Gosh. It’s her. Charlotte. It’s been years since I’ve seen her. We used to hang out all the time, but she probably forgot about it. She would’ve said something right? But then again, if I’m being presumptuous then I’d come off like a jerk for not saying anything and basically ruin the miniscule shot I already have. She was standing beside me, putting books on shelves before I said, “Hey, sorry I know this is lowkey random, but did you come here a lot when you were younger? I think we hung out a lot.” She had looked at me with a slightly puzzled look on her face till she smiled and responded, “I did come here a lot, and I thought I remembered you too! I didn’t want to say anything in case I might come off sounding weird or anything.” I looked at her, and there was just something about her. Maybe it was nostalgia, or maybe this is what a pretty girl does to you, but a boost of confidence hit me and I had to do something. “H-hey, would you maybe want to get a coffee or something and catch up? You can totally say no, I just thought it might be fun.” I said, turning rosy and red. “I’d totally be down to go get a coffee or hang out with you.” She was scrawling something down on an old bookmark someone had left in the book, and handed it to me. It was her number. I was so fluttery that training just flew by till she eventually went home. I stared at the bookmark, debating whether or not to text it. Eventually I gave in, and we made plans for the next week. Hopefully it will go well.

4 months later... 

Things with Daniel and I were going great. Our first date was the perfect blend of cute awkwardness and actual fun. I just kept wanting to hang out with him, and I guess he did too. I still don’t know how he remembered me or I remembered him, but I’ll forever be thankful I did. He’s cute and funny and smart and I just love him. People say that love is found in mysterious and littlest places, but who knew that I’d be able to find love in a library 15 minutes from my house.

While I looked upon these trees, I couldn't help but think that these two trees did, in fact, resemble the embrace of two people in love. As bright sunlight filtered through the leaves to a soft yellow glow, my mind began to put together a story for these trees.

A sudden rush of breeze shook an acorn from the copper-colored treetops stretching towards the autumn sky. Likewise, a seed pod from a linden tree tumbled from citrine leaves. Each landed softly on the rich, dark earth, inches apart. Weeks passed and both were covered by dirt and a mosaic of wet autumn foliage now plastered to the ground above them. Months flew by like the clouds in the silver sky and the little seeds’ soil blanket was covered by a layer of fluffy snow. All the while, their tiny roots stretched towards each other, like hands in the dark. Come summer, they had grown from seeds to saplings, tough bark replacing delicate stems.

By fall of the next year they had grown a little taller, each reaching towards the same sun, but while they grew next to each other they each seemed to be on their own journey. Years passed, then a decade, and the seasons cycled with the same predictability as the eternal dance of the moon and sun. It wasn’t till one spring that suddenly something altered the path they were on.

The winter that season had been especially harsh. Heavy snow had coated the ground and the ice lay thick. When the frigid sheets finally melted, the surrounding area was inundated with water. The flooding didn’t bother the trees. However, the water evaporated to form dark, swollen storm clouds that stained the skies the color of a bruise. While the tempestuous winds tugged at their branches and the wind ripped at their trunks; the trees stood defiant. Then, a vicious lightning strike split the inky sky and struck the oak. The linden tree wept in the wind. The oak let out a stricken cry as its splintered wood let out a devastated creak. The oak tipped, roots tearing slightly out of the ground as the wind sent it reeling into the sturdy embrace of the linden tree. Both trees fell silent, leaving only the sound of the driving rain. The linden tree held the wounded oak through the remainder of the storm, till daybreak.

The dirt around the base of the oak settled and its roots, previously exposed, made their way back to the earth. As is the nature of trees, the linden gave a share of its nutrients to the oak through their roots to aid in its healing. Neither tree was aware that they were on their way to tree inosculation. In order for this phenomenon to occur, the trees have to be in very close proximity to each other, like the oak and linden were as a result of the storm. Like a first date, they have to open up and share parts of themselves with each other (trees can communicate through signals sent through their roots) Over the years, they continued this process: sharing, helping, communicating, growing together, until they were quite literally inseparable.

It’s said that the lives of trees are measured in the number of rings they have; these two must have obtained hundreds of rings together by the time I encountered them. Enduring decades, maybe even centuries, of weather and disasters, but able to withstand them because of their dependency on each other. I trusted that they would live like this for many more years to come, longer than me, longer than most.

As I gazed at the variegated green of their intermingled leaves, and the fluid twist of their trunks it dawned on me that a lot could be learned from these incredible beings, even though they may not be animate: the way they help and support each other without thinking; how they can survive and thrive against the odds; and how they unintentionally make the world a little more beautiful by simply existing. Most importantly, trees teach how it's essential for all of us to grow close to one another.

2024 Scary Story Winner & Runner Up

“Can we get rid of that?” she asked her mom, pointing to the mirror.

Her mom smiled. “It came with the house, honey. It’s a part of its charm!”

Charm, Ellie thought bitterly. Yeah, right.

That night, the wind howled outside, rattling the old windows. Ellie lay in bed, her eyes fixed on the mirror. It reflected her bed, her dresser, and the dim glow of her nightlight—but the room looked different somehow. The shadows were deeper, and the corners seemed darker.

She rolled over and squeezed her eyes shut, willing herself to sleep.

But something felt wrong.

A shuffling sound came from the mirror.

Ellie bolted upright, her heart pounding. The room was still, except for the faint sound of the wind outside. She stared at the mirror, expecting to see her own pale reflection, but instead... the room in the mirror was different. There was something there—a shadow, moving at the edge of the glass.

She blinked, trying to convince herself she was imagining it. But no. The shadow moved closer. It was a figure, small and faint, but unmistakably a girl. 

Ellie gasped and scrambled out of bed. She backed away from the mirror, but the girl didn’t vanish. The reflection stared back at her, though the girl wasn’t in Ellie’s room—she was only inside the mirror.

Her face was pale, with long dark hair hanging limp over her shoulders. Her eyes were wide, hollow, and vacant, as though she had been staring at Ellie for years. Slowly, the girl’s mouth moved. Ellie couldn’t hear the words, but she could see the shape of her lips: “Help me.”

Ellie’s breath hitched. She darted out of her room and slammed the door behind her.

The next morning, Ellie refused to go near the mirror. She didn’t tell her parents—she knew they wouldn’t believe her. They would think she was just having trouble adjusting to the new house. Instead, she avoided her room as much as she could, spending her time downstairs, lingering in the kitchen, or escaping to the backyard.

But that night, when Ellie climbed back into bed, exhaustion finally tugged her eyelids down, and she drifted into an uneasy sleep.

She awoke to a soft tapping sound.

Her heart lurched. She sat up slowly, the familiar dread creeping over her. The tapping came from the mirror.

The girl was back.

This time, she wasn’t just standing there. She was pressing her hand against the glass, her face pale and desperate. Her eyes locked onto Ellie’s, pleading.

“Help me,” the girl mouthed again.

Ellie’s hands trembled. She stood slowly and approached the mirror, her legs heavy with fear. The closer she got, the louder the tapping became. The girl’s face twisted with terror as she pressed harder against the glass, as though she were trapped inside and trying to break free.

“Who are you?” Ellie whispered, her voice barely audible over the frantic tapping.

The girl didn’t answer. Her expression grew more frantic, and the glass began to crack beneath her palm. Spiderweb fractures spread across the mirror’s surface, and Ellie’s heart raced as the cracks grew larger, louder, more violent.

Ellie stumbled back, her breath coming in short, panicked gasps. She wanted to run, to scream for help, but she couldn’t move. She was frozen, her eyes glued to the mirror.

With a deafening shatter, the mirror exploded outward, sending shards of glass flying across the room. Ellie threw her arms up to shield her face, and when she dared to look again, the girl was gone.

But something was wrong.

The room didn’t feel the same. Ellie slowly lowered her arms and looked around. Everything seemed darker, more distorted. The walls pulsed as if they were breathing. Shadows danced in the corners of the room, twisting and writhing like living things.

She turned to the mirror—or what was left of it.

Instead of the broken glass, the surface of the mirror was smooth, polished... and it reflected a room that wasn’t hers anymore. The bed, the furniture, even the nightlight had all changed.

In the reflection, Ellie saw the girl.

Only this time, Ellie was on the wrong side of the mirror.

The girl in the reflection grinned—Ellie’s grin—and walked away, leaving her trapped inside the mirror forever.

We drove on for a couple more miles of winding roads and Thea pointed out a cute town at the base of the mountain. Kennedy was on her phone texting her boyfriend, Lucas, and had finally stopped talking. She was still relatively new to our friend group. Kennedy and Thea had met at the beginning of our freshman year in college during a botany class and clicked almost instantly, but unlike the plants in her class, she was not growing on me. Thea and I had been planning a seaside trip for ages, but Kennedy thought the subject of plant life on different levels of a mountain ecosystem would make such an interesting topic for their botany term paper, that they just had to visit the Rocky Mountains. Thea always admired Kennedy’s attitude and her positivity and agreed to the idea instantly, crushing our plans to go to the beach, making me even more opposed to their new friendship. I saw Kennedy as annoyingly happy. While Thea was smart and liked to share interesting facts she knew, Kennedy would always talk in a way that was condescending like she wanted you to know she was smarter. She often spoke this way to me. As if to prove my point, she looked up from her phone and gestured at the blue hoodie I was wearing, “Quinn, you do realize that your jacket will be too warm for where we’re staying, don’t you?” I turned to face her. “Yeah, I’ve got a t-shirt under it. I’ll be fine.” I lied. She turned back to her phone, I turned back to my window. Outside, the sky was amassing large dark rain clouds. A storm was definitely on its way. Inside the car, another tempest also brewed.

When we reached our cabin around dinner time, the rain still hadn’t started, but we could hear thunder off in the distance, so we hurried to unpack. Only after our group and all our belongings had been moved safely indoors, I was finally aware of the fragrant scent of spruce in the cabin. The whole room smelled of green, fresh, mountain air, and for once I was okay with the idea of being here. And then Kennedy started talking. “Isn’t this place sooo cute?” She squealed, her voice rising to an obnoxiously high pitch. Thea and I moved to unpack our stuff into the bedroom while Kennedy offered to start dinner. I set down my bundle of sheets at the foot of the bunk bed. Thea pulled back the thin curtain in front of the window that was illuminating the room. “Look at that view.” She breathed. Right outside our window was a lush forest. Miles away we could see the silver gleam of a waterfall formed from the melting snow in the mountain cliffs above. While Thea was transfixed by the painting-like setting, I couldn’t help but notice the shiver that ran down my spine. It was probably just a draft. Wasn’t it? Within a few minutes the smell of evergreen in our cabin was replaced by the warm aroma of grilled cheese and tomato soup that Kennedy had prepared. The rain had finally started but it wasn’t just a drizzle it was a full on downpour. We were comfortably seated in the living room in front of the fireplace, enjoying our meal. There was a tv mounted above the mantle and Thea suggested we watch a movie but after several unsuccessful attempts we decided we’d have to find something else to keep us entertained. With a gasp Kennedy exclaimed, “We could tell scary stories!” Personally, I was against that idea in the regard that telling scary stories late at night, in a dark forest, while in the midst of a thunderstorm might make it difficult to sleep tonight, but Thea joyfully agreed to the idea and I quickly realized that no one else shared my concerns, so, not wanting to be a killjoy, I offered, “Why not? How about I go first?”

The thunder echoed in the mountains and the flames swayed eerily in the fireplace. The silence in the room as Thea paused for dramatic effect in her story only added to the unsettling atmosphere. “Then, the creature crawled out from its lair and snatched the girl!” She grabbed Kennedy’s arm as the other girl shrieked. After we had finally caught our breath from Thea’s little jump scare, Kennedy shared, “Since it’s my turn, and we are in the mountains, I thought I would tell a story I heard back in California; it’s about the Dark Watchers.” “Ooh, sounds spooky! Let’s hear it.” Exclaimed Thea. Kennedy smiled in a way that looked creepy, almost sinister, in this light, and began her story. It was about this woman who lived alone in a small cottage at the edge of town. Every day she went to gather firewood, she was sure she saw a shadowy figure standing at the highest point in the hills. No one in town believed her, they chalked it up to the strain on her mind after her husband died, until one day the lady snapped. She felt that she needed to prove that the figure existed. The next time she went out and saw the figure, she took off after it, intent on capturing it as proof. She chased it up the rocky face of the mountain. When she got to where it was standing, it evaporated like fog over the bay, but at the speed she was going, she couldn’t stop. Her shoes scrambled over the rocks and she was sent reeling over the cliff’s edge, into the icy waves below. As she fell she was certain she saw the figure resume its spot atop the rocks, watching as she plummeted to her death. “Wow.” I whispered. “I’m getting tired now, so I’m gonna head to bed, but that story, it does make you wonder if that was real or if she really had lost her mind...anyway, goodnight!” Finished Kennedy. That night I slept restlessly. Even though I felt safe next to Thea, I had fitful dreams about running through the woods in the mountains. I still don’t know if I was chasing something or if something was chasing me.

The next morning was sunny and warm with a hint of the lingering chill left from the rain. The woods seemed less scary now. At breakfast, Thea suggested that we take a hike and enjoy the nice weather. I did enjoy being outdoors and secretly I hoped being in the warm sunshine would help chase away the ever present shivers I had been experiencing since we got here. After eating, we packed bags and laced up our hiking boots. We started our trek along a stretch of worn path that would lead up to one of the area’s many waterfalls. As we made our way up the steep, winding paths, I took in the melody of birdsong and the distant sound of a babbling stream. Thea and Kennedy talked incessantly about every plant they saw, and every name sounded more and more and more outlandish or like they were part of a foreign language: columbine, buffalo grass, alpine forget-me-not, cliff fendlerbush, and moss campion. “What’s moss champion?” I asked, trying to find a way to enter their esoteric conversation. Thea smiled a little and Kennedy just laughed. “Moss champion? It’s moss campion, Quinn.” As if this was information that everyone should know. “My bad, it’s just that you guys keep having these conversations, and I never seem to know what’s going on. I mean, I know I’m not a botany major, but I still want to be included.” Thea gave me a sympathetic look. “You’re right, we should be better at including you in our conversations.” Kennedy looked miffed like she was a little child and someone had just spoiled her fun. “What could we talk about?” Thea thought aloud as we resumed walking. A lightbulb flickered on in her brain. “Oh! The story last night got me thinking. They said the woman was collecting firewood every time she saw the Dark Watcher, right?” I nodded “Well, there are some types of wood that have hallucinogenic properties when they burn. It makes me wonder if maybe the lady burned some of the wood, it made her hallucinate and she goes running off a cliff.” I thought I saw something move among the trees. Kennedy interrupted this thought by chiming in, “Yeah, the effects of the wood aren’t even harmful. It’s what people do while under its influence that is the real danger.”

That night, after dinner Kennedy suggested we go out stargazing. I didn’t want her to know how much her story the previous night had rattled me, so I made up some sorry excuse about how I was feeling a little altitude sick after our hike, and wanted to stay back. Kennedy, glad to be rid of me, walked out into the cool night air to wait for Thea. Thea asked me again if I was sure I wanted to stay behind. I nodded. After a half hour of their absence, the cabin began to go from chilly to freezing as I glanced at the lack of wood in the wood box. I had forgotten to fill it after lunch. I debated going out to get more. The thoughts about what lurked in the darkness pressed me to stay in, but the frigid air creeping along the floor prompted me to get over it. I pushed the door open a crack and tried to assure myself that there was nothing to fear. I crept along the side of the house and looked out into the gloom. Spotting a pile of fallen branches a few meters away I made a beeline to those. As I bent to pick them up I heard something move not too far off. My heartbeat quickened as I scooped up the branches and sprinted for the door. I shut the door and locked it, threw the wood onto the dying fire, and collapsed onto the couch. The warmth that filled the cabin was a welcome relief. It seeped into my bones and my brain got fuzzy as I started to succumb to sleep. That’s when I heard it: a faint scratching at the window. To my horror, I looked up and saw it peering in through the glass: a Dark Watcher. Any common sense left my body. I bolted outside into the darkness. A little voice in my head told me I should have stayed inside where I would have been safe; safe from getting lost, or hurt in this unknown place, or harmed by the animals that live here. I didn’t care. I had to get as far away from that thing as possible. My bare feet carried me through the woods, over rocks and leaves and sticks. I didn’t dare look back. The moonlight exposed skeletal hands disguised as trees. Nothing seemed real. My heart pounded in my chest and in my head. I could hear my breath in the air. Then I slipped. I slid along the dewy ground until I must have hit a stone or a tree. My vision blurred in and out. The last thing I saw before I lost consciousness was a dark figure looming over me.

Thea and Kennedy were hovering over my face when I finally came to. “Oh! She’s awake. Thank God you’re alive!” Thea let out a sigh of relief, and I saw some of the stress leave her body. “Quinn, what are you doing out in the woods in the first place? You could have died.” “I don’t know...” I said groggily. I was no longer in the woods, I was laying on a slightly scratchy sheet in a hospital room. “The search and rescue team said that you were found almost a mile from the cabin but were able to trace your movements to your location.” Kennedy said as if she finally decided I was worth her attention. “Guess what they found in the cabin? Wood ash from a tree that causes vivid hallucinations.” She said with her head cocked. “Like the story.” I mumbled. Once I was discharged from the hospital, we packed up and started our drive home. I looked out the window and got a sense of déjà vu from how this trip began. The chill came back, and out the window, I’m sure a saw a dark figure standing among the trees.

2024 Science Fiction Short Story Winner & Runner Up

The incessant trilling of my alarm got me up. “Maybe just a few more minutes”, I thought groggily. Then my head popped off my pillow. Today was the day! I raced through our house, grabbing everything I’d need. Waterproof sketch pad, camera, fins. I was all set. Putting on my MarineBoots, I began my trek to the school. Even though I walked to school every day, there were still encounters that scared me along the way. Tube worms shrank away from the bright light on my suit. A yeti crab’s blind eyes watched me from behind a rock. The sporadic burst of bubbles from the hydrothermal vents made me nearly jump out of my skin. Even though these things were frightening, at least I knew that the creatures of this zone, the Abyssopelagic zone, wouldn’t hurt me. The Midnight zone was another thing entirely. I had heard the stories. Vampire squid with spiny tentacles, gulper eels with gaping mouths, and fang-toothed angler fish that prowled the deep waters. I shivered just thinking about them. Luckily, we’d be skipping that zone on our trip. 

I listened quietly to my classmates’ excited chatter. Our teachers shushed us as the diving instructors went over safety procedures. As we ascended, we would have to stop occasionally to adjust to the decreasing pressure in special chambers. When we reached the Sunlight zone we were not, under any circumstances, to go above the surface of the water. People shifted excitedly from foot to foot in anticipation. Finally, we clambered into the submarine. The great metal vessel creaked and groaned as it moved through the water. Our class was uncharacteristically silent as we watched the mysterious leviathans glide past our window. I recognized some of them from a book I had read. A shimmering comb jelly drifted along lazily. A shoal of lantern fish scattered a busy swarm of krill. During the duration of the trip, the water shifted from inky black velvet to a softer indigo hue.

By the time we reached our third decompression, the sea had turned a distinct teal. This was the twilight zone. To our great surprise we saw green ribbons waving in the current: kelp! In a place so deep, natural light was nonexistent. No photosynthesis, no plants. With the exception of some of the older adults, none of us had ever seen real plant life. Within a few minutes we were at our final destination: the Epipelagic zone, the sunlight zone.

Our dive instructors told us we could start putting on our suits and fins. I’ve never seen a group of teenagers move with such urgency. We exited a hatch in the submarine and swam into the blue. Despite living in the ocean, the crushing pressure of the deep region made it nearly impossible for us to actually swim until now. It was incredible. I felt the current swaying around me gently. “Likely the same current that was making this trip possible now”, I thought to myself. There was only a small window of time we would get to stay here. I found a small clearing in the kelp and pulled out my sketch pad. I began the outline of a lemon shark snuffling at a dilapidated bit of reef. I tried sketching a cuttlefish but the way its color and pattern shifted were dizzying, so I settled on a couple pictures of it instead. I swam a little more and snapped a few more shots, these ones of a disgruntled mantis shrimp and one particularly curious crab. In the soft sand on the seafloor, garden eels popped out and danced like ballerinas. A ray flew silently through the waves above my head. Colorful anemone drew back away from my fingertips. I watched a sea star that looked like a sunburst creep slowly along the rocks with its tiny tube feet. A sea urchin was munching on a strand of seaweed nearby. I saw some of my classmates following a parrot fish, the one in front holding a camera. I couldn’t believe that this day was already almost over. As I approached the submarine, I could see the ocean shelf leading back to deeper waters. I took one last look at the bright kelp and vibrant coral, took one last picture of the view, then took the last few strokes to get back on board. 

I wanted to remember this trip forever. It might never happen again. The water dripped off our clothes and hair as we savored the last sights of blue water. Then the ship descended, back into the deep.

"Commander, we’ve received the signal again," Lieutenant Ortiz called from the control room. His voice trembled with a mix of excitement and dread. "Same frequency as before."

Eva tore her eyes from the moon and moved to the control station. On the screen, the strange repeating signal appeared as a steady wave, pulsing in patterns that seemed almost too deliberate to be natural. They had first detected it two days ago, a faint transmission buried beneath the static of Titan's methane atmosphere. No human craft had ever landed there, nor any probe that could account for the signal.

“Still no match on any known human transmissions?” she asked, though she already knew the answer.

“None,” Ortiz confirmed. “It’s alien.”

The word hung in the air between them, carrying the weight of its implications. Humanity had made its first tentative steps into the solar system, but the prospect of intelligent life had remained elusive. If the signal was truly of alien origin, it would change everything. Eva’s hand instinctively tightened around the edge of the console.

“Can we triangulate the source?” she asked, her voice calm but her mind racing.

Ortiz nodded. “Already on it. It’s coming from a point just below the surface, near the equatorial region.”

“Prepare a landing party,” she ordered, turning on her heel. “I’m going down there.”

The descent through Titan’s thick atmosphere was rough. Swirling clouds of methane and nitrogen obscured their vision, and the icy winds buffeted the shuttle as it plunged toward the surface. Eva sat in the pilot’s seat, hands steady on the controls, her eyes scanning the readings.

When they finally broke through the cloud cover, Titan’s landscape stretched out beneath them—a barren, frozen wasteland dotted with methane lakes. The signal grew stronger as they neared the surface, until it was pulsing in their ears like a heartbeat.

The shuttle landed with a soft thud, sinking slightly into the icy ground. Eva and her team disembarked, their boots crunching on the frost-covered surface. In the distance, jagged mountains loomed, their dark forms stark against the amber sky. But it was something else that drew Eva’s attention—a strange structure half-buried in the ice.

It wasn’t natural.

The structure was a perfect sphere, its surface smooth and dark, as though crafted from obsidian. It pulsed faintly, in time with the signal they’d been tracking. Eva approached cautiously, her breath fogging in the freezing air.

“Grace Hope, what are you doing in bed at this time?” I wake up to my mom standing by my bed. “Sorry, Mom,” I groan, not fully awake. “I’m not your Mom, G.” It’s only then I realize it’s Emily. “Wait, how’d you get in here?” I say, sitting up and against my headboard. “You’re Mom let me in. She said that I could wake you up and help you pack.” “Crap! That’s what I forgot to do yesterday!” I quickly glance over to my alarm clock. It’s eight-thirty in the morning. I jump out of bed and grab my phone. I have texts from ‘The Three Musketeers’. I unplug my phone and open up the group chat and see that only Annabelle was typing. I quickly respond:

Omg, why are you spamming the GC so early?

“Did you see all of Annabelle’s texts?” I ask Emily. “Yeah, she was basically saying she’s super excited.” Emily giggles. I look back down at my phone and see Annabelle spit back:

I’m making sure you’re ready for the trip!!

I end the quick conversation with a simple:

I’m getting ready now, text you when I’m done.

I make sure to send a smiling emoji so she doesn’t take it the wrong way. I toss my phone to the foot of my bed and begin packing with Emily.

“And that will be enough for the weekend?” I ask. Emily nods and we grab my bags and head downstairs.

“Bye Mom, I love you!”

“Bye darling, have a great weekend with your gal’s,” My Mom says, giving me and Emily hugs. “Tell Annabelle I said hi too.”

“Okay, we will. Have a great weekend Miss. Hope.” Once we leave my house, Emily dashes to the driver's seat. “I call dibs on driving!” I sigh and hop into the passenger seat.

We pull up to Annabelle’s house and I get out to knock on her door. I walk up her driveway and knock our group’s signature pattern. It’s the rhythm of ‘Shave and a Haircut - Two Bits’. She opens the door and dashes to the car, calling shotgun even though I was already there. I hop into the backseat and buckle up. “Man. You’re losing all your spots, am I right?” Emily says, looking for passing cars as she backs up.

“Alright, here we are. St. Richard’s Park.” Emily says, parking the car right next to the entrance. “Are we camping at the usual spot? You know, by Ol’ Bruce?” I ask. None of us can go wrong with Ol’ Bruce. It is the oldest tree in the whole park. Some say it’s magical. It’s our go to place to camp.

We all grab our bags and head into St. Richard’s Park. Once we arrive, we all begin to set up the one tent we have, but quickly realize we forgot the instruction manual. It takes us longer than I would want to admit, but we do get the tent up.

“You guys wanna play a game?” Emily pitches. I hear Annabelle say something, but she’s by the river, so all I got was “…sure…but…nevermind.” I’m trying to find signal to text my mom letting her know we made it. “Grace? You okay?” I look over to Emily standing behind me. “Oh, yeah sorry, I was trying to let my mom know we’re okay.” Annabelle makes her way back and says something about her knowing we’re okay and she wouldn’t have let me come if she didn’t think I would be okay. “What about ‘Duck Duck Goose’? That could be fun, especially if we did it from the tent to Ol’ Bruce.” I suggest. A simple yet fun game for anyone. We agree, and all of us wrap our arms around one another and skip towards the tent.

“Okay, the rules are simple. If you’re it, you have to go in front of the person you’re tapping; no camping someone. Then, if you get tapped and you’re the Goose, you have to chase the old Goose to the tree, go around it, and get back to your spot.” Annabelle explains. “Okay, and I'll be the Goose first,” Emily tells us. Annabelle sits down and Emily walks back and forth tapping our heads. She goes quite some time before she yells “Goose!” when tapping Annabelle. She takes off towards the tree, with Annabelle chasing her. Emily goes around the tree and now I can see her face as she’s running. Annabelle is quick to follow, as she makes it around the tree right after. Unfortunately, Emily makes it back to the open spot, and Annabelle is now the Goose. She begins tapping our heads, breathing heavily as she does. After only a few seconds, she taps my head and is now running once again, running so fast she looks like she’s running from a serial killer.

I hop onto my feet and begin chasing her. I can feel the wind blowing through my hair, and the air feels like it’s traveling through my body. I try to focus on my feet as I’m running, because I don’t want to hit a rock or a stick. Left, Right, Left, Right, Left, Left. I don’t feel my right foot move. I blink and I’m stomach down and face first on the ground. I hear Annabelle and Emily coming closer.

“Oh my gosh, are you okay?” Emily asks, helping me sit up. “Are you hurt?” Annabelle says. “I’m okay, I think I just tripped over something.” I answer, but I look behind me and see that nothing was in the way for me to trip on. “Really? It doesn’t look like anything is in the way to trip on.” Emily says. “I don’t know. It felt like something came out of the ground.” I sit up and lift my pant leg. There’s a bruise going all the way around my ankle. “Dang, G, that looks pretty bad,” Annabelle sits down next to me and looks at my leg. “This couldn’t have been from this fall, I mean,” she pauses before Emily picks up her sentence. “There isn’t anything here to trip on, and that’s all the way around your ankle. Even if you did trip on something, it wouldn’t look like this.” I nudge Annabelle and Emily away. “I’m fine, guys, just leave me alone.” I get up and head toward the river behind the tent.

I sit on the rocks by the river, and I hear someone coming up behind me. “Hey, Grace,” Annabelle says, sitting down next to me. “You okay?” She asks me, leaning in and giving me a side hug. “Mhm, I just got embarrassed, you know?”

“I get it, we all get embarrassed sometimes,” Emily adds in. “But, if you think about it, embarrassment is really only a thing if you make it a thing.” “Yeah, I guess you’re right.” We all hug each other and I begin laughing. “It was pretty funny though, wasn’t it?” “Yeah, it kind of was.” Annabelle laughs. We then all look around and we start laughing. Pure, happy laughter. I then stand up, and I tap on Annabelle’s head. “Gooooose!” I scream, and begin running to the tree. This time, I don’t overthink my running, and instead look in front of me. I listen to the sound of the cicadas, the birds, and my breathing. I make it to the tree and run around it. I see Emily by the tent jumping and shouting. I make it back to the tent and turn around to see how far behind Annabelle is.

However, when I turn around I don’t see her. She’s not running. She’s not anywhere. Me and Emily look at each other and we both say “where in the world did she just go?” without truly saying it. We begin to run to Ol’ Bruce to see if she’s hiding behind it, but when we look behind we only see her jacket, and one of her shoes. I could feel the hairs on my neck begin to stand up. “Is it just me, or did it get really chilly out here?” Emily says, beginning to shiver.

I pick up Annabelle’s jacket and toss it to Emily. “Put that on for now…” I tell her, but I look back and see she’s nowhere to be seen. All that’s left is her necklace; hanging on a tree branch. I inch closer, and that’s when I see Ol’ Bruce’s roots move back into the dirt.