The Memories of Pluto
By: Mark Scott
Tags: Short Fiction, Flash Fiction, Science Fiction, Space, Short Story

From far away, I saw him. A speck of dirt at first, but moving quickly. Quicker than I have ever seen them move before. I watched him launch from Mars, and dance around the Asteroid Belt. I saw him sling around the Great Jupiter, and blow past my brothers, Neptune and Uranus. Soon he will be approaching me. The Furthest. The Gatekeeper. Pluto.

When the Creator first made our Universe, all was dark, and the Void was at its fullest strength. So, the Creator made the Sun and his brothers. They were countless, and the Creator scattered them to all corners of his Universe, and there was light. For an untold amount of time, the Sun and his brothers shone brightly, and brought light to the Universe. They lived merrily, and the Universe was in harmony. However, great distances separated the Sun and his brothers, and they grew lonely. Their light started to fade, and the Creator took notice. So, the Creator made myself and the other planets to keep the Firstborn company. Of me and my siblings there were nine, and we were placed under the care of the Sun. We danced throughout the Void, and brought light and joy wherever we went; the Universe was in harmony once more.

For eons I have served as the Gatekeeper of our Solar System. In tandem with the Sun, we shepherd the rest, and keep order in our small part of the Universe. The Sun, with his eternal light, sees far and wide; little can escape his gaze. He is the mighty lighthouse, guiding us in the darkness, and illuminating all evils. In the shadows I dwell, far away from my brother and sister planets. As the smallest of our kind, I was pushed out, away from the Sun. I was flung so far from the Sun and his rays, I grew cold and dark. The Sun with all of his age, and wisdom saw bitterness growing within me, and soon came to my aid. There was no changing what my siblings had done, there was no way to bring me back, close to his heart, but the Sun saw an opportunity. As the smallest planet, and the furthest from his light, I was the hardest to recognize. In this way I was useful to the Sun, for even his piercing rays of light could not illuminate all the evils lurking outside in the Void. I would serve as the Gatekeeper to our Solar System, the Suns second in command.

Time marched on, and with an unwavering eye, I searched the Void for any peril. At first, there was nothing to be seen, and I started to doubt my usefulness. The Sun still shined bright, and we still lived in harmony, still dancing throughout the Universe. But our time of harmony was coming to an end. Darkness approached. When I first saw it, I thought it was a rogue asteroid, or maybe a planet cast off like myself, only its Sun never called for it to come back. Whatever it was, it could not be trusted, and I reported my findings immediately. The Sun deliberated for a long time, deciding whether or not to accept this celestial body among us, and let it join our eternal dance. He cast his light upon the mysterious object to get a better look, for it was a great distance away, and his mind was made up. When his light reached the object, it did not return. Only a creation of the Void rejects the light of the Firstborn, and this abomination accepted nothing.

The Sun was disturbed by this, and looked towards the Creator for counsel. He sat in silence, and after awhile, spoke to us. He told us the Creator could not be found, and we would have to deal with this menace without his counsel. I could tell the Sun was distressed because of this. Where could the Creator have gone? And why would he leave his children alone to fight the Void? The answers to these questions would not come soon, so we began our great task. The Abomination had been slowly approaching us since I first discovered it, and it was creeping ever closer.

When the Abominations arrival on my doorstep was imminent, and I prepared myself for battle, the Sun, and Jupiter came to me. They had devised a plan to contain the Abomination, and keep it on the furthest reaches of our Solar System. The Great Jupiter, second in might only to the Sun, would take over some of the Suns responsibilities as shepherd. Jupiter would guide the Inner Planets, those within the Asteroid Belt, and the Sun would focus his energy on keeping the Abomination at bay. The plan was a good one for now, but surely we could not keep it going forever. Eventually, we too would fall to the Void, and what then? I thought it better for me to sacrifice myself in battle with the Abomination, so that the Sun and my siblings could dance in peace once again.

I have lost count of the time that has past us by since the containment of the Abomination. Long ago it was locked away by the Sun, never to be touched. There it was to remain, dark and mysterious, away from the children of the Creator. But even the Sun, with all of his wisdom, could not have foreseen the coming of Man. They appeared on Terra suddenly, without warning. She asked the Sun, what are these creatures crawling upon my back? And she was met with no answer, only that the Creator works in mysterious ways. Their lives were small, and fragile, nothing like the eternal lives that we and the Firstborn live. We called them the Children, and swore to protect them. The Children couldn’t be contained, however, as their lives were short, but their thirst for exploration great. They lived peacefully on Terra for a time, but, alas, they too joined us in the heavens. First, they set foot upon Terra’s moon, and then the Red Dunes of Mars. They traveled through the Asteroid Belt, and circled Jupiter and Saturn. Then, against our will, they discovered the Abomination, and took to calling it Karat.

Patiently, I have awaited his arrival. From Mars he launched, on a ship as black as the Abomination. He danced among the Asteroids, and flew past the Gas Giants, but he has yet to pass me. Soon, he will arrive in my domain, at the Edge of the Solar System, and then he will know of the perils that lie ahead of him. Although I have sworn, along with the other Planets, to never contact the Children, the danger is too great for me to remain silent. For eons, we have remained quiet, acting as watchful guardians. The time is now, however, for all of the Creators work to come together, and complete his masterpiece. The Firstborn, the Planets, and the Children all working together in harmony to defeat the Void! The Abominations menace will be gone, and we will dance in harmony once more!