Across Five Aprils

[Daniel Kroells 0]

“Across five Aprils”…Danny’s logs (Log 4)

 

 

 

Danny lay in bed, looking up at the wooden ceiling, contemplating things. That was pretty much all he did now. He looked around at his settings, remembering how much they had changed. No longer was he in the camp, always looking for some one to talk to, to have fun with…

 

He searched his mind for a moment, and recalled the last time he had ever talked to anyone was over a year ago. After what he had over heard the Admiral, and Commander discussing…

 

“WE DID IT!!!! MANTICORE DID IT!!!!” Danny was drawn to listen. Manticore’s warp drive, or something else, caused some sort of a cataclysmic release of energy, cooking the entire sector. Unbelievable…

 

He had left soon after. Just packed up his things and left. Sten had pleaded for him to stay, at least until after Eason’s funeral. Danny felt terrible by not showing up, but he just couldn’t do it. He just left…took what worldly possessions he needed, and left.

 

He rolled over in his bed, and looked at the phaser on the nightstand, useless. Its power had run out long ago. He made sure of that. Just enough to cut down the trees…

 

The house went up quickly enough, of course, Danny was always trying to improve it. It wasn’t the warmest in the winter…but it worked alright. He slowly sighed, and crawled out of bed, walking around for a bit. He finally opened the door, and walked a couple of feet away from the house, over to his little vegetable garden, the only thing keeping him alive…

 

He knelt down, and slowly began to pick the weeds, “Heh, you guys know…when I first came out here, Sten didn’t think I would make it. He’d come by every so often, and bring some rations, something that would last until we walked another ten miles back out here the next month.”

 

Sten truly had been a good friend, looking out for him like that…even if Danny didn’t really need it. Sten…He had been the last person Danny had seen. At first, he came out whenever possible, willing to make the ten mile trek out here. However, the talks didn’t last as long, news slowed down, and Sten came less and less. At first every other week, then once a month. Then it became rather sporadic. Finally, about a year and a half ago, he just stopped coming. Danny understood, all their conversations had been rather one sided. Not much to talk about when you’re the only living thing in ten miles.

 

He slowly scratched his beard, and felt his hair. Both had grown, but not dramatically. It was easy to keep his hair at this length, and so that was the length it was at…same with the facial hair. Danny finally finished working on the plants, and quickly watered them. It was summer now, so worrying about winter was far off…Danny almost felt ashamed of it, it was the only modern thing that he still had. A freeze dryer for his food. He’d always have left overs from the harvest in the garden. He’d freeze what ever was left over, and have plenty to eat for the winter…As much as Danny would like to say that these two years had changed him into a better person, there were still some things we was dependent on. He felt warmth growing on his back, and he smiled, the sun was coming up soon. He ran into the small wood cabin, and grabbed a large sketch padd, and some charcoal. Sketches were all over, of the sun, trees…the mountains. Almost sixty had piled up, over two years of artistic improvement.

 

Danny loved to watch the sun rise…even if it was among the fewest of his sketches. He either slept in too long…or was still working in the garden, doing early morning watering, to get the most out of the water given to the plants. A nearly 8 mile walk to the nearest river meant that water conservation was an absolute. But, at times like these, Danny rarely contemplated such things. He just sat down in his chair, and sketched all the colors in the world, in shades of gray and black.

 

He viewed the sun as best as possible, and got to work. The charcoal brushed against the paper, and Danny was brought to other thoughts. Why the Manticore hadn’t left yet…

 

No doubt, the warp core was done by now…the Admiral must be conducting every test in the book, to make sure this one didn’t blow…Danny knew, that there weren’t any parts left for a third…

 

Danny had hoped that was the case. Even though he doubted now, that he’d be going back, he’d like to know that the option was still available… As much as he loved living out here by himself…this in a way was a punishment to him. For the longest time…three years almost, he believed this place to be the ultimate holodeck play. Time wasn’t an issue here. If they could go back in time, they could get back, to only seconds after they left, and all the time spent here, would be nullified. But now…Danny didn’t think it was that simple. He was starting to doubt if they could get back at the exact time…

 

If they couldn’t…and couldn’t undo what the ship had done…then no body had a right to leave. This should be a punishment for us. Unable to leave, forced to live this mediocre life. To some, it was the ultimate punishment, and it suited…most times, torture that affected you the most, was the mental, not physical.

 

The wise cracking, prank pulling Danny of old was dead…replaced by a more mature, worldlier person. Life here required it. He slowly chuckled, and pushed the thoughts away…

 

It was far too beautiful a morning to stew on past mistakes.