-
Rocket Summer
In the midst of a freezing, bone-chilling Ohio winter, humanity's first attempt at traveling to Mars begins. In an instant, a small Ohio town heats up, melting the snow and ice, turning freshly fallen snow into hot rain drops that never make it to the ground. The excitement passes from townsfolk to townsfolk, as they realize what has happened. It's whispered between them: "Rocket Summer... Rocket Summer... Rocket Summer...". -
Ylla
On Mars, a martian woman named Ylla has a premonition of the first manned expedition to Mars touching down nearby her house. She dreamt about it during the middle of the day, which startled her husband Mr. K. He becomes extremely jealous when Ylla tells him that in her dream, the earthling Nathaniel York, calls her beautiful. Mr. K then tricks Ylla into staying in the house as he goes to murder Nathaniel York and anyone else that was unlucky enough to be on that expedition. -
The Summer Night
One evening on Mars, a famous singer begins to utter a strange melody, with words that are unknown to the entire martian populous: "She walks in beauty, like the night of cloudless climes and starry skies; And all that's best of dark and bright meet in her aspect and her eyes...". The singer stopped and ran off the stage crying as the words and the melody rained down into the minds of the rest of the martians. Not one knew where it came from. -
The Earth Men
The Second Expedition to Mars arrives, and the astronauts are met with the exact opposite of the welcoming they were expecting; that is to say nobody cared that they were there. They went from household to household announcing their arrival and were shunned. Eventually they end up in an insane asylum with other martians that think they are from Earth too. The next morning, the head doctor of the asylum takes the astronauts back to their rocket and shoots them, believing them a hallucination. -
The Taxpayer
Back on Earth, the Third Expedition is getting ready to launch. A man named Pritchard believed that he was owed a spot on the rocket, simply due to the facts that he was an american, a good citizen, and that he payed his taxes. He is detained and arrested trying to jump the fence as the rocket shoots off into space, shouting about how the world will end in a fiery atomic war. -
The Third Expedition
As the third expedition lands on Mars, members of the crew leave the ship to search a nearby martian town that looked like it belonged on Earth. Once inside the town, the crew members encounter their dead relatives, finding them alive and happy. That night, while the crew members' defenses are down, their 'family members' murder them in their sleep, revealing themselves to be martians. The next morning the martians hold a funeral for the fallen crew members, shedding tears of grief and sorrow. -
And The Moon Be Still As Bright
The Fourth Expedition has landed on Mars. While most of the crew celebrates their good fortune, Jeff Spender contemplates the damage they may cause; most of the martian population has been wiped out by chicken pox. Spender goes missing for a couple of days, and then returns to kill a fair portion of his crew members. Once caught, he explains to his superior Captain Wilder that he is the 'last martian' and will protect Mars from human evil. Spender is then shot between his eyes by his crew. -
The Settlers
Government posters advertised the jobs and workload available on Mars. Lonely men with bad fortunes on Earth shuffle forward to be the first citizens to live on Mars. They leave their homes, families, and towns behind as they travel to the red planet to earn their fortune and their freedom. -
The Green Morning
Benjamin Driscoll arrived on Mars with the other pilgrims, wondering what would be his job on mars; what his purpose in life would be. He soon found that he could not handle the low oxygen level on Mars and would constantly pass out. He took it upon himself to plant millions of trees all over Mars so that those in the future like him wouldn't have to deal with the same problem he did. After he passed out for the 7th time, he awoke to find thousands of tall green trees sprouted up out of Mars. -
The Locusts
More and more humans began to make the journey to Mars, leaving behind their lives and homes now that the Martian landscape had been terraformed and made safe for humans. Soon six large human cities were erected on martian land. -
Night Meeting
Tomas Gomez moved to Mars in hopes of finding a better, simpler life to lead. On one of Tomas' nights off from working in a mining colony, he was on his way to turn up when he fell upon what appeared to be a martian in the woods. At first, neither could understand the other, but the martian, Muhe Ca, used his telepathic abilities to communicate with Tomas. They attempted to interact, but fell right through each other. Muhe Ca was a ghost, but didn't know it. They went their own separate ways. -
The Shore
The first wave of human civilians has made Mars a little bit better of a place to live. This second wave, still american mind you as the rest of the world was enveloped in war or the thoughts of war as it were, came to Mars, filled with men who seemed to have the look in their eye as one who was seeking God. -
The Fire Balloons
Father Peregrine landed on Mars leading a large group of missionaries to seek out and destroy new, unfound sin that naturally must have been hiding out in the martian hills. What the good reverend found instead were big blue balls of of fire that were intelligent and floated through the air; they were one of two species of martians, and they survived the human purge unscathed. Through many conversations with the spheres, Father Peregrine realized that he was the one that needed saving, not Mars. -
Interim
An entire town is built on Mars, seemingly in an instant. Fifteen thousand feet of lumber is brought in to build what shall be dubbed Tenth City. They're a creative bunch, these martians. -
The Musicians
Some young human lads would often hike out deep into the martian wilderness to play games, even though their parents always tell them not to. They never understood why, even when they would run over piles of ashes that seemed to squish as much as they did break apart. When they got home each day their shoes would be inspected, and their mothers would find martian ashes. -
The Wilderness
Janice and Leonora pack for their trip to Mars. In the middle of the night before their departure, Janice wakes up from a nightmare about falling to her death amidst utter nothingness. She tells Leonora that she doesn't wish to go to Mars anymore, but Leonora reminds her of her super hot boyfriend Will, who has already built her a house on Mars, and she resolves herself to go on the trip. -
The Naming of Names
*2035 - 2036. The old Martian names for places were based off of water and air and the hills. Here now, the human names consisted of: Hinkston Creek, Lustig Corners, Black River, Driscoll Forest, Peregrine Mountain, Wilder Town, Red Town, Second Try, Spender Hill, Nathaniel York Town and so on... until one day the sophisticates came in from Earth, and with them they brought their red tape that caused so many people to leave Earth in the first place... and these people pushed back. -
Usher II
William Stendahl was a lover of literature back on Earth. Eventually however, society's sophisticates found literature and free will and happiness to be evil, so they chose to ban it on Earth. Stendahl fled to Mars, where he spent years recreating The House of Usher from that famous Poe story (you know the one). Inside, he fitted the house with deathtraps so that when the sophisticates came to tear his house down, he tore them apart instead, ending his killing spree with the head sophisticates. -
The Old Ones
Following the trail of the young people, the people that actually had a future to live out on Mars, came the old people. At last the dry, crackling, 'mummy people' came to Mars. -
The Martian
LaFarge and his wife moved to Mars to get away from the death of their cherished son. One night, a rainstorm ravaged LaFarge's house, and through the window he swore he saw his son Tom again. Soon, he realized he was right, and the family went into to celebrate at his wife's insistence. There Tom went missing, and other people's lost loved ones reappeared. LaFarge tries to get Tom to come back with him, but too many other people 'recognize him" His brain overloads, and 'Tom' dies. -
The Luggage Store
The proprietor of a luggage store is the first to hear the news: World War III is about to go down. Father Peregrine is in the luggage store to pass the time, because everyone knows luggage stores on Mars are LIT. The good reverend reassures the proprietor that wars have come and gone before, and that this one will be no different. And then he goes back on his word and asks the proprietor for a new suitcase. -
The Off Season
Sam Parkhill and his wife open the first ever hotdog stand on Mars: SAM'S HOT DOGS. He believes that he is going to be rich, and he's on top of the world; until a martian shows up at his fine establishment, and he promptly kills it. Other martians soon arrive and after a slow-speed chase, explain to Sam that they are giving the deed to half of the land on Mars and that tonight is a very big night. Up in the sky, Sam and his see Earth, and they see Australia erupt off the face of the planet. -
The Watchers
The people on Mars look up from their evening activities to see Earth in the night sky. They see part of it has been blown away entirely, and the rest of Earth is enveloped by an ominous green fog. The people receive a message from Earth detailing what has happened, ending with COME HOME COME HOME COME HOME. By the next morning, the luggage proprietor's shelves are completely empty. -
The Silent Towns
Everyone has returned to Earth with the exception of Walter Gripp, Genevieve Stelsor, and Hathaway (but he's not important yet). After months of being alone in a small martian town, Walter hears a phone ringing. He runs through the town to find it, but alas he fails. Next time though, he is ready, and grabs the receiver just in time. On the other end is Genevieve, who sounds just heavenly, but turns out to be a total 0. Genevieve wants to marry Walter, who runs away from her as fast as possible. -
The Long Years
Hathaway lived alone on Mars for many years, as his family died from illness right before World War III went down. He built himself a robot version of that family to keep him company, as any sane man would do. Captain Wilder had been assigned a scouting mission around Jupiter, Saturn, and Pluto and had just returned to Mars. Hathaway introduces Wilder to his 'family', they enjoy some brunch, and then promptly dies. Captain Wilder and his men continue on their journey back to Earth. -
There Will Come Soft Rains
Back on Earth amidst a completely ruined town, one house remains standing tall and running electronically on its own. It goes through a daily routine that is eerily desolate, as there are no people left in the house to take care of. Eventually, a tree branch flies through one of the windows and knocks some solvent over the stove, which catches fire immediately. Soon, the entire house burns down as the mechanical 'brain' in the attic tries to comprehend what is occurring. -
The Million-Year Picnic
The Thomas family is going on vacation, or at least that's what Timmy, the oldest child in the family, is led to believe. Upon arriving on Mars, the family goes fishing and his father explains that they will actually be living on Mars for the rest of their lives, and there is nothing left for them on Earth. The children begin to cry, but the father cheers them up by offering to show them some martians. They go to the water's edge and peer over, their reflections staring back at them.
