Across the Aurora
A short story written by Matt Gardner with PlotWeaver: Cards of Creation, a storytelling game made by Mod Hob Cooperative.
This story uses a Parallel Plot Pattern, written in 15-minute timed acts with all story cards drawn at random. For more information, visit www.plotweavergame.com
Act 1: Introduction of Distinct Plotlines
(Story Element Cards: The Martyr, Space Station, The Rescuer, Skyscraper Rooftop, The Rebel, Downtown Market, and Fantasy)
The astronaut tethered himself to the rail of the space station. It was the second time today he’d had to make an adjustment, carefully aligning the antenna segments.
The nameplate on the suit read: Cal Armstrong
The suit didn’t fit properly. The man inside it was Eli Wolkoff, a visiting scientist from the Russian Space Station. He had been aboard for a week, and not a single day had passed without some kind of failure.
Cal Armstrong had died three days earlier, a heart attack, sudden and final. The other inhabitants of the station were sick, quarantined to their rooms.
Eli had been tasked with repairing communications so they could reach the Russian Station and arrange for a doctor to join them and treat the rest of the crew. He tried not to think about the name stitched across his chest.
Stacey noticed that Barb had left work in a bad mood and was heading up to the roof. Stacey liked Barb. They ate lunch together, and she knew Barb wasn’t in the best place in her marriage.
Stacey followed her up to the 42nd floor, where there was a balcony. Barb usually liked it up there, but today felt different.
Barb’s eyes were red from crying. Her skin pale. Her hair dishevelled.
Jonas stood facing the shadowy figure that had descended upon him and Ameera. He knew he had made a mistake telling his tale. In doing so, he had made another target.
Ameera didn’t need Jonas’s protection. She had been in danger before. She didn’t fear this adversary.
Jonas did. He had faced it once already, and only now realized how complex this struggle would become. Ameera might be brave, but her frame of reference had always been the town. This was something else entirely.
