Children of a Dark Sky (standard:science fiction, 2664 words)
Author: D. L. Morgan	Added: Nov 17 2003	Views/Reads: 3944/2417	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
A story of a young girl and her friends experiences on a far away planets unique transportation system. Preview of a finish book. http://books.lulu.com/morgan

Introduction 

I really hate translating into Earth English for my homework. This story
takes place on the planet known as Dark Sky. I will do my best to take 
this story and translate it into Earth English. I really hate you, 
teacher. I think it's unfair that I am given the two worst languages in 
the known universe and expected to translate one to the other. 

For those who don't know anything about Dark Sky planet, I will try to
give you some idea of what their planet is like. It is a very backward 
society. Unlike most planets, Dark Sky has no metal objects. The 
hardest substance is glass. Tuffen looks like a bamboo and ruffen is a 
kind of hemp rope. Most of the land was, at one time, very flat and 
still is. Years of erosion have caused valleys and deep canyons. The 
bottoms are swamps full of tall reeds and stalks of tuffen. Walking 
through them can be quite a dangerous experience for wild dogs, 
poisonous snakes, and other nasty creatures abound. 

People live in huts made of tuffen and wear clothes made from chamois.
It is a society where everyone is expected to work, including children. 
Although children do not do the jobs of an adult, they are often 
apprentices in their parents' craft or given to a neighbour to learn a 
new trade. This happens when the parents have more children than what's 
needed to carry on their profession. 

One of the common and more disgusting jobs a child is expected to do is
to dump and refill the sand closet. It is a type of toilet that uses 
sand instead of water. It is a nasty and smelly job that no adult wants 
to do, so they give it to one of their children. 

Transportation from one village to another is done by zeps (A type of
Zeppelin. No other words in Earth English describe them) and kites (A 
type of hang glider). 

I would explain more, but my evil teacher required me to even translate
this introduction. Teacher, I hope you die in earth hell. And I need a 
good grade. 

Children of a Dark Sky 

On a high plateau where the grass was kept in check by sheep. A small
child was dragged by her hand. Her  grandmother scorned face looked 
down on the child and thought how much she looked like her mother. They 
walk down the narrow path that headed to the edge of the plateau. 
Villagers did not go so close to the cliff edge. Everyone knew how the 
edges the high cliff could give away so unpredictably. Only those who 
were required to go near it did so. 

In the distance the old woman could see a small hut that was far away
from the village. But flyers lived away and alone. As she came upon the 
hut she could see an old tattered kite that was left outside. 

"Open." The old woman knocked hard upon the door. 

Silence. 

"Open!" 

The door open, but only for a small gap. 

"What do you want?" In voice that came angrily from behind the door. 

"I have a student for your." 

"I do not take students. Go away!" And the door shut. 

Tatana watched her grandmother leave. She wanted to go home. But there
was no home and she was told to stay. The grandmother had taken the 
scrip from selling her mother's hut and used it to go to the big-city. 
Halfway through the trip, the scrip had become short and she now had 
left Tatana in front of the flyer's hut. 

As she looked, she could see the zep making its gray smoke, leaving in
the distance. She knew that her grandmother had left her for good. She 
stood. After a while she sat, getting her white chamois dress dirty. 


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