But we never believed them.
It was too far away.
And there were too many people dying.
It was impossible.
Even when we saw the motion pictures we didn’t believe it.
Well, that’s how it is now.
Earth is China.
It’s so far away it’s unbelievable.
It’s not here.
You can’t touch it. You can’t even see it.
All you see is a green light.
Two billion people living on that light?
Unbelievable!
War?
We don’t hear the explosions.”
“We will,” said the proprietor.
“I keep thinking about all those people that were going to come to Mars this week.
What was it?
A hundred thousand or so coming up in the next month or so.
What about them if the war starts?”
“I imagine they’ll turn back. They’ll be needed on Earth.”
“Well,” said the proprietor,
“I’d better get my luggage dusted off.
I got a feeling there’ll be a rush sale here any time.”
“Do you think everyone now on Mars will go back to Earth if this is the Big War we’ve all been expecting for years?”
“It’s a funny thing, Father, but yes, I think we’ll all go back.
I know, we came up here to get away from things — politics, the atom bomb, war, pressure groups, prejudice, laws — I know.
But it’s still home there.
You wait and see.
When the first bomb drops on America the people up here’ll start thinking.
They haven’t been here long enough. A couple years is all.
If they’d been here forty years, it’d be different, but they got relatives down there, and their home towns.
Me, I can’t believe in Earth any more; I can’t imagine it much.
But I’m old. I don’t count.
I might stay on here.”
“I doubt it.”
“Yes, I guess you’re right.”
They stood on the porch watching the stars.
Finally Father Peregrine pulled some money from his pocket and handed it to the proprietor.
“Come to think of it, you’d better give me a new valise.
My old one’s in pretty bad condition…” November 2005: THE OFF SEASON
Sam Parkhill motioned with the broom, sweeping away the blue Martian sand.
“Here we are,” he said.
“Yes, sir, look at that!”
He pointed.
“Look at that sign. SAM’S HOT DOGS!
Ain’t that beautiful, Elma?”
“Sure, Sam,” said his wife.
“Boy, what a change for me.
If the boys from the Fourth Expedition could see me now.