"Half a year to get here seems like a long time. But it's just a joke compared to the time humanity needed to get this far."

"Dave, did you just use a remix of the Armstrong-quote as the first words spoken on Mars?"

"Yep, I said it. Those were the first words on Mars. If the third time somebody steps his or her foot on a new planet, and if that someone thinks like me, we'll have a tradition!"

"Oh, whoever will be that person, please don't participate in this stupidity."

"You two are aware that we're still transmitting?"

"I hoped so! Raises the chance to really create a tradition out of this. So, let me check my suit. I'm still talking, so it does at least somehow protect me. Pressure values are good, sensors are… Locating a structure? Guys, please check the data I'm transmitting, is that an error or is there a hidden trapdoor in front of me?"

"Stop joking, Dave. This is Mars, how could there… Wait. Sorry, I'm getting the same result! Wait a moment, we're coming out. We need to investigate that."

"Understood."

The group of three men soon found the position. All their suits located the same structure, and as soon as they started digging, something reacted. The ground started to move, to raise into a ramp, releasing a stair that led straight down.

"Seriously", Dave asked his co-astronauts while walking down the steps, "how likely has it been that this was here? I mean, a structure on Mars is unbelievable on its own, but a quarter mile away from our first landing spot?"

"Actually, not half as unlikely as you might think", Brian started to explain. "This landing site was chosen because of the geographical features. For who knows how many years, this exact region almost didn't change at all. Whoever built that must have seen and preferred the same conditions we did, causing us to land almost at the same position as they did."

"They. Are we already confirming aliens here?"

"What else? Do you think someone from earth built this without shouting it from every roof? An actual Mars colony? No man could ever hold back like that."

"True. Aliens it is."

When they reached the end of the stairs, they found themselves at an intersection. "Three directions, three men. Anyone else having horror movie flashbacks?"

"You're the only one of us wasting his time with that stuff. We'll split, I'll go into that direction."

After a while of walking in silence, Dave continued to talk. "Do you think we'll find one, in a cryo pod, maybe?"

" What, an alien? Not really. Why should they have left one of their kind behind?"

"Might be that the ship that was supposed to bring him home got destroyed?"

"By what?"

"An opposing species, perhaps?"

"So we aren't just talking about two alien races now, they had a war against each other right here in our system? You have to stop watching that many movies!"

"Guys? I guess, I found something."

"What is it?"

Silence.

"Hello? What did you find?"

Still no response.

Suddenly, the lights flicker in the whole plant and illuminate the gray, steel corridors with the artificial glow of fluorescent tubes. "The light switch, I guess", Dave finally responds.

"Damn, Dave! Don't do that ever again!"

"Sorry. But you need to get here, quick!"

The astronauts found Dave in something that resembled a control room. Screens on the walls were showing all kinds of TV programs, switching the channels with an incredible speed. Dave just stood there, his arms spread as if he wanted to receive his companions with a hug. "What do you say?"

"I say we turn it off again. Who knows what the hell it's doing there."

"I guess it's scanning for signals. But why?"

As suddenly as the lights were turned on, the screens went offline. Next, an electronic voice starts speaking. "Translation system calibration completed. Welcome to the Nekkai Surveillance Station. Please identify."

"That's why", Dave commented. "My name's David Taggert, scientist aboard the first manned Mars mission in human history."

"Identity unknown. Classification guest. Initialize first contact protocol."

"What does that mean?"

"First contact protocol establishes a connection to the nearest active communication relay, transmits a data package about the newly uprising species and initializes negotiations about to join the galactic community of space traveling species."

"Why do I feel like we just called the police?" Dave turned towards the other two, clueless what to do now.

"We have to get back to our ship. We need to report what we found!"

As they're turning to leave, the computer starts to speak again. "Request confirmed. Enrides-fragment exploration unit 58 assigned. Estimated arrival in two local hours."

Earth was in turmoil. Confirmation about intelligent life, and this close to them? Everyone looked forward to this contact. They just weren't sure if the visitors would fly to Mars or Earth, so they prepared on both planets. And almost exactly two hours after the machines' confirmation, a ship appeared over the entry, gently hovering down, landing beside the humans ship.

All three men stood between their ships, waiting for something to happen. And on the point, after two hours, a door opened in the alien ship's side and the pilot steps out. The long head, the posture and the enormous tail didn't leave any space for misinterpretation, at least in Dave's eyes. He immediately shouted: "A dinosaur! Oh my god, space traveling dinosaurs, how awesome is this?"

The first questions were quickly answered. Despite the first impression, the lizards did not originate from the earth. And this particular being wasn't actually a lizard, it just chose the shape of the stations builders for this contact, expecting other lizards to wait here. It invited the men into her shuttle, offering them a fast journey back to Earth. Inside the shuttle, it established an Earth-like atmosphere and offered them to put down their suits during the flight. It led by example as it removed its own space suit right away. It had a green bark, and sometimes it's movements caused the noise of creaking wood. The astronauts were especially surprised when it suddenly started to change its shape, now resembling a human woman. Then, it introduced itself as Enrides-fragment exploration unit 58, just as announced. It suggested that they should act to it like towards a female, and she offered to be called Explorer 58 for short.

This is part of a greater universe I'm currently working on. Over there on the Index, I named this part "Unexpected Neighbors"

Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.

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To be fair to death, statistics is a surprisingly new field of math

Atheism is kinda the default “religion”, though. It shouldn’t really be that shocking.

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You are correct. Though I have had people seem genuinely confused or surprised when they find out I am not religious.

There’s nothing wrong with having an opinion. As long as you don’t force it on others or shame them for having different ones, I think it’s alright.

Religion. Considering how each religion believes it is the correct one, it is rather divisive, is it not?

Do you mean religiophobia or was it actually meant to say religion?

With a grace, haiku

This life to be accepted

Nature in it's glory

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Dear Journal,

It feels like it's been a thousand years since I last heard another human voice. I've been imprisoned on an empty planet and it's damn near killing me just to survive. Two decades of wandering, fighting wild animals for scraps, exploring abandoned buildings, etc. has warped my once hopeful outlook. The one thing you miss after everyone is gone? Their voices.

It's been at least twenty-two years since my last meaningful conversation. Before everything crumbled and I was somehow lucky enough to emerge into a deafeningly silent world, I had been debating on which college to attend with my mother. Back then, the news was littered with stories of war, conflict, hatred, and chaos 24/7. Despite that, everybody just held out hope that things would magically fix themselves. What else could you do? I suppose once you look back with hindsight, it was inevitable that the only way to fix everything was to burn it all down. Even if I disagreed with that point of view, all I could do at the time was concentrate on the future I thought was being laid out for me.

I suppose that's why I've been collecting these old phones. Most of them won't boot. Of the few that do, most of them don't have anything interesting. However, there are some that still have pictures and old voicemails. I have put together a working PC to archive what I find. It allows me to revisit a world lost to time. A world to which I desperately want to return. I view it as my only means of human connection anymore. It's interesting listening to these voicemails. Usually, it's full of little messages not really meant to be important or interesting; most of these weren't even meant to be permanently archived. My favorite messages to listen to are those from mothers just checking in on their children. "Heyyy, just checking in, haven't heard from you in a couple days! Call me back, please! Love you!"

Love you too, Mom.

Sometimes I will try to call back. The calls never go through, but it's not like I have anything else better to do.

But what if one of the phones starts ringing? Do I answer? I only pose this question because that's exactly what happened a few days ago. I was too scared to pick it up and I'm kind of hoping it rings again.

I will update if it happens again...

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Thank you for reading!!

I figured as much! It makes absolute sense.

Thanks, Artemis.

Good job.

My pleasure!

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The god of the forest had no pity for the weak. His realm was never meant to be without pain and when his prey creatures were hunted down or his trees were felled by storms he would mourn those who were lost instead of saving them. There was a violent balance contained within the forest borders and it had never been his way to try to overcome it.

The arrival of the child was the first thing that could be seen as a change in that.

The forest lord never learned why the child was abandoned. Humans would sometimes walk in the land which was rightfully his and he either regarded them with contempt or did not regard them at all. The child had been lost for some time when he finally noticed her and she was cold, thirsty and afraid. All of these things can kill and if the child was to be left to her own devices then she would be dead before tomorrow's dawn.

He could have left her alone and he considered doing so but something gave him pause. This child would be going to die only because she wasn't in her own realm. The god of the forest knew of the kingdom of the humans and despised its greyness and smoothed edges but he hated it at least in part because of how unthinkingly it would destroy his own subjects who strayed too far. Wild plants seen as weeds and killed, wild animals quite unprepared for the mechanical dangers humans had created.

The god could choose to be different to the humans. And so, he did.

The first night was easy. Before darkness the forest god moved brambles aside so the child could more easily find a stream of safe water. He allowed tempting berries to coax her towards an old den that the child was smart enough to climb inside to face the chilled air of night. He did all these things to care for her and waited for the humans that the child had arrived with to come and collect her.

He didn't expect that they simply wouldn't come back.

Days turned to weeks and the god decided to lead her outside of the forest with the same gentle suggestion as before. She followed his subtle prompting and reached the edge of the trees without issue. She realised where she was and looked at the field ahead of her, even able to see the town in the distance.

And then she turned around.

It was only at this point, the point at which the small and determined child walked back into the cold forest where she had been abandoned, that the god began to love her. He would stop leaving hints occasionally, just to see which lessons she'd truly learned. He accepted her as one of his own and even though part of him expected her to change her mind and leave one day, he was still pleased that he had chosen to stay for now.

As months turned to years though, he realised that the child had no intention on leaving. At first he wasn't sure what this meant - she was not a native animal but he didn't see her as an intruder anymore either. She was the only one of her kind and it took him awhile to decide exactly what that meant.

Eventually, he decided that the creature in the forest that she was most like was himself. Instead of a subject, he began to see her as a daughter, a potential successor. She wasn't a god yet, but these things can change.

Even though she was almost an adult now, the god have her suggestions in much the same way he had when she'd first been lost. He moved brambles and left tempting berries and coaxed her into performing a ritual that humans had forgotten long ago and had never realised the full potential of anyway.

Carrying out ritual steps that had been enough to make witches out of her ancestors, the girl heard the forest god's voice for the first time. Fulfilling further steps that no human had learned, the girl developed powers that the forest god had kept for centuries.

She sat, she listened and she learned.

She would be a worthy successor.

Growel and Lengan sound like they would have amazing storys, would you write some?

Thank you so much! I'm glad you liked it!

this is beautiful! you always write my favorite stories here.

Time began to pass, as Constantine accepted what may have been the truth. He wanted answers, and even though I didn't have them he studied as hard as he could.

I taught him how to use a bow, and even though he was awful at first he gradually became a master. Although, nowhere near the talent that I had. He must've been one of the finest archers humanity ever managed.

The forest nymphs helped to teach him survival, how to track down animals, how to tame them, how to confront them, and how to flee. Aypio teaching him how to blend into the environment and wait patiently for hours on end. Callisto teaching him how to make a fire, use every bit of a kill, and how to cook. He had slowly shed his noble origins, even giving himself a new name: Scamandrius

However, he never gave up his desire for answers.

The once frail child stood on a hill on the outskirts of the forest, he had strengthened his body and became a proud young man. His bow made from a sturdy branch he snapped off a tree years ago when accompanied by a nymph. With arrows inside a quiver he had made himself.

"I hope you find your answer, one way or another." I spoke, from behind him.

"Thanks Lady Artemis. I really am thankful for everything you...everyone. Did for me, as far as I'm concerned this place is my home."

"Callisto said to keep us in your heart, she's really going to miss you."

He chuckled and seemed to reminisce.

"Tell her that I'll miss her too. I'll miss you all."

"But you already said that to them."

"I know. But I just want them to hear it one more time."

"Very well. Now go forth, you frail, frail child. Return at any time." I spoke as he walked out of the forest.

Every fletching leaves the nest eventually, so I wonder what will become of that one. Will the truth be what he wanted? Will he carve another path for himself? Whatever it may be, I am glad I got to be a small part of it.

A child with a frail looking body staggered through the thick flora of the forest. Sunlight dancing through the thick canopy up above serving to make the shadows of already dark areas jump out more. A twig suddenly snapping right beneath them making them flinch and look around, their terrified expression becoming more prevalent.

"H...Hello..?" The child cried out, I had been stalking them for a few minutes now unsure of how to approach a lost and terrified child. While I did have a soft spot for children, it was a completely different matter when they were scared like this. How do you approach something that will not listen no matter what?

Furthermore, from what I could gather from the child's high end clothing and a crashed carriage I had found on my hunt. This may have been what people called "Nobility".

I kept a low profile, moving a fair distance ahead and stepped out into the open. My bow secured behind my back along with my quiver.

"I can see you are lost. I can guide you out." I spoke softly, not daring to approach the child. Children would sometimes get lost, and when they were terrified like this could be just as aggressive as any animal.

The child looked at me and clumsily staggered backwards, falling onto his back letting out a weak groan. Usually, they had some inkling on how to tread the ground of a forest. But this kid simply didn't, whether he had been extremely sheltered or was just highly clumsy I couldn't tell.

"Don't worry. I'm just a lowly hunter, I'm very familiar with this place." I offered out a hand, the child looking at it then rapidly glancing around. The child then scrambling to reach for it as he jumped at the sight of a shadow. Once we locked hands I pulled the child up. I at the very least wanted to teach this poor soul some basic survival tricks.

"Child, what's your name?" I asked with the child staying very close to me, uncomfortably so.

"C-Constantine...m-ma'am!"

"Constantine? Very well, I'm Art...Ariadne."

I lead the kid deeper into the woods, to where my residence would be. Through previous encounters with lost people, I had figured out my true name was a word of alarm. They would effectively prostrate themselves in the presence of someone they found out to be a God.

"What's your story, Constantine? How did you get out here?"

Constantine shifted his gaze and trembled.

"My...My carriage was attacked on my way back home. And...And it crashed. No one was...was around when I woke up..."

I had to think for a moment. Was he just unfortunate and attacked by bandits? But then, why not just take him as ransom?

"Did you see anyone?"

Constantine shook his head.

"The curtains were...were drawn."

So was he just abandoned then?

"I see. Because you were attacked, perhaps you should pick up a few survival skills. I'll teach you."

Constantine seemed shocked

"But...But isn't that barbaric?"

"Survival isn't anywhere near barbaric. Who instilled that idea into your head?"

"My...My...My parents and instructor..." He murmured

"Then they are wrong."

Constantine immediately recoiled and remained silent, even as we reached the cabin I resided in. It was deep within the wilderness, and obscured by the local floral but was in a clearing which exposed it to the sunlight.

"Other...buildings..?" Constantine asked puzzled

"I don't reside here alone. They are some of my dearest friends, so please be nice to them."

He nodded slowly and looked around. A beautiful young woman, one of my Forest Nymphs named Aypio, gracefully approached me almost gliding across the floor.

"My, my. This has to be the first time I've seen you not guide a lost child out. Did you perhaps take pity on him, Artemis?" Aypio spoke, people would often describe her voice as sweet honeydew, and it was annoying that she knew me well.

Constantine immediately going pale and freezing in place staring at me with fear. Humans called it reverence, but I knew better. I knew that people were terrified of Gods. And I hated it, ^(even if I had turned people into deer in the past for certain reasons.)

"Aypio..!"

"Oh...OH! You were trying to be covert again? Better he finds out now rather than later if you intend on teaching him~" She smiled waving and starting to walk to the direction of the hot spring.

She may have been right, but I still though it could've been done in a better way. The kid was already terrified as is.

Constantine flinging open the door of my cabin and tripping into it.

"Are you ok..?"

He nodded yes but still held the same fear in his eyes.

"Are you mad that I lied? And, sorry to say, but I don't think you'll be seeing your parents for a while."

Constantine's eyes beginning to water and he began shaking.

"You...You intend on kidnapping me..? Am I a sacrifice? Am I going to die..?"

"I'm trying to make sure you survive. Your parents abandoned you, I'm sure of it." I spoke sitting down to be on level with him.

"They...They...What..?"

Constantine looked at me in disbelief.

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