INDEX| Episode 10 | Epilogue
Headlines
Señor Delacruz has been keeping a side project, through the years since Contact. It is hard to think of leaders who shook the world as being only human—yet this hobby Señor Delacruz has makes him feel, to me, genuine and grounded. He has been keeping a scrapbook of headlines, marking moments in world history.
“Tell me about this book?”
“Oh, just a little something. The newspapers stopped feeling real after I became President, you see. I’ve collected these headlines from around the world, during my travels, or people bring them to me. You are the first person, outside my wife, with whom I have shared this book.”
I open the book and sure enough—headlines cut out from newspapers fill every page. Here is a selection of headlines from when I examined the book.
What Is Delacruz’ Plan For Cuba? (2036)
DOD: Mysterious Japanese Satellite Has Disappeared (2037)
Inside Japan’s Secret Interplanetary Mission (2037)
India Test-Fires Alien Weapon, Hails Era Of “Peace Through Strength” (2038)
Bookends: Russia First to land a man on Pluto and Mercury (2039)
President Harrison Annexes The Moon (2040)
European Coalition Feels Strain Over Mars Colony (2041)
United Nations Interplanetary Talks Break Down As American, Russian, Indian Delegations Walk Out (2041)
Billionaire Buys Asteroid Vesta Amid Criticism (2042)
InVesta Materials Posts Q3 Profit, Proves The Haters Wrong (2044)
Tensions Flare Between Japan And India Over Europa And Ganymede Bases (2045)
President Delacruz Announces Plans For Space Elevator (2047)
Upon returning the book to Señor Delacruz, he holds it tight to his chest. I get the feeling I have been allowed to look inside his most prized possession. The sun is setting, but in the fading evening light, we can see a light rising from the base of the Space Elevator, ascending to the platform in orbit, above. Señor Delacruz has told me multiple times throughout this interview, that second only to his son, that space elevator is his proudest achievement.
The End
This concludes Sandbox Earth, the prequel series to the Adventures of Tylus Worran telling the story of the infancy of humanity’s life among the stars. I really enjoyed writing this—it has been my dream to get this story out of my head and here it is, in all it’s first-draft glory.
Thank you for reading, and God Bless you!
This was a brilliant series. Bravo.
The headlines through the years give a massive sense of scale to the whole story that compliments the one-on-one interviews really well.
I enjoyed this series start to end. Nicely done!
"President Harrison Annexes The Moon." Does that mean the moon is no longer under the Orlando Catholic Bishop's purview? lol