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eBook Category: Science Fiction
eBook Description: The story was written and accepted for publication long before 9/11/01 and thus has nothing to do with the tragedy. Instead, this is a character-driven science fiction time travel story in which a meteor is expected to strike the earth on Christmas Day. Rather than flee with their neighbors and a few million other people cramming the roadways and looting along the way, Jason and Teresa choose to stay put and hope the meteor misses them. On Christmas Eve, visitors arrive who claim to be lost and their presence causes Jason to re-examine the decision they made to stay put.

eBook Publisher: Fictionwise.com, Published: Analog, 2001
Fictionwise Release Date: October 2002

106 Reader Ratings:

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Available eBook Formats [MultiFormat - What's this?]: eReader (PDB) [26 KB] , ePub (EPUB) [32 KB] , Rocket/REB1100 (RB) [12 KB] , Adobe Acrobat (PDF) [60 KB] , Palm Doc (PDB) [12 KB] , Microsoft Reader (LIT) [63 KB] , Franklin eBookMan (FUB) [83 KB] , hiebook (KML) [59 KB] , Sony Reader (LRF) [37 KB] , iSilo (PDB) [10 KB] , Mobipocket (PRC) [13 KB] , Kindle Compatible (MOBI) [41 KB] , OEBFF Format (IMP) [21 KB]
Words: 3714
Reading time: 10-14 min.
Microsoft Reader (LIT) Format: Printing DISABLED, Read-Aloud ENABLED
Adobe Acrobat (PDF) Format:  Printing DISABLED, Read-Aloud DISABLED
All Other formats: Printing DISABLED, Read-aloud DISABLED

"Moving, quiet story about a meteor impact."--Bluejack

"This is one Christmas which is going to go off with a bang. Unfortunately, the bang in question is to be caused by a meteor strike on Earth. Deep in the woods an elderly couple await their fate, deciding a headlong flight into refugee status is not for them. A bright light in their house heralds some ... strange ... visitors. Aliens, perhaps. But in fact they are travellers from the future--descendants in fact, come to do some primary genealogical research. Nicely told."--BestSF Reviews

Jason stared out through the door's ice-covered window past the faint reflection of his age-lined face. Somewhere out there, death was coming. A meteor heading for the Midwest. Indianapolis, maybe. Chicago. Louisville. Could be anywhere unless the scientists had revised their forecast since the power went out and left him and Teresa cut off from the rest of the world.

They could be wrong. The television weatherman couldn't even guess next week's weather right half the time. How could any scientists be sure it was going to hit Earth, let alone narrow it down to their neck of the woods?

By next week, he could be shooting the breeze with Buck again, giving him a hard time about hightailing it out of here when the news hit and leaving all the livestock behind to fend for themselves.

Gary had called and tried to change their minds. Stephanie had cried. Plenty of room out there in California with them now that Marcia was married. They had meant it, too. But in the end, he and Teresa decided to stay.

They belonged here. Everything they knew was here. Starting over somewhere else would be a different kind of death.

Jason picked up his rifle and tugged on the door. The dang-blasted thing always stuck during cold weather. Teresa had gone out a bit ago, grumbling something about Christmas dinner come hell or high water or any stupid rock hurling through space. She'd been gone too long and he didn't trust the night. Their farm was off the main highway but someone might take the back roads and think nothing about shooting an elderly couple for a can of gasoline to get them a little further along their escape path.

Fools! For all they knew, they could be driving straight into it. Best to stay put where you are and hope it hits Detroit instead. Not that it matters. If it really hits, life will never be the same again.

"Jason?" Teresa called from the storage shed. "Can you give me a hand with this grill?"

Jason leaned his rifle against the side of the shed and flipped the light switch without thinking. No lights. It was easy to find her, though, because she was making enough noise to wake the dead.

"What are you up to in there?"

"About five two," she said, and he could hear the laughter in her voice. "Really, Jason, you heard me inside. I'm dragging out the grill. We can barbecue the turkey for Christmas."

He wanted to laugh at the absurdity of it all but didn't dare. If it made her feel better and gave her something to do beyond watching and waiting to see which way the rock fell, then so much the better.

He pulled the lawnmower aside and began rearranging things to reach the grill. A few moments later, a loud clap of thunder and bright light lit up the shed and then a blast of wind through the open doors knocked them both to the floor.

Damn scientists couldn't even get the time right!