By: Paul Lewthwaite.

Ellie bounced into Titan’s frigid atmosphere, leaving the stolen moon-buggy behind.

Mithram Montes towered over her, layered slabs of vertical ice, indifferent to her plight.

Her husband had attempted this ascent a day before but never returned. Control Central declined a rescue mission. Only one option remained open to her.

Her suit absorbed the reverberations as she hammered her ice pick into the freezing mass.

A thousand feet up, drenched in sweat, she clung to the slippery surface, exhausted, oxygen low.

Her helmet radio crackled to life.

“Ellie? Do you copy? Ned’s home. Radio malfunction. He didn’t reach the mountains.”

© 2024. Paul Lewthwaite

Paul Lewthwaite, a retired doctor, lives with his wife and a small, but all-powerful feline companion in Scotland. His micro/flash fiction can be found at Dark Moments, Deathcap & Hemlock, and 101words.org.

Posted January 8, 2025.