By: Miles Efron.

Ten years ago—on the most distant of our moons—a deep-space antenna picked up Message 2939. A missive from some forgotten civilization on an extinct planet.

Ever since Message 2939 arrived, our scientists have worked to crack its code, to surface its hidden wisdom.

Is the message a warning? A cure? A declaration of peace, or of war?

Supercomputers churn day and night to translate it. Scholars make careers analyzing it.

Then yesterday, a university team finally decoded Message 2939.

…Good to the last drop…

Its poetry is undeniable. But what arcana Message 2939 contains, we may never know.

© 2026. Miles Efron

Miles Efron is a writer based in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Posted March 25, 2026.