*Dark Side of the Moon

Intro: This is an idea that my husband and I bounced off of each other. Moose brought up the fact that there is an agreement that no nation can own the moon. But apparently there are some private corporations that want to mine the minerals. I have a feeling I will be doing more with this story.

The net, woven from hemp, burned my skin as I was dragged across the ground. I struggled against the bonds but they didn’t give. It earned me a kick from the slaver. I already knew that making a noise would earn a prod. Four was already more than enough. My muscles were still aching from the one an hour before. I couldn’t see where anyone else was. I heard a few whimpers and occasional screams.

They dragged me up a metal plank which burned my exposed skin. My clothes had been shredded when they chased me. The only positive about being inside was being in the shade, but that just meant I didn’t have to worry about the UV. It was still hot and stuffy. I didn’t mind living in the desert, so long as it meant I was moving from protective vehicle to protective building. Being fair skinned made living in Arizona a nightmare at times. Then again when my family lived in Oregon I burned, but there weren’t as many sunny days.

Laying, trapped in the net, I could see one other person. A girl. I couldn’t tell how old she was. If she was like me then she was older than she looked. I was small for my age. The boys were passing me up. Most people thought I was still ten, and that was being generous. The girl cracked open an eye and stared past me, her eyes hazy and unfocused.

“How many did we get?” This came from the man who had netted me.

“Between this catch and the one last week we have almost three dozen.”

“That isn’t enough.”

“It’s the best we can do. The shuttle leaves at dawn. We don’t have time for another attempt. We have to prep this group.”

Something clanged shut and the voices were ended. The floor vibrated under me. I think I drifted off but maybe it was just the pain from everything that had happened in the last few hours.

I was dragged out of the vehicle and into a cold, dark room. The net was cut, as well as my clothes. I couldn’t even cover myself before hands were poking and prodding. The man wore a mask and I couldn’t even see his eyes through the glass.

“How old are you?”

“Twelve.”

“That’s a good sign.”

After his hands left me blushing, shaking, and bruised. I was shuffled into the next room where another dozen people were. When I realized there were boys in there I realized I could feel worse. It didn’t matter that no one was looking at me. I wanted to die.

Four adults came into the room and cut our hair. The boys’ heads were buzzed, their hair half an inch long. Us girls had our trimmed so it was no longer than our ears, all the same length. Then came the cold water. I didn’t realize I could get any colder. When they handed me the drab clothes I pulled them on, never before had wool felt so soft.

We all shuffled into a new room where benches sat lined up.

A man stood at the front, his arms folded. “Everyone take a seat. No talking.”

I found myself between two girls. We sat with hands clasped, still shivering.

“All of you have been gathered for your unique abilities. You are now all hired by the Lunar Quarry. We expect complete obedience.” He motioned with his hand and two kids walked in. A boy and a girl. “These two will make sure that you understand the rules.”

When the man left, the two youths stared at us with dull eyes. I’d never seen anything look lifeless.

“It’s time to say good bye to earth,” the boy said.

“You’ll never see it again,” the girl finished.

“Don’t try to escape.”

“Or you die.”

“Obey every order.”

“Or you will die.”

“And don’t forget your oxygen,” the boy said.

They moved to sit in front of the room. Some boy leaned towards his neighbor. “But what are the rules?”

An adult moved out of the shadows and prodded the boy. I heard the sizzle from where I sat five rows back.

“No talking.”

I didn’t know how much time past. I couldn’t seem to look anyone but the boy who lay twitching on the ground. No one moved to help him. The man with the prod moved to the front of the room.

When I could no longer feel my butt and my throat felt like I had swallowed the Arizona desert we were moved through the door into another room. This one had seats that had us on our backs. More adults came through and they didn’t talk like the other adults, but the idea of the prod kept me from saying anything.

“Welcome. The flight to the moon will take roughly thirty-two hours. Let us know what you need and we will do our best to accommodate you.”

A hand tapped my shoulder. I looked up. The prod man. I, as well as all of the other children in the room, remained silent.

We walked down the gang plank to a spherical room. I stared at the Earth through the glass. We were all loaded into a truck and traveled across the gray landscape. There was only one place I knew we were going. The dark side of the moon where the mining camps existed. I was officially a minor miner. No one would hear from me again. I realized I had died the moment I was cut free from the net.