The Vanished

by The Wandering Author

There was a famous colony in the old days on Earth that vanished. Their supply ship was late, and when it did return, no one was there, just one word no one could understand carved into a tree. So when our ship carried the first load of colonists out to settle the first inhabitable planet, everyone knew something like that could happen sooner or later. But, mysterious as the disappearance of that ancient colony must have been, our experience is worse than anything those sailors could have dreamed of, even while sleeping restlessly amidst the ruins of an abandoned colony. On our third trip out with more settlers and supplies, we had to stay in orbit while we made emergency repairs. We returned to Earth, just a few months late, and found the airwaves quiet, the great stations empty and silent, the lights of the huge cities below extinguished, and every outpost we could reach abandoned, all with no hint of what went wrong.

6S - C1

The Wandering Author has devoted most of his life to date to writing, printing, and publishing. His other interests are usually dictated by research for some story or other. Despite a truly notable lack of fame, money, or awards to show for his efforts, Wandering remains convinced he is a writer. He is so sure that, even if no publisher would ever consider his work and no other reader ever value it, he would keep writing for the joy of it. Despite this attitude, he does have devoted readers, all six of whom are sure his stuff is better than cereal boxes when they're desperate for reading matter. His true genius, of course, will only be recognised after his death, while his subtle humour may always elude most readers.