I woke up about 2 AM with high bladder pressure.
All I could remember of the dream, I just had, was this picture of a lobster that had the head of a pig. I jotted down the word, SANDPIG, before I headed to the pisser.
It was 1984. I was using an Apple IIe computer in the Library with a word processor, called AppleWorks and a Dot matrix printer.
The Sandpig story started with nothing more, then the image in my head of a lobster with the head of a pig.
All the rest of the story came from my imagination as I sat in front of that Apple IIe computer.
So I guess you could say the entire story came from a pressurize bladder.
I hope you like the story, “SANDPIG”.
Jim
SANDPIG
After getting into my stolen space suit, I stowed away in cargo that I knew was to be loaded onto the next flight to the space station EXODUS. The EXODUS is the Earth orbiting space station that is used as a depo for the transfer of goods and passengers between earth and other galactic destinations.
The whole earth police, are seeking me because I had escaped while serving time for ripping off food. I gave away most of it to the poor. I sold some to the ones that had the ability to pay. I like the comfort of a warm place to live and that didn't come free of charge. Stealing from the rich, was against the law in the state of America. I was 31 years old at my sentencing and I got 10 years with two suspended. I served just over two years of my sentence when I escaped leaving two guards in the hospital. This escape would have added a mandatory six more years to my prison sentence. I spent the next year living in rat hole shelters along the starving class people.
As a young man at the turn of the 23rd century. There were four classes of people, the filthy rich, the working rich, the working poor and the starving. Over the past 15 years I watch the classes reduced to two. The filthy, rich, and the starving.
I never seemed to fit any of the classes of people, but I did fit the class called criminals. I never had any trouble feeding myself and many others. I think that had to do a lot with my love life. And my love of life. There was always a lot of ladies in the starving class of people who are looking for any man who could provide the necessities of life. Among the rich they were ladies who we're looking for the adventure and excitement of living with a man who had the animal instinct for survival that I had.
I didn't get into any trouble until I got greedy and broke into the men's food warehouse.
I knew I would be in this cargo box for two to seven days. The Earth police were closing in on me, not giving me much of a choice. I had 5 gallons of water that I could drink through the space suit. I settled into myself imposed prison for the duration. I didn't take anything else, knowing that it was going to be a bigger test of my sanity, then of my body. The two years I spent in prison had prepared me well for this test, of endurance. Four days later, I stepped out of my hiding place, and into a large cargo storage area of the EXODUS space station. I am now 450 km above the Earth police.
Having only a vague knowledge of the layout and operation of the Exodus, I knew my chances of survival were only slightly better than on earth. I did know that I would never go to prison again, because out here criminals are simply left to drift in space.
Within two days, I had secured myself by taking the place and the identity of an environmental life support specialist. He just arrived on the starship Transtar, in the morgue section of the ship. I took his clothing and ID, medical records and his work history. I now have a new outlook on life that I hadn't had since I was a child, being raised in the working poor class of people. I now have a new life, a new job and I'm scheduled to start a long overdue vacation once I arrive at the resort planet of a Agapi.
I just finished a trip to the star system Thummim on the TranStar. In two days I would be getting on the starship Ezra, that is bound for Agapi. Once I arrive at Agapi, I would be starting my first ever vacation.
The planet Agape is really one of the moons of the planet, Hakkoz in the solar system, Burzillal.
I found it very hard to control my emotions as the starship, Ezra undocks and start the flight to Agapi. The Ezra will spend the next two weeks accelerating to cruise speed. The main engines will then be shut down. Then cruise on two small maintenance engines that will maintain the speed and the ships operating systems for the rest of the flight. All passengers, including myself, are put in a state of suspended animation. The ship with a small crew of 50 will maintain a watch over the flight operations.
I didn't argue about entering, a sleep tank because I didn't want to be called on to do some of the work that I knew nothing about.
I am awakened by a very sweet smell, not really knowing what it was. I get the feeling that I don't have any clothes on because I can feel my bare back side laying on something very cool and soft. As my sight returns with my consciousness I see your beautiful, smiling, brown face looking down on me.
Hi, I'm Linda, she said. The ships engineers have asked me to wake you a little early because he need your talents. There's a problem with one of the hibernation tanks.
“What talents are you talking about?” Forgetting that I have a new identity and a new occupation.
You are a life support system technician aren't you?
“Yes”. Just as I said that, I realize that she was looking down at me as I lay there, naked.
“Your supervisor wants you to troubleshoot and repair a problem with one of the hibernation tanks.”
I set up and get this terrible pain that feels like my head is being crushed. As my face contorts with pain, she embraces me with two strong golden brown arms that are accented by her short sleeve pale blue uniform. The pale blue uniform meant that she was a med tech. As she lowered me back into the sleep tank, she whispered in my ear. You shouldn't have done that, that isn't anything I would expect from a seasoned interstellar traveler like yourself.
She goes over to a medicine cabinet that seems to appear as she reaches for what looks like nothing more than a blank wall. She then rolls gurney up next to the sleep tank where I'm laying. She told me to open wide, and she dropped a little white pill under my tongue and told me not to chew it, but to just let it dissolve. I asked her what it was. She said it was a pain pill that would relieve the pain caused by the transition from hibernation back to the living. It felt like it was about the size of a grain of rice, and it melted away, almost instantaneously, and so did the head pain.
She helped me move over onto the gurney. She covered my nakedness with a white sheet that seemed to have its own heat source. It is a welcome relief, from the cool clammy feeling that I've had since my return to consciousness.
“that feels good and whatever that pill was it worked very good. It was very sweet like most ladies. Thanks.”
“Are you bragging or complaining?”
“About what?”
“Sweet ladies.”
“Bragging.’’
“I didn't really want to do that.”
“You would rather see me suffer?”
“No, but you are a sight for lonely eyes.”
“I think that we are talking about two different things. I was talking about the head pain and you are talking about covering me up. Am I right?”
“Right.”
“I think you might be confusing loneliness with horniness.”
“What is horniness? I haven't heard that word before.”
“That's too bad. I will explain it to you later. I take it, English is not your original language.”
“You just take it easy for now and I'll be back in about an hour with your uniform and some food to restart your digestive system.”
“That reminds me, how long have I been in that sleep tank?”
"Almost 10 earth months, bye.”
She left, leaving nothing but the memory of her voice, beauty, and the smell of perfume. The entire room and everything in it is porcelain white. That is everything but me.
I must have drifted off to sleep, because Linda is back in what seems like two minutes. She set me up slowly, and hand me a bowl of some pink stuff that tastes and smells great.
“What is it?” I ask in between bites.”
“What do you mean? What is it?
“It tastes good it smells good, and it's all gone. There wasn't enough there to fill a rodent.”
“What is a rodent?”
“A rodent my lovely young lady is a furry little critter that I would eat if…”
I cut myself off mid sentence when I realize that I was beginning to blow my cover as part of the ship’s crew.
“You are not the person I think you are. So, who are you?”
My first instinct was to grab her by the throat and introducer her to female abuse. For some strange unknown reason I was unable to revert back to my violent nature that I knew had kept me alive this long I couldn't help but wonder what was different about this time I think I might be getting a little too old. I just sit there, trying to collect my thoughts and come up with a lie that she would believe, but I think she already knew the real truth.
“What are you going to do?” I ask.
“I don't know, I know what I'm supposed to do according to the galaxy laws and regulations, but that isn't what I feel in my heart I should do.”
“So, what you gonna do?”
“Look, don't press your luck. I need time to think about this.”
‘Well, while you're thinking about it, give me my uniform and I'll get dressed.”
“Not until you get cleaned up. Just because you were sleeping for the last 10 months, doesn't mean you didn't stink. You need to wash your stinky body. You haven't even cleaned your teeth in that time. That is just another way you have been telling me a bunch of lies about who you really are. I find it really hard to believe that you made it this far as a stowaway. It's simply amazes me.”
“Well, let's get on with it.” I start to get up and she pushes me back down.
“See, you keep forgetting that you've been in the sleep tank for 10 months and that means that you're not as strong as you were when you started this trip. It's going to take you several days to get to the point where you can even think about functioning normally.”
She pushed a spot on the side of the gurney, and it lowered me to less than a foot from the floor. She pushes another spot on the wall. The wall slides to one side revealing a large tank full of some kind of foaming water.
“Get in!”
“You got to be crazy if you think I'm gonna get in a tank full of boiling water.”
She squats down beside me, and places, her hand in the tank of boiling water.
“See, it's not hot. Those are just air bubbles. Get in!”
She removes my sheet and I swing my legs over and ease them into the water.
“Wow, I thought you said that wasn't hot!”
“It isn’t, you just spent most of 10 months at 5°C and the last two days bringing your body temperature back up to 37°C. Of course it will feel hot just take your time, getting in.”
It took me about 20 minutes, but I got all the way in. Linda is sitting very close to me near the edge of the tub.
“I've got other things to do you just soak here for a while.”
She starts to get up and I catch her by her arm.
“Why don't you stay a little while longer?”
“For one thing, you don't look like the lonely, insecure type.”
“I'm not.”
“Then, what are you suggesting?”
“You have no idea how long it's been since I've been this close to a woman especially one as good looking as you.”
“10 months?”
“More like two years.”
“That's not quite true, you've been laying next to two very beautiful young women for the last 10 months.”
She pulls away from my grip and stands up.
“Just what are you asking?”
“Well, if you would join me here in this tub, I will explain to you what horny means.”
She steps out of her tennys, unzips her jumpsuit, letting it drop to the floor around her ankles. She sits down on the edge of the tub and slides in, next to me. The site of her naked beauty absolutely leaves me breathless. I wonder why the hell, I hadn't tried to escape that dump of a planet called earth years earlier.
The next several days I spend working out in the gym and Linda acting as my exercise coach. We become friends and Linda still had not turned me into the security forces on board ship. My strength returns rapidly, and Linda fixes my records that indicate my position on board. She also fixes my records to indicate I am restricted to bedrest until we reach the planet Agapi.
I have made it! The whole earth, police, and my criminal record, are a couple of solar systems behind me.
I can't let myself get too lax in my security, and get myself dropped off in space before I get to the surface of Agapi.
The Starship Ezra has entered the Burzillal Solar Systom and reduced most of its speed. Just a few more days and I will be getting on a shuttle craft headed for the New World of Agapi that I don't even know existed a year ago.
I spend most of my time with Linda, which serves two purposes. It helps keep me out of everyone's way, and it allows me to keep a close watch on her. She is the only one living that knows that I even exist. But then I feel like this every time I see a good looking woman. She makes the time go by fast and before I know it I'm kissing her goodbye. I can't help, but wonder if we will ever see each other again.
I board a shuttle craft for the less than two hour flight to the planet Agapi’s surface.
After spending a day in debriefing, I am told that I have three months to do as I please, at the expense of Fleet command.
I start out by getting all the information I can about Agapi. I collect all the maps, charts and books I can get my hands on. I then catch the next transport to the farthest outpost of what is known as the civilization resort of Agapi.
I retreat to my room to learn all that I can about this planet. I read myself to sleep over and over time and time again for three weeks.
I got a knock on the door. It's the driver that brought me here.
“Sorry to bother you, sir. The man in the office said that you didn't want to be disturbed, but I thought it was important. There's somebody out here I think you might know.”
I step out the door to see Linda standing next to the transporter.
“Hi Beautiful!”
“You're looking pretty good yourself. Not as dark as I thought you would be though. What have you been doing, hiding?” she asked.
We lock in a long embrace. The driver waves and leaves without saying a word.
“Well, I haven't really been hiding, just a lot of reading about this planet and resort.”
“Planning to disappear are you?”
“How did you guess?”
“Why do you answer with a question?”
“I don't know. Bad habit, I guess. You bet your pretty tail I am. My life depends on it.”
“You know the vast majority of this planet has never been explored except for above 3 km above.”
“How do you know so much about this planet?”
“I didn't tell you before, but I was born here. My parents were among the first to colonize this planet.”
“Let's go inside and talk.”
“That's fine but you need to know I only have one week until I have to return to the ship.”
We spend most of our time never more than an arm's-length away from each other. Laying on the beach, playing in the water and paddling around on paddle boards. It only rained one day and we found lots of fun inside the confines of the resort.
The ocean water is unbelievably clear. I can see the bottom more than 10 meters down.
“Will you stay with me?”
“You still planning to disappear?
You will have to find a place somewhere else to live, before they come looking for you. Once you are listed as AWOL and they know you are on this planet. They will search for you. I am not ready to become a fugitive with you.”
“You are right. I shouldn't have even asked you that.”
“I'm glad you did because now I know how you feel about me.”
“You didn't know how I felt about you earlier?”
“Let's just say I had some doubt.”
“You still have not answered my original question.”
“I can’t, I'm just not ready for that kind of life. I know how hostile this planet can be. Fleet Command has only cleared this island by destroying all the hostile lifeforms, but they only did that on this island. The rest of this planet still has all kinds of deadly creatures, and I don't think you would last very long off this island. If you stay on this island, Fleet command will surely find you.”
“It sounds like you're telling me I don't have much of a chance of survival outside the boundaries of this island.”
“I just want to say that I love you and I fear for your life.”
“How about we talk about love instead of my death. I thought I knew what love was, but now I'm not so sure.”
“Why would you say that?”
“Just trying to get you to change your mind and stay with me.”
“Sound like you're afraid to die alone.”
“Maybe, I'm not the big bad man I would like you to think I am.”
“Let's stop this talk, I don't like the subject. I only have one day left before I leave I have to start back, so let's not waste it talking about this.”
“OK, back to the subject of love. I believe that there is no such thing as hate, there's only the lack of love.”
“Very interesting. You got more?”
“Well, you see I think love and hate or like hot and cold. There is no such thing as cool there's only the absence of heat. I believe that there is no such thing as hate only the absence of love.”
“That's pretty good. Where did you read that?”
“I read the hot and cold thing in a book long ago back on earth. I related it to love and hate at about the same time.”
“I can't say though that my love for you isn't cool”
“Show me”
We get really close for the last day we are together. She told me that her next arrival at Agapi would be ten year and by then she would have months of leave time coming.
“If you can make it, I'll return to this very same place then. By then Fleet command will have stopped looking for you.”
“I think Fleet command will stop looking by the third day.”
“I hope so”
“You hope so what? That they will stop looking for me or that you will meet me back here in ten years?”
“Both.”
“I will miss you a lot Linda, bye.”
I feel that I will never see her again as she gets into the transporter.
In a whisper, I say to myself, Goodbye Linda, you will truly be missed, as the transporter disappears down rail.
The next day I turn my attention back to my escape. The next day I sail off with one of Fleet Command’s small sailboats. This planet is dotted with countless small islands. Very few of them are more than 500 km apart. This moon/planet has no ice caps. It is covered entirely by tropical jungle and sea. I plan to sail to an area that is packed with a lot of islands that are very close together. With the islands are so close to together, I can walk between them at low tide, and more that I can swim between.
The day I was do to report back to the Starship Ezra was two days ago and I'm sure by now the security people are on the hunt for me. I don't worry myself about them looking for me because I've been hunted by the whole earth police, and escape being capture by them.
I sail the small one man craft to an area where it is only about 15 meters to the bottom and pull the plug. I untied a small dinghy climb in it and wait for the small boat to sink out from under me. I row the small dinghy to shore and start what I know will be a very lonely life.
It doesn't take me too long to figure out that I didn't pick the best island to set up housekeeping. I make my first move to a much larger island. This island has a much larger supply of edible plant life with a very large freshwater lake. I decided to live at the far end of the lake because there are three small spring fed creeks that empty into the lake. I now need to drag the dinghy about 500 meters through the jungle and up about 100 meters in elevation to the lake. It takes me all day to get the dinghy up to the lake and then spend the short night on the beach. The first sun is high in the sky when I wakeup. I lay there, watching the second sun as it rises over the other end of the Lake. Before I went to sleep, I had taken a couple of forked sticks and propped the dingy upside down so I can crawl under it, using it as protection from the suns and rain.
I get up just three hours before the first sun goes down. I spend that three hours collecting firewood, fruits, nuts, plants and roots. Building a fire I spent the rest of the night cooking, tasting. Using the “If it tastes good, it probably is good rule of survival.
The four hours of darkness passes quickly as the first son lightens the westerly sky. I start the long row to the other end of the lake. On the lake there is no way to escape the heat of the double sun. The heat forces me to go ashore and take refuge in the jungle. I eat and take two naps while I'm waiting for the second sun to get low enough to finish the trip to the far end of the lake. I get there in time to eat and find a good place to spend the night. The next three days I spend building a shelter. It rains nearly every night and shines nearly every day. The shelter is more for protection from the sun than it is from the rain. The second day after finishing the shelter, I find myself in my first big daytime storm that turns into a real big blow. My shelter withstands the storm well.
The next morning, I'm exploring the beach when I spot some bubbles in the sand. As the waves washes back into the lake I get down on all fours for a closer look. I see a little pink nose about two centimeters in diameter. I reach down and touch it, it disappears immediately. I noticed there's a lot of sand movement in the spot where the nose disappeared. I remember reading about a life form that lives in the sand from one of the books I read. That book also said that it was edible, but it had a stinger under its tail that could and often did kill.
I decided to try to get one for a change in my diet. After getting a flat piece of driftwood that I could use like a small shovel. I waded out into the lake and watch the beach at the water line for the telltale signs of the air bubbles. It isn't long before I realize the beach is full of these things one every half a meter or less.
I make my first halfhearted attempt on the closest one directly in front of me. I discover that they can move through the sand much faster than I can dig them out. I find another flat piece of driftwood, and I use them by placing one on each side of the bubbles, stab them in the sand and lift upwards. I managed to get one out and pinned between the sticks.
This creature is less than a kilo in weight. It has the tail and the midsection with six legs like a lobster. Under it’s tale there is a barb stinger about half a centimeter long. His head looks like that of a pig, except that it has very small ears shaped like that of a human’s. Its head is a pretty sea green, and the body section is light brown.
Using the sticks, I work the creature so that I can use the sticks to break off its stinger. Using the sticks to pick it up a run back to my campfire and drop it in the fire not having touched it.
My body, Quivers, as I watch it, curl up in the intense heat of the fire. I'm think that my quivering must be the anticipation of the upcoming meal.
After about 10 minutes, I use the sticks to drag him out of the fire and eat him. I eat him along with a handful of bang nuts. It was a wonderful dinner, the Sandpig’s tail tasted absolutely delicious.
I turn my attention back to the beach and more Sandpigs. I figure about three more would do.
I get another one between the sticks in no time. I then pick it up with my left hand, griping it between my forefinger and thumb, holding it by its midsection just above the legs.
“What do you think you're doing?”
I almost dropped it. I spin around, thinking Fleet Command has just caught up with me. There is a chilling tremor, like when I drop the first sandpig in the fire. I realize that the voice I just heard came from within and not through my ears. I left the pig up to my face for a closer look.
“That's right I'm the being that is communicating with you. Welcome to my planet.”
“I must be cracking up already,” I think to myself.
“No, you're not. As long as you and I are touching we can communicate.”
I don't believe this, I'm talking with a sandpig, and I'm not even moving my lips.
“What did you call me? A Sandpig?”
“I am really communicating with this Sandpig. Now, I know I'm really going wacko for sure.”
“Why do you think that beings from Earth you are the only intelligent beings in the universe?”
“I never gave it much thought.” “I think you will be giving it some thought now.”
“Yes, I think I will.”
“What do you say that we discuss this like two intelligent beings.”
“The idea of carrying on a conversation without saying a word is something that is new to me.”
It's not new to me, but how do you think I feel communicating with you? How often do you think I get to talk to a human being from planet Earth? Especially one that is planning on eating me!”
“How did you know I was from the planet Earth?”
“If it only took me a second to figure out how to communicate with you, what makes you think that I don't know everything about you by now?”
“I can smash you with a little pressure from my thumb!”
“I knew that was coming. I know your every thought and every action at the same instant that you do. I don't have any control over your body or your mind but I have a mind link that allows me to monitor your every thought the very instant you think of it.”
“Sounds like you were planning to take over my body
And my mind.”
“No, just your soul.”
What's the soul thing you are talking about Sandpig? I still think I should just crush you. I don't think I like the idea of talking to Sandpig anyway.”
I start to crush the Sandpig, but before my thumb crushes his shell, the sandpig flips his tail, and his stinger is fired in between his legs and it hits me in the end of my finger, but it is too late for the Sandpig. I throw his crushed body on the beach.
“It's too bad you did that, I think we could have worked things out a lot better the other way. But I can do it just the same this way.”
“How can you still be communicating with me when you're laying in the sand with your body armor crushed?”
“Earthling sure like to call other beings names, especially when they are frightened.”
‘I'm not frightened Sandpig! There are many cases of a human surviving the sting of a Sandpig!”
“You're getting a little derogatory with that Sandpig name aren't you?”
“I think I have a tendency to get upset when people try to push that religious crap off on me.”
“You are confused now. You're calling me people and just a few minutes ago you were calling me a Sandpig, or are you frightened?”
“No, should I be?”
“No only living bodies that have a soul can be frightened. You we're still hungry when your dug me out of the sand just a little while back. Are you still hungry?”
“No. What does hungry have to do with this soul thing that we are talking about?”
“What did you read in the book about the people who survive the sting of a Sandpig?”
“That they either died instantly, or were in a lot of pain and sickness for three days.”
“What do you feel right now?”
“I don't feel any pain and I sure don't feel dead.”
“Do you know what pain feels like?”
“After 36 years, I know what pain feels like and I don't feel it now.”
“Then you know what death feels like?”
“No, I can't say that I do.”
“then turn around and take a look at what is laying behind you.”
I turnaround and see heavily bearded man laying there with a crushed Sandpig in this hand.
“Where did he come from?”
“Earth, just like you.”
“I can't tell with the heavy beard, but he does look a lot like me, but I am not sure.”
“It's a good thing that smarts are not required for the entrance exam to enter eternal life. You just told me that you either died instantly or had a lot of pain then you tell me that you don't feel any pain then you look at a dead man laying on the beach that just seems to appear that just happened to look a lot like you then you…”
“You're trying to tell me that I'm dead, aren't you?”
“No, I'm telling you that your body is dead, and that your soul and spirit will continue to exist for eternity.”
“The fear that I've had about dying seems foolish now.”
“Now, you realize that all the things that you called names like Sandpigs, Earth Police not to mention all the bad and derogatory names that you put on others, are not what you thought they were.”
“I'm not sure what is your point.”
“The point is, all there is is love.”
“What about this Heaven and Hell thing? That so many people tried to lay on me in the past 36 years?”
“It's a good thing that you didn't listen to them because they were only selling false hope and teaching fear and hate, and all one needs to find eternal life is love.”
“Is that all there is?”
“No, now you must go out in the spirit, and teach others how to live in the spirit of love.”
“What about all the bad and cruel things that I have done in my life?”
“They were necessary to get you to this place and time in order for you to meet up with me. So I could show you the way of the universe.”
Welcome to the Apple IIe machine.
End of line.
