Eleven

A draft of a sci-fi story that I am writing.
Next installment: Apr. 1, 2026

⭐ Prologue

An unearthly man was banished to Earth.

“You must repent for your actions,” growled his father, the Sun, before the son was exiled.

He cried out as he fell from heaven. He landed softly in a meadow of flowers, wondering at the beauty of Earth. Familiar beauty? He looked up to where he had fallen from, and the Sun blinded him for a moment, confirming his fears that his father never wanted him back.

Coming to terms with this, he decided he must start a new life on Earth, disguised as a human.

He walked through fields and forests, past rivers and over mountains, until he reached a city. Astounded by the metal towers and shiny horseless carriages, he walked deeper and deeper until he reached the center of the city. He found the cobblestone town square, oddly out of place in this futuristic place. He sat on the edge of a fountain. The fountain was shaped like a person with a tailcoat and top hat holding a staff, conducting the water arcing around them.

And this is where our story begins.

🎪 Chapter 1

Before even taking a breath, Gerrit jumps.

His brain goes on autopilot as his muscle memory kicks in. His wiry body takes control, expertly twisting through the air to grasp onto the still bar of the trapeze. With his momentum propelling him forward, he flips his body around the bar just as it reaches its peak in the air. He swings back almost lazily, but tucks his feet back so that a strong pair of hands catches his ankles.

Amy is there to complete the trick. Bent in half over the bar, still holding onto his ankles, she performs a death-defying feat. She uses her core to fly over to the other bar, catching it with only her back and thighs, bent over the other way. She then tosses Gerrit in the air with merely a grunt (who then tucks into a ball and flips safely to the ground). Finally, using the swing of the trapeze, Amy flips herself down to the ground.

This is all too easy for them now.

They let out rough whoops that echo through the empty warehouse, reveling in their success. Gerrit puffs out his chest, grinning. Amy sees the signal to run up the front of his body and flip to a back handspring — this is their victory move. They plop down on the mats to do some cooldown stretches.

“Toto is gonna love that one,” Gerrit says, grinning and out of breath.

“To be fair, Toto would love it if you threw a raw egg at her,” amends Amy. She bends down, reaching past her straight legs, until she’s completely folded in half.

“True. Gotta put things in perspective,” Gerrit agrees, and they laugh. Gerrit stretches backwards and under his own butt until he’s looking at Amy between his legs, earning another giggle from her.

“Dude, you have to teach me how to do that,” she says.

Gerrit rolls his eyes. “We’ve been over this! You have to be triple-jointed.”

Amy sighs overdramatically and flops backward. Gerrit does the same. They lay on the mats for a while, then finally get up, put their arms around each other, and walk to the bus stop.