Time was passing quickly, the way it does when life is a pleasure. On the morning of March 10th, when they were not quite halfway to their destination, Hutch arrived in the passenger cabin still half asleep. Beth and Ken were on the porch, gazing placidly out from Moonbase at the Earth. They said hello and she sat down with them. They exchanged trivialities. “You sleep okay?” “How was breakfast?” “I really enjoyed that movie last night.”

At home, this was her favorite time of year. Spring was in sight and the birds were getting loud.

Derek Blanchard’s Notebooks

We all settled in on the front porch after dinner, and Wally had another surprise for us. It was his turn to pick the landscape. He moved the hotel to the top of a hill overlooking a large lake rimmed by forest. It was midafternoon and the sun was still high in the western sky. We were sitting there enjoying the view, talking about nothing in particular, when Ken called our attention to a dinosaur. It was a brontosaurus down at the edge of the lake, drinking. I sat there thinking how much I’d give to see a real one. I mean, traveling around the Milky Way, there should be a few places that have them. Though after I thought about it some more, I realized maybe it wouldn’t be such a good idea at that. Still, I was struck by the image of that thing guzzling water and raising its head to swallow, and looking around to see if it had any company. I know it’s only VR, but I suspect this is one of those moments I’ll remember.

—Monday, March 10, 2256

10.

The stars are out, obscured

Only in places

By wispy clouds.

From the niche I’ve found

Among the rocks

(Shaped like a chair with stone pillows) I

Gaze at the stars

Tiny light bulbs in a black ceiling,

Ceaseless wonders.

—Steven Croft, “The Beach at Night,” 2001

They were due to arrive at their destination on March 23. Barry maintained a calendar on the bridge, and as they got within a few days of their destination, they changed their minds about saving Farewell to London for the return flight. They agreed that they needed some laughs, so they settled in to watch the acclaimed comedy. Hutch was seated beside Beth. Beth had been its leading proponent, but she changed her mind within the first ten minutes when Julia’s boyfriend, Hank, the love of her life, turned out to be a guy who just didn’t really care as much as he’d let her think. It wasn’t that he was simply playing her for sex but rather that he was lonely, had gotten his heart broken recently, and was trying to replace the other woman. But the chemistry wasn’t working, and that became obvious early.