The Third Light in the Sky
Short Story
Earthlings always thought they were special. So it was only natural it went straight to their heads when the third light appeared in the sky. The dawn seen around the world, where two orange balls rose from the eastern horizon instead of one.
Masses took to the streets. Cheering, roaring, and partying like it was the dawn of a new era. Others thought it was a government conspiracy. Just another trick by western hegemony. When the apocalypse didn’t kick off, religious institutions were quick to adjust their interpretations to fit the new light into their cosmologies. Meanwhile whole new religions and cults popped up overnight, each with their own explanation as to what, how, and why this was happening.
The new light travelled only minutes slower than our first sun, and the already baffled astronomers predicted that it would cross paths with and be eclipsed by the moon within a fortnight. Astrologers were divided on the phenomenon. Some theorizing an entirely new astral calendar. Other’s calling it the rebirth of a new Aeon, and that our old sun would soon disappear and be replaced entirely.
Sil, they began to call it. Brother of Sol.
Many worried for the environmental impact, but even with two suns, temperatures around the world never rose. It even cooled a little, leaving climate experts completely stumped.
Of course there were those who thought it was aliens. And like always, they weren’t taken very seriously.
Plenty of people were deeply frightened by the light. But even that soon cooled as humanity adapted to Sil’s lingering presence. Memetic culture common to Earthlings quickly ran its course, and Sil itself became a viral internet personality. Entertainers, content creators, and the media all took full advantage of the hot trend. Scripts were written, games and movies placed into production, and redundant, low IQ pop songs were deployed ad nauseum. There was even a TikTok dance.
New rumors arrived. New crisis’s reared their heads. And soon enough, like all things new, the Earthlings lost interest in Sil. The novelty milked bone dry, save for the fringe conspiracy theorists and UFO fanatics. Scandals of the political and celebrity kind came back into the spotlight. War crimes in far off and distant lands continued to drudge along. Talking heads on the news rambled in circles about the economy. And like so many other things before it, Sil slowly faded into the memetic backdrop. Its 15 minutes of fame declared officially ‘over’ by a Youtube channel known for its Top 10 lists.
The first of Sil’s teeth appeared for only a few minutes by the time most people stopped watching the sky. It happened on a Tuesday evening at dusk when the light blue fades to a dark blue, and then to a deep black. The small handful of people who did see it claimed they looked like long and boney silhouettes. And they were promptly shoved into the same camp as the UFO chasers and conspiracy theorists. Any images or videos were presumed deepfakes.
Of course within a few days, Sil’s fake teeth were meme’d, and the source was assumed to be pranksters, psyops, or marketing gimmicks for a new TV show rumored to have been pitched to NBC only weeks earlier.
Not to mention that Sil’s eclipse with the moon was coming, and a lot of people stood to make an incredible amount of money if the hype simmered back up again.
And so, the big day came where the suns never set, and Sil would pass behind Luna. Festivals all over the world were deployed. Nationals holidays marked on almost every calendar. Sick days taken. Kids played hooky from school. And once again the memes came pouring in.
One such was made by a chronically online blogger who, having no idea how close he really was to the truth, depicted Sil as the lantern of a giant angler fish that would eat the whole planet in one monstrous bite.
It got 142 likes, and six shares.
When Sil passed in front of the moon instead of behind her, people began to worry.
When Luna never re-emerged and tides around the planet behaved erratically, panic set in.
When the teeth became visible to the naked eye and crept slowly over the sky like long shadowy spikes, mass hysteria became the norm.
Even if Sil didn’t eat their planet that day, I suspect the Earthlings would have killed themselves off in a matter of weeks. Such self-centered creatures. They never accepted what we Martians did many eons ago. To live and build civilization on the surface is gaudy and draws unwanted attention. Because all of us, every planet, even gas giants like Jupiter and Saturn, are but tiny specs in someone else’s ocean.
Chapel Perilous is now Available on Amazon and Substack!
Very nice
A burst of cosmic horror for the social media age.