The Empty – Entry 2

I threw a rock at it today. Growing up we were taught to fear The Empty. Over time my fear turned to caution then to curiosity. I guess that’s why I moved to the edge when I came of age… that and the great real estate prices.

It was memorizing to watch. There’s no gravity in The Empty. No up or down. I’d call it “space” but everyone who’s had a science class in primary school knows its consuming space as well. The moment my rock entered the event horizon its course was set and its cohesion failed. By the time it was out of sight the rock was a fuzy dust orb on its way to… wherever.

I was shivering. Too close, too long. “This is how people fall in,” I heard Mrs. Archen’s voice in my head. She should have listened to herself. I went home. Dog licked the frost from my shoes.

Two more cycles until the next advance. It’s probably not safe here anymore… but is it anywhere? They say the inner regions have destabilized, governments are failing, food riots and anarchy are the norm. What did they expect? You can’t fit a world’s population into a few cities and expect order. Here on the edge it’s at least quiet… and I have all the strawberries I can eat… at least until tomorrow night.

God, I hate this part.