The Project Gutenberg EBook of One Martian Afternoon, by Tom Leahy

This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or
re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.net

Title: One Martian Afternoon

Author: Tom Leahy

Illustrator: Brush

Release Date: September 13, 2009 [EBook #29975]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK ONE MARTIAN AFTERNOON ***

Produced by Greg Weeks, Stephen Blundell and the Online
Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net

[Illustration]

_She was sweet, gentle, kind--a sort of Martian Old
Mother Hubbard. But when she went to her cupboard ..._

ONE
MARTIAN
AFTERNOON

By Tom Leahy

Illustrated by BRUSH

The clod burst in a cloud of red sand and the little Martian sand dog
ducked quickly into his burrow. Marilou threw another at the aperture in
the ground and then ran over and with the inside of her foot she scraped
sand into it until it was filled to the surface. She started to leave,
but stopped.

The little fellow might choke to death, she thought, it wasn't his fault
she had to live on Mars. Satisfied that the future of something was
dependent on her whim, she dug the sand from the hole. His little yellow
eyes peered out at her.

"Go on an' live," she said magnanimously.

She got up and brushed the sand from her knees and dress, and walked
slowly down the red road.

The noon sun was relentless; nowhere was there relief from it. Marilou
squinted and shaded her eyes with her hand. She looked in the sky for
one of those infrequent Martian rain clouds, but the deep blue was only
occasionally spotted by fragile white puffs. Like the sun, they had no
regard for her, either. They were too concerned with moving toward the
distant mountains, there to cling momentarily to the peaks and then
continue on their endless route.

Marilou dabbed the moisture from her forehead with the hem of her dress.
"I know one thing," she mumbled. "When I grow up, I'll get to Earth an'
never come back to Mars, no matter what!"

She broke into a defiant, cadenced step.

"An' I won't care whether you an' Mommy like it or not!" she declared
aloud, sticking out her chin at an imaginary father before her.

Before she realized it,