A Page Named Willis

Purpuracalius Marsinium

Day 37: I had taken out my water bottle, unwittingly forgetting that I was on mars, not earth, and therefore could not drink outside of my base. Miraculously, I managed to drop the half-opened bottle onto the ground before it boiled and frozen at the same time.

Day 38: I went back to the place where I dropped my water yesterday. I sat down beside the place and imagined boiling freeze-water. Being the dreamer I am, I wondered what would happen if one of those droplets had fallen on the ground without becoming fire and ice at the same time. When searching on my hands and knees for a droplet that had maybe survived freeze-boiling failed, I took out a flashlight and scanned the ground slowly. Suddenly, a little section of the ground piled up like an ant mound. I moved the light away, and the mound retracted. I did this for a good while, and when I got less interested I decided to keep a nice little light there and see what would happen.

Day 42: I visited the mound constantly, but it was on day 42 that something unimaginable happened.

Day 42: The mound has opened and I can see that something is in there. Could this be the first sign of life on mars?

Day 45: I can see now that my discovery might be a type of plant. I will call it 'Purple stemmed marsium'. I will work on the name later.

Day 49: My discovery has grown small petals. They are yellow with a blue center. I have to modify my name for it now, and I have decided that I will call it Purple stemmed yellow petaled marsium with blue center'. But I will have to work on that name later.

Day 55: I am starting to give my plant more water. It is growing rapidly. I am going to do the experiment again.

Day 56: I have figured out that if I take a pink liquid from the inside of the Purpuracalius marsinium, put it in the dirt, and then water it, it can reproduce itself.  

Day 110: My plants cannot survive on earth. NASA put my extra mound in a Mars-like habitat and it is the only survivor of the three. I have more food now, and I am heading straight back to my Purpura.

Day 120:My first two Purpura have fruit. I am debating whether or not to eat it. I have wittingly decided that that is not the best plan. I have decided to wait until I need to take a trip back home or the fruit drops.

Day 167:I have taken the fruit back to NASA and they have verified that Purpura's fruit is safe to eat. I was the first to try it. It tastes like magic. Pure Magic. Yum.

Day 170:I have picked three of my fruits and my seedlings have become trees. The yellow petals have slowly turned to blue, and I have found out that after turning blue, they become leaves.

Day 171:I have decided that I have food forever. I have decided that Earth does not need my Purpura. They are mine.

Day 13759:I have noticed that living on mars and eating Purpura is lonely. I am heading home along with every Purpura I have.

Day 13760:I have packed half my Purpura.

Day 13761: My Purpura is packed. There is no room for me. I will not give up even 1 of my Purpura though. Living alone and tending them, I would never leave even a mound to save myself. I started up the engine of my spaceship, set the coordinates, and packed the few Purpura I took out so I could start the engine back in. I watch it fly away. I have had Purpura to myself for 37.70137 years and I am ready for the rest of my planet to have them too. I am an old man of 75. I could come back to earth a hero and live my next 15 or so years of life, or I could be a hero on mars, and live another 7 days. I don't need 15 years of fame. This is most likely my last entry.

Day 13768: As I lay here starving, dying, crying, I feel something beyond my suffering. I feel more accomplished than the day I went to mars for the first time. My Marsinium is on a ship to Earth.