I consider this ‘my favorite’ of stories I’ve written. This is a repost. The dates have been changed. Time marches on. And the story has been broken into chapters for easier reading. I hope you enjoy reading New Earth as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Posted: 10-9-2022

Revised: 9-10-2023

Reposted: 11-16-2023

‘What of religion? The Bible? God?’ The roar in my head returned and this electronic voice said, ‘forbidden subject matter.’

In my life before the trip to Mars, I didn’t set the world on fire with my religious beliefs. I went to church sometimes. However, I did pray multiple times a day. I read the Bible. I talked to people in my life about God and my beliefs. So if I was to understand correctly, religion in all forms has been forbidden by the CHIP. You are corrected if you think about anything associated with religion. This might account for the headache that I had. But then I guess if you haven’t been taught anything about religion, there’s nothing to think about?

This new Earth was a world with the total absence of God. A world void of belief. My heart sank as my head buzzed. A world void of God. How could this be? I didn’t like this new Earth. I wanted to sink my teeth into a big juicy hamburger. I wanted to smell something. Even if it was bad. A fart. ANYTHING! And most of all, I wanted to pray without this CHIP causing me to pass out.

As I looked around, the room seemed out of focus. My caretakers were not in sight. I clumsily ran to the door. When I opened it, I thought I heard alarms ringing. It could have been only in my head. I blindly ran. The multitude of houses were a blur. There was a few of the forms outside but they paid no attention to me. I ran and I ran. I ran until I couldn’t run anymore. My head felt like it was going to explode. I fell into grass. Real grass under my hands. I took a deep breath filling my lungs with the smell. At last a smell. I looked up to see yellow specks. Prayed they were flowers. I tried so hard to make them come into focus. In front of me was a blue blob. Could it be water? I crawled on my hands and knees toward it. “God let it be water.” I think I said it out loud. But at this point I had no concept of what was spoken versus thought.

The closer I got, the weaker I felt. My head was louder now than it had ever been. I was determined to figure out what was in front of me. I felt strange. My nose felt as if it was leaking. It took great effort to lift my green stained hand to my face. Upon lowering it, I saw red. Was that blood? Was my nose bleeding?

I looked to my right to see shapes moving toward me.

I made it! Water! It was water. I can smell it. Heavenly water.

Then I remembered: Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. I slid head first into the water. It was cold, refreshing, a gift from God. ‘Thank you God!’ I shouted in my mind. ‘Thank you.’

I don’t want to live in a world void of God. Most everyone thinks of the end time as a dystopia post-apocalyptic world. This to me was the end time. A world in which God no longer existed in any form. According to the CHIP in my head, this world was without crime, suffering, struggle, there was no hatred or injustice. It was utopia. But without God, it was empty, a joke. A game. A great big video game where the computer was in control.

With the last bit of strength I had, I started to recite the Lord’s Prayer: ‘Our Father who art in heaven hallowed be thy name.’ I could feel my lungs filling up with water. I didn’t have the strength or desire to roll over. This was calm. ‘Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven.’

My world became tranquil and my head stopped hurting.

The End.