Flandill
Laurie Waxman
The planet of Flandill lies approximately 149.6 million km from its star. Its climate is temperate, and its resources plentiful. Its inhabitants, called ”deebs,” are part of a very balanced and fragile ecosystem so exquisite people from all over lined up for a chance to visit the newly discovered world. We did not realize at first how great an impact our visiting Flandill would have, so off we went with a sense of naive wonder. Recent science has since informed us that our presence on Flandill has been deplorable, yet visits to the planet have not cut back. Every visitor releases toxic pollutants into the atmosphere—so minuscule an amount one might assume there were no consequences. But humans are curious, and as the proverbial cat will tell us, curiosity kills. The deebs and the plants they rely on are becoming endangered. If the atmosphere levels breach 400ppm of these pollutants, the deebs face extinction. For the good of Flandill, we must hold back from our visits, and give the planet time to heal its wounds.