Histoire: Chasing Symbols (À la Poursuite des Symboles)
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Dry, red dust. When most people think of Mars, that’s all they can imagine. But for Philippa, it was the most fascinating place in the universe.
“Give me your opinion when you’ve examined the evidence,” said Philippa sharply.
“My time is precious, dear. I’m doing real work.”
Most of the scientists at the Mars station were working on the same project: building the first city on Mars. Philippa was doing her own research.
“I’ve found the same symbol on dozens of rocks across Mars,” Philippa insisted. “A square with a line and a dot. It’s an ancient language. There must have been a civilisation on Mars in the past. How else can you explain it?”
“A square with a line and a dot! Dozens!” the other woman mocked. “I’m not surprised the government is sending you back to Earth. How much money have they wasted so you can play games?”
Philippa knew she had been lucky to receive so much funding. But with no solid proof after three missions, the government had refused to pay for a fourth. It was the last day she would ever spend on Mars.
“They don’t care about her theory,” laughed the man across the dinner table. “She’s the only person crazy enough to explore that part of the caves. Her maps are works of art. She’s a bargain.”
“You should have been an artist, dear. What colour were your ancient aliens? Red or green?”
The scientists all laughed, except the young man sitting next to Philippa. He looked sympathetic.
“Maybe it’s time to accept it Philippa?” he said. “It’s just a coincidence. It was a good theory. I want it to be true. It would change everything! But as a scientist, you must accept when you’re wrong.”
Philippa tried to smile at the young man. Maybe they were right. She stared at her soup. Her spoon had made an intriguing pattern in it.
Philippa jumped out of bed in the middle of the night.
It couldn’t be a coincidence! Her mission wasn’t complete – not yet. There were still six hours before sunrise. There was still the south-eastern section of the caves to explore. There was still time.
Shaking with excitement, Philippa crept silently through the corridors, put on a space suit, and left the station.
Within an hour, she was deep within the south-eastern section of the caves. The tunnels here were extremely narrow and complex. That’s why she’d avoided them before.
It wasn’t long before she found it: a square with a line and a dot, carved on a rock. Suddenly, she had an idea. What if the symbols were giving directions?
She continued in the direction the line was pointing. Soon, she found another symbol, and followed the line again. For another hour, she followed the symbols deeper and deeper into the caves.
But eventually Philippa reached a dead end. Exhausted, she sat down in the dust. She was crazy. The symbols were random. She had wasted years of her life.
No! She refused to believe it. She jumped up and aimed her laser gun. Without thinking, she fired.
When the dust cleared, Philippa couldn’t believe her eyes. There was a grand cavern on the other side of the rock. It was the greatest thrill she had ever felt. She rushed inside.
Then she heard a deep rumbling sound. The cavern started to collapse. She was forced to run deeper and deeper. The rocks piled up around her. When the rumbling stopped, Philippa was trapped in a hole no larger than her own body.
For a few minutes, she screamed. She banged her fists. She tried to signal for help, even though she knew she was too deep. She wept.
Then she saw it. The rocks around her were carved with lines and lines of ancient writing.
She had finally proved her theory. On the last day she would ever spend on Mars.