Newsflash⚡ directly copies the world’s top headlines and imagines the stories behind them.
This story imagines a private conversation between a female scientist and her husband, and the female experience of working in male-dominated spheres.
“Clyde?”
“Maggie!”
“… we did it, Clyde! It landed! Did yo-”
“Are you joking? I’ve been watching the little screen all day. I’ve been staring at the desert so long that I keep going to the kitchen to get glasses of water. I’m not even thirsty!”
“We actually did it!”
“… I can’t tell you how proud I am. Where are you now? Did you get any sleep in the end?”
“Oh, god, I’ve been like this for forty-five hours, no. I can hardly keep a straight line of thought. But we did it, the capsule landed, and - how is the weather in Scotland today? How is Charlie?”
“Charlie? Oh, Charlie’s fine, for now, yes. He misses you. The weather? Humid, windy. We went for a nice long walk this morning, up along the beck, a good few miles. He’s tired now… aren’t you Charlie? Aren’t’cha? He’s pancaked in his usual spot. I was telling him all about the asteroid, telling him all about what it could mean for us, the late heavy bombardment, with all the asteroids raining down, I got really theatrical. Then I told him all about the foundational role of carbon in the development of organic chemistry, and the subsequent emergence of life on this planet called Earth. I went into all the details, all of the specifics you told me. You know what he said?”
“… what did he say?”
“He said: ‘woof.’ ”
“He’s a smart dog.”
“Takes after you.”
“Oh, no, but I’m glad to hear it, I’m glad to hear it… he probably does get it, to some extent… more than some of the people here.”
“Did you speak to management about Lucas?”
“Oh, let’s not talk about that now. We got the asteroid. We actually got the asteroid!”
“Of course - silly me. What happens next?”
“Well, the sample is still in the capsule, it’ll be under, uh… under… nitrogen, yes, nitrogen at any second, jesus, how could I forget that? Nitrogen. And then it gets flown to Texas. And then it’s getting broken up into lots of tiny bits and pieces and sent absolutely everywhere. Three-quarters of it we’re locking in a vault, for the people who haven’t been born yet, who will have better questions after we do this first round and get all the answers wrong. You know the drill. Because what scientists are addicted to…”
“… is always being a little bit wrong.”
“You know it. Oh, Clyde, it’s good to hear your voice.”
“Same as it was before, just a few weeks older.”
“I’ll be back soon.”
“Thirty-five days.”
“Is it actually? You know the exact number?”
“Don’t be silly. Charlie’s the one keeping count. He told me.”
“You’re ridiculous.”
“Everyone else thinks I’m handsome.”
“… you are handsome… I miss home. I miss the cottage. I miss you.”
“You are one of the most important people on Earth right now, Maggie. You alone will be in that laboratory tomorrow morning. You will be the one to tell us all where it started. And you don’t need to worry about me. The cottage, Charlie and I will all be here when your work is finished. We’ll wait, won’t we, boy? (woof!) Yes, see, we’ll wait. This is your time, my love. Go and discover where it all began… and know that whatever you discover - I already know the answer…”
“You know where it all began, do you?”
“Who am I on the phone to?”
“What?”
“…”
“… oh, you are silly. I should never have married a poet.”
“Tee-hee, guilty as charged. Now, go and figure it out, genius. Call me when you get the chance, but don’t worry. I’m here, doing what I do. Charlie is fast asleep and probably dreaming of asteroids. Or rabbits, I don’t know. Would a dog twitch its paws if dreaming of an asteroid shower? I don’t know, actually. Might write about that. But yes, go, go and work - I won’t take my eyes off the live stream.”
“I need some sleep,”
“And I feel like I need another glass of water.”
“You are silly.”
“I am. Now, go and tell us what it’s all about.”
“I love you.”
“I love you too, my little genius.”
“Speak to you soon,”
“Thirty-five days…”
“… woof!”
Read the incredible story of NASA’s expedition to collect a sample from Asteroid Bennu here (BBC News).
The views expressed in this publication do not reflect the views of the author. The stories themselves are based on imagined events. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is fictitious and should not be taken as representative.
Woof!