Tom had dreamed of the brilliant red sand before. Many times, actually. All through his childhood, these dreams persisted. The dream was always the same. He had landed on Mars. He jumped out of his craft, fully suited for space exploration, and walked for about a half mile from his craft. He then knelt down and began to dig. With his gloved hands. He dug and dug. The red sand seemed fiery and heavy, almost like fine gravel. If gravel could be sand. He dug on. Then he woke up. Always wondering what he was looking for. And, why Mars? Something magnificent and wonderful was waiting for him there. He had to go.
Tom became a man and went to college. He joined the Air Force and enlisted in the space program. At first, it was NASA, but then, he was transferred to a top secret division of aerospace travel. MEP. Mars exploration project. Tom had studied hard and was the most knowledgeable in Martian exploration history and since he was the expert, he was placed on the next mission. To Mars. Though, it was all top secret. He could tell no one. And, he had no desire to. Having lost both parents to cancer, he was quite alone in the world. He never dated, never married, never had kids. Mars was his goal as a child and he never wavered from that dream. Never. Col. Tom Willows was being sent to Mars. To explore. All alone. His fondest dream met reality and soon he was sent off.
The craft landed on the Mars soil with a thud. Red sand flew up and it was Tom’s first actual sight of Mars. The rich red sand. It was so beautiful. The best thing that he had ever seen. He checked in with MEP and explained his mission. To walk the soil and take specimens. To document all that he saw. MEP sent back orders to proceed. But, Tom did not tell MEP about his real plan. Nor had they any idea that his fascination with Mars stemmed from his childhood dreams. Long ago, Tom had seen this all in dreams. He was soon stepping out into it. Walking on Mars was not easy and he sank a bit down into the deep red sand, as he walked on. It was a daunting walk, to say the least, but soon, he was at the place. The exact spot. A half mile from his ship and he knelt down. And he began to dig.
As he dug with his gloved hands, he noticed that the sand felt heavy, though very fine. It also was a bit warm. This thrilled him! He dug and threw red sand out behind him, much like a dog does, burying or looking for a bone. He soon was digging furiously. Then, the red sand began collapsing back into the deep hole he had dug. Faster and faster, it disappeared. Soon the sand was dropping into the hole, as he dug on. He stopped. A hole appeared. No more sand, just a red hole. And before he even thought about what he was doing, he jumped into it. Feet first and fell. He fell for what seemed like minutes, though he was sure it was only for a second or two. His feet hit the grass. Green grass. Brilliant green and lush. He looked up and saw a small black hole above him, but it was surrounded by blue sky. For a minute, he thought he had landed back on earth. That could not be possible, he reasoned. He looked around and his mouth fell open. Huge trees surrounded him. There were pine trees, banana trees, oaks, redwoods, elms, apple trees and pecan trees. Bearing fruit. He blinked. A small monkey ran by him, chattering wildly and he gasped. The air must be good here, he thought. He removed his helmet and breathed. All good air, so fresh and sweet. The scents of fruit and an ocean breeze hit him. He marveled. He started walking and collected a few plants and nuts from the ground, placing them in his pouch. He also took out his camera and began snapping photos of everything. As he was clicking, he heard a noise. He turned. There stood a man. He certainly looked like a man. He was six feet tall, dark hair and brown eyes, dressed in green faded jeans and a bright yellow silk shirt. He was smiling. “Welcome home, son.” he said. Tom stuttered “Whaaat?” The man laughed. “I haven’t seen you since you were an infant.” Tom fainted.
Tom woke up with his head cradled in the man’s arms. He looked into soft brown eyes much like his own. “I am Thomas.” the man said. “I am your father. You were sent back with the other ship so many years ago. Back to earth. You were to learn their ways and come back. I see the dreams led you here. I always knew that they would. You could never forget your birth home.” Tom blinked and could not find any words to say. Thomas spoke. “I know that it is a shock, but you will like it here. Your real mother is waiting to see you again, my son.” Tom managed an “How can this be?” Thomas laughed. “You see, son, the planets are not all alike. Some, like earth, have their inhabitants and nature on the outside and some, like Mars, have their people and plants hidden in the inside. Deep inside. Under the red. It is a well kept secret. We often exchange infants and see how they adapt to another planet. All infants are returned. Always. We have so much to learn from one another. Come, meet your real family.” Tom stood up and followed Thomas into the forest. “I knew I just had to see the red sand.” Tom muttered. A brilliant red monkey ran by. Tom smiled. He stopped and plucked a huge violet iris to present to the mother that he had never met.