Far Horizons: Tales of Sci-Fi, Fantasy and Horror. Issue #11 February 2015 | Page 12
be able to do it because she was physically weak with
fragile health. Jor answered: “But your spirit is strong.”
And bought her on the same occasion.
She had better luck than the other human slaves,
forced to work hard on the hot Salustzen planet. Surrounded by glass walls and paper blocks she heard Jor’s
threat: “Make me happy with your drawings and give
me the best of your art or I will give you electric shocks
until you are mad.” When she heard this she had
destroyed all the furniture in her cell and had burst
into tears of despair and anger. Jor just watched with
interest on the other side of the glass. Ishtar thought
she saw an ironic smile on the alien’s face. After that he
never threatened her again.
The distance can erase memories, feelings, truths. There
is nothing that prevents distance and time from tearing
off any passion of your soul, leaving just emptiness.
So considered Ishtar, a human woman in her glass
walled prison cell on the planet Salustzen, far from her
birthplace on Earth, a prisoner as were so many of the
human race.
After crying as much as she could, she got the pencils and started her web. For her that was like making
a quilt. Colours and colours, there were not enough
colours in the world for the pain she felt. Jor gave her
the nickname of Ishtar. “My beautiful Ishtar.” He said,
and she hated him. But Ishtar recognized that the only
thing which kept her sane was to be able to express
herself freely and rely upon his patience.
“Think it over Ishtar.” He said. “If we had not dominated Earth you humans would have destroyed the entire
planet in another of your wars.”
Jor told her: “Beautiful creature, surrender. There is
no more place for your typical human pride.” But he
had changed his opinion later: “Thinking it over, don’t
change. I like you as you are, precious Ishtar.”
“I don’t believe you,” she had answered, “and I would
better be dead than a slave.”
He had bought her in one of the markets of the Salustzen planet after the Saluzians invaded and dominated
the Earth, scattering the human slaves on all their domains on other planets. They hadn’t spared any human
who didn’t have certain requisites but Ishtar had no
idea of what they were looking for. It couldn’t be beauty
or physical strength, thought Ishtar, it was something
different.
She looked at him full of anger, “I will never kill myself.”
Jor had asked her if she would kill him if she had a
single chance. She answered that yes, she would kill
any Saluzian if she could, but probably she would not
“I didn’t,” he answered, “but your arrival has changed
my plans.”
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“If it is so I can give you a knife,” he said.
He seemed to smile and said. “This is what we Saluzians admire in you. Strength. Do you want to live
Ishtar?”
“Who doesn’t?” She replied.
She stared astonished at the alien as he went away.