Different Gravities by Ryan M. Williams Read Free Book Online Page B

everything!" Jenny looked around and saw everyone staring at
them. Her gaze hardened. "We can never forget that we're the first
outpost of a new human civilization! We need to do everything we
can to help our children succeed and sometimes that means making
them do something they don't want to do."
    "He gets around fine without walking," Amanda
said. "Why are you so insistent that he walk?"
    Jenny shook her head. "I've got work to do.
Party's over, people. Let's get busy." The crowd started to
disperse. When Kyle joined Amanda with Jon then Jenny turned back
to them. She pointed at the walker. "He's got to learn to walk.
We're not going to launch a new human civilization on our hands and
knees."
     
    #
     
    Jon hated the walker and never used it. Put
him in and he'd lift his legs. But put him on the floor and Jon was
happy. By his eighth Earthday Jon still didn't walk but he could
gallop around the habitats and climb better than any adult. Kyle
thought that his son was very graceful and it didn't look like he'd
be alone any longer as the younger children didn't show any sign of
walking either. Amanda thought that it was something in human
development that didn't work on Mars. With the different gravity
the kids just never learned to balance properly for walking. Their
muscles developed differently. They could stand holding onto
something but for general movement they preferred crawling. Or
climbing.
    Kyle and Jon were at home when the house
system announced a visitor at the door. Jon swooped down from the
bars that Kyle had installed around the house and landed in front
of the door before Kyle even got up from the couch. Jon slapped the
pad to open the door. It slid aside revealing Jenny standing in the
doorway.
    Jon brought his legs up to his chest and
hugged his knees. Jenny crouched. "Hi Jon, aren't you going to say
hi to your Mommy?"
    "Hi, Mommy," Jon mumbled reluctantly.
    Jenny tousled his hair and stood up. She
stepped over their child and he bolted out the door on all fours.
He was fast and down the path out of sight before either of them
said anything. Jenny shook her head and sighed. She looked around
at the bars mounted on the walls and hanging from the ceiling.
    "You're not even trying Kyle. You've let our
son devolve into some sort of monkey."
    "He's not a monkey." Kyle took a breath. It
didn't pay to argue with Jenny. "Would you like something to
drink?"
    "Thank you, but no. The station is ready.
It's time for Jon to go."
    Kyle walked into the kitchen nook. He picked
up his glass from the counter and filled it from the tap. He drank
the cold water and turned back around to face Jenny. "He's not
going up to your station."
    "Don't be ridiculous Kyle. He needs an
education."
    "He can get that here."
    "He can't get the physical training he needs
here. It's important for his health." Jenny pressed her hands
together. "We've talked about this before. I thought you
understood."
    "I understand that you can't see that our son
is fine how he is. All of the kids are fine. Amanda says –"
    "Amanda is not the governor of this
colony!"
    "– that the children are healthy. Sending
them up to the station will increase their exposure to radiation.
And for what? So that you can force them to learn to walk?"
    "It's more than walking. That's only one
consequence of developing in low gravity. We know that now. If our
children have any hope of a normal life then they need to develop
in an environment that simulates the world they came from. It's
like –"
    "Amphibians going back to water to lay their
eggs." Kyle put down the glass. "I've heard all the speeches. As
adults we can live and thrive in lower gravity environments but our
kids need to go back to the water. Well, that's bullshit, Jenny and
you're not taking my son."
    Jenny's lips tightened. "He's my son
too."
    "And you left us," Kyle snapped. "You left
and now you can't stand to look at your son."
    Jenny shook her head. "You're in denial. He's
not okay. I'm doing this for him