Fred and Irma's Stubborn Solar Eclipse
Issue #566 Keith’s SciFi Musings Sunday, April 14, 2024
It was a warm summer day on August 27, 2044, and the solar eclipse was stuck. At least that’s what it said on the news. Fred and Irma Hutchins, seated side-by-side on their twin Comfort King lawn chairs in their standard middle-class-sized backyard, were quite concerned.
“I thought the eclipse was only supposed to last four minutes?” said Irma, as she and her husband stared upwards into the velvety darkness of the sky wearing their specially equipped eclipse glasses that Fred had ordered online from a very reputable store. She was frowning.
“But it’s been four days,” said Fred. “I don’t get it. I don’t get it at all. How long are we supposed to exist in the dark like this? How are people supposed to go on with their daily lives?”
“Exactly. So shouldn’t they do something about this?”
Fred looked silently at the stubborn eclipse for a few moments, then turned to face his wife. Fred and Irma had been married nearly 50 years, which meant Fred didn’t listen to words so much as tone when she spoke. It was that well-honed survival skill that explained their long and happy union.
Fred cleared his throat.
“So when you say they…”
Irma made a clucking kind of sound indicating mild frustration.
“The scientists, Fred. And the government. They should be able to work together to figure this out and get this whole situation untangled so our lives can go back to normal.”
“Ahhh. I see. Well OK, then.”
“And what does that mean?” asked Irma, sounding notably more frustrated.
Fred shrugged his shoulders, which Irma could not see in the dark. That was probably for the best.
“I guess it just means I understand. I initially wasn’t clear by what you meant, but now I am. So that’s why I said ‘OK’. If that’s OK.”
Neither husband nor wife said anything for the next several minutes, which was also probably for the best. Another example of how they had lasted these 50 years. Fifty-one come December 13, if the eclipse had finally decided to come to an end by then.
“So why isn’t the eclipse eclipsing?” asked Irma.
“I saw a scientist on the news just this morning who said something about the moon being stubborn. Said that for whatever reason it didn’t feel like moving from in front of the sun right now. Can you imagine? That damned moon got one job. One job.”
“The moon is being stubborn? My God, how scientific is that?”
Fred and Irma both enjoyed a good long laugh before Fred reached over and took Irma’s hand and squeezed it.
“But I suppose as long as we’re together, we can handle a stubborn moon, don’t you think?” he said.
Irma smiled.
“I think the moon is no match. No match at all.”
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