Nonchallenge Fic: Paradigm Shift 1/1
Inspired by, but not submitted for, challenge 15! Cross-posted to glitch_wyatt and tin_and_straw
Title: Paradigm Shift
Word Length: 400
Characters: DG and Glitch
Rating: G
Author's Note: This story grew out of the prompt "planetary" - but took on a life (and length) of its own!
"Do so."
"Do not."
"Do so."
"Do not."
"Glitch," said DG, exasperated, "I know a thing when I see one. And you totally have a thing for Cain."
Glitch sighed. "Let's get back to the constellations, shall we?"
"You're avoiding the issue."
"You're avoiding your astronomy lessons."
"I thought we were just lying on the grass and you were pointing out-oh, you're sneaky, Glitch."
"Yes, I am," Glitch said proudly.
"Very sneaky." She rolled over onto her side, propping her head up with an elbow. "And you have a thing for Cain."
"So what if I do?" Glitch pulled up a few blades of grass and began shredding them. "He's not gonna be interested. I tell you, he's as predictable as the stars in their courses and the heavenly bodies in their orbits. As predictable as the planetary epicycles."
"As the who-what?" DG asked.
"Planetary epicycles. The calculations that explain the variations in the orbits of the other planets around ours."
DG sat up. "The other planets don't go around us, silly. They go around the sun like we do."
Glitch sat up too. "They most certainly do not, young lady. The suns and the planets go around us, thank you very much."
"No, they don't! The earth goes around the sun. Suns. Whatever. I learned it in, like, seventh grade."
Glitch frowned. "So the Otherside has a heliocentric theory?"
"I don't know what that means."
"Sun in the middle."
"Yes. I mean, du-u-uh. Isn't it obvious?" She brightened. "We sent a guy to the moon and everything. We couldn't have done THAT if we were wrong, could we?"
Glitch thought for a moment, then raised a finger in triumph. "But my machine stopped the eclipse in place. It wouldn't have done THAT if our theory was wrong, would it?"
"That's only what it looked like," said DG, smiling. "You stopped us relative to the eclipse, that's all."
"Huh," said Glitch. "That's a different way of looking at it." He scrambled to his feet. "I have some calculations to look at. Not that I'm saying you're right, of course, but it would bear looking into."
"Hey," said DG, joining him as he walked down the hill. "As long as you're reconsidering things. Maybe there's another heavenly body you should look at differently, Glitch."
"I suppose … " Glitch said thoughtfully. "I suppose that would bear looking into as well."
Title: Paradigm Shift
Word Length: 400
Characters: DG and Glitch
Rating: G
Author's Note: This story grew out of the prompt "planetary" - but took on a life (and length) of its own!
"Do so."
"Do not."
"Do so."
"Do not."
"Glitch," said DG, exasperated, "I know a thing when I see one. And you totally have a thing for Cain."
Glitch sighed. "Let's get back to the constellations, shall we?"
"You're avoiding the issue."
"You're avoiding your astronomy lessons."
"I thought we were just lying on the grass and you were pointing out-oh, you're sneaky, Glitch."
"Yes, I am," Glitch said proudly.
"Very sneaky." She rolled over onto her side, propping her head up with an elbow. "And you have a thing for Cain."
"So what if I do?" Glitch pulled up a few blades of grass and began shredding them. "He's not gonna be interested. I tell you, he's as predictable as the stars in their courses and the heavenly bodies in their orbits. As predictable as the planetary epicycles."
"As the who-what?" DG asked.
"Planetary epicycles. The calculations that explain the variations in the orbits of the other planets around ours."
DG sat up. "The other planets don't go around us, silly. They go around the sun like we do."
Glitch sat up too. "They most certainly do not, young lady. The suns and the planets go around us, thank you very much."
"No, they don't! The earth goes around the sun. Suns. Whatever. I learned it in, like, seventh grade."
Glitch frowned. "So the Otherside has a heliocentric theory?"
"I don't know what that means."
"Sun in the middle."
"Yes. I mean, du-u-uh. Isn't it obvious?" She brightened. "We sent a guy to the moon and everything. We couldn't have done THAT if we were wrong, could we?"
Glitch thought for a moment, then raised a finger in triumph. "But my machine stopped the eclipse in place. It wouldn't have done THAT if our theory was wrong, would it?"
"That's only what it looked like," said DG, smiling. "You stopped us relative to the eclipse, that's all."
"Huh," said Glitch. "That's a different way of looking at it." He scrambled to his feet. "I have some calculations to look at. Not that I'm saying you're right, of course, but it would bear looking into."
"Hey," said DG, joining him as he walked down the hill. "As long as you're reconsidering things. Maybe there's another heavenly body you should look at differently, Glitch."
"I suppose … " Glitch said thoughtfully. "I suppose that would bear looking into as well."