You probably remember the headlines about bacteria in that sample of Mars rock. Life on other worlds!
You won’t remember, because nobody blabbed, the bacteria were earth-like. Same genetic code, same enzymes. Too earth-like.
Buy me another whiskey and I’ll explain.
We thought contamination, of course. But the sample was four billion years old. Here’s the kicker—life on earth started around three and half billion years.
You put the pieces together. Life on Mars was earth-like. It began before life on Earth. See? Our life originated on Mars. Nothing else fits. They suppressed that.
Another? Thanks. You’re a gentleman.
Friday fictioneers is a weekly challenge set by Rochelle Wisoff Fields to write a 100-word story in response to a photo prompt. You can find other stories here
Neil MacDonald Author 
The truth, or something approaching it, is always close when you see the bottom of the first glass of whiskey.
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Just a little adjacent to reality
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Close, but not Quite there…
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I’m not quite sure what you mean, Reena
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I was just trying to sum up the gist of the piece.
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Fair enough. Thanks, Rowena
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Hard to know what to believe. Much of human history is fabricated.
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It all depends who gets to control the story that’s told
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An interesting yarn. Could almost be true…
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What do you mean could almost? It’s true. A bloke in a pub told me
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Did he work for New Scientist by any chance?
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Well, not exactly. But his mum may have done the office cleaning there
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I’ve been that guy, I’m afraid. Well done.
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Thanks so much, Joshua
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I might need that whiskey.
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We all might
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My head’s aswirl now with DNA testing, how cool it would be to know of my Martian ancestors cause I know I have them, I just know it.
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Yup. You can tell anyone who queries it that I told you so
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I’ve read theories like that before. We’re all made of space stuff. It’s possible the same stuff accumulated on Mars but didn’t make it. There are so many possibilities. It’s fun to contemplate.
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Yes it is
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Makes sense to me. When our little solar system was younger, Mars was warmer, wasn’t it? If they had the water, they’d have the life.
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I’m not sure he’s an utterly reliable informant
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Shades of the Alien series of movies. I like how your protagonist holds his audience’s — and ours, by extension — attention. Cheers!
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Thanks so much, Jade
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You are very welcome, Neil.
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Pass that bottle ’round, would ya? I’d like to hear more of this tale…
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I suspect that burly men in charcoal grey suits are about to burst in and take him away
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That is a distinct possibility!
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Everybody loves a good conspiracy theory!
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Drunken theories, gotta love ’em!
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Indeed you do
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What exists away from our own planet fascinates me. An interesting and plausible story after a few bevvies!
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If you buy him another, he’ll tell you more
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The things we learn in pubs! Well worth a dram or two.
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And they’re always more plausible after a couple of drinks
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This sounds like the beginning of a star wars movie. Next he’ll be putting together a team to go check mars out!
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Or ar least discussing the plan to do so over another drink
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So funny, I have bee seeing lots of references to space germs/bacteria/contamination lately. Very on point.
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And there will be men in bars giving similar views on Life, the Universe and Everything until the world ends.
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I think it’s something to do with what we call civilisation
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Aha! I always suspected
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Nods and taps my lips
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Ah… Maybe there are still Martians hiding underground (whose DNA will match Earthlings).
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Maybe
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Strong whisky. What if the bacteria escapes and multiplies on earth, only to take over and reform into intelligent forms. Ones that subdue and wipe out humans. They have been waiting on Mars for so long, now is their chance!
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Be very afraid
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Sounds a bit like the conversations I hear in Costa, 🙂
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Yeah, he gets around
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Is there life on mars? I think so…
Great stuff and what a gent.
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Thanks so much
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I get dizzy trying to think all that into some kind of logic 🙂
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Don’t worry. Jusr because ti’s logical doesn’t make it tru
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That was great, Neil. I could see the guy standing there and beginning to weave a bit. Maybe he’ll work his way up to the biblical sentence: “And then there was light”. 😀 — Suzanne
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Thanks so much, Suzanne. I think he’s rapidly working his way downwards
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Enceladus, one of Saturn’s moons, has loads of ice and geysers. Organic compounds have been detected there. Take care.
Neil Scheinin
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And they wouldn’t believe me!
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Interesting take.
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Thanks Lisa
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Haha…this guy!
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Thanks, Dawn
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Don’t talk too loud or the big, black SUVs will be on you before you finish that glass of whiskey.
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Right. Shh
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