Selene Smith to Malinda Petersen, 3 May 380 New Mars Calendar
Message: Hey Mal, coffee tomorrow? We need to begin your countdown — bet you can’t wait!!! Only another month of Mister Farty-Pants then you’re rid of him 4 good! Will bring rest of gang 2 celebrate in style! (Who knows, maybe it’ll help me look forward to mine more.) Must dash — Davi coming home can hear door slamming….
***
Malinda Petersen to Selene Smith, 4 May 380
Message: Brill cafe, thanks Selene — love those cakes! Will have to cut down when new hubster arrives though. You were pretty quiet this afternoon. Are you OK?? We should start planning your next wedding too, maybe that’d help.
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Selene Smith to Malinda Petersen, 5 May 380
Message: Need your advice. Call me. X
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Iain Tyrol to Davi Smith, 5 May 380
Message: Dear Mr Smith, In accordance with Statute 18A-10/6/23, I hereby request leave to call upon our wife Selene Smith at the appointed hour of 10:00 on 10 May 380, being two months prior to Cessation, to begin discussion and acclimatisation as convenient to us all.
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Davi Smith to Iain Tyrol, 9 May 380
Message: Dear Mr Tyrol, Apologies, but 10th May is inconvenient. I shall respond as required with a more suitable time.
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Iain Tyrol to Davi Smith, 15 May 380
Message: Dear Mr Smith, I have not received further dates from you regarding the meeting required under Statute. Please revert with suitable timings immediately. We are now approaching six weeks prior to Cessation and the whole process needs to go smoothly for everyone’s convenience.
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Gallen Dash to Davi Smith, 10 June 380
Message: I knew it would happen. I bloody knew it. You’re such an arse — can’t believe we’re mates. Yeah, yeah, very funny. Call me when you’ve stopped being a moron.
***
Iain Tyrol to Selene Smith, 13 June 380
Message: Dear Selene, Looking forward to the marriage. Make him see sense.
***
Extract from wedding ceremony version 3.1 New Mars: I call upon these persons here present to witness that I …… do take thee …… to be my lawful wedded husband, happily from this day forward, in sickness and in health, until fifth do us part.
***
Selene Smith to Malinda Petersen, 13 June 380
Message: What do I tell Iain? What? He’s going to take it hard, even though God knows I’ve never encouraged him, never, not even before he turned out the way he has. How do I tell him I’ll always love Davi? Scared it’s going to end badly.
***
Selene Smith to Iain Tyrol, 15 June 380
Message: Five years is a long time, Iain. We’ve both changed.
***
Davi Smith to Gallen Dash, 18 June 380
Message: Thanks, but I don’t think your flying back from New Cambridge is going to make any difference. You may have been able to move on from Selene when required — and I give thanks every day for that — but I can’t. I just can’t. Look, just because something has worked that way for centuries doesn’t mean that it’s still right. Law has become tradition, that’s all. And I love her.
***
Iain Tyrol to Davi Smith, 30 June 380
Message: Dear Mr Smith, I’m detecting reluctance in your e-mails. The marriage between Selene and myself was contracted six years ago. You only have ten days left. Trying to put her off serves no-one well.
***
Iain Tyrol to Selene Smith, 1 July 380
Message: Selene?
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Davi Smith to Gallen Dash, 15 July 380
Message: The marriage was judged as a failure, anyway. No children. My ‘fault’. But that’s not the point. God, I’m helpless. What am I going to do?
***
Statute 18A 10 June 23 New Mars Calendar: Further to destruction of 80% of human assets on breakdown of cryogenic storage during transfer from Earth, a requirement exists to maximise genetic diversity in the population of New Mars. All marriages on New Mars will be dissolved after a period of five years, with the wife to be contracted to a new husband, to which all parties will agree by mutual consent. By order of President Durodna and the Scientific Advisory Panel on Post-Landfall Issues.
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Gallen Dash to Davi Smith, 16 July 380
What you’re going to do is be grateful that the marriage wasn’t dissolved right away when you had no kids. Come on Davi, think. Please.
***
Statute 18A 10 June 23 New Mars Calendar:
The main goal of the relationship is avoidance of risk of genetic drift caused by the small population; secondary goals are companionship and friendship of the spouses. Theoretical psychological research shows that this should not be a source of distress to the parties.
***
Davi Smith to Iain Tyrol, 18 July 380
Message: Love her. Cherish her. But she’ll always be my wife.
***
Davi Smith to Gallen Dash, 20 July 380
Message: She’ll never be gone to me. Never.
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Selene Smith to Malinda Petersen, 28 July 380
Message: Pray for us.
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Davi Smith to Iain Tyrol, 1 August 380
Message: You’re right: we need to discuss this. Eleven. Baruga Park.
***
Filenote: State vs Smith, Davi, 2 September 380. Affianced homicide case 8.
Josie Gowler has had short stories published in Ethereal Tales, Theaker’s Quarterly Fiction, Delivered and Linkway magazines. Her specialties are weird tales set in the East Anglian Fens and science fiction and fantasy short stories; sometimes these all overlap. In her non-writing spare time, Josie is a Napoleonic re-enactor, another source of short story inspiration. She’s currently working on a trashy coming-of-age space opera.
