Hannah looked over the birth certificate on her screen. The writing was difficult to make out, but she could just about see the word Mary Jane Smith etched into the paper. Her great-great-great grandmother.
She tapped the few buttons to add Mary Jane Smith to her virtual tree. The computer page flickered, changing to show her whole line all the way back to Mary. Hundreds upon hundreds of history layered upon one another. Some had photos, a few she could even identify the family ears or the slight wrinkle in her forehead like her great-grandfather.
Hannah traced her finger down from Mary Jane Smith to her own biological parents, Susan Griffith (nee Baradge) and Michael James Griffith. Parents she had never known, disappeared on their last expedition to the southern planetary systems. The death certificate marked their deaths as lost in exploration, along with a little photocopy of their medals of valour. Hannah had scanned those in herself.
At least on one database on this damn planet, her parents would be remembered as heroes, not traitors.
Hanna reached out and touched the photo of her parents on her desk, taken just before that last exploration. Her mother held Hannah tightly in her arms, pressing a kiss to her baby forehead, with her father waving his ship keyring in front of Hannah to keep her entertained. They had been doating parents according her aunt, brilliant pilots according to their friends.
And yet, their record had another little line under lost in exploration. Written there on the anniversary of their deaths, after the searches had been called off.
Assumed traitors to the Starlight Cause.
Hannah wasn’t convinced. Someone else had put that there. Someone else was trying to user her parents, who couldn’t fight for themselves, to get away with their own traitorous actions.
“I’ll find them,” Hannah whispered to the photo of her parent, “I’ll find who did this.”
Once she’d cleared their names, she’d be able to come back to this website and update the tree to show herself as the daughter of Susan and Michael. She’d officially be the daughter of heroes.
Stories on a Theme is a writing challenge to write flashfictions set on a particular Weekly Theme. It’s running from 6th July to 30th August – Check out my IG for more info on how to join in!
- After the Battle (A Teacup Story)“How are you doing, now?” Yinla asked. Oaleth poked the fire with the end of a stick. The smoke curled upwards into the night sky. “That’s a loaded question,” he replied, looking up at … More After the Battle (A Teacup Story)
- Daylight (100 Words)Minria peered out of the crack in the door. She could see the daylight streaming through the gap, illuminating the dust motes of their hide out. Three months Below had been tough. She’d dreamt … More Daylight (100 Words)
- Peace (Stories on a Theme – “Hope”)“What do you think?” Ilyen asked, taking another bite out of his dinner. The burrito juice dribbled out of the end of the paper wrapping, spilling onto the metal of the car. It sizzled … More Peace (Stories on a Theme – “Hope”)
- A Green World (Stories on a Theme – “Hope”)Nadine woke to the sound of birds singing. It was still weird, to hear that instead of the constant hum of the city traffic. Even after fifty years of the banning of fossil fuels, … More A Green World (Stories on a Theme – “Hope”)
- The Runners (Stories on a Theme – “Hope”)Winya dropped her bags on the floor. The metal floor rung out as the heavy bags slammed into the floor. Winya winced. Rugs, then, Winya thought, looking around her tiny apartment. The apartments on … More The Runners (Stories on a Theme – “Hope”)
- Cosy (Stories on a Theme – “Soft”)The blanket curls around your shoulders tight. It’s cold outside, a bitter, winter cold, and the heating is barely on so you don’t have to spend any more money on it. So you’re left … More Cosy (Stories on a Theme – “Soft”)
