LUNA watched the rays of light pour through the thinning clouds as evening approached the island of Thinadhoo. She lowered her gaze, walked through the arrival chamber and into the wide road. Small pockets of sand stirred with the slow deep hum of the wind as she strolled along.

She paused for a moment and pressed the latch on her helmet. There was a faint hiss as the seal was broken, and the helmet came loose.

Luna removed her helmet and took a deep breath . She felt the warmth of the sun on her face as a gentle breeze blew through her hair. She fastened the helmet to the back of her cross-habitat jumpsuit, lifted her hand, and read the time on her wrist watch.

There’s still time to get a meal from the cafe, she thought.

The only place serving food was in the island of Kafena adjoining Thinadhoo called Kafena Kilege Kafe. It was situated at the narrow end of a shallow enclave of water. The cafe was built elevated and surrounded by a low wall made of coral stone. Lacquered wooden beams attached at the corners held a coconut palm thatched roof atop. From inside the place, overlooking the open surrounding was the ocean on one side and a pond on the other. The gentle sea breeze flowed in through to cool the white sand that covered the floor.

“I’m Biyyage Ismeheli and duckweed soup is a delectable dish”, a young man with olive complexion said. He smiled gracefully from across an antique wooden desk. Gleaming cubes of red were heaped up to his shoulders behind him. It cast a pleasant reflection on Luna’s oval face as she drew near.

“I will be serving you today.”, Ismeheli said.

“Hello”, Luna greeted waving her hand “May I have some duckweed — I’d like a pack please.”

Ismeheli smiled and reached for the cubes behind him. Each cube containing compressed duckweed. He skillfully slipped them into compartments of a black container by his side.

“How long does Salumber take to get to Earth?”, Ismeheli inquired.

Ismeheli refers to the recently built starship Slumber, equipped with Cryosleep units that travel between Earth and Mars. Cryosleep hibernation however was unpopular due to the rehabilitation it required afterwards.

“It still takes the same time. I took the regular starship and got a lot of work done in seven months.”, said Luna.

The Earth-Mars departure stations were built on elevations closest to the equator. They offered the most cost-effective positions for space launches. There were four space stations established along the Earth’s equatorial belt. Two were in Africa, one in Indonesia and the last, the only functioning one was in the island of Kondey few miles away from Thinadhoo. The space station was powered with a large floating solar farm which increased efficiency of power up to fourteen percent compared to those used on land, due to the cooling effect of water.

“Have you ever been to Mars”, Luna asked, her green eyes heavy-lidded and lost in the blue ocean that stretched into the landscape.

“I’m afraid I would be too worried about my home world if I ever go.”, Ismeheli replied as he turned around.

Ismeheli placed the container on the desk “Do you know how the climate change reversal works?”, he asked, “will Earth be back to normal in eight hundred years?”

“Much sooner,” Luna quipped, “the current estimate is just five hundred years.”, Luna went on, “You work in the Dugrow systems — that makes you part of the team for the reversal process.”

“I do-grow in Dugrow”, said Ismeheli, citing their slogan and smiling, “but i don’t understand how growing duckweeds will heal my world.”

Luna paused for a while and thought about the best way to explain it for Ismeheli. She looked at him, glanced past the red cubes and into the ocean — then slowly swept her gaze at the mangrove trees that grew in the brackish pond.

“After the departure to Mars,” Luna said, breaking the brief pause, “all of the lands which people left behind — are being used to raise duckweed”. She took a big breath and pointed to the wall of red cubes behind Ismeheli, saying, “those — and photosynthesis is all it needs to balance your planet — you know what photosynthesis is?”

“Yes, I understand plants,” Ismeheli said, “that is how plants use sunlight.”

“Indeed”, said Luna, “the process uses sunlight, water and — carbondioxide to create food and give back oxygen.” She then paused for a while and said, “Well — all plants absorb carbondioxide — but duckweed is special in many ways compared to others.”

Ismaheli listened intently to Luna.

“Duckweed, as delectable as it is,” Luna smiled, “is one of the fastest growing plants on earth. It can double the mass in just two days and reduce carbondioxide from the atmosphere at an exponential rate.”

Ismeheli, with his eyes open wide, said softly “I have seen acres and acres — as far as i could see and often wondered why duckweed.”

“Yes, but that’s not all – duckweed needs very little water to grow — they can grow in very shallow water,” Luna said.

Ismeheli fell into a deep thought.

“And that still is not all,” Luna said, “since they grow so quickly — burying deposits of excess duckweed can even reverse what the fossil fuel sector had consumed.”, she paused and said “And yet still — not all”.

Ismeheli stared at Luna, eager to learn more about the wonder of duckweed.

It can double the number in two days.

It needs very little water.

Even burying them has the benefits — what else could there be, Ismeheli wondered.

“This process can now be made even faster”, Luna said, “the new Carbon Capture Drones can accelerate photosynthesis which leads to larger plants that in turn consume more carbondioxide.”

Ismeheli was ecstatic. “Ah, the Kurumabot drones — I see them all the time.”, Ismeheli exclaimed, “They fly around over the duckweeds — so that’s what they do. Thousands and thousands of Kurumabots.”, Ismeheli said raising his arms making a buzzing sound, “like bees.”

Luna giggled, “Yes, the Cromobots.”

Ismeheli was overcome with joy; he couldn’t recall ever being this happy. He looked at Luna and said “Earth is —”

“Healing”, said Luna with a smile.

Ismeheli laughed and turned towards the cubes stacked behind him. He watched the facet of reflections of himself cast upon them, burst into laughter and yelled “You are healing the Earth Biya-geh Ismeheli.”

Luna laughed.

Right then, there was a pulse on Luna’s wristwatch. When she looked at it, her excitement faded. The change in mood made Ismeheli uneasy.

“Is it more about duckweed?” Ismeheli inquired, “will the Earth still heal?”

Luna read the time on her watch, lifted her face to observe the horizon. She had waited a long time to see the sunset against the shimmering ocean.

Luna spun around until the sun was behind her, she then grabbed a phone from her jumpsuit, lifted it high, and turned on the front camera.

“Good evening, Luna,” a cheerful voice from the phone greeted her, “Is that a sunset behind you?”. A small white dot slowly emerged at the bottom of the phone display — pulsed and then disappeared into a thin line, “The photo reach will be at forty percent of population.”

Luna’s phone was equipped with a system that could help her determine how popular a photo could be among the combined population of Earth and Mars. Reach was a unit used in The Feed, an online social media platform used on both planets. The attention span for each photo posted to it was short, but once a shot was viral, it provided the possibility to earn a fortune.

“Mediocre!”, exclaimed Luna.

“That — is art, Una,” remarked the voice, the dot appeared briefly and then disappeared, “Reach is at sixty three percent.”

Luna gasped, peered inside her bag hopelessly, pulled out a sunglass before putting it on.

“That’s not sitting very well isn’t it Una.”, said the voice as the dot emerged and went off in a blink, “Reach fifty eight percent.”

Luna screamed, tossed her hair and pinned it with her sunglass.

“That’s much better,” the voice said as the dot faded, “Reach — sixty four percent.”

Luna changed her phone’s auto-suggested title from “Una and the Sundown” to “Solar Eclipse.”

She, being Luna was the moon behind the Sun and the Earth.

“Very creative Una,” the voice replied as the dot flickered and vanished, “Reach is at sixty five percent.”

Luna got distraught, almost in tears, and yelled fiercely. She then grabbed a bewildered Ismeheli’s hand, dragged him close to her, gazed at the phone, and faked a grin, saying “Big Smile.”

“Am I going to be famous?” a stunned Ismeheli said trying to imitate Luna.

The dot pulsed and froze.

“Yes you are Biyya-ageh Ismeheli — photo will be viral one hundred percent”

Finis.