�Are you serious?� my crewmate asked. �Didn�t we have enough traumatic events yesterday?�
�Well, going towards the vortex was a bad idea,� I said dolefully. �I promise to be more careful today!�
�Okay,� muttered my crewmate doubtfully, and we set off.
We have found a seemingly unlimited amount of the gems. �Whew,� I gasped exhaustedly. �This is difficult work.�
�I�m going to scrutinize the gems more closely,� my crewmate informed me casually. When I next looked at him, he had a greedy lust in his eyes as he inspected them. They had started to �mesmerize� him, causing him to grow a very strong partiality for them. I made an unsuccessful attempt to pull my crewmate away from the odd magnetic pull of the gemstones, but he struggled and escaped to gaze upon his wonderful gems. Whatever the elements were that made up those rocks, they were very magnetic. I effectively hid them away so they would not attract my crewmate anymore. I was curious about the odd properties of the gems, but had expected to find many new elements on an entirely new world. My crewmate managed to snap out of his charmed stupor. �What�s happened?� he murmured dazedly.
�Um�� I said nervously, and then added, �Those gems must have hypnotized you.�
�That�s very unusual,� my crewmate commented, scratching his head. �I�ve never seen anything like it. Then again, this is Venus, not Earth.�
�Look how long we�ve been away from Earth,� I observed, looking at the calendar. �Six whole weeks!�
�You�re right,� my crewmate acknowledged. �I�m tired of all these unpredictable eruptions and frenetic catastrophes.� We took one last look at the uninviting surface of Venus and took off in our space shuttle.
Back to Venus