The Pipe, continued

Sanae’s fingers dug into Giro’s arm. She was scared. The two hardly noticed that they had broken through the transparent dome of the city. The perimeter’s gossamer touch was like running into a cobweb. The change in lighting eased Sanae's fright, though. The city glowed a bright silvery sheen, but she worried because it was deserted. There were no cars. There were no people, and the spaceship had disappeared. Yet, there was a barely audible hum that she could feel, as if the city were alive. “I wonder where the people are,” she said?

“Maybe there isn’t anybody. Maybe the inhabitants left this place long ago,” said Giro.

“What about the spaceship we saw earlier,” asked Sanae?

“It might run on automatic, like our space probes to Pluto,” said Jiro.

“Let’s hunt for it,” said Sanae, “There has to be a space port here, and the ship could help us get home.”  She looked up at the darkening sky above the city. The constellations were unfamiliar. Thy sky didn't at all look like the earth’s. It had turned dark so quickly she checked her watch again, but only minutes had passed, as if time stood still in this place.

Giro wasn’t paying attention. He gazed at the buildings with their triangular windows and sleek curves and angles. One building in the distance caught his interest and he started to walk toward it. Sanae followed wondering why the brightness of the city didn’t prevent a clear view of the now inky sky dotted with stars.

“Look,” Giro pointed excitedly. “There’s Venus.”

Sanae looked down the street and saw a bright star just above the buildings. “I wish I had my binocular. Then I’d know for sure,” she said. She pulled on Giro's shirt and said, “Let’s find our way back.” She disliked the silence.

“We have to find the space port,” said Giro. “If the space ship was manned, we’ll find whoever built it.”

The two speeded their steps, jogging down what looked like a main avenue. A blue light flashed in the distance, and when they got closer, they saw it was mounted above the entrance to a space walkway. The area was bathed in its blue light. A stair led to other lights geometrically arranged around a sealed door.

“This might be the spaceport,” said Giro.

“How will we open the door,” asked Sanae seeing it was seamless? The hum she’d felt earlier got louder and she turned her head to see from where the sound came. Behind her a space vehicle approached. Giro ducked as rapidly as she did. In the same instant, the door slid opened to receive the ship. Giro and Sanae raced in behind it.