Issues in Earth Science

A Resource for Writers and Teachers

Fiction for the Classroom

Eww, There's some Geology in my Fiction!"

Curiosity, morality, and self-preservation compete for attention as the ship's crew debate whether the stones from an alien world are alive or not and begin to question their own sanity. Can they make a choice both moral and safe? Find out in

And the Stones Shall Cry Out by Wendy Nikel

The teacher resources for this story engage students thinking about how we might identify life on an alien world and challenges in recognizing life even on Earth.

Be sure to also check out past stories and classroom activities in Past Issues.

We feature short fiction stories for middle and high school students that illustrate key earth science concepts in the plot of the story. These are fun but educational stories suitable for the classroom.

And the Stones Shall Cry Out

by Wendy Nikel

We can still make out the tiny dot of Cambusca through the crew cabin's windows when the stones begin to hum. The fractured, icy, alien sound that seems to split into ever-narrowing segments in my ears reminds me so much of the surface of the planet we've just departed that its origin is never in question, at least in my mind.

"It's the samples," I repeat as Commander Chattam scours the lab for the hundredth time, adding the clanging of tools and slamming of drawers to the high-pitched, almost musical buzz. This part of the lab is normally my domain, the fulfilment of a lifelong dream that started at age three with my very first rock collection. After decades of studying terrestrial geology, what rock nerd wouldn't have jumped on the opportunity to study interstellar geology as well? "Check the ones in drawer S-43. The Cambuscan samples."

Issues in Earth Science

A Resource for Writers and Teachers

Fiction for the Classroom

Eww, There's some Geology in my Fiction!"

Past Issues

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And the Stones Shall Cry Out

by Wendy Nikel