“‘Cathedra’ is beautiful, realistic, fun to read.” Alice Osborn, author of Heroes Without Capes. 
My story “Cathedra” is featured in the latest issue of Metaphorosis. It’s free online all week.
Ben Kaplan is a loner who considers himself the best astrogeologist in the Asteroid Belt. But when he’s blamed for the deaths of two miners on Enceladus, Saturn’s most mysterious moon, he confronts more than a threat to his reputation. When a previously unknown species that rules the moon’s sub-surface ocean captures Kaplan, the only way to save himself is to stop the creatures from destroying the entire colony.
In a wondrous yet deadly setting of underground oceans, organic atomic reactors, and sunlit geysers shooting into space, “Cathedra” is a tale about the individual’s quest for identity and purpose within society, as well as one’s connection to the universe. The title and theme came from this beautiful anecdote:
A man came upon a construction site where three people were working. He asked the first, “What are you doing?” and the man replied: “I am laying bricks.” He asked the second, “What are you doing?” and the man replied: “I am building a wall.” As he approached the third, he heard him humming a tune as he worked, and asked, “What are you doing?” The man stood, looked up at the sky, and smiled, “I am building a cathedral!”
This is my first appearance in Metaphorosis, which bills itself as “a magazine of science fiction and fantasy. We offer intelligent, beautifully written stories for adults.” “Cathedra” is hard sci-fi inspired by an article in Astronomy magazine about Enceladus, one of the most promising sites for life in our solar system. (That’s a NASA photo of Enceladus on the cover.)
I want to express thanks to my wife Julie and to my comrades-in-critique at the Charlotte Writer’s Club for their invaluable suggestions and insights. I hope you enjoy “Cathedra.”
Wonderful, Mike.
Jennie,
I appreciate that. It was a fun story to write.
You’re welcome. Best to you, Mike.
Hearty congratulations on being published in Metaphorosis, and I look forward to reading your story!
Jan,
Would love your reaction!
Fantastic, will look it up
Livinia,
Thank you!
Fantastic, beautiful story, Mike–Bravo–and there’s humor in here too!
Alice,
I appreciate that! Great to hear from you again.
Mike,
Congratulations and thanks for sharing. I liked the imagery.
-“… toppled ice columns that looked like a collapsed Stonehenge.”
-“The football-sized creatures …”
-“… Cathedra and its holy circles.”
DougInNC,
I appreciate that!
Great story, Mike. Congrats on the publication and well-deserved. 🙂
Diana,
Great to hear from you! Thank you.
intriguing. i thought enceladus was a fictional place in your book. very interesting.
Congratulations.
authorinspirations,
It’s a more bizarre place than I could ever make up. Check out the Astronomy link — it’s all for real, from the organic reactors, the geysers, and even the organic matter in the liquid water.
Absolutely fascinating.
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