
An eager, off‑kilter narrator introduces us to Yljm, a green‑hued being from a distant world whose love life is as tangled as his own name. He speaks with a wry honesty, admitting his storytelling is clumsy yet heartfelt, and quickly draws us into his strange, sun‑baked landscape. The arrival of Mjly—a luminous, static‑charged companion who whispers that their world is ending—sets the tone for a bittersweet romance that feels both intimate and universal.
Together they confront a planet that has run dry of food, its once‑lush surface reduced to barren dunes. As supplies vanish, the pair debate desperate options, from cannibalism to daring interplanetary travel, their bond the only thing keeping hope alive. With a glimmer of Earth’s green promise reflected in Mjly’s clever mirror, the story balances melancholy with the possibility of escape, inviting listeners to wonder how love might survive when everything else falls apart.
Language
en
Duration
~10 minutes (10K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
Produced by Greg Weeks, Stephen Blundell and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net
Release date
2009-10-04
Rights
Public domain in the USA.
Subjects

1904–1971
A prolific pulp-era storyteller, this American author moved easily between science fiction, westerns, crime fiction, and children's adventure books. His work filled magazines, Big Little Books, and instructional pamphlets, making him a versatile and busy presence in mid-20th-century popular fiction.
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