Nightmare Planet

A lonely world once floated in the galaxy, a perfect sphere of air, water and temperate climate but utterly empty of life. After centuries of neglect, a succession of seed‑ships arrives, each dropping spores, fungi, insects and fish to coax the barren rock into a teeming, alien ecosystem. The result is a landscape where giant paramecia drift like grapes and luminous yeasts bloom like flowers, a strange mash‑up of Earth’s simplest organisms amplified by the planet’s unique conditions.

Into this vivid, almost surreal environment steps Burl, a seasoned explorer whose curiosity matches the planet’s own restless growth. As he navigates towering mushroom forests and seas bristling with oversized plankton, he confronts both the wonder of creation and the philosophical questions such artificial life raises. The story blends brisk adventure with thoughtful reflection, inviting listeners to ponder what it means to seed a world and watch it bloom.