“A Tree Grows Up on Mars”, a short story by the late Ken Rand (1946-2009)

“A Tree Grows up on Mars”, a short story by the late writer Ken Rand that was first published in Neverworlds magazine #10 in the year 2000, has been posted online and can be read for free. Here are the opening lines of the story:

If Ian Beleri wanted to plant a tree on Mars, a tree would be planted on Mars. Beleri had clout. For all practical purposes, he owned Mars. He ran the mining operations. His corporation headquartered in the Beltway owned the bubbles themselves and everything under them. Most colonists worked for BeleriCorp or a subsidiary one way or another.

So, if Beleri wanted a tree in New Horizon (his dull name for the colony), he got a tree.

Not trees -- a tree. Just one.

Ken Rand (1946-2009), who died on April 21 following several years of illness, also wrote the novel Dadgum Martians Invade the Lucky Nickel Saloon! (2006).