51 Planets to See Before the Universe Collapses

GESHpil (geh-shpeel)

Scort Muggins, Human year 3251:

I didn’t expect to find life on the planet of Geshpil. Its orbit was acutely elliptical. (See Figure 11.1) It traveled extremely close to its star at one point, and then would slingshot around the star to rocket a vast distance away, only to be sucked back in and repeat the elliptical orbit. When I landed, I imagined I would find a dramatic hellscape of extreme temperatures, but that wasn’t the case because the atmosphere was thick… like ruhl thicc. The atmosphere would hold the heat and energy from Geshpil’s star, even when the planet was at the farthest point in its orbit. The atmosphere didn’t prevent the intense climates; it simply made them slightly milder. 

Geshpilics had a thick skin. It was almost rock-like which is why, I imagine, they could withstand the two opposite ends of the temperature spectrum. Fittingly, their skin was gray and they weighed four times the amount of an average human but were only half the size. Bizarrely, they were a cube shape with rounded corners and edges, with one appendage coming out of each side of the cube, except for the side their face was on. Their face had four eyes - one in each corner - and a hole in the middle. I couldn’t see another hole, so I wondered if it was their mouth or a waste opening. I feared it was both. (See Figure 11.2) Geshpilics had tiny hairs that covered their hide, but they were almost impossible to see unless you were close. Their walk was more of a frolicking roll as they would hop from appendage to appendage sticking out of the different sides of their body. I was amazed at how fast they could go with this method of travel. (See Figure 11.3) Luskem’s leg, which had sprouted two very short stubs, attempted to get around the same way, but struggled to make it work. It was hilarious to watch the Geshpilics run around, but they got upset with me when I laughed at them. Geshpilics were very serious beings. 

They had to be serious, and they had to be fast because Geshpilics fell into a hibernation state both as the planet would pass around the star and when it was furthest from the star - when temperatures were the hottest and the coldest. Their appendages retracted into their cubic bodies, their eyes closed, and they remained motionless for months. The Geshpilics did this in an unusual way, though. They wouldn’t simply stop wherever they were and plop down on the ground. Each community of Geshpilics would meet in a designated spot, usually the village center, and build a pyramid with their bodies. The level of the pyramid that each Geshpilic was on was designated by their class in the community. The lower class Geshpilics were the foundation of the pyramid and each level above was a higher class. The leader of the community always had the spot at the very top of the pyramid. 

I asked one of the lower class Geshpilics… “What happens when there are too many or too few Geshpilics to make a perfect pyramid?”

“Shut the flirk up,” it whispered to me.

After the Geshpilic aggressively hushed me, it pulled me aside. It explained that each level of the pyramid had to be the square of that level number. For example. The second level had to be made of four Geshpilics, the third level had to be made of nine Geshpilics, the fourth level had to be made of sixteen Geshpilics and so on. (See Figure 11.4) I had no idea what the Geshpilic was talking about. I never paid much attention to math.

Of course, the lowest class of Geshpilics were the only ones that had to worry about the perfect amount of beings. If the community didn’t have the exact numbers, Geshpilics would be banished. Lower class Geshpilics from surrounding communities would quickly travel around to see if there was an open spot in a community nearby. It was believed that no Geshpilic could survive the harsh winter or blazing summer alone, without being part of a protective pyramid. Any Geshpilic that was left out of the pyramid would never be seen again.

I had arrived when the very long autumn was turning into the harsh winter as the planet moved to its farthest point in its orbit. The pyramid assembly had begun as the lower sections formed. The second and the third rows started to take their places before the first row was even finished. They hadn’t counted off beforehand, which I found odd and incredibly inefficient. If there weren’t enough lower class Geshpilics to form the first row, then the construction of the pyramid would have to start all over. I figured the lower classes were hoping to get some stragglers from other communities. I watched a Geshpilic pyramid be built before my eyes.The upper levels climbed over the lower class Geshpilics, and I even witnessed the leader making its way to the top. It looked like much more trouble than it was worth to climb so high, but I’m sure it was a status thing. I get it.

The lowest row was almost finished and it became clear that there was one corner spot that would be empty. The lower class Geshpilics started to panic. The whole rest of the bottom row, 676 Geshpilics, would be banished and never seen again. I couldn’t let that happen. [Note: The community that I visited had a total of 26 pyramid rows which meant the population was 6,201. Well… 6,200 since one spot was empty. Or so I was told. I didn’t do the math.]

I offered to fill in for the corner spot. The Geshpilics couldn’t thank me enough and became quite emotional. There were some tears. I’m no hero, but hundreds of Geshpilics called me one. I rolled myself into a ball and supported the Geshpilics above me with my hands. Acting as the final corner, I completed the pyramid. I talked to the Geshpilics beside me until they stopped responding, having fallen into hibernation. The silence was deafening. I was totally alone on a foreign planet, underneath thousands of tons of Geshpilics I barely knew. My arms were starting to get tired, and I didn’t remember to use the bathroom before.

Of course, I wasn’t actually planning on staying there the whole time. I just needed to stay there long enough for all of them to fall asleep. I dropped one of my hands to see if the weight of the pyramid shifted. It didn’t. I dropped my second hand. The pyramid didn’t collapse, so I inched away from it slowly. Everything was totally fine.

It was starting to get pretty chilly on Geshpil, so I climbed to the very top of the pyramid to take a sweet pic. I was never a professional holographer, but after I saw how stellar my hologram picture came out, I thought I should consider it. Though, I didn’t want to take away time from my incredible illustrations.

On the way up, I made sure not to go anywhere near the corner that I had abandoned, but on the way down, I must’ve missed a step and took a spill down the rest of the way. I hit my butt right on the Geshpilic that I stopped supporting and it popped out of the pyramid. Because of that, a couple more Geshpilics got loose and tumbled down, and that started a chain reaction. Before I could do anything, a third of the pyramid had toppled over itself. Geshpilics were scattered everywhere. I froze, much like when I spill a drink and just watch the fluid spread for a moment, forgetting what I’m supposed to do in that situation. Thankfully, none of the Geshpilics woke up. I tried to push them back into position - I really did - but they were too heavy. I slowly backed away and got on my ship. I was sure they would be fine. I was sure that any Geshpilic not in a pyramid wouldn’t actually disappear. I was sure that was merely legend to keep the balance of power. I was sure… ish.  

RATINGS

Hospitality — 7/10
Food — N/A
Sights — 8/10 (must arrive during hibernating months)
Activities — 4/10
Family Friendly — 8/10
Being Part of a Pyramid - 6/10 (nice to feel a part of something bigger, but it was heavy)