A Fire in the Sky story
An astronomer discovers a comet on a course to hit somewhere in the South Western United States.
17 total · 7 major · 10 minor
| Theme | Level | Motivation |
|---|---|---|
| boyfriend and girlfriend | major | Rich girl Paula Gilliam and rough-and-tumble college student Tom Reardon were mutually head over heals for one another. |
| close encounter with a passing astronomical object | major | Astronomer Jennifer Dreiser identified a comet passing by Jupiter that was projected to hit Arizona in eight days time. It was big enough to take out Phoenix. |
| mass hysteria | major | The government emergency planners were making an evacuation plan for Phoenix that would result in a minimum of chaos and mass panic. In the end a mass panic and looting broke out across the city. |
| nuclear weapons | major | A failed attempt was made to blow the comet to pieces by launching a nuclear warhead at it. |
| romantic love | major | Jennifer Dreiser and Jason Voight fell in love at the observatory. Paula and her sweetheart Tom. |
| teen romance | major | Rich girl Paula Gilliam and rough-and-tumble college student Tom Reardon were mutually head over heals for one another. |
| young and old romance | major | Professor Jason Voight was romantically involved with his young teaching assistant Sharon Allan. |
| attachment to one's land | minor | Some people didn't want to leave their homes, or Phoenix more generally, out of a sense of attachment to the place they spend all their lives. |
| disapproving parent | minor | Paul Gilliam disapproved of his daughter Paula dating the rough-and-tumble college student Tom. |
| extramarital affair | minor | David Allan was having an affair on his wife Sharon with a young reporter. |