Synakkah Musfor is the name of a planet that appears in a series of illustrated science fiction books written by Stewart Cowley. Published in the late 1970’s, the series describes how human life on Earth expanded into neighboring galaxies via the Terran Trade Authority.
According to Cowley, Synakkah Musfor is one of four planets that circle the G5 sun of Alpha Pheonicis, some seventy-six light years away from Earth. With a surface land mass of only 14%, the planet is inhabited by water-dwelling creatures who … you know what, let’s have Cowley describe it himself:
“As might have been expected on this watery world, the dominate species was aquatic and, in fact, not unlike terrestrial lobsters. Their dependence on a substantial water supply and a lack of shortcomings in their home environment meant that they never had cause to explore the potential of space travel … They proved swift to learn [however] and industrious in applying the knowledge they had acquired, develop[ing] a remarkable artificial respiratory system which allowed them to exist outside the vast seas of Synakkah Musfor.”
For this weird piece, Suss Müsik envisioned what might occur in the event that the “terrestrial lobsters” of Synakkah Musfor happened to arrive in Yellowstone National Park. Perhaps they would concentrate their efforts in communicating with mud pools, interpreting their acidic burbling as a form of greeting. It’s not inconceivable that they’d find the Fountain Paint Pot a most unwilling conversational partner.
Suss Müsik imagines the Synakkahans then attempting to woo the stubborn mud pot with a gentle little song. The cosmic crustaceans sing and dance among the viscous slurry before growing increasingly frustrated with the lack of conversation. Having been duly ignored by a group of tourists more interested in capturing selfies with their iPhones, the disappointed and dejected Synakkahans depart Earthen soil forever. Such is our loss.
