By Reb Elkin
Stars rush past the small craft’s solitary window. She watches, year after year, from a state of suspended animation. Eventually, at coordinates calculated long ago, the stars stop moving.
Gases and liquids hiss and gurgle as the atmosphere inside the craft rebalances, allowing her to take her first breath in a decade. She doesn’t savour it. Her first conscious thought is that her lungs feel like fire, the sensation reminding her of the struggle to breathe during those last days on Earth.
Her mind now fully awake, she scans for other craft nearby. She hopes all of the calculations were correct.
Superb taster for a longer story ? Well written . Kudos.
Chilling.
Hello Reb,
Agree with Kevin: a great hook for a longer story.
Beautiful writing. I loved the first two lines.
Thought provoking.
Nicely crafted!