In the Times of Luna | Teen Ink

In the Times of Luna

January 12, 2011
By RBartee SILVER, New Britain, Connecticut
RBartee SILVER, New Britain, Connecticut
5 articles 0 photos 9 comments

I took in my surrounding, personally forcing myself to memorize each lunar
crater of the Moon’s surface; not because it held any form of higher significance in my
life, but because I didn't know when the next time I might be seeing it was. The Lunian
Islands were fun, and I won’t ever forget them, but I missed home. The sudden thought of
being back home on the rings of Saturn brought a sudden thrill to me, both mentally and
physically. I could feel the meteorflies jumping around in my stomach and I didn't know
how to handle it. A sudden voice on the loudspeaker then announced "All Passengers
flying out on the U.S.S Supreme we are now boarding. Please report to the A- Wing
of The Armstrong National Space Center. Thank You." I hastily grabbed my Levi Bag
and pulled it through the air trying not to hit anyone as they passed by on their “Hover
Boards” and their “Air Seats.” I laughed as I realized that today's wealthy and fortunate
were tomorrows obesed and pathetic. But then again thanks to today's technology, who
couldn't be 400 space pounds one day, and all fit and slim the next?
"Can I see your ticket Ma'am?" asked the flight attendant. I couldn't help but
fall into his dreamy eyes; they were the color of the ocean I'd seen in my history books
while studying how we have evolved since living on Earth 300 years ago.
"Umm, yeah. Sure, here you go." I tried to stop my hand from shaking as I
handed him my ticket. He stamped it before handing it back and saying" Enjoy the ride
Ms.Lysethia.” I glanced at his shirt and read his name tag; Call-list-ooo. Callisto! “Thank
you Mr.Callisto.” I said with such excitement at being able to read and pronounce his
name correctly that I nearly dropped my ticket as he handed it back. “I sure will.” I
gave him a small wink before floating across the moons surface toward the ship. Thirty
minutes later I was content and ready to go home when the pilot announced that we're
having technical difficulties due to the severe meteor storm on the ride back through the
Milky Way during the previous flight. I was in an extremely good mood up until that
point and figured it'd be best if I just took a nap. So I did.

I awoke to the sudden sound of nothingness rubbing its hands against the ship
windows. Everyone was asleep and most likely due to the change in temperature since
leaving the Moons atmosphere. I couldn't help but stop breathing for a few seconds while
I fought to catch an echo of the rumbling sound from within the ship. Thereafter, every
breath I took made the sound under my seat harder, longer, and more fluent. I was locked
into my seat; and there was no way for me to get out of it and inform someone who
actually had the power to do something! My chest felt as if it was closing all the walls of
my airway; and with every gasp for air that my lungs screamed for the oxygen within the
ship became harder to come by then a 4 pointed star. I reached into my purse and pulled
out an “Oxy Pill” before shoving it down my esophagus with my finger. Immediately
after I felt the pill hit my stomach, my chest felt relieved; as if a weight had been lifted off
of it. I stuck my hand ever deeper than before into my purse and pulled out the
engagement ring my ex-fiancé had given me. I pulled it out at once again astonished at
the rubies that were brought from Earth during what they called at that time “World War
III.” The razor red edges were going to have to be sharp enough to cut through the seat
belt; at that current point in time what wasn’t a an option? I took the jagged edge of the
ring and started scrapping a corner of the seat belt. After about 2 minutes of a constant
scraping on the belt it finally ripped. I pinched both sides of the rip with my fingers
pulling apart at the seams trying to rip the belt, and not break a nail at the same time. As

soon as my body was no longer fastened to the seat my body began floating off; with
gravity and inertia no longer in effect I had trouble getting used to the feeling of being
weightless. Everyone around me was fast asleep and when I lightly beckoned for them to
wake up, there was no response. I felt for a pulse but there wasn’t any sign of one. The
only possible answer was that they all were on an extreme high caused by a pill known
as “The Dead Pill.” Its purpose was for the person who too it to enter a sleep so deep that
they were dead both mentally and physically. However, it was a known fact that when the
pill was taken your eyes remained opened; however that was not the case with my fellow
passengers. I pulled myself to the Pilots Cabin of the ship and pulled the door open. What
I found there wasn’t anything that a passenger typically assumes would be found. I
opened the door and before anything could catch my attention, it was caught by the limp
hand hanging off of the side of the pilot’s seat. There were red lights flashing everywhere
and the constant sound of alarms blasting for someone’s attention. I had no idea what
steps to take next. I stepped into the room and pushed a button that said “Gravity Setting.”
Immediately the door behind me shut and in the pilot’s camera I seen as half of the plane
was ripped off and was obliterated into tiny pieces. The bow of the plane started leaning
forward and as it entered Saturn’s atmosphere it lit aflame. “4 Minutes to impact” a voice
said. I looked around for an escape route and could not find anyway out of it. I sat down
on the captain’s cot in the corner not knowing how to react to everything happening. “3
Minutes until impact.” I looked down at the ruby ring on my finger; and couldn’t help but
smile. Not because the current predicament that I was in was humorous; but because it
took for me to be minutes away from my death to realize that I was in love. I held the ring
in my finger as if it was the most precious thing in the galaxy”2 minutes until impact.” I
looked out of the front window and realized that piece by piece the ship was melting off
of the front of it. One thing that you never see in movie is how beautiful death could
seem. How radiant the memories that filter into your head were, and how unexplainable
the feeling if love could be. “60 , 59, 58, 57 56..”I closed my hand over the ring in my
hand, closed my eyes and remembered:
He had been in the bathroom for a while and I wondered whether he had
gotten cold feet and ran away.” Would you like some champagne Ma’am?” asked
the butler. “Yeah, sure thanks.” He handed me the already poured glass; and out of
nervousness I lifted the glass to my lips without noticing the ruby red ring sitting on
the bottom of the glass. I looked up, and there he was. Deciding on whether to cry, run,
smile, or say something. I put his worries at ease by nodding my head up and down until
he lifted my head until it was level with his lips. I gleamed into his eyes before he kissed
me.
“3,2, 1.”


The author's comments:
Wrote this piece for an English grade my Freshman year. Hope you enjoy!

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