Lost In Space

• Molly De Martino, Grade 6
• Short Story
• 2018

5...4...3...2...1 blast off! I feel the exhilaration running through my veins, my blood pressure must be sky high. From my training, I know that I should not be flying the aircraft. My mind tells me to stop and turn around to my cabin mates but if I do that everyone back at the Space Control Centre would think I shouldn’t be sent out for another mission. ‘No, this is what you have wanted to do since you were 3 years old, pull yourself together and breathe’ I thought to myself. In out, in out, in out. I could feel myself calming down already.
“Lieutenant Conrad, can you hear me?” From the other end of the radio I could hear my best friend’s voice. I blocked out the sound of his voice as I knew if I wanted to complete this mission and receive a demonstrative welcome back home, I would have to complete the mission myself. I had been running through what I had to do with my mates back at the Centre, so I knew exactly what I had to do. I knew that this mission was very important, my task was to go and find any sign of life on any of the planets up in the galaxy.
My mind drifted to the thought of my wife and kids running up to me with open arms, embracing me, while telling me all their stories about how they fought pirates and dragons. I imagined arriving at the Space Control Centre and hearing everyone cheer my name as I walked through to my office. Then I saw a flashing light. At first, I thought it was candles on a ‘Congratulations’ cake, then I realised that the sirens were going off and the light that was flashing was the red emergency button. I froze in shock! This couldn’t happen, I was a man with a family back on Earth. I grabbed for an oxygen mask and tightened the strap around my head. I floated towards the EXIT sign, my arms flailing everywhere trying to make it out of the aircraft before the ship exploded.
My ears rang from the explosion. My mates around me were trying to recover from the shock. I drifted over to the radio that had most parts tearing off it. I tried to send a message to the Centre but all of the messages came out blank. I had barely any air left in my mask and I didn't want to waste it by talking to my cabin mates, they understood by the look in my eyes anyway. I tried to focus on my breathing but my world was starting to go fuzzy, I started to breathe desperately and before I knew it my world went from stars and planets to pitch black darkness.