Astronaut
“Ame, we're gonna miss you.”
“Aw, don't cry for me just yet.”
“Don't get cocky. You know what? Forget I'd ever said anything.”
In the terminal leading into the rocket ship, Gura and I walked, chatting before the departure. I was dressed in astronaut gear, carrying my helmet in my left hand. The terminal was a long white hallway with long spiralling cables coated in a multitude of different colours. At the end was a metallic air-tight sealed door.
“So,” Gura asked. “Why are you going to space, anyway? Y'all made some major discovery or something?”
“No, it's far more simple. We've found a new planet near earth that has interesting species of plants. And I'm going there, as a scientist, to study them.”
“When did you turn into a scientist? I thought you were a detective.”
“I'm not only a detective but also a doctor. What's another profession added to my repertoire? A scientist seems forthcoming if you ask me. ”
“So basically, are you saying that is your rite of passage?”
“If that's the way you understand it, I don't see why not.”
Gura examined me dubiously, holding up her chin.
By her standards, it seemed like I was lying. And to be honest, I kinda was. My skills allowed me to enter a variety of different studies, not limited to one. First, I'm a detective, and second I'm a doctor. Now you're wondering how astronauts came into the mix. Well, there's a stethoscope around my neck and that's all you need to know. ’Course there was more than I was leading on. But going over each field of study would probably not be interesting to most. If a clue is enough, it starts with Botany. My fascination and fixation towards them are second to none, even beating my love for being a detective.
“I'm not saying I don't believe you,” Gura said. “But from what you'd shared with me, you sure love those moss-type plants.”
“Please, don't get me start— I mean, uh. They're okay, I guess. I'd like to keep a few wherever I can.”
“Downplaying your excitement, huh?”
I cleared my throat. For the strangest reason, my heart pace was increasing rapidly. Doing a self-diagnosis, I've concluded that there's inconclusive evidence to support any claims of whatever you were thinking. My holy grail of fact, not opinion.
Gura trailed beside me, looking at the door before us. Soon I'll be leaving this planet. But it's not a permanent journey out of space. I'll be back soon enough. That is after the research is completed.
Arriving at the door, Gura grabbed hold of my sleeve. This made me come to a stop, I tilted my face at her.
“Be safe.”
“Are you going to miss me?”
“Leave, just leave. It's not like I care for your well-being, stupid.”
She released my sleeve and I walked up to the console adjacent—to the left-hand side. It had digits from zero to nine, and I input the Gura’s birthday in day, month, and year fashion. Once I finished, the metallic air-tight sealed door popped forward and slid to the left-hand side. In the rocket ship was a cabin and seats faced towards the sky.
“Well, see ya later. I'll be sure to take care of myself.”
I disappeared into the rocket ship. Many moments later in my seat with my headphones on, the starting sequence played in my ears.
***
The final thruster peeled off the rocket ship. My current distance was one hundred miles above sea level, leaving the earth's atmosphere. In space, I observed countless planets and stars, some near and others at extreme distances. Through the air-tight glass, I couldn't help but gasp, marvelling at the ever-expansive universe.
[Amelia Watson speaking. I've successfully entered zero gravity. In a short while, we'll enter into autopilot.]
I sent in my timely report, and it was the last for the foreseeable duration. It was my first journey through space and I felt relatively calm. It was an unusual feeling. I couldn't describe the sensation.
Maybe it has to do with the emptiness and how far apart everything is from each other. It wasn't like a friend next door. It's more of they're in the same position as your house, but on the other side of the world. The absolute farthest from each other and would take significant planning on both parts.
The voyage has only started. So, I passed the nearby satellites and headed straight into the void. Here, I switched to autopilot and went to write in my journal. There was a significant trip ahead.
***
There was a new report. Back on earth, there was a new asteroid discovery. And according to the report they sent, it could shatter the earth to smithereens. The earth didn't have any advanced repelling system in place for its size, and couldn't divert its current trajectory.
I was feeling indifferent towards the news, as I was eighty percent on the way to my destination. Then, I thought about my family, acquaintances, co-workers, and lastly, my friends. I love the girls and all the time we'd spent together. When I finished using my time to think about them, a blue-haired girl came to the front of my mind. She was all too important to me.
“Gura,” I said. I wrote the name in my journal.
She was now my first human entry, other than what I'd seen in space. I wrote down all her characteristics, the things she liked, what we'd use our time doing, her favourite games, her favourite movies, her favourite plants, her favourite pair of socks… Everything I'd thought about her, I wrote it down.
I wrote down so much that there were rain droplets in my cabin. They floated around here and there, while some landed on my journal pages. As a scientist, I couldn't explain why precipitation was happening. Out of space even. When I examined all the possible sources, I touched the bags under my eyes. Then, I came to a possible conclusion. To be more accurate, the only conclusion.
I was crying.
At some point, while writing my entry, I started crying. I wouldn't say it's unbecoming of me, but the detective side of me was saddened that it realized it. Then it thought further and didn't care. The world was ending. I'll never be able to see my friends again. I'll never be able to go back home.
***
After I'd finished writing in my journal, I received a notification from the main console. The video call icons showed up, and I accepted the call in a heartbeat.
“Ame!” Gura screamed. “Ah, you've probably heard the news by now, huh?”
Her face became sullen. But she wasn't the only person with the same expression on the other end wanting my attention.
Kiara, Ina, Calli, family and friends were all forced into the little screen. Then, I realized they're fighting for space in real life. I don't know why they hadn't thrown up the video call on the big screen, but I guess the huge LCDs these days don't come with a video camera attached.
“Ah, hm-hm-hm”
I giggled. When they'd realized that I had a smile on my face, I played it off as a “what has been.”
“You're imagining things,” I said.
“No, we definitely saw it,” Gura replied.
“I think there's a more pressing matter at hand than me smiling.”
We went to talk about the journey and how long it has been.
By current estimates, I should be arriving in an hour or so. We'd analyzed the planet in advance, but the oxygen there is dissimilar to earth's. Besides that, it had a solid surface with plants being the only living beings. During our talk, I went on a tangent of what I could possibly discover, but the look on their faces suggested that they didn't seem interested. They might've thought it was fun for me while I was talking, but that's only distracting from the inevitable.
They each took their time and spoke independently, airing out their thoughts one by one. Others started crying the moment they got a clear look at me. I'm not a harsh critic when it comes to partners, and thinking that thought, yeah. I guess there were so many emotions at play that some insensitive thought was ’bout to happen in one shape or form.
I, too, took the time to listen as each of them spoke, rotating to the next person, and then we were back where we all started. With Gura at the front of the screen. She was so small that she'd fix right in the rectangular dimensions. I guess that making any kind of joke related to size was uncalled for. But the world was ending. Slotting one right before the impact shouldn't do much harm.
“I…”
She couldn't find the right words to say. Family and friends took the liberty of comforting her. And when she'd mustered the energy, she confessed.
“I might have not snuck Bubba on board while you were distracted.”
“Huh?! Bubba?!”
I frantically looked around. When I was done panicking about when, why and how it happened, she stuck her tongue out and pulled down her right eye bags.
“Unnn!”
She one-up’d me. A sweet victory for Gura as I showered in a salty defeat.
***
My aircraft safely landed on the planet's surface.
Once I checked my instruments and everything was okay, I headed to the sterilization area with my astronaut suit airtight. Before activating sterilization, I checked my oxygen levels and other parameters. Completed, I commenced by pressing a distinctively red button, and after a while, I heard the pop off the exit letting in foreign air inside the aircraft. Out I went, exploring a new world.
But I'm not alone.
“Are ya ready for take-off, Bubba?”
“Woof.”
“Sike. We did that long ago. You're very late to the party, aren't ya?”
“Grrr.”
***
The plants had a transparent texture, with light yellow colouring, and they grow individually from the ground like banana leaves from a banana tree.
“Woof.”
“Wait! Don't— Oh, yeah. You can't eat it with your helmet on, huh? Thanks for Gura’s proactive scolding… Or was it common sense? It doesn't matter! Don't go bite anything you can, if you know what's coming for ya!”
As I was crouching down studying the plant, Bubba was off behind rubbing the helmet. I observed my dog, knowing that their efforts would be in vain.
It's strange though. Earth is probably destroyed, but I'm having a somewhat emotionless time doing my research. I did contribute to future endeavours that I should go on this journey alone, but in the end, Gura snuck Bubba into my aircraft somehow and made it anyway with her final victory in the afterlife. My lapse in my judgment fell through somewhere. I guess I'm not the genius everybody thought I'd be.
Though I mulled the past that wasn't long ago, where should I go next? The research will be complete, but what happens after? I can't go back to earth or any of its neighbouring planets. In the expanse of the universe, there could be life literally anywhere. But with earth gone, it'll take more than my lifetime to find somewhere habitable without the use of an oxygen supply. I'm in a precarious situation, and as a detective, getting started is all of my worries.
“Hm.”
I lifted my head and looked towards the mountains in the distance. Bubba was heading in that direction. Collecting a sample from the plant, I stood up and walked after my dog.
“Wait up, little rascal!”
For a planned trip to this planet, I'll be taking another immeasurable journey. And ahead on that journey, I will be…
Searching through time and space for a place to call home.