Lost in Space

The moon sits in the sky and watches all the little ants fail at living their lives. She sits by herself, beautiful and strong. But, does she crave the attention of others. Does she yearn and scream for someone to talk to her?

Does the moon ever get lonely orbiting in space?

---

What do you do when your heart is too big for your hands? 

Do you desperately take on the impossible? Or, do you give up and realize that you could never accomplish everything? What do you do when your dreams are higher than the Empire State building?

"Well, you float, of course. Float all the way to the top."

---

Tiny hands play with the pieces of plastic, metal, and cardboard. Swiftly, they piece together the product derived from the child's imagination.

After a few moments, the girl jumps nimbly to her feet before racing to grab her copilot. She sets the stuffed monkey in his seat before jumping in the pilot's seat.

While they waited for liftoff, the two began checking their controls to make sure everything was working smoothly.

"Weapons?" Said Mission Specialist Ángel.

"Check." Replied Commanding Astronaut Alma.

"Controls?"

"Check."

"Windshield Whispers?"

"Operational."

"It seems where all in order, Commander Alma." Ángel's high pitched voice said while his head shook around. Alma removed her hand from the stuffed animal and played along.

"It does indeed seem that way Mission Specialist. Mission control we're ready for lift-off!" The girl screamed as she excitedly started counting down.

"3,2,1, LIFT-OFF" The girl squeaked her voice up, trying to make it sound like both the monkey and she were counting down.

The girl made explosion noises and raced the rocket across the room, out the door, and into the backyard. There, placed all about, where pillows from the living room.

"Oh no, meteor field! Quick Ángel evasive action!" She screamed before running around the pillows. She lightly touched one and made her ship recoil and stagger backward.

"Alma, we were hit!" The girl's high-pitched voice cut out through her sound effects.

"We can make it!" She swerved the rest of the way out of the pillows before zipping inside and underneath the kitchen table.

"Were safe for know, we just need to make it to the moon!" She screamed and raced up the stairs to the attic. She could see the fort she set up when someone grabbed her from behind and started taking her away from the safe haven.

"Maya put me down. Ángel and I are almost to the moon!" She struggled to get out of her sister's grip while the older laughed. 

"You can continue to play after we get ready for Yolanda's Quinceanera. You look like you haven't been bathed in a week!" The sister laughed while Alma stopped squirming.

"How do Astronauts bathe?" She wondered aloud before looking at her second in command for help. The monkey stared blankly back at her.

"Knowing you, you'll find out soon enough and tell anyone who'll look in your direction about it for weeks," Maya muttered, which earned a glare from their mother as she passed.

"Sorry." She quietly said before rushing both of them to her room. Before she could shut her door, Hugo ran in and hid behind her dresser.

"Mom wants me to wear a suit, I can't do that!" He whisper-screamed at his sisters.

"I thought you liked clothes and stuff?" Alma questioned as Hugo shook his head in disgust.

"Jade green. A dark jade green suit and a crimson red tie! I can't show up in that!" The boy looked disgusted at the mere mention of such a color combination. Alma did think he would look like a Christmas tree.

"I'll do your makeup if you wear the tree suit," Maya said with a smile. Hugo sat in conflict for a few seconds before very slowly nodding. 

The sister smiled before turning to her with a green dress and a white scarf. Alma's face soured but she didn't complain, it would be easier that way.

"What's the scarf for?" asked Hugo mistrust settling in his eyes.

Maya wrapped the scarf around Alma's neck and looped it over her head until she was covered in the fluffy white substance. The last thing she did was put it gently over her mouth and tuck it into the right side of her head.

"It's a helmet." The oldest answered while admiring her work. Alma ran to the mirror and squealed when she saw that the scarf did look like a helmet.

"I'm going to the moon!" Alma screamed into the mirror, staring into her dark brown eyes.

---

Today was the day she had been working toward for years. This is the day she's dreamed about since she was 6. 

She looked into a mirror and saw her face, far different from the one racing about the house with her stuffed monkey, but still hers. The hair she had always kept long, now was short and framed her face.

She started fiddling with the strands as she eyed them in the mirror, they had only cut it because her niece had stuck bubble gum in it. 

Her hand slowly slid down her face and she let it drop. The woman still can't believe it's real, that she's going to space.

She's going to the moon.

Tears filled her eyes and her breathing turned long and drawn out as she stared outside in wonder. Even in the middle of the day, she could see the moon watching her from the sky.

She took a deep breath and headed outside.

---

Their mission was simple. They were to check out a satellite that was acting up on their way to the moon. 

Parting with her family had been hard. She was going to be away for an expected 8 months, and that's the longest amount of time she'll be away from them.

They had been so understanding when they had heard the news that she was leaving. They put their sadness away for her dreams and she would be forever grateful. 

The launch went smoothly, as well as the journey to the satellite. Alma could see the moon from where they sat. They were almost there.

"Tobias, you still good going out to the look at the satellite?" The mission's leader, Remo, asked the small group. Their eyes filtered around the room as they trying to discern who should go.

The man in question squinted his nose together and pursed his lips as he thought. He sighed before turning back to the group.

"I don't think I can guys. I think the tubed paste is getting to me." His cheeks were slightly red and he avoided eye contact.

"We kinda guessed, you've been very friendly with the bathroom lately," Jinny said in a carfree voice as Tobias's shoulders hunched in.

"That means the back-up needs to start getting ready. Uh, Alma, you good with going." Remo asked as he checked the list. The women in question gave the group a thumbs up before jumping to get ready.

"She's like a little puppy, always ready to jump into any adventure." Alex smiled as they watched the women rush to get outside. She was the youngest here, freshly 27 amid older adults.

Once She was outside, she got to work examining the equipment. The more she looked, the more she grew confused. There was nothing wrong with it.

"Uh, guys? I can't find anything wrong with this thing." She exclaimed.

"There's nothing exposed or dented?" Alex asked, their eyebrows raised in confusion.

"No, not that I can see." She answered. She was about to head back when floating debris floated past her. She crept slowly forward and gasped in surprise when she says claw marks on the bottom of one back.

"Actually, one side looks like it was cut apart my razers or something!" Alma cried, heart rate picking up.

"How did you miss that!" Jinny screamed as the astronauts in the shuttle scrambled to the windows to see if anything was outside.

"I really hope this isn't some kind of movie where there's a space monster. Most of the people in them don't survive!" Tobias screamed as he raced past the others. Many rolled their eyes at him.

"Haven't you studied space matter, why would you think there's anything living up here." Jinny cried as she kept visuals on Alma, who was waving her hands all over the place. "Is anyone on comms? Alma's trying to say something."

Remo raised to the radio and turned furiously flipped it on.

"There's something moving behind you! Turn around! Why won't you listen, there's something getting close to the shuttle." The woman's voice boomed through the station and they all whipped to the windows.

An ever-changing multicolored object was indeed getting close to them. They froze for a second before being called to action.

"Alex, pull Alma back in. Jinny get Mission control on the line and tell them our situation. Tobias, get the engines going. When Alma gets on, we go as fast as we can back to Earth." Remo screamed as he ran back to the comms.

"Alma was going to get you back in then we're going back to Earth. And before you say it, we're not leaving you behind." He said into the radio, but the only thing that came out was static.

The man raced to the window to see the girl was unmoving while being reeled in. He turned back to see the looming blob overtaking the shuttle.

All he could do was look at his crewmates one last time before the sound of crushed metal filled his ears and he saw black for the last time.

---

Alma, while screaming at the top of her lungs, didn't notice the piece of debris floating up behind her. It clunked against her back and she blacked out for a few moments.

Alex had started to pull her closer but stopped as they saw the mass overtaking them. Alma awoke with just enough time to see them fade into the colors.

The mass, after finishing its meal, moved onto the helpless astronaut. She would have screamed at it if there was sound in space.

As the mass washed over her, she felt the coolness behind the suit she was wearing. It was almost enough to calm her down. She stayed completely still for 434 seconds before the blob passed her. 

She was filled with disbelief. Why did it let her survive and not her friends? She knew she didn't have lots of air left, maybe a few hours, and no one was coming to save her.

 She looked to the void around her, at the starts thousands of miles away. She breathed in and out and let everything set in.

She was going to die out here. 

Floating through an abyss, never to be seen again. Her family would never see her again. Her nieces and nephews would never see her again. 

She looked to the Earth. Her family was probably happily living out their lives without knowing the peril she was currently facing. 

Would they feel guilty about that later? She hoped not, she finally got her dream.

Her heart began to race as she remembered the reason she came out here. The woman slowly turned herself around to face the moon.

It seems they were always meant to be. Always meant to keep each other company in the lonely abyss of space.

She was always meant to float with the moon. Always meant to take her last breath bathing in its glory. She smiled for the last time and felt the moon smile back.