Into the Fold
by Brittany Renee Williams
The serene silence of space. We drift, trusting gravity to pull us down,
down, down into mysterious folds of unimaginable colors, so new I don’t
know their names. Behind, home winks its fading eye, nothing but a pale
light among millions. Regret. I'll never plunge into familiar ice depths
again or drink in the light from my sun. My beloved whisper farewell,
voices sliding along star light. The price of exploration. We pick up speed
caught by an invisible net. Exhilaration, shame, and the desire to arrive.
Acceleration. We exist in a twilight state. To our backs, cold, black space,
spotted by star fire. Ahead, unknown, except streaks of . . . the words
come unbidden. Green. Blue. Good. We never know how a new world
will change us. Our engines awake to slow our descent, possibly alerting
the natives, if they don't already know. A tug-of-war, the planet's forces
against our vessel. We stabilize. The prize, life though it's no guarantee
we'll last the day. As we glide closer, images I don't understand. Alien
structures, but even my eyes comprehend, intentional. We land and the door
opens. Harsh light. My courage falters. I close, fly, and retreat into galactic
mother arms. My copilot brushes my forehead, pulling my thoughts back
from the sky. I grip my weapon and kiss my token. My stranger friend
and I clasp hands, united in desperate need. We step out into our new
world, old in the celestial sea, praying this world draws us into the fold.
Gyroscope Review 18
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