She couldn’t remember the last time she’d seen the stars. She traced her hand along the wall and tried to imagine what the universe looked like just beyond her reach. It had been five years since they’d left Earth. That’s a long time to go without the sky.
“Hey Flo, you in there?” Mark yelled from the other side of her door.
“You know I hate it when you call me that,” she said, standing from her bed and opening the door to his smug face.
“What do you want?” she asked. Florence had been irritable all week. The ship was huge, sure. It had to be in order to transport them all for such a long period of time but lately it felt like the walls were closing in on them.
“Oh, Flo,” Mark said, staring down at his feet as he traced one along the dusty floor. “Always such a pleasure. I guess you don’t want to hear the good news then?”
Her eyes narrowed at the mention of the nickname she hated. Mark had been gracious enough to bestow it upon her the first week of their journey. Unfortunately for Florence, it stuck.
“Unless we’re approaching our new home, I don’t care,” she muttered, turning and flopping back down on her bed. Mark stared at her for a moment as a grin made its way onto his face.
“Then I guess you’re going to be pretty happy,” he said. Mark turned and walked away before Florence could even comprehend his words. As his meaning took hold, she jumped up and ran toward the center of the ship where everyone was slowly gathering in anticipation. It had been years since they’d seen the outside world beyond the ship’s hull. You could feel the energy wafting off each of them as they realized they would soon be entering a new world; their new home.
“I told you you’d be happy,” Mark whispered in her ear. She waved him off and stared up at the podium where their captain made his announcements. When Florence boarded his ship five years ago, she honestly didn’t think they’d make it. She couldn’t believe that this one man could get them safely across the universe to a new planet. But he’d done it.
The sound of a door closing above created a chain reaction of silence throughout the room. Everyone stared upward as the Captain came into view. The look on his face, however, was not one of success. Florence couldn’t place it but the sudden flip of her stomach told her something was wrong.
“Friends,” the Captain started. “As you have probably heard, we have made it to Nebulus. Five years. Can you believe it?”
He shook his head in wonderment as the crowd chuckled along with him. Florence stayed quiet.
The Captain placed his hand on the railing and rubbed his eyes. This was not a vision of a triumphant man. A stillness crept over the crowd as they waited for him to speak. Florence could feel the air changing. What had once felt like hope now reeked of disappointment and failure. Florence felt Mark’s hand slip into hers and for once she didn’t jerk it away.
When he tried to speak again, his voice cracked and Florence couldn’t take anymore.
“Just tell us, Captain. We deserve to know,” she yelled up to him.
He looked down at her and smiled but the dreadful feeling coursing through her body didn’t go away.
“Unfortunately, Nebulus is no longer habitable. We will not be able to disembark as originally planned.”
He said it so matter-of-factly that Florence nodded along as if it were expected. Cries flew out from the crowd as others wept and held onto their familys. She looked around the crowded room until Mark squeezed her hand, bringing her attention to only him. She stared at him as tears welled in her eyes. She turned back to the Captain who remained at his post as the tears fell over onto her cheeks.
“Captain!” she yelled.
He found her eyes but said nothing.
“Captain, what do we do now?” Florence asked.
He looked at his hands as if the answer would be written upon them. When he found Florence’s gaze again, all the color drained from his face.
“I have no idea.”
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Come get Sloshed at the Speakeasy!
Arden Ruth 
Can’t imagine five years aboard a tin can. What if it takes that long to go back? Or what if there’s no where to go? Great story – kept me at rapt attention!
Thanks!! I have all sorts of ideas 🙂 Haha – Not sure what’s going to happen next!
I’m interested to read the continuing saga! 😉
Ahhhh! I couldn’t imagine being on a ship for that long!
Love how you made me care about the characters and that I was sad to come to the end. I want to hear more!!
Excellent 🙂
Thank you so much! I’ve got a lot of ideas for this. Thanks for reading 🙂
Ohhh, Cliffhanger, cliff hanger. This has all the makings of being a pilot for a new TV series. The can wander the universe searching for a new home. Nicely penned and the ending was superb.
Thanks
There should have been a “y” there – but my tree trunk fingers somehow made it go away. Hope you understood what I was trying to say.
Hah! I get you Thom! Thanks so much for reading! I’m kind of pumped for this one. Hoping I can expand in the future! Thanks again!
Caught the irony of her being on a spaceship and not seeing any stars. That ship needs to install some portholes or something. Their disappointment was palpable. And I’m intrigued by the Captain straddling the line between leader and loser.Things can’t be good if the captain admits he doesn’t have a plan B to the crew.
Thanks Nate! The ship in my mind was dark and very bleak which makes me think something even more sinister was going on. ::steeples fingers:: We shall see what happens to them. 🙂
In retrospect, it also kind of reminds me of the ship on the animated movie “Wall-E.” The captain of that ship was much more adept, though. They’re floating around waiting for a hospitable environment and meanwhile growing more and more sedentary or sedated. Their ship was bright and beautiful but just as bleak in outlook. I loved Wall-E and Eva.
That movie must have stuck in my head when I watched it years ago as I think this is the second story I wrote where people said it reminded them of it. Haha
I’m looking forward to the next chapter! You captured disappointment so well; like being very ill and being promised a cure and then having it taken away. I like the metaphor of being kept in the dark.
Thank you so much!
So glad to hear there will be a part 2! This was expertly crafted, Arden, and I was drawn in from the first (well, second) sentence. Your use of small details made the scenes and the characters come alive. This, for example, is quite subtle but paints a clear picture of her: “She waved him off and stared up at the podium…” It’s a small gesture but vivid and you do that throughout.
Thank you so much! I really appreciate it 🙂 This was a fun one to write. So many possibilities!
I love how well you portray the captain’s devastation. And how Florence knows something is wrong. This reminded me of the newer Battlestar Gallactica. Searching the universe for a home. You definitely need to expand this one. 🙂
Thanks Suzanne! I’ve been told I need to watch that show…
Yes, you should definitely watch it. It’s one of the best shows I’ve ever seen, in part because it set out to tell a story with a beginning, middle, and end. Plus the writing is fantastic.
::immediately queues:: You said new BS. Should I start at the beginning or somewhere else?
And by beginning, I didn’t know if there was an older version I could skip 🙂
You want the series that starts in 2004, not the one from the 1970s.
Hah! Gotcha 🙂 Thanks!
You’re welcome!
Actually, you should get the two part pilot first, which aired in 2003. It sets the stage.
Luckily, it appears to be on Netflix 🙂
Great piece, Arden! I like how you overlay the bigger story over the relationship between Florence and Mark. I’m definitely intrigued by both stories: what next for the ship, and what next for Florence and Mark. Loved it.
Thanks Christine!! 🙂
Nicely done – Florence was very real and her relationship with Mark added some depth to the other story. I can’t wait to find out what happens next.
Thank you!