Close Enough to Touch
A bead of sweat fell off his forehead onto the inside of the glass face shield as he reached for the red button. He pressed it. A whoosh of air bounced him toward the open airlock and blew him out in the vacuum of space. Then silence as he drifted out and away from the space ship. Strips of glass and debris flew away from the station as pieces of the asteroid broke it apart.
And then he was flying into nothing. He checked the regulator on his suit. Less than 17 minutes of breathable air. He moved his hand to wipe away the sweat. It was no use. He forgot he couldn't touch his forehead.
The nothing enveloped him as he floated farther away from the destruction. The light of stars and the moon grew brighter in the dark.
Earth filled a mirror attached to his sleeve. A rocket spun him around to look at the blue marble in space.
He stared at the oceans until the alarm went off on his respirator. He took a quick gasp and reached. Home was close enough to touch.
Thanks to @mariannewest. 5 Minute Freewrite: Thursday - Prompt: nothing
It's scary - the thought of being stuck out in space with only so much oxygen! I have to hand it to you: this one is a cracker!! Well done!
Thanks for the compliment. I saw the prompt "nothing" and this popped in my head. I wish my muse worked that fast at other times. ;-)
Whoa. Awesome piece, man... A terrifying thought, for sure.. and what a quick yet effective delivery you gave here... skillz!!
I really appreciate the praise. Thanks for reading.
This was so action packed and I was reaching for him before his tank ran out. Great imagery!
Thank you!
Wow, I could really picture and almost physically feel the situation, a very good freewrite!
Thanks. I always figure if you're down to 17 minutes of air, things will not work out well. I'm glad you felt the resignation of the astronaut.
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Floating in the nothingness of outer space is both fascinating and scary to think about. Excellent free write!
Thanks for reading my story.
Nice posting👍
I think than the Nasa and the people never waere in the space 🤔
Wow! Such a gripping story! To be drifting, without hope, being able to see home so seemingly close. A terrifying thought and it makes me grateful that my feet are firmly on the ground, thank you!