Ice Dreams

ICE DREAMS

The Earth seemed to float in an obsidian sea, framed by ripples of starlight. That has to be the most beautiful sight ... Eric paused. With a wry chuckle, he finished ... in the world.

Eric thought of the series of events that had brought him here. He was part of the mission to disassemble the Hubble which had been replaced in 2012. Now, this once proud symbol of progress was a ticking bomb, waiting for its orbit to deteriorate and its fragments to hurtle down on an unprotected planet.

"How could this happen?" His voice sounded muffled in the helmet. During a routine space-walk, one of the large panels had broken loose. Without warning, he was swept earthward from the satellite, the safety line shredding like a cobweb.

Eric glanced down at the internal display. "Air, ten percent. Battery life, one percent." He had shut down every non-critical system in the suit so that the locater beacon would continue to mark his position. It was now a three-way race: rescue, atmosphere, or life support. He could feel the cold moving up his arms and legs. No sense in dwelling on it.

He refocused on the Earth. The last time I was there ... Eric's thoughts went back to his girls. Beautiful Jessica, who he had fallen in love with in high school, had insisted that he take his daughters skating. She knew that the mission would take over our lives and how precious time was ...

He remembered sitting by the lake, afterwards, by a small fire. Swaddled in blankets against the chill, they sipped campfire cocoa and laughed about how graceful he was in space and how clumsy he was on the ice.

He no longer felt the cold. Closing his eyes, Eric smiled. He was heading home.

Notes:
An entry for the 1/26/10 round of "Daily Flash Fiction Challenge"  [13+] as part of The Talent Pond's "Winter Writing Warm Up"  [E]
Prompt: Write a story that includes the words: skating, cocoa, blanket.

Word Limit: 300
Word Count: 300

Thank you for taking the time to read my story. Please, if your going to rate, leave a comment. Come to think of it as long as you're here, leave a comment . Criticisms, thoughts, reactions, yes – even a kind word of encouragement – are all equally welcome

Ken