Moon Specters

Astronauts on a moon voyage find more than just a desolate space body.

The man in the astronaut suite listened to the countdown. “Five…four… three…two…one!”

The astronaut gripped the arm grips as he was thrusted back in his seat. The view through the front window changed in minutes; first he saw the plumy clouds rush at him, then the glass window was veiled in white cloud cover. They broke through the cloud barrier, careening through a dark blue firmament. The blue tint gradually turned darker until the astronaut and his team were in the black of space.

“Attention ground control, we have entered orbit, do you copy?” said the astronaut.

“We copy, John. How’s the view?”

John unstrapped himself and floated to the back of the shuttle, gazing through a window at the big blue sphere below him. “Absolutely breathtaking.” He stared at the amazing sight for several minutes. “God does wonderful work, Nate.”

“You break orbit and make for the moon in two hours,” said Nate.

John’s three shuttle mates floated to the back of the shuttle to look.

Ground control addressed the three through their coms as well.

“Mary, Ricky, David, what do you make of it?”

“Words can’t describe it,” said Mary.

Ricky and David were silent as they observed the earth.

“What about you two?” said ground control.

“I’ll get the camera and take some pictures and send them to you, as planned,” said Ricky.

Ricky drifted to the side of the inner hull and took out a large camera from a compartment and then snapped some images.

“Sending images now,” said Ricky as he pressed a button on the device.

“Images received,” said Nate. “Wow…you never know how beautiful our planet is until you see the whole thing. You’re so silent David. What’s up?”

David removed his helmet and took a deep breath. “It’s beautiful. But You three haven’t looked at the view of the moon.”

Mary, Ricky and John took off their helmets and peered through another window at the grey moon.

“It’s like another realm-so mysterious,” said Mary.

“Hey, Ricky. Maybe we can rent out some apartments when we begin to build cities on the moon,” said John.

Ricky chuckled. “That would be the day!”

David narrowed his eyes and pulled at his chin. “There’s something off about it. I can’t put my finger on it but I sense something.”

Ricky, John and Mary glanced at each other.

“Stop creeping us out,” said John.

“I’m hungry,” said Mary as she floated to the front of the shuttle and took out some plastic tubes.

Ricky and John joined Mary, but David kept glaring at the moon.

And so, the four astronauts spent the time listening to music and playing card games until it was time to thrust off as they sat in their seats.

The G-force hit them hard and soon they reached the moon orbit after thirty short minutes.

Mary, John and Ricky manned the space pod and after some calculations, they disengaged.

Fifteen minutes later they touched down.

“Contact made,” John said to ground control.

“What is that?” said Mary.

“It looks like a built structure, made right out of the huge boulder of the moon!” said Ricky.

“Could you repeat that, Ricky?” said ground control.

“A built structure. I’m going to investigate,” said Ricky.

“This may seem creepy, but I think it would be wise to stay away,” said David, from the orbiting shuttle.

“This could be a sign of extraterrestrial history!” said Ricky. “Mary, John let’s go.”

“How exciting!” said John.

“Indeed!” said Mary.

When they walked about three-dozen feet, they reached a triangular entrance in the rock.







“How, cool! What if…”

The message was lost in static.

“Do you read space team?” said ground control.

“I can,” said David. He went to the back window. “I don’t see them!”

“Mary, Ricky, John, do you copy!” said David.

The disconnection went on for a minute.

“We’re here.” said John. “I don’t know what caused the miscommunication. But we have a problem. We don’t have enough oxygen to do the survey. Returning to pod.”

“Are you sure?” said David. “I’m certain we did.”

“We’re sure,” said Mary.

The three made it to the pod and they ejected from the moon surface. Fifteen minutes later, they docked and got back into the shuttle and removed their helmets.

“What in the world happened?” said David.

Mary went to the control panel and turned off the com unit.

“What are you doing?" asked David.

Mary spoke with a strange deep voice. “Sit down!”

“Do as she says,” said Ricky with the same voice.

David watched as his shipmates’ eyes glowed green.

“What are you!”

“We’re the spirits of the last colonists of Mars,” said John.

“We came to this moon to escape a device that eradicated most life on Mars,” said Mary.

“We found a way to enshrine our souls in that cave opening.”

“How many souls are in you three?” asked David.

“Hundreds!” the three possessed crewman said simultaneously. “Your human bodies will act as vessels for us to inhabit. Now it’s your turn!”

John came for David. He took his helmet and bashed it against John’s head. Blood floated away from his temple in red globs.

“You’re only hurting your friends, fool,” said the spirit in Mary.

“Better us than the whole world! I will not let this happen!” David torpedoed from the wall past them all and to a hatch.

“What are you doing!” said the being in John.

David shed a tear. “It’s better to sacrifice the lives of the few for that of the many.”

David opened the hatch and everyone was sucked into the vacuum of space.

“Nooo!” cried the spirits.

As they sped away into the black abyss, ice crystal formed in seconds. David clutched his throat and suffocated in a slow death. But, he knew the earth was safe. The last thing he saw was the beautiful blue planet that he saved. He wept and his tears turned to ice that floated away like lonely rain drops.