Minutes on the Moon Krista Proteasa “But Stan, how do you ever think we’re going to find it?”
“Don’t worry, Martha. I brought a flashlight. *slap slap* I retract my previous statement as I no longer have a flashlight.” Stan and Martha were touring the dark side of the moon when their equipment ran out of life, their helmets broke, and they now had no source of light. “Stan, you always do this! I can’t believe you. We could die in about five minutes because of you!” “Actually, it’s more like 3 ½ at this point. Hate to burst your bubble.” “Stan, if we get out of this, I might just kill you myself.” The pair hopped conservatively, so as to not blow through their remaining 2 cubic gallons of oxygen. Now I’m no scientist, but that doesn’t sound like a lot. As they scuttled and scuttled, their hope dwindled. “Well, with our last few minutes, what do you want to do?” “Keep looking, Martha. We have to keep going.” “But the ground is all dusty, my boots keep getting stuck, and there’s darkness for miles.” “None of that matters, Martha. Until we see light on this godforsaken satellite, we’re not stopping.” Martha began to etch her name in the sandy ground while Stan kept trekking across the boulders and dust. If she was dying, she needed whoever could find her to know who she was. At the very least, she’d get a mention in the local newspaper. Across the ash-colored celestial body, Stan and Martha’s spirits started to become just as ash-colored. They decided to just explore aimlessly, so as to die without panic. “What do you think of these craters, Stan?” “They’re so shallow. You’d think with however many years of meteor collisions, these craters would be as deep as football fields. But alas, they can barely hold my entire feet.” “I think they’re deep enough. After all, you wouldn’t want to get lost in them. Right, Stan?” “I guess you’re right, Martha.” “Stan, I’m going to be honest. With all these rocks and craters and stuff, I don’t know how much more I can take. If this oxygen doesn’t kill me, could you?” “Martha, that’s nonsense. Don’t say things like that. We’re gonna make it, one way or another.” “Stan, look at us. We’re in the middle of the dark side of the moon with low oxygen and dust. I don’t think we’re making it another 2 minutes.” “Hey, at least we can watch the stars.” And with that, the pair simply watched the stars for their remaining minutes before they, inevitably, suffocated under the pressure of the low pressure of the moon’s nonexistent atmosphere. They watched the stars twinkle like their once-beloved stove flames. Oh, how they longed for their stoves. Nevertheless, they saw the Big Dipper, Orion’s belt, and every constellation you could ever see while on Earth. At the very least, their last moments of darkness were donned by the prettiest stars. There they laid, and there they shall lay.
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