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Someone was missing someone.

Someone was missing someone. Granted, it was a vague statement, but was it really the worst way to start a story? When you really stopped to consider it, a lot of stories made similarly simple statements:

  • He wanted this. 
  • She needed that.
  • They were fighting for something.
  • It wanted to destroy everything.


Does the simplicity of the premise have much to do with the quality of the story? Perhaps it was more important how the details fleshed out, and expanded on the idea — transforming a simple statement into a narrative.

In this case, the first someone is an astronaut named Starla. At this particular moment, she’s about to touch the the surface of a large moon, that orbits a planet, in a solar system, in a galaxy — that human beings never thought they would have the realistic opportunity, or proper tools to observe, let alone visit. 

Thanks to some generously donated alien technology, not only will this be the first time a human sets foot on the moon… but in a few moments the feed will go live. Everyone back home, on Earth 3, will witness this historical moment — from the comfort of their living room. Much like an older moon landing, that was televised, so many centuries ago. 

Starla is going to reinvigorate the collective human spirit, by proving that the species still has the ability to feel wonder, even witnessing an event that was sort of ordinary… walking on a moon. Here, it’s the context that matters.

Because in exploring this moon, Starla will do something that most had believed to be virtually impossible. For a few moments, the people of Earth 3 will forget about their petty arguments and pointless grudges. They will hold their breaths, together, in anticipation… and then exhale a unified sigh of pride.

Intellectuals, artists, dreamers, and common folk alike, will be inspired to ask: “what else can we accomplish, together?” Imaginations will be stirred, and creativity in all avenues of human thought and expression will flourish. It’s hard to say how long the effect will last, but it’s enough just to have it happen at all…

But, the only thing that Starla is thinking about… is that she misses someone.
She misses her father… whom she has never met. He had been an astronaut too, except his biggest mission had ended with tragedy, not triumph. He died before Starla could form a concrete memory of him. 

Today, Starla is making history. It’s one small step for a human, one giant leap for humanity… and her most heartfelt tribute, to the most important man in her life, that she would never meet. 

But in the end, this whole story is really about… 

Someone missing someone.

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  1. ordinarywonder posted this
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