When Planets Collide

“I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the earth.”

-John F. Kennedy 1961

“Once I open this door, and I set foot on the moon, to place the flag. I’ll be halfway done, halfway to going back home to my babies.” Janet says to herself “That’s only three things to do, I can handle that.”

“Janet,” William turns around and hands her a helmet “We also need to take photos. Document everything we can, and take some samples for the laboratory, before we head home. When did you get so nervous?”

William beams at her with a chuckle, then gives her a reassuring pat on the back.

Janet recoils, but forces a smile before lowering her helmet down over her head. Locking the helmet into place on her spacesuit. She double checks that her suit is in adequate condition for the rough environment outside of her temporary home. She checks that their camera is fully functional, and that their equipment for samples is sanitary. While going through all of their belongings, she realizes she does feel more nervous now. Nervous enough to prolong leaving Apollo 11 by doing other small tasks.

Though, she also realizes that she will never be more ready to step on the moon than right now.

‘I survived the trip here’ she thinks to herself ‘this is what I’ve always wanted, what I’ve been training for my whole life’

“Okay” Janet takes a deep breath.

“Ladies first” William opens the door for her, and gestures for Janet to go out in front of him.

Apprehensively Janet steps out, immediately taken back by the void around her. She takes calculated steps down the ramp while gazing up into the sky.

“Don’t go too far, it’s safer if we stay near each other”

“Oh, I’m sorry”

“Don’t be sorry” As William catches up to Janet he hands her the camera.

“This is it” He says “This is where we plant the flag”

“I’m ready to take photos when you say the word.”

Janet holds the camera up and looks through the lens at William. She snaps as many photos in a row as she can while he raises his arm up. Pulls his elbow back, and digs the end of the pole into the moon’s surface as hard as possible.

“Now, you move so I can get a photo of the flag with Earth in the background

“Good idea” William says, “I’m going to get started on the lunar samples”

“Okay” Janet fidgets with the camera lens, trying to get it to focus solely on the flag. While looking through the lens, Janet witnesses what gives her an immediate existential crisis. For some ungodly, unknown reason, she’ll never know, the Earth has just imploded right in front of her eyes. Dumbfounded, bewildered, dazed and thunderstruck could all be used to describe Janet at this moment. With no idea what to do, where to go, and most importantly, how to stop the panic attack she can feel rising from her chest. She just leers at the crumbled remnants of Earth, she can't take her eyes off the spot where Earth was supposed to be.

“Will” Janet called out “Will!”

“I’m coming! Hold on!”

“Will, Earth, it’s.. Gone”

“What are you talking about?”

“Look!” Janet pointed his gaze toward right to where her eyes were fixated.

“I… I don’t know.” He begins “I don’t know what to do…”

“Our home” Her eyes turn red and fill with water.

“Come on, let’s go back inside” William says hurriedly “I’m not sure if we’ll feel the blast from this, but I don’t want to be out in the open to find out.”

Without hesitation she agreed, William tread carefully behind her with a hand on her shoulder. Watching, on guard from behind her, for what may or may not happen next.

“I’d feel better if you’d lock the door” Janet says between tears.

“I can do that, at the very least”

“What do we do now?”

“...I don’t know yet” William drops his head in his hands.

“Hey!” Janet raises her voice “Why does that clock have a 36, where the number 12 is supposed to be?”

William looks up to where Janet is pointing, “There isn’t a 36 there, I see the number 12 exactly where it’s supposed to be…”

“No!” She yells “It’s not 12! Can’t you see it!?”

Out of nowhere William drops his jaw open and begins to scream. Staring at Janet, making perfect, unwavering eye contact. His screaming persists, though as his bellows go on. The sound of a man’s voice ascends to the pitch of a woman’s voice. William now echoed the sound of a shrieking woman. As time went on, the shrieking became louder and louder for Janet, until she had to cover her ears with her hands.

Thomas awoke under the pear tree in his backyard because of that same woman’s shrieking. Rubbing his nap from his eyes, Thomas realizes that it’s his mother’s voice. Jumping to his feet, he runs as fast as his 10 year old legs can carry him. Bursting into his house, he finds his mom in front of their only television. Her makeup running down her face, along with her tears. She tries to wipe them away as they come, but Thomas seems to be the only one noticing her river of tears isn’t stopping.

“Mommy?” Thomas peeps up “What’s wrong?”

“Oh! Tommy! You startled me” Marta replies, sniffling and wiping her cheeks with the back of her hands “There was a bad accident today, sweetie.”

Marta holds out her arms, motioning for her son to come sit down with her. Thomas waddles over to his mother, where she then picks him up and sets him down on her lap.

“What was the accident, Mommy?”

“Well, today was supposed to be the day that our country landed on the moon, but something went wrong with the launch and the spaceship exploded before it ever left planet earth.”

“Is that what you saw on the television? And is that why you’re crying?”

“Yes, honey, but it’s more than that-”

“I know,” Thomas says confidently “Janet and William are dead”

“How did you-”

“I saw them in my dream, but in my dream they made it to the moon.”

“Thomas, do you understand that Daddy is William from your dream?”