Feeling Of Goodbye

[X_Death.By.Me_X 1,503]

​​~Feeling Of Goodbye~

 

It was time. My goals were finally being accomplished. Ever since I was a child, I'd always wanted to go to Mars, though my dream was ridiculed in school. I wasn't the most physically strong child in my class, I was bullied often and hit. I was an extrovert. I often used to be called a daydreamer. Even my family stopped acknowledging my dream. However, there was only one person that supported me, my mother. I remember coming home from school crying and telling her about my goals and how I get bullied in school everyday. She calmly listened to me and said one line. That one line reverberated through my ears and it became my defining line for the rest of my life.

 

"Nothing can stop you my son, you can do and become whatever you want to; even a caterpillar eventually grows wings."

 

And now I stand a few moments from boarding the Mars-One ship to Mars. This is a one way trip. There wasn't enough fuel to get me back from Mars. I had no way of going back and meeting my loved ones. On one hand, while I was happy to be the person I was imagining to be in my dreams, leaving life on Earth behind, my family, my children, my wife and my mother was making my heart heavy. I was allowed to meet my family for one last time before leaving. I wanted to cry on the spot and I almost broke down before my mom comforted me and gave me strength to stay strong and bid adieu to my children with a smile and not tears. I lacked the courage of telling them that I wasn't coming back, they were told that I will return in a week. They were two 4 year old beautiful twins. Their innocent smile and enthusiasm when they said "Daddy, you're going to space! Bring us space rock when you come back!', gave me no choice but to say yes to them. Walking towards the shuttle, I waved towards my family and muttered "Goodbye". Never seeing anyone again.

 

"Is this what goodbye means? Why is it even called "Goodbye"? Where's the good in it?"

 

"Are you sure you want to do this Neil?"

 

This was the question I was asked before entering the shuttle. I looked back once again at what I was leaving behind. My loving, wise mother, my wife, my children. Life on earth, being able to wake up every morning with your family right beside you. My friends, humans, I wasn't going to touch or talk to any human face-to-face ever again. .But on the other hands, there was the feeling of curiosity and accomplishment of being the first human on mars. With a heavy heart the words somehow came out of my mouth.

 

"Yes, I'm sure."

 

The 180 days of journey on Mars weren't easy on me either. Being alone surrounded by computers and the emptiness of space and my thoughts. The rare conversations with my family when I was connected to Houston were helpful though I couldn't control myself and I almost broke down on several occasions.

 

"I can't talk to my kids like this."

 

I had to avoid contact with my children considering my psychological condition.

 

"Mommy are you talking to daddy, we want to talk to him too!"

 

Hearing my kids yelling this, made me want to talk to them, say something but I was forbidden form that.

 

"Ground control to Mars one, come in. ETA 2 minutes to landing."

 

"This is Mars One to ETA, copy."

 

The ensuing two minutes were of the landing were strenuous, in the final segment, I did hear a thud sound on my hull. 

 

"Ground control to Neil, can you confirm the origin of that sound?" the radio spoke.

 

"Don't worry, it was just a minor hull impact. Nothing major," was my reply.

 

"Mars One capsule to Earth. Humanity has landed on mars."

 

I was overwhelmed and overjoyed at that moment, my dreams were true. I was the man I had dreamed of becoming. Just right then I heard a huge thundering sound. 

 

"Hull compromised, internal air pressure systems failing," wailed the computer.

 

I tried to get hold of myself for a moment. I was feeling nauseous. 

 

"It must have been the impact."

 

"Oxygen levels rapidly falling. Warning, warning, warning."

 

I realized I had no time left. I opened the capsule and leapt to the martian surface, claiming the title of the first person on Mars. Lying on the ground, the whole earth and my life flashed before my eyes. My first thought of Mars, my dreams, my life on earth, the first time I saw the sky, my recruitment for the Mars-One program, my beautiful wife and children. I had forever said goodbye to all of them. I felt content with my achievements but somewhere deep inside me, I felt the wish that I could have seen my children grow up, enjoy a normal life, grow old with my life. In the end, the words of my mother reverberated in my mind. 

 

​"Nothing can stop you my son, you can do and become whatever you want to; even a caterpillar eventually grows wings."

 

And with that thought in my mind, I said goodbye to life and let my body be consumed by the lifeless red planet.

 

 

My final article for AWC. This is an amazing initiative and good luck to all writers for the AWC. I had a fun time in here.

 

~Kartikeye.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited May 15, 2017 by Savage

[Crip 4,735]

Approved!

 

 

Edits:

- One grammar error.

- Two punctuation errors (end speech with a comma if you follow the quotation with "he/she/I said" etc, not a full stop).

- One spelling error corrected.

- Replaced a word.

- Capitalised "Mars" twice.

 

Tragic. It's like 13 Reasons Why all over again. I like the concept and I can acknowledge the brutality of the ending, but I wish there had been more backstory (though you obviously didn't have much time to create one). I like to see a death occurring after the reader has begun to become almost "attached" to the character, but maybe that is just me. For the most part, your story is well-written.

 

Goodbye my friend! Thank you for being a part of this project!

 

But stay clear of any missions to Mars please.

[MrAssasin 587]

Man, this is one of the best articles so far!

 

I have literarly started crying while reading it. I can feel how tears are sliding down my cheeks.

It remembered me on some old memories...

 

[fe4f3 1,002]

Mars isn't worth losing life.

[Blackdrakon30 2,943]

Tragic. It's like 13 Reasons Why all over again. 

Hello no. That movie/book was disgusting and is an inaccurate way to portray suicide and similar mental health conflicts. It tends to show the character's reasons for suicide as "revenge" or "payback" for what her friends did to her and etc. Which is disgusting.

 

---

 

On a side note, best of luck to you, having chosen to leave AWC. Overall this piece was quite good and had some very rough thoughts, although I didn't really feel much just because I'm numb to reading almost anything at this point.  :ph34r: But farewell and great job.

Edited May 16, 2017 by Blackdrakon30

[TTK_229 1,080]

 

 

 

Great article! made me feel some strange feels tho...

Have fun beyond AWC!

[Truthteller 4,204]

Go to mars pls

[LIMITFULL 1,793]

Awesome read!!
My mother always said this to me when I was growing up ...  you can do anything.  You need to know what it takes to get there, and be willing to put in the effort, and maybe get some good direction or coaches.  All good things take effort!!

So, especially liked the part:

"That one line reverberated through my ears and it became my defining line for the rest of my life.

"Nothing can stop you my son, you can do and become whatever you want to; even a caterpillar eventually grows wings.""

[Skills.n.Girls 767]

Final and worth. :)

 

A really good piece, takes reader to think deeply.

 

Overall, I liked it (especially liking "Space adventures" types of articles)

[shafter9 156]

You named your astronaut character, the first person to land on another planet, "Neil?" That's not very original. Shame on you. The first person on the moon (for real) was Neil Armstrong.

Edited May 17, 2017 by shafter9