Dangers of the past

The alarm siren wailed electronically, echoing throughout my room. I lifted my half-awake body and dragged myself to the bathroom.

It was the year 1971. I was an astronaut, and today I was going to space with my colleagues to find Black Holes. It was everyone's first trip to space except for the Captain and Ben.

I grabbed my bag, about to step out of my bedroom when I was stopped by a little boy with pleading eyes. "Please Sis, I really want to go to space..." I sighed. I definitely would not let a ten-year-old go to space. "No," I said firmly, although my heart softened a little.

After wasting ten minutes only to make my little brother, Jason, run to his room crying, I finally stepped out of my house and made my way to meet my colleagues at the space centre.

The spaceship zoomed through a dark blanket, contrasting with blacks and yellows and the occasional white, which was shaped as circles and sometimes a crescent. Then there were stars which dotted the blanket in an intricate pattern. "Jason would love this..." I sighed.

"Guys! Look at that!"

I walked over to my colleagues and followed their gaze. "That spot over there," Linda said, pointing at some stars circling an empty spot. "Don't you think that looks weird? I think this might have something to do with Black Holes."

I thought about it and decided to check it out. I gave the Captain a signal to go towards the "Black Hole".

The Captain turned the spaceship and as the circling stars "grew bigger," I felt myself being pulled towards "it". The "force" was getting stronger and stronger, like a magnet attracting me...

Before I could even register what was happening, everyone got swung roughly to the right side of the spaceship. It was chaotic. Some were screaming, and some were frozen stiff. I panicked, not knowing what to do.

"Guys, fear will not help us. We need to discuss and find a solution." Ben said calmly, but I could see that his body was trembling.

"Turn around!" Ben told the Captain. "The force is too strong, everyone to the front. We need to abandon the rear!" Captain exclaimed.

As the spaceship started to separate, a familiar figure crawled out from under the chairs in the abandoned spaceship.

"Wait! There is someone!" Linda panicked. "That looks like Jason..." I mumbled to myself. "No, it can't be him..." I shook that thought from my mind, "Let's just save him first."

I ran to the exit, grabbed the Safety Tethers, put on my helmet and assured everyone, "I will go get him. Stay here. I will be alright."

Linda tried to protest, but I ignored her and stepped forward, drifting away from the spaceship.

The "force" from the Black Hole pulled me slowly towards the abandoned spaceship. "Jason? What are you doing here?!" I grabbed and hugged him. But before Jason could say anything, I felt a force, and we crashed into the wall.

The "force" was too strong. I could hardly move. I had no other choice...I removed my spacesuit and put it on Jason. "What are you doing, Sis...?" Jason looked at me with tears in his eyes. "Be a good boy Jason, I love you." Then I pushed him away with all my strength.

"NOOO!!!" Jason wailed. I smiled at him as tears fell. I couldn't breathe. When I saw Jason stumbled into the spaceship, I closed my eyes and smiled in relief.

"Goodbye..."