2 views
The elevator to the skies
‘The meteor is about 100 meters wide and is moving close to 300,000 kilometers per hour towards Earth. Scientists are calling it Janus. The latest information from NASA is that the surface of the meteor is 99% iron oxide and 0.8% lead. While astronomers thought it would not hit Earth in the beginning, the meteor has taken a deviation due to Jupiter’s gravity. It is on course to impact earth 3 months from now. The meteor is far enough that a small explosion on its surface can deviate its path so that it could miss the Earth. But with current technology, it will take almost 6 years for any spacecraft to reach that far. While scientists are looking for alter-’
“The same news every day, why can’t these people show something different and uplifting”, Jayanth, my best friend and colleague, said, closing the YouTube news tab on the browser.
“It is something to worry about. We are talking about something that could wipe off a part of this planet”, I pointed out.
“Well, why not hit it with a missile when it reaches close to Earth? It can break the meteor down into smaller pieces which can burn down in the atmosphere.”
“I’m sure that’s what NASA is planning to do. But if there are any large pieces left, they could still cause large-scale damage. Not to mention when we break it down into multiple pieces, it would become uncertain to figure out where the pieces would fall on Earth. If it is in one single piece, at least we will know where it will impact and vacate that place.”, I answered as an email popped up on my desktop.
I opened it and read.
‘Subject: Re: Application for a junior scientist at NASA.
Hello Rajesh,
Thanks for your application. We are sorry to inform you th-’
“Dang it. This is the third time. I guess I’m never getting a chance to see the stars up close”, I said in a sad tone.
“Don’t worry Raj, one day we will go to the skies without NASA’s help. Besides, it’s safer to see the stars from farther away”, Jayanth tried to console me and make me laugh.
“I think I should leave now. It’s late you should leave too”, I said while simultaneously packing my bag.
“Yeah, in an hour or so. You go and get some rest, it’s almost 10 pm”
“Okay, see you tomorrow”
“See you, Raj”
I walked into the elevator and pressed the ‘G’ button as the doors closed. As the elevator moved down, I peeked through the tiny gap between the doors. There was no light coming from any floor. Perhaps Jayanth and I were the last people working in the building.
Suddenly, the elevator started vibrating. The lights began blinking and weird noises came from the elevator’s walls. It was as if the structure was bending under stress. The elevator suddenly stopped, and I fell to its floor. Then with a bang, I could hear the cable snap and the elevator accelerated down, falling under Earth’s gravity. For some reason, the emergency brakes of the elevator did not kick in. It was now falling freely, faster and faster with gravity inside slowly disappearing. For a moment, I felt weightless, as if in a spacecraft. I closed my eyes and tried to hug one of the walls out of fear. Suddenly, the elevator came to a stop. It landed hard on the ground and the lights went off completely. I slowly opened my eyes. A thin plane of light beam entered through the gap between the doors. I could stand up, although my left leg hurt a little.
I heard a thud and the doors slowly opened filling the inside of the elevator with bright white light. My eyes struggled to adjust their focus on the outside of the elevator due to the bright light. The next instant, the light intensity reduced and I could see something. I was not in the building anymore. I was… outside?
The sky was pitch black, and the ground near me was bright white. I walked out of the elevator. There were steps to lead me to the ground. I was still feeling somewhat weightless. Maybe still the effect of the traumatic fall was in me.
“Hello? Anyone here? I was in this broken eleva-”, I was stunned as I turned to look at the elevator.
I remained motionless for a while. My pupils dilated as my brain tried to make sense of the information it received from the eyes. It was not an elevator. Before me, stood a gigantic rocket! I was inside that rocket all this time? Is it about to launch? Where is the launchpad? Why is there nobody else here?
“Hello! Anybody here? Hello!!”, I kept screaming. Except for the faint noises from the rocket, there was nothing but silence everywhere. As I tried to walk, I could feel the weightlessness. It was as if I would fly off the ground even with a small push. Was it the trauma from the elevator fall? No. I was almost going to faint when I realized it.
I was on another planet.
To be continued...
© arpan
“The same news every day, why can’t these people show something different and uplifting”, Jayanth, my best friend and colleague, said, closing the YouTube news tab on the browser.
“It is something to worry about. We are talking about something that could wipe off a part of this planet”, I pointed out.
“Well, why not hit it with a missile when it reaches close to Earth? It can break the meteor down into smaller pieces which can burn down in the atmosphere.”
“I’m sure that’s what NASA is planning to do. But if there are any large pieces left, they could still cause large-scale damage. Not to mention when we break it down into multiple pieces, it would become uncertain to figure out where the pieces would fall on Earth. If it is in one single piece, at least we will know where it will impact and vacate that place.”, I answered as an email popped up on my desktop.
I opened it and read.
‘Subject: Re: Application for a junior scientist at NASA.
Hello Rajesh,
Thanks for your application. We are sorry to inform you th-’
“Dang it. This is the third time. I guess I’m never getting a chance to see the stars up close”, I said in a sad tone.
“Don’t worry Raj, one day we will go to the skies without NASA’s help. Besides, it’s safer to see the stars from farther away”, Jayanth tried to console me and make me laugh.
“I think I should leave now. It’s late you should leave too”, I said while simultaneously packing my bag.
“Yeah, in an hour or so. You go and get some rest, it’s almost 10 pm”
“Okay, see you tomorrow”
“See you, Raj”
I walked into the elevator and pressed the ‘G’ button as the doors closed. As the elevator moved down, I peeked through the tiny gap between the doors. There was no light coming from any floor. Perhaps Jayanth and I were the last people working in the building.
Suddenly, the elevator started vibrating. The lights began blinking and weird noises came from the elevator’s walls. It was as if the structure was bending under stress. The elevator suddenly stopped, and I fell to its floor. Then with a bang, I could hear the cable snap and the elevator accelerated down, falling under Earth’s gravity. For some reason, the emergency brakes of the elevator did not kick in. It was now falling freely, faster and faster with gravity inside slowly disappearing. For a moment, I felt weightless, as if in a spacecraft. I closed my eyes and tried to hug one of the walls out of fear. Suddenly, the elevator came to a stop. It landed hard on the ground and the lights went off completely. I slowly opened my eyes. A thin plane of light beam entered through the gap between the doors. I could stand up, although my left leg hurt a little.
I heard a thud and the doors slowly opened filling the inside of the elevator with bright white light. My eyes struggled to adjust their focus on the outside of the elevator due to the bright light. The next instant, the light intensity reduced and I could see something. I was not in the building anymore. I was… outside?
The sky was pitch black, and the ground near me was bright white. I walked out of the elevator. There were steps to lead me to the ground. I was still feeling somewhat weightless. Maybe still the effect of the traumatic fall was in me.
“Hello? Anyone here? I was in this broken eleva-”, I was stunned as I turned to look at the elevator.
I remained motionless for a while. My pupils dilated as my brain tried to make sense of the information it received from the eyes. It was not an elevator. Before me, stood a gigantic rocket! I was inside that rocket all this time? Is it about to launch? Where is the launchpad? Why is there nobody else here?
“Hello! Anybody here? Hello!!”, I kept screaming. Except for the faint noises from the rocket, there was nothing but silence everywhere. As I tried to walk, I could feel the weightlessness. It was as if I would fly off the ground even with a small push. Was it the trauma from the elevator fall? No. I was almost going to faint when I realized it.
I was on another planet.
To be continued...
© arpan
Related Stories
