Space Team

Captain, that star is about to explode!

All crewmembers to your stations. We need to move, fast.
5

Within moments the pixilated ship zoomed to the first level. A basic set of tasks

that any team can complete without problems. Just as long as everyone made sure the
prompts from their station were completed by everyone, the ship can stay together and
get farther from danger.
Angry shouts fill the room, Wiggle the prolube already!
10

My station is falling apart!

This crew is many things but it seems to lack in the ability to work under

pressure. But with a flash, a message appeared at every station. Level two. With the
ship falling apart, this team wont make it away from the exploding star. Soon level three,
then four passed without the problems from before.
15

A warning flashed under the level text, wormholes. The worst thing that could

happen in space was to get caught in a wormhole. Time and space get distorted so
everything gets waving and colors change to such an extent that it becomes impossible
to escape. Every captain is told, Never to go near a wormhole, or you will never be seen
again.
20

Wormhole ahead! And suddenly the ship flipped as maneuvers were pulled to

escape to immense gravity. With the screech of ripping metal, everything went black.

25

Everything Could Be Worse

I sigh as I remember today is the day that one of my best friends is returning from a road

trip, and another is flying home from Europe. This isnt the first time this has happen. It just is
not easy being the best friend of two people dating each other. They would go on separate trips
to different parts of the world for a few weeks, but when they come home, they are like two
30trains on a collision course, sometimes they stop in time, other times it is one big wreck. There
are a few days where they cant stop talking about each other, and then they get into an
explosive fight, and leave me to clean up the mess and get our group back together.
Some would ask why I would do so much work only to have it happen again. I grew up
with Lindsey right across the road from me and Ezra moved down the road when we were in
35middle school. Lins is a writing genius and Ez is talented all around but is the funniest person I
know. Me, Im the computer geek -- I always was good with computers. Thats how I got to
know Ezra. Someday Ez will have his own late night TV show, Lins will be a bestseller -- I still
dont know why she cant start now -- and I am going to be the next Bill Gates or Steve Jobs.
The phone starts ringing and an irritated sigh escaped me when I realized I wouldnt get
40to try out the new game that just downloaded. The caller ID was Ez so I reluctantly picked it up,
thinking I could just say that I was out of the house. Hey Tom, are you able to pick up Lins? My
parents wont let me take the van to the airport with the tent and gear still packed and my car is
still in the shop, it looks like unpacking will take a while too.
I was expecting this. Sure, where were you going to meet her? I thought about the
45other times we had this conversation: when Lindsey got back from China, Maine, Alaska, and
Hawaii. The list goes on and on. So my mind tried to think of the times he did not call me to ask

if I could pick up Lindsey after one of her frequent trips: Wisconsin Dells, Florida, and Italy. But
the pattern I found there was that those trips he went with her.
His voice interrupted my thoughts. She said at the baggage area, near lot C. And thank
50you. By the way, do you want come over after I am done unpacking?
Once again, he is sticking to the usual routine like a broken record. I really didnt want to
so I lied, I cant, my aunt wants me to sup up desktop so it wont run so slow.
So when I went to the airport and got there just as Lins was walking out of the airport.
Since Ez and I drive the same color and model of car, you could guess that one of the first
55things that she was going to ask about was Ezra. We dont know how that happened; it
definitely was not planned because we bought them at different places on the same day. I was
surprised when she asked how I was before even mentioning Ezras name. This is going to be a
bad week I thought to myself. Sometimes I think the only way for me to get back together is the
fact that they can be a bit obsessive about each other. If she feels like she and Ez are through
60-- and not just temporary like the dozen or so times before -- then this might be the end of the
group, the Three Musketeers, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego I dont know how it will
end, we may go our separate ways or I may be the rope in tug-a-war.
Tom, I suppose Ez told you already.
I was getting really worried, this never has happened before. No, he just asked if I could
65pick you up because he doesnt have a ride at the moment.
So he didnt tell you that we agreed that things just were not working out. We are still
friends though.
I was a little relieved at that. Well I could be worse. Somehow, that did not feel like the
right thing to say at the time. But it didnt bother her.
70

Thats true. It could have been like every other breakup you hear about where they hate

each other afterwards. She paused and after a quick glance at her showed me wide blue eyes,
her reddening ears poking out of her brown hair, and how she looked like she was trying to

make herself smaller. She must be unusually nervous about talking to Ezra. I think they might
have said things to each other that they, or at least she, regret.
75

Her pleasant, and slightly shaking, voice pierced through my musings. I have been

thinking for a while now, well actually I started to think about this in Rome...
I was right about the nervous part, Lindsey never tries to dance around a point. The
extremity of this point started to scare me. Lindsey is always the kind of person that is direct, to
the point, get it done and over with.
80

Anyway, what I am trying to say is do you want to go see a movie?

This being completely unexpected, I slammed the brakes to avoid ramming the car in

front of me.

85

Tires, Storms, and Mud

The day of my trip had finally arrived; the vacation that my family had been planning and
scheduling for almost three years. Thoughts racing through my head the force of bouncing in my
skull would cause me to fly into a wall. The night before took forever to pass, the entire night
was spent staring at the glow-in-the-dark stars I super glued to my ceiling. The colorfully striped
90hills of the Badlands filled my dreams when the adrenaline left my weary mind, letting it slip

into that emptiness of sleep.

I was relieved that Joshua 10:13, the story in the bible where the sun stopped in the skies
for an entire day, did not decide to occur a second time. That night did not need anything to
make it longer. Nothing could stop this being the best month of my short life. After a quick
95breakfast of the best omelets, my small family piled into the car. The crowded vehicle only

proved the benefits of being an only child: no one fighting you for leg room, eating your food, or
squealing at every flash of color. And because there was no squealing at every flash of color, I
soon was lulled into darkness by the dull hum of tires on the road.
I snapped to consciousness when I heard a loud pop and the car shook violently. My dad
100turned to me, Dont worry, a tire just blew. Ill have to dig out the spare.

After he dug through the mountain of luggage, with many crashes followed quickly by
curses, we were told out of the cat so the tire could be replaced. The repairs came and went and
we were on our way again. Even though the tire was fixed, I sat stiffly in the chair. My eyes
darted around every time we hit a large bump. All the drowsiness sucked out of me by that one
105little incident.

After several hours, we got to the South Dakota-Minnesota border, massive dark clouds
covered the lowering sun, and winds buffeted the car. Within moments the windshield was a
distorted lens as an ocean of rain pelted our vehicle. The car started to shake and slide and I

thought we lost another tire. As I watched the fields outside the window I noticed that the road
110was a dark brown instead of the normal blackish grey. We were on a dirt road, in a massive

rainstorm, in the middle of nowhere.

After a few minutes, the car started to slip to the side and I could see my dad turning the
steering wheel to get back in the middle of the road. I thought I heard a glop when the car
stopped.
115

When we got out of the car, we could see that there was no way we could drive out of the

mud, going all the way to axles and making a sucking noise as we walked, and even if we could
get out, the entire road for several more miles was made completely of mud.
We called for a tow truck, but after several hours, we still saw no sight of our rescue. So
we called again. Even the tow truck got stuck, and the driver was trying to contact the owner of
120the field to ask if his tractor could pull the vehicles out of his fields. As the sun was setting, the

farmer finally came. Even his tractor was slipping all over the path. But after what seemed like
an eternity, the tractor pulled our car out of the mud.