Stranded.

Yes, she was now the first person ever to land on Venus, but that was of little
consequence. Her name would be read by millions in school as the first to land here, but that
celebrity would never actually be seen by her. She looked at the control panel and knew there
was nothing that would ever get it back into working order. She was the first and it was not clear
this would also be her last.
Greg understood that this situation would make Michael terribly uncomfortable. Michael simply
had no idea what was about to come and even though Greg could prevent it from happening, he
opted to let it happen. It was quite ironic, really. It was something Greg had said he would never
wish upon anyone a million times, yet here he was knowingly letting it happen to one of his best
friends. He rationalized that it would ultimately make Michael a better person and that no matter
how uncomfortable, everyone should experience racism at least once in their lifetime.
It had become a far too common an event in her life. She has specifically placed the key to the
box in a special place so that she wouldn't lose it and know exactly where it was when the key
was needed. Now that she needed to open the box, she had absolutely no idea where that
special spot she placed the key might be.
It was a rat's nest. Not a literal one, but that is what her hair seemed to resemble every morning
when she got up. It was going to take at least an hour to get it under control and she was sick
and tired of it. She peered into the mirror and wondered if it was worth it. It wasn't. She opened
the drawer and picked up the hair clippers.
She considered the birds to be her friends. She'd put out food for them each morning and then
she'd watch as they came to the feeders to gorge themselves for the day. She wondered what
they would do if something ever happened to her. Would they miss the meals she provided if
she failed to put out the food one morning?
It was a question of which of the two she preferred. On the one hand, the choice seemed
simple. The more expensive one with a brand name would be the choice of most. It was the
easy choice. The safe choice. But she wasn't sure she actually preferred it.