Ten, Nine, Eight...

by Luke Forney

Ten, Nine, Eight, Seven...

As the numbers continue to fall, the beat of emotions runs through me. Fear. Love. Sadness. Hope. All struggling to reach the fore.

Six...

I check the straps again. I would hate to fall out of my seat with an ignition like this.

Five, Four...

All these things running through my mind: What if I fail? What if I succeed? Am I riding a ship strapped to a rocket, or merely a rocket keyed to explode?

Three...

What about the people watching? Are they worried for the outcome? Excited for the opportunities this opens? Are they proud? I sure hope they’re proud.

Two...

What am I doing? This is insane! What was I thinking when I signed up for this? Ignition in two seconds, and then blast into space. No way is this going to work out well. I just want to abort and never leave solid ground again.

One...

I might be a hero.

Ignition.