Paradise

Paradise

by Amberlyn Pryor

This must be paradise. I mean it's got the tropical flora but without the insects. Yep, working in hydroponics on this space station was going to be great. After work I could go over to the low gravity recreation area and see how high I could jump. Or maybe, I'd see what zero gravity was like and try my hand at flying.

At about that time the station's alarms started to blare. I stood there in shock, not sure what to do. Was there a fire? Where did you go during a fire on a space station? The guy who hired me didn't say.

Then the explosions began. I hid behind a tree wondering if the hull would breach and I'd be experiencing zero gravity on the wrong side of the station's walls. This was definitely not paradise.

When it was all over I found out it was a minor meteor shower. If that was minor, I wasn't going to stick around and experience a major one. I quit and went back to Earth to the peaceful gardens I'd left behind. This time I wouldn't leave paradise just to escape a few bugs.