Trying to Fade

Alone. All alone.

There was nothing to keep her company, not even the stars. They had dropped from the skies long ago, and only she was left behind to fade away.

But she hadn't faded yet.

She picked her way across the barren surface of the asteroid she called home, traversing it for the fifth time that day. As she walked, she thought, like she always did, of escaping her prison. She thought of jumping off one of the mountains on the asteroid and falling into space, where at least she could at least asphyxiate to death. She thought of gathering enough rocks to create a giant explosion to blast her either into smithereens or into space. She thought that maybe the universe would take pity on her and the asteroid’s orbit would suddenly diverge towards a distant star, and then she could evaporate�"fade away�"at last.

The girl, after coming around the asteroid once again, sat down on a large, chair-shaped rock and faced the black sky. She closed her eyes for a moment, but opened them when she felt the thin air on her face getting warmer. She looked around, and in the distance, saw a point of light, like a little star.

She jumped up, becoming excited for the first time in years. This would be her chance to escape, she thought; this was it! The girl waited until the light was nearly blinding and she could make out the faint outline of a spaceship. She jumped up and down, waved her hands in every direction she could, flailed like a fish, and shouted herself horse, hoping that the sound would miraculously carry.

But it was all in vain.

The light just missed the asteroid’s surface and passed by the girl and her loneliness. For a moment, the girl was bathed in light, and felt like she was floating in a cloud. She breathed deeply and knew a moment of happiness. She was flying!

Then the light faded away and she was left behind with her loneliness. Darkness settled over her again and she collapsed back on the chair, waiting to fade away.

Author's Note

I wrote this in twenty minutes for a forum competition on figment.com.