C-1: Rose [Anika and Kevin H.]

Rose gripped the steering wheel and pushed her foot down harder on the gas pedal.  The race car responded and propelled even further into the lead.  The yellow car began to shrink in her rear view mirror as the twin engines roared.  Turning to the passenger seat, Rose looked down to see her cat Rosie grooming itself lazily, as if the high speed race bored her.  The cat looked up with sleepy eyes and yawned as if on cue.

Prrrrrrr” Rosie exclaimed as if to ask “Are you done with this yet?” Rose smiled down at her cat.  Maybe she was.  She had only been racing professionally for 18 months, but already the thrill had left.

That night, she tossed and turned as she tried but failed to sleep. Rose needed a new direction for her life.  She needed something to give her the rush she always craved and to find something to make her feel alive.

She got up from her bed and went to the window and looked out at her garden.  The dew on the flowers glistened back and looked like gems catching some small light in the darkness.

Her gaze went up towards the heavens and the stars sparkled down above her. They seemed like a million diamonds scattered across the cosmos.

If only I could go there” Rose sighed before heading off to bed.

The next day, Rose went to meet her friend Lily at their favourite restaurant, the Green Room. They got a plate of cookies and some milk and chatted about minor matters in their lives.  During the conversation, Rose brought up her thoughts of trying to travel to unknown galaxies and unheard of adventure.

Instead of shooting her idea down, Lily seemed to be excited about it as well. She confided that she had met someone with the same dream who was building a ship to go to a distant galaxy and that they still needed a pilot. With Rose’s race car driving experience, she would be a great fit for the team.
The topic was dropped and after a pleasant snack and talk, Rose and Lily hugged and went on about their day with promises to chat again soon.

The next day, there was a knock at the door of Rose’s home. A courier arrived with a large blue box and a letter.

When Rose opened it, she was surprised to see a space suit inside. Quickly opening the letter, she instantly recognised her friend Lily’s handwriting.  It was a short and simple letter.

"I talked with my partner and we both agree the job is yours if you want it.  Let me know.

-Lily”

Excitedly, Rose pulled the suit from the blue box and tried it on. It wasn’t a perfect fit but somehow felt right just the same.