Not the Destination
by Richard E. GroppOctober 3, 2012
I stood on the deck of the ship and watched as my planet fell dark, receding into the distance.
"This is certainly the long way 'round," the ship whispered in my ear. "We have stations on both sides--you could have stepped right through. We could have folded you all the way."
I smiled and reached out to touch the video screen. The tip of my thumb blotted out the shrinking planet. "There's value in patience, ship. The universe is large. Sometimes it's good to have a reminder."
"Thirteen years," the ship whispered. "All alone."
"Yes."
"You should have brought a book."
About Richard E. Gropp
Richard E. Gropp lives on a mountain outside of Seattle, with his partner of 13+ years. It is a small mountain. This is his first published story, but his novel Bad Glass recently won the Del Rey/Suvudu Writing Contest.