Titans

This is how it begins.

Unceremoniously, like the future hasn’t

just spun wildly into position and locked

down hard. Like all of our lost moments

haven’t just fled from our grasp, solidifying

distantly into something one might call

memory. Not lost; finding. Not wandering;

A straight shot forward into our last

remaining future, our last hope dispersed

amongst an explosion of dizzying light.

It begins in darkness, like all things do,

and spreads outwards in shockwaves.

Shockwave, the first: the shudder

of the starship in deep space, a small

thing, barely noticeable, that grows.

Shudders, (shudders?), SHUDDERS;

and shaking in the walls and floors

that knocks us all off course.

Shockwave, the second: the light

so bright it is the sun falling

into the room and setting it on fire.

And heat, god-awful heat, every-

where, the air like white-hot metal

dripping onto our skin, sliding

into our lungs. We fall into

our seats and shoot forward.

Shockwave, the third: the view,

exploding onto our retinas

where it burns like hellfire.

It is stars, bursting to brilliant

life, bursting as danger, as fear

of that other future, the one

in which no one hears our story

and no one makes it out alive.

Shockwave, the fourth:

the rift, glimmering and

iridescent, a beautiful scar

on the dark face of the

universe. And the four

of us, our ship a speck

before it, zipping forward

like a fly, hopeless to

escape it’s gravity.

We are so small;

but our fear is the

biggest thing here.

Shockwave, the fifth:

impact. Or rather,

the lack of impact.

The skidding towards

the rift and falling

straight in, admitted

without resistance,

a blink of time,

light flashing

silver then black.

It’s in our face,

then gone.

Flash, flash, flash.

Shockwave,

the sixth is

simply shock.

Time collapses.

Our fate unrolls.

We are heading

forward into

the unknown

and it is

terrifying;

It is fear,

and we

are full

of it,

so filled

to the brim

that we can

barely

breathe,

where each

intake

feels like

our final

breath.

Breathe out,

breathe in,

“Where

are we?”

and when

we breathe

again,

it will be

at the end.

It

begins

and

ends

with

darkness.

“Guys?”