floating

“A little more to the left Kamiko!” Tomoko yelled.

“How much?” Kamiko replied.

“When I tap you, that is when you stop!”

The mid-morning sun shined brightly down upon the bamboo forest surrounding the abandoned temple. Nobody would suspect that something was going on within, unless the occupants decided to come out.

Suddenly the two large screen doors lazily open up, pushed open by the middle-aged lady who lived within. She looked outwards from the steps of the temple momentarily, admiring the serene environment around her.

“My, it’s a good thing I found you today Kamiko. I’ve never seen such a beautiful day today.

We had just finished making love. That wonderful feeling of exhaustion mixed with elation seemed to fill the room. My thoughts flowed together with his. Our emotions mingled; we reveled in each other's bliss. My body felt like it was wafting on a breeze, slowly rocking back and forth, weightlessly wandering.

"I feel like I'm floating", I said.

My imagination wandered; the bedroom dissolved around me.

- - -

The survey mission had been going so well. Namunk had just planned to make a quick sweep by the planet, slingshot around the sun, then hibernate all the way home. Then the alarms went off on approach. Something was wrong, the hull was collapsing. Fast. And if the shell fractured out here in the vacuum of space, it would be all over. But if he ditched his ship in the atmosphere and there was nowhere for him to go he'd be just as gone. He turned the controls and aimed towards the blue orb ahead of him. If he found a suitable shelter, he could wait for a rescue indefinitely.