A Leap For Freedom

Elizabeth Walker, 17 and fiercely determined, paced her metallic room, her boots reverberating against the lunar colony floor. She clenched her fists, muttering, "This can't go on. Carlos is getting weaker every day." Her little brother's pale face haunted her thoughts. How could the government expect them to thrive on shrinking rations?

Her mother entered quietly, her weary eyes avoiding Elizabeth's. "Lizzie, you have to be careful. They’re watching everyone."

"I can't just sit back, Mom," Elizabeth snapped, her tone sharp but desperate. "Carlos is dying, and they don’t care. Someone has to do something!" She said, overwhelmed with emotion, but she had enough.

The moon colony, once a beacon of hope, had become a gilded cage. Families were torn apart, and travel back to Earth was a privilege reserved for the elite. As Elizabeth stared out at the lifeless gray terrain, her jaw tightened. She wasn’t going to let the government decide who lived and who starved.

That evening, she approached her neighbor, an aging engineer named Lian. "You’ve seen how things are, Lian. What happens when it's your family next?" Her voice was low but intense.

Lian hesitated, rubbing the back of his neck. "What you're suggesting is suicide."

"It’s survival," Elizabeth countered. "We’re fixing that old shuttle in the scrapyard. If we don’t act, none of us have a future."

Gradually, Elizabeth rallied a diverse crew: technicians, a nurse, and even an ex-government worker who had grown to dislike the system. Meetings took place in hushed whispers behind locked doors.

"You can sit back and let them pick us off one by one," she told the group, her brown eyes blazing, "or we can fight for our lives. I won’t let them decide our fate."

Lian, now onboard, sketched plans for repairs on the ancient shuttle. "It's a relic, but it’ll fly once we get the engine running."

Weeks turned into months as they worked under the radar. Elizabeth’s once-annoying bossiness became their lifeline. She barked orders with precision. "Tighten those bolts! We can’t afford mistakes," she said one night, sweat dripping from her brow.

On launch day, nerves ran high. "Remember," Elizabeth addressed the crew, her voice steady despite her pounding heart, "this is about more than us. It’s about freedom and the start of our futures."

As they climbed into the shuttle, alarms blared across the colony. "They’ve spotted us!" shouted a technician.

"Keep going!" Elizabeth barked. "Strap in, everyone."

Security forces swarmed the scrapyard just as the shuttle roared to life. Its engines blasted a cloud of dust as they lifted off the ground, the colony shrinking below.

Inside, Elizabeth exhaled for the first time in hours. "We did it," she murmured, looking at the pale Earth growing larger in the window.

"It’s not over," Lian reminded her.

Elizabeth smiled. "No, but it’s a start."

The battle for freedom had begun, and Elizabeth realized they had ignited something greater than themselves. One day, she hoped, Earth would be the only life-filled rock in space.       

Through The Night

 

There are a few moments when I don’t feel stressed. I know I’m not like the rest, but sometimes, I wish

My life wasn’t such a mess.

All I am is a person trying their hardest not to fail, but I won’t let my enemy prevail.

Lost, I’m close to hopelessness, and I can’t stop my journey, for I trust who I follow and refuse to be

Faithless.

Many people try to tear me down, but they forget that my leader has the crown.  

The enemy continues throwing their punches, they won’t hesitate to bring a fight, they can try while I

Wear the armor that protects me through the night.

The Blizzard

 

                           The Blizard        

 

I was in my home, safe from the cold, the fire crackling, and the wind whistling a tune.

The storm was acting like a snow globe, tossing the snow up and then falling back

down like someone was shaking us. The whistling became louder and I could see ice

form on the windows, the snow came down harder looking like an avalanche had just hit

us—the snow covered our windows, blindfolding them. The blizzard went on all day, I

tried to get some sleep, but it was disturbed by a snap, crack, and thud. “Mom, Dad,

what was that?!” They rushed to their second-story window. They didn’t say anything,

“Mom, Dad, what happened? I’m scared.” You know our big tree in the front yard? My

Dad said. I nodded. “It just split down the middle and snapped in half.” He said with his

arms open for me to hug. My favorite tree to hide in, it had a nook I could play in. I cried

because I won’t play in the front yard the same again. At least the tree lived a long life

and got to see some snow before it went away. At least I have memories of this

marvelous tree and the snow can remind me of these memories.

Night Sky

 

There it was, the bright orb in the sky we call moon, and it was almost full.

 

It was surrounded by bright pearls in the deep blue sky, it felt like I was in the deep depths of the

ocean.

 

As the night grew long the sky became black and the pearls and the moon brighter.

 

The pearls started to twinkle, flicker and were sparkling, looking as if they were communicating

with each other.

 

It grew colder, so cold I could taste the crisp air on the tip of my tongue.

 

I heard the wind whistling and could see it grab a misty, foggy cloud over the moon and pearls

to keep them warm.

 

The yellow, red and orange leaves were playing in the wind, rustling and falling to the ground

when they got exhausted.

 

I ended up spending all my time gazing at the glittery pearls that have been spilt across the

deep depths of the night sky.