Genesis

"Now it's finally going to happen, the door is about to open and we'll be able to see for ourselves what this floating sphere has to offer," he said, as the three of us stood in front of the door of the small spacecraft.

I had to chuckle. "It's a small step for man, but a giant leap for mankind, hahaha."

The other two laughed. "Yeah, haha. Good one! Shame this mission is classified, our home planet won't have any idea for the time being — we won't become as famous as the space missionaries who came before us."

She giggled and gave him a nudge. "Famous? Is that the reason you stepped into this spacecraft a year and a half ago? You're unbelievable. Besides, we had no certainty beforehand that the mission would succeed — in fact, it's only a success if we come back alive."

"Well," I replied, "technically speaking, our predecessors had no certainty they'd return alive either. Let's hope the scans prove reliable and there really is oxygen so we can breathe." I nodded toward the small window; outside, a vast, unfamiliar terrain stretched out. Out there I expected beautiful nature, clear streams, and many unknown animals.

"Fame, fame — that's not even necessary, I'll be satisfied if this planet gets my name," he said.

And there it was again: that dreadful giggle, that schoolgirl sound. How I had come to hate it lately. Not so much the giggle itself, but the fact that absolutely everything he said was followed by the sound of a whinnying horse. Everything was funny. Everything was lovely. Everything was hilarious. In the beginning it had been tolerable, but after about six months it became truly pathetic. At its lowest point I had even hoped the mission would fail and our spacecraft would immediately explode.

I pressed the button again. "Why won't this stupid door open?" I am actually very patient, but machines are supposed to do what I want when I want them to. I pressed the button three more times — three times calmly, then a few more times with considerable irritation, and after that even angrily.

"Hey, easy now, you don't have to break it!" he tried to calm me, but it didn’t really work.

"I think it's already broken," I defended myself. "This bloody door just needs to open!"

"He's right," she sided with him, "this aggressive behaviour isn't doing anyone any good."

"Oh, of course, madam agrees with her darling again — it's unbelievable how sickeningly close you two have become this past year. Whatever one thinks, the other thinks too, and vice versa, and for the past three months or so there's been no possibility of proper discussion — you two decide everything between yourselves." I mimicked her most-used phrase in a deliberately high-pitched voice: "Let's put it to a vote," and to pile on a little more for good measure I added: "the majority is in favour, we've chosen democratically." I sighed "I just want off this suffocating hellhole of a ship. I need some quiet. I want to be alone!" I pressed the button another dozen times, but the door didn't budge.

"Oh, very charming, Martin," was her response. "Finally you show your true colors. And you find it strange that nothing ever happened between us? You're just plain jealous that I chose him over you."

My long exhale inadvertently proved her right. "I'm very happy the two of you found each other, truly!" The sarcasm couldn't have escaped her. "And good for him that he's content being second choice." My limit had been reached. I couldn't stand being with them any longer. I did not want to sit in this small space with them for one more minute. Room to breathe. Now. Quickly! When we had been searching for a landing spot for the small spacecraft we had flown low over the terrain. I had already noticed it was a forested environment — many fruit trees, berry bushes — this seemed a liveable place. What we saw after landing was also promising: we stood in an open field, with a gigantic apple tree nearby, heavy with sweet red apples.

I had to get out — but that damned door! I opened a small panel beside the door. I was going for the most drastic measure.

"No, Martin, not that!" he seemed alarmed.

"No, Martin, not that? And what brilliant idea does he have for getting out of here?" I snapped. He knew perfectly well this was the only solution. We had to get out. I had to get out! From the compartment I took the four stickers and pressed them onto the designated points, then took a few steps back, driving the two of them backward with me. "Ready?" I didn't wait for an answer but pressed the screen of my watch. With a dull thud, the door blew out, followed by a deafening silence — all three of us seemed to hold our breath.

"Yeaaaah!" I screamed. There was oxygen in the air. "Hahaha. Brilliant!" For the first time in months a genuine laugh escaped my throat. "Yeaaah! Hahahahaha, wonderful!" We were all three euphoric; for a moment all the difficult months were forgotten. We could get out. We could finally explore this beautiful sphere.

Suddenly, from the corner of my eye, I saw that the explosion had set something ablaze, and moments later the spacecraft was engulfed in flames. After that everything happened fast — too fast. There was no time to shift from jubilation into panic. "Shit, fire!" Bad news. Time suddenly became a fluid concept; the seconds passed slowly and quickly at the same time. I saw something break loose on the left, and in what felt like live slow-motion I registered that the object was catapulting in our direction. Since I was standing at the front, I would take the impact — that much was clear to me. And yes, I was hit well and truly — the projectile split my body in two, just below my midriff. As I fell to the ground in two parts, I heard a groan of pain behind me. Good for him — he's been hit too. Yes, people, resentment does ugly things to a person.

"Get out, quickly!" she screamed. Her clothes were on fire. She stepped over me. He stumbled over me as she dragged him outside by his arm. Of course — don't even think about me, just let me bleed to death. On the way out he was already pulling off his burning shirt; I could see he had a nasty gash on his ribcage. Two seconds later they were outside, safe and bare, and I lay alone inside. Everything around me was on fire. Slowly my sight was being extinguished. My life was nearly over now.

"But — but what about Martin?" he asked.

"He's already dead. He'll perish along with the spacecraft. Dust he was, and to dust he shall return," was her answer.

***

The two survivors watched with a lump in their throats as the spacecraft was consumed by fire. After a long silence he was the first to speak again. "This means we can never go back."

"No, that won't happen. But look around you at how beautiful it is — not just that apple tree, but all kinds of trees that look magnificent, bearing wonderful fruit. So many beautiful flowers and plants, an endless supply of nuts, crops, and fruit. We will survive," she reassured him as she looked at his naked body. She placed her hand over a wound — a gaping hole where one of his ribs had been. "We definitely will survive here, Adam!" Eve reassured him.