R1. Genre: Horror. Action: Debriefing. Word: Lack

Placed: 8th

Title: Afterglow

NASA Internal Report

RE: 2033 Disappearance of Astronaut Emerson

Emerson completed her 17th spacewalk on 24 June 2033 collecting routine samples of a previously undetected dust-like substance outside of ISS. ISS crewmates report losing both communication with and sight of Emerson beginning at zero six twenty-four hours for 624 seconds. Upon returning to ISS, Emerson reported a euphoric and emotional state of being.

Please note her tether was severed during the disappearance. Upon returning to ISS her O2 levels showed evidence of depletion more than 6.5 hours prior to her reappearance. This anomaly contrasts to her full supply before the spacewalk and short disappearance.

Report of Mia Emerson: “I believe I slipped into an afterglow of a dead star from long ago and far away, somehow shifting like tectonic plates through space time. I can feel it now, its consciousness radiating through my entire being. It runs through my blood vessels, dances in my nerves. It enveloped me like a symphony, answering every question I have asked of life. I saw not just my truth but all truth. What is the quote? In nature we become transparent eyeballs. That is what we are, just one immeasurable yet interconnected being. I will never stop hearing the hum that lifted me from every pain I have ever felt.”

Final Recommendation: Crewmates noted lack of evidence to support psychological distress in Emerson. However, we are recommending full institutionalization with strong pharmacological provisions to carry Emerson through this time of extreme duress and delusion.

MY NOTES: I knew when I finished this piece that I was pushing genres. Was this actually horror? Meh. Is the concept of a woman, experienced and respected in her field, forced into institutionalization because her professional opinions no longer fit the status quo horrifying and also eerily too close to home? Yes. So I kept it.

I also chose to make the astronaut’s euphoric experience all related to Transcendentalism (Emerson, the transparent eyeball quote).