MAYDAY

"Hello? hello? is anyone out there?  can anyone hear me through the noise? I'm floating around outer space! I'm lost and I cant find my way home!" 

she called out through her radio, hoping for a single soul to hear her cries.

 "This is Laura from the shuttle XK-794, we had a malfunction tearing the shuttle apart."

her voice trembles with fear of the unknown and her tears start to fall.

"so far I am the only survivor. I am recording this message as I send it to live for anyone who might be able to find it"  

she takes a deep breath, realizing the inevitable. she starts pouring her tears and explodes all of her emotions.

"its so dark, please! listen! anyone! I don't want to die alone! I'm so tired, I'm afraid to sleep and never wake up!" 

"Hello? is anyone there! please! save me! I'm running out of air! please!"

she feels like no one is listening, and tries to keep her sanity.

"Mayday! mayday! this is Laura! I'm running out of air! my ship is in ruins! please, mayday!"

she looks around, seeing no star to light anything, she quickly turns on her emergency flashlight on her wrist. sizzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz........ 

"no! no! there's a hole in my foot from the damaged ship! I won't last long!"

once she sees that hole, she knows she won't get home, alive at least. she gains her composure and begins her final words, the way they should be.

"I'm sorry to my family who has to see my pain and my anguish like that, and if its possible to whoever may find this and give it to them, please leave out this heartbreaking part, leave it with NASA or the government, but spare their hearts. let me start this out right."

she smiles, and not a fake one, this is the real one, the one that brings the love for her family out.

"dear mom and dad, I wanted to thank you, you raised me to do the things I thought that would be impossible. you loved me for my bad attitude and my teenage ways. and once I outgrew those times, I became an adult. I left momma birds nest and started my own.even though I wasn't your own child, you treated me like yours. I wanted to thank you, dad, for giving me the courage to do anything. to be a pilot, to be a scientist, to be out here in space."

all of a sudden, she looks around, and sees the most beautiful of things:

her face lit up, for this is what she dreamed of seeing, with her dad.

"dad, I can see it! I see our special place!... too bad you're missing it! I love you guys, thank you for everything."

she blows a kiss to the camera and sheds a few tears.

"to my husband, Wilson. you have turned me from that bratty teen to a wonderful woman. I cant think of a life without you. I'm sorry that I had to convince you I would be fine... that I would come home one day... I'm sorry I'm leaving you... you were always the better more fun parent, I'm sure the kids will do great in there lives. but just know, I want to live with you, even when we are ghosts... just like in our song at our wedding. you will do great! I love you with all of my heart."

she starts crying, knowing that she is breaking a promise she made. knowing she is missing her family's lives. knowing she won't be coming home.

"to my two dear children, Aurora Rose; my little Rory who will be going to high school in two months! mommy is so proud baby, even when you hate when I treat you like my little girl still.  and Abbigale; my sweet little Abby. I'm sorry mommy cant make it to your recital, I know it is a big deal. but here's a little secret, I have a pretty box under my bed to open on your 11 birthday. I know it is a couple of months away but I promise it will be worth it. you two are my greatest treasures, I would give up anything for you two. I'm sorry, I won't be there for you girls..."

shes pouring tears, not able to finish what she was going to say.

"I've always feared this... I made you two a book, it's in my drawer, but by the time you probably get this message you two must have found it. I love you girls, no matter how much attitude I get or the diaper changes I faced or the scraped knees. I will never give that up."

the book that she made had all of her fondest memories and pictures of her and her children. if they didn't know, she cried making this book, hoping it never came true.

"and to the people who may see this but never know me, I am Laura Cassanova, I am 32 years of age and I live on planet earth, located in the milky way galaxy. thank you for your time"

she cuts out the recording. suddenly an alert for low oxygen is stated all over her system. she knows that she has only minutes left, maybe not even that. she closes her eyes. and she sends one last signal

"Mayday, mayday! this is Laura! can anyone hear me? save me! I'm running out of air!"

she thinks of her family, and the Christmas they just shared.

"my eyes are shut but I can see, I can see you and me. its been so long since I've seen a face.i can hear the angels calling my name, calling me home...." 

slowly, the air runs dry. and the last signal from Laura has been sent. and just as quickly as her ability to breathe, she loses all life. 

                                                                                    EPILOGUE

two years later, NASA has received a signal from an old source code. it was called Transmission XK-794, the name of the shuttle that disappeared. they knew where it was from, so they called the Cassanova family. soon all was there, so nervous, so anxious. soon they brought the clip to the big screen:

                                                       ""this is Laura from the shuttle XK-794 ""