The Moon
This month, we are creating images and stories inspired by the T.S. Eliot poem, The Love Song of J.Alfred Prufrock. This story was inspired by the lines –
“Of lonely men in shirt-sleeves, leaning out of windows.”
When you read the story, you may wonder why I was inspired to write the story from that line, but the line makes me think of loneliness, looking out of that window, but seeing nothing, no one, but wondering just who is there.
Remember, there are no rules, be inspired to write what you want, to photograph what you want.
Moon
In 2034, we realised that the damage to our planet was irreparable and irreversible. A group of male businessmen, I won’t bother to say their names, you know the ones I mean, had planned for years to save themselves (and the human race along the way of course!)
They offered a lottery for suitably qualified people and sent us off into space. Some went to planets in our galaxy, others were sent off to get as far as they could and hopefully find suitable planets.
I was “lucky” enough to be given the moon. You’ve seen enough sci-fi to know that they think it’s possible to live on the moon. So me and him were sent off. Let’s call us Adam and Eve, because that’s what we were supposed to be. There wasn’t much hope that we would be successful, but we had to try.
Oh god, just shut up. Who the hell cares though about how I got here? I am here now. Me. Just me.
The two of us reached the moon on 5th June 2035. My birthday. That was 38 days ago. Two days after we arrived, all communication with Earth stopped. I still don’t know why. I can see planes. I can see the lights go on and off, but no one answers. But who cares about that either? 36 days ago is ancient history here too.
But two days ago isn’t history. Two days ago, he died. We were out on the surface, planning where we could set up to grow more food. It’s not like that film, The Martian, we had been sent with loads of seeds and water to try and grow food, so we didn’t have to rely on potatoes either. We wanted to try and find the water too. Don’t laugh, but in 2008, the Indian Space Agency, IRSO, did find water on the moon.
I’m bloody rambling again. We were walking in our space suits, obviously. Then he suddenly stopped. He turned to look at me, then fell down. He wasn’t breathing. His suit said his heart just stopped. I couldn’t do anything. I couldn’t do CPR. I grabbed him and hit him and shouted at him. But he was dead.
I sat there for a few minutes. I couldn’t sit there for hours and contemplate my grief and aloneness. Not that much air available. So I started to drag him back to the accommodation. I lasted about two minutes before realising that was impossible in space suits and in this environment.
I sat again.
Then I removed his suit and went back to the accommodation with plans to go back and cover him in moon rocks or something poetic like that.
Alone. More alone than I’ve ever been in my life. More alone than anyone has ever been in their life I imagine.
I went back to the accommodation and sat. I didn’t cry. I couldn’t seem to feel any emotion beyond loneliness.
I sent a transmission to Earth to tell them, but there was no reply of course. I started an inventory of the food, the seeds, the water and the air. I could now survive nearly twice as long without him, but would I want to. Twice as long alone like this.
I was so tired. I lay down and slept.
The wind wakes me up, battering the accommodation, loud and howling. I sit for a while listening. There is wind on the moon, solar winds, but those are intense, not like this. I get up. Wind battering the accommodation. Wind? I listen to the howling outside. It goes on and on. Watch the sand swirling around outside.
Then I see movement.
A darkness against the sand. A slight movement that attracts my attention. Different to the sand. I freeze. Straining to see what it is. It doesn’t move again. The wind howls and the sand swirls, but the darkness remains still. I blink and it’s gone.
I lay back down to sleep.
Then sit up. Was it him? Was he really dead? Can’t people go into a coma and appear dead or something?
I am being stupid. Of course, he’s dead. I took off his suit.
I try to sleep.
What if he hadn’t been dead when I took off his suit?
What if he’s out there?
For God’s sake, shut up. He is dead. It is sad, but he is dead. He is not outside.
The wind continues. I can’t sleep. I get up to make myself some coffee. Always a great plan when you can’t sleep.
I begin to heat the water and look out the window. Nothing. Absolutely nothing but swirling wind.
A bang on the air lock.
Another.
Then another.
It’s the wind.
Then three in a row.
It’s clever wind. I can’t move. Ignore it. Ignore it.
More pounding. But it’s moving. Moving round towards the window. To where I stand looking, frozen.
Bang
Bang
Bang
Then nothing. Silence.
He is alive. He is out there. I left him to die and he wants to come back in.
He’s not alive. Then what is he? A ghost. Do I believe in ghosts even? Of course I do. I’ve always been scared of ghosts. It’s my imagination then. Getting the better of me. Stop. It’s the wind.
Bang
I jump. Fear spikes in my heart, my lungs. I freeze. I cannot move.
Bang
Bang
By the window.
I see nothing but the bloody wind, the bloody swirling and noise.
Stop.
Stop the noise.
I move to the wall so no one can see me from the window, but what the hell am I doing? Who is going to see me anyway?
Bang. Right behind me.
Bang. Bang. Bang.
Three bangs again.
The wind doesn’t do that. I know that.
I slowly turn and look out of the window.
He is there.
I know he is, but I see nothing.
I stare. The wind stops. The noise stops. I can see out over the vastness, the emptiness and there is nothing, no one.
I stand and stare because I can’t move. There is no one. It was the wind. Of course, it was.
BANG
Please Follow us at
The Mission Statement:
To encourage people to express their feelings of unease through photography and creative writing.
Description:
Many people feel a sense of unease today. A sense of anxiety and worry.
The aim of The Unease Project is to use photography and creative writing to educate people and share experiences of mental health conditions.
Unease - A spiritual or mental disquiet. A feeling of anxiety and discomfort. An unknown worry.
Many of us feel uneasy in the world today, leading to anxiety, depression and other mental health conditions.
Comments