Like the Others Before Her

There were faster ways to end one’s life on Venus. With one final glance at the bright yellow clouds above and the dark, brooding ones below, she released her grip from the handrails. The 34-mile fall from the floating city would take over an hour as the planet’s thick atmosphere created buoyancy and drag effects.

This was how she had wanted to go, like all the others before her.  

As the city’s skyline disappeared into the dense clouds above, a shiver raced down her spine and an unexpected tear traced the contour of her left cheek. The realization of what she was doing overwhelmed her and she closed her eyes in a desperate attempt to stave off more tears. Crying in a spacesuit wasn’t a good idea. She clenched her jaws, suppressing further emotions within.

As the fall gathered pace, the air currents nudged her from one side to another, sometimes gently, other times with more strength. A few minutes of this ebb and flow managed to appease her, restoring a semblance of calm in her mind. She opened her eyes and saw a milky haze all around her. She then focused on the sound of the air against her suit. It was sometimes louder, sometimes fainter, depending on how she was falling.

Soon, she would join her companions in the afterlife where a more desirable and prosperous life would unfold. For that though, she had to give herself entirely to the planet below, seeding Venus with her very being - her soul.

‘Chloe’ a voice crackled in her intercom. ‘Chloe, this is the city, do you copy?’  

She sighed, realizing she had forgotten to switch off the suit's radio.

‘Chloe, we know what you are doing. Since the last attempt, all the suits have been modified. Your descent will now be stopped so that a flyer can come to pick you up.’ 

With those words, a balloon attached to the back of her suit inflated with helium, reaching twice her size. The descent was halted.

“No. You can’t do this. No…” She cried out. ‘This is not how I want to go.’   

She frowned and reached for the base of her helmet. There her fingers quickly unlocked the suit’s opening mechanism. Red lights flash in her helmet display. Unfazed, she unclipped  her helmet and heard a hiss. The hot air of Venus’ atmosphere brushed past her neck, bringing a renewed shiver down her spine. Without a second thought, she unzipped her suit, and slipped out, exposing her body to the alien atmosphere. She closed her eyes.

When she opened them again, she was lying on a hospital bed and a sense of relief overwhelmed her. A nurse approached and smiled, ‘We don’t want you to go like the others,’ he said.  She returned the smile and said, ‘Thank you.’