Tomorrow Will Be Better

The downward pressure was unlike anything they had experienced before. As the rocket lifted into the atmosphere, it was all that they could do to hold on. They each hoped desperately to keep from throwing up, but their stomachs were turning endlessly.

After ten minutes, the rocket’s thrusters powered down, and the pressure released. Connor and Brady were able to focus again for a moment.

“THAT WAS CRAZY!” Connor shouted.

“Seriously! What the heck!” Brady replied.

“I wish I could see out, I bet the views are incredible. It’s so dark in here.”

“Yeah, I want to look back at Earth.”

Unknown to Connor and Brady, the rocket was only going as far as a space station. Once it had slowed down and finished the docking procedure, astronauts entered the cargo space and removed the crates and other objects, ignoring Connor and Brady.

After the cargo was emptied, a different astronaut entered the chamber and floated over to Connor and Brady. They had a small light in their suit, so they could see their face.

As they approached, they greeted Connor and Brady. “Hello you two, we’ve been expecting you. We’ll just need you to unbuckle and follow me.”

Connor and Brady unbuckled and pushed off of the wall to follow the astronaut. Inside the space station, they followed them out of the cargo space and into a narrow hallway.

At the end of the hallway, they entered a larger room, where other astronauts were busy with different tasks. It was there that the astronaut turned around and address Connor and Brady.

“We understand that you are on your way to Apollo. The next part of the journey will be a little smoother for you. We’re going to load you into an automated pod shuttle, which will take you the rest of the way.”

Connor was having a hard time paying attention, as he wanted to look around and take in all of the different tools and screens around them. He hardly knew what any of it was.

“Right this way please,” the astronaut continued.

“Wait! Don’t we get to stay here for a little bit?”

The astronaut turned around to address Connor directly. “I’m afraid not. You’re not supposed to be here, and we’re taking a huge risk just letting you pass through.”

“Oh. Okay.”

“Follow me please.” The astronaut was off down a different hallway now.

In the middle of the hallway, they stopped and the astronaut turned a latch on a door. They all went through, into a small chamber. The astronaut opened a second door and stepped back to let Connor and Brady through. On the other side was a small pod with two seats. The shuttle.

Connor went first and got positioned into his seat, and Brady was close behind. They buckled in, and took in all of the blinking lights and switches in front of them.

“Okay, this pod is preprogrammed with directions to Apollo, so you won’t need to touch a thing. I’ll be monitoring your progress here, so if something happens, I can remotely help you out. Please just sit back and enjoy the journey. You’ll be there before you know it.”

Connor and Brady each thanked the astronaut. Then the door was closed, and soon the pod rumbled to life. In a lurch, it detached itself from the space station and zipped away off into the vast darkness.

“Aw man, this is just as dark as the cargo hold,” Connor remarked.

“Yeah, but the cargo hold didn’t have stars in it.” Brady marveled at the view in front of them.

The pod began increasing in speed rapidly, and soon they felt as if they were traveling at a rocket speed once again. They couldn’t see much, but watched as stars and other objects flew by.

After a half an hour, Brady noticed a bright spot and pointed at it. “There! Do you think that’s it?”

Connor squinted. “I bet it is.”

Slowly but steadily, the spot grew bigger. Soon, they could see that it gave off a light blue glow.

Connor hit Brady on the arm repeatedly. “I can’t believe this is really happening!”

“I know, we’re on our freaking way to a freaking planet!” Brady replied.

As they drew closer, the detail of the planet came into focus. They could see that it wasn’t too different from Earth, but with much less water. Their pod locked into its destination and slowly descended down towards the surface.

“Everything is so colorful here,” Brady observed. There were tall buildings of every color, creating a vibrant rainbow all around them.

Their pod eased its way onto a large platform and beeped in satisfaction after it had touched down. The door of the pod immediately began sliding open.

“I guess this is it. We’re really here,” Connor remarked. He got up from his seat and exited the pod. Brady followed him closely behind.

Outside the pod, they noticed a group at the edge of the platform, and they walked towards them. They took everything in as much as they could as they walked. Up close, they noticed that many of the buildings were made up of different shades of colors. Many of them were interconnected by walkways and various forms of transportation.

As they got closer, Brady realized that the group waiting for them looked just like they did, except they were other colors too. And none of them were wearing clothes.

“Welcome, earthlings!” a bright pink being exclaimed.

“Thank you!” Connor and Brady replied. They stopped a few yards from the group and took them in. They were so familiar feeling, yet so foreign.

“We are so excited to have you here with us on Apollo. We know that your journey has been long and difficult. We’d like to welcome you with a small gathering. If you’ll follow me.”

Connor and Brady hesitantly followed them into the nearby building. Inside, a large atrium held several different seating areas, each styled with more subdued colors than the exterior of the building.

They were led to a seating area near the large windows. Connor and Brady each took chairs that spun freely, and struggled to keep still.

“We know that you both likely have a lot of questions. We don’t want to overwhelm you, so we’ll be introducing you to our planet over the next dozen days or so. Do you have any questions for us at this point?”

Connor and Brady looked at each other, and Brady struggled to find words for the biggest question on his mind.

“I have so many questions, but, why now?” he said.

“Your question is profound. You must understand that we couldn’t invite you here before you were ready. This time is different for everyone.”

“I see,” Brady replied, but his face betrayed his confusion.

Connor spoke up then. “How did you find us?”

“We have allies on Earth who coordinate the escape of our kind. They let us know about you and arranged for your travel.”

“That’s crazy,” Connor replied, mesmerized.

“Okay, there is much time for questions later, but let me give you an overview of the rest of the day. We have with us our accommodations manager, who will show you to your rooms. After that, we’ve got a community welcome where you can begin to get to know others who live here. I’ll meet back up with you then.”

At this, they all stood, and the purple being motioned for Connor and Brady to follow them. Through several hallways and down onto a platform, they boarded a train and were whisked away. Soon, they were arriving at a low slung building of only a couple of stories. It was dark shades of green and featured circular windows.

Once they were off of the train, the purple being guided them down several hallways and then they were outside of two doors.

“We have a room for each of you. We know that you’re accustomed to a certain way of life on Earth, but this will be a little different. Brady, let’s start with your room.”

The being opened the door to the right and they all entered. Inside, there was a large bed, a seating area, and many unfamiliar objects.

“You’re likely expecting for there to be clothes here, but we don’t have those here. It will feel exposing at first, but you’ll adjust over time. Also, we don’t have TV or internet here, we’ve developed our own technologies for communication. We generally encourage you to use your room for sleep and rest only.”

Brady sat down on the bed. It felt like a dream. Connor looked through the window and was surprised to find that it overlooked a courtyard where many beings were gathered.

“Connor, should we visit your room?”

“Yes please!”

“Brady, you can stay here and take it in for a moment. We’ll be right back.”

Connor’s room was a mirror of Brady’s. Connor flopped down on the bed and sank into it. “Oh, that feels amazing.”

“Amazing what you can do when you don’t sleep on metal springs.”

“Was that a joke?!” Connor demanded, marveling.

The purple being gasped and placed their hand over their mouth. “Excuse me.”

“No, it’s okay, I liked it.”

Connor looked through his window and took in the scene again. “What’s going on out there?”

“They’re gathered to celebrate your arrival.”

“Really? That’s so cool. Are we late?”

“Oh no, we’re right on schedule. We always enjoy a community gathering, they’ve been celebrating your arrival all day. Shall we rejoin your brother?”

Back in Brady’s room, the being resumed the orientation. “You should know that we’ve placed you in separate rooms in the hope that you might further develop your own sense of self. We greatly value your unique qualities and contributions here. However, if you need time to get used to this, arrangements can be made.”

Brady looked to Connor and said, “I think this will be good for us. I like that he’s next door. We’ve never had rooms of our own before.”

“Yeah, this is sweet,” Connor added.

“Alright then. Well, shall we join the party?”

Outside, the three of them joined the growing group in the courtyard. There were displays of food and drinks set up. Some of the beings were playing games, and others were sitting together and chatting. Upon seeing Connor and Brady, a loud roar grew and cheers erupted.

Connor reveled in the attention and Brady became self conscious.

Across the courtyard, they noticed the pink being from earlier headed towards them. They beckoned Connor and Brady towards them. In the center of the courtyard, the pink being stopped and got everyone’s attention.

“I’d like to formally welcome our newest inhabitants. This is Connor. The being placed a hand on Connor’s shoulder. And this is his brother Brady. Please give them a warm Apollo welcome.”

Applause surrounded them again, and soon after, they were being led to the food, where they each filled a plate.

The pink being led them to a seating area that appeared to have been reserved for them. Connor and Brady were terribly hungry, and became very distracted as they chowed down on the foreign food. It all tasted better than anything they’d ever had on earth, and they were grateful to finally be refueling.

Around them were beings of many different colors, drinking and eating and chatting. Everyone seemed to be in high spirits. Brady wondered if they were always like that, or if it was because of the party.

Once they finished their food, the pink being began introducing them to the others around them.

The indigo being next to Connor asked, “So, how was your trip?”

“It was great! I can’t believe I got to ride in two spaceships today. Wait, do you guys get to ride in those up here?”

“Of course! We like to go out for a joy ride now and then, see the sights.”

“Awesome! I think I’m going to like it here.”

“I hope so!”

“So, do you guys have names here? No one has told me their name yet.”

“Oh, no, we don’t bother with such things here. As you may have noticed, we have such prominent and unique colors, it fills the need of a name.”

Connor nodded. “Nice! And, sorry if this is awkward, are there genders here?”

“Gender? Oh, we don’t adhere to such Earthly things.”

“Huh, okay. That’s going to take some getting used to. Just like not wearing any clothes.”

“That took me a while to get used to. But look, you don’t have anything to hide! Plus, you probably noticed that those Earth clothes don’t fit very well.”

“Yeah, they kind of suck, I have to be honest.”

The being laughed and Connor smiled. He couldn’t put his finger on it, but everything here felt like he’d know it his entire life. It was impossible, but it felt like a home he’d been longing for.

Across the table, Brady was deep in conversation with a being that was nearly the same shade of red. They were giggling and Connor felt warm knowing that his brother was already so happy here too.

---

After the party, the purple being took them back to their rooms and left them alone for the night. They each looked around their room for a bit, and then Brady came into Connor’s room. Connor sat on a chair-like object and Brady plopped down on his bed.

“I think this is a chair?” Connor asked as he scooted around.

Brady laughed. “I’m really not sure. I’m not sure what any of this stuff is.” He looked around the room. He noticed that nothing had any harsh angles, the walls were all curved and smooth. “It’s kind of like Star Wars, but colorful.”

“Oh my god, you’re right. This is so cool!”

“I can’t believe we’re really here. This all feels like a dream still.”

“I know, this morning we were on Earth!” Connor spun around in his seat.

“I wonder what mom and dad are doing right now. They’re probably out looking for us or something.”

Connor looked sad at the realization. “Yeah, I feel bad for them. Maybe someone will tell them where we went.”

“Yeah, maybe.” Brady yawned and stretched his arms out. “I am so tired, I kind of don’t care. It’s hard to care about anything right now.”

“Same, I could sleep for a year.”

Brady stood up from the bed. “Okay, well, I guess I’ll go to my room. Tomorrow is going to be awesome.”

“Yeah, tomorrow will be. It will be so much better.”