A story about change and moving on.

Change, for many people, can be the sign of a new start, an opportunity to get away from one’s tormenting past to start anew with a bright future. Some may see my situation as the most golden of all opportunities. But to be perfectly honest, the thought of even the slightest change in my life terrifies me. The young couple that always took a peaceful stroll down our street with their beautiful newborn child is a sight I fear I will never see again. The long hours of joyous adventures and stressful moments that would only be resolved with a dice roll now serve as distant memories of happier times.

The faces of the friends that I shared those happy memories with may, in time, fade and become an anomaly, forever unanswered. It is wrong. I’m leaving so much behind without even the chance to say goodbye. So many things I still have to do. Without even a moment’s hesitation, I rose from my seat, ready to dart to the exit of the plane but only to be stopped by the firm grasp of my mother’s hand on my wrist.

“Where are you going, Isaac?” She asked with a stern look in her eye.

“Back home,” I said.

Her expression changed from strict to sympathetic, as if she knew what was going on inside my head.

“Isaac, you know we can’t go back.”

I was never one to shout or disobey my mother, so when she eased me back down into my chair, I didn’t resist.

“I know what you’re feeling. I wish we could stay here for the rest of our lives, that your children could create wondrous memories here just as you have. But we have no choice.”

I knew it was true. It was a fact I will never be able to change. In the face of defeat, tears began to fall down the sides of my face. Even when powerless, we are at least allowed the freedom to weep. Suddenly, I felt a warm touch wipe away the tears and then brush the side of my bushy hair. I opened my eyes to find my mother not filled with sorrow and despair but cheerful with a smile on her face.

“Remember what we always say?” She asked. “No matter what happens today, never lose faith in what the future may bring.”

As soon as she finished, the plane began to rumble. When the rumbling stopped, gravity had ceased. The shutter from my window began to lift, and the sight of our precious Earth and the vast void of space was a sight to behold. Thirty seconds was all we had left, thirty precious seconds, and they passed in a blink. An overpowering light flashed across the outside of the plane when it finally faded away, Earth, our home, was gone. Everyone that was left behind to their doom didn’t even see it happen. There were no signs that a planet had once been there, no signs of destruction. It simply vanished without a trace, never to return. I doubt we will ever find anything quite like Earth, but change can sometimes be a good thing.