A year had gone by and I realized that gravity was still a new concept to the rest of the family. However, the rest of the family had picked up on the gravity within a few weeks and it somehow became normal. My dad started the habit of waking me up every morning just to make sure I drank a few cups of coffee. He always complained about waking up in the morning before he had to arise before the rest of the ship to start their descent day. He then let me know of my "waking up" as he would call it, before the rest of the family. However, I could never figure out what he had in mind.
One of my favorite memories from the day I woke up in free fall was when my dad and I both got sucked into the air stream from the opening door. We were both sucked into the opening where countless past passengers had entered and exited. We both let out a yell as we kissed the wall in time with the opening door; the door's suck of the passengers and our change of direction. We then had to free ourselves of the air stream by rushing out of a wall and walking to a deeper area of the ship. It had been about 20 minutes of walking, when the remainder of the family had come to awaken me. I will never forget the look on my dad's face from the day he woke me up. I still had my eyes closed and it was my father who woke me up.
One of the best memories from this countdown to the end was when I daydreamed about being in the galaxy where the moon was orbiting the Earth. I would talk to the moons as they orbited around the Earth every day. I could hear and see people, animals, plants, everything, and it was all I needed to get through my commute to work.
Then came the day that my mother and father had to talk to me in private. This night would never be the same. They put me in a bed of sorts, which was like a cross between a cot, and a bed. Only it didn't go all the way to the floor like a real bed. I was told to get under the bed. They then discussed inane topics such as the latest weather forecast, or the latest iPhone game. As the hours went by, I could feel the gravitational forces taking my body down to the floor. Then I felt the weightlessness. I looked down to find that I was still in a bed but the movements of the bed were the same as the swaying in the air. I then heard a voice that woke me up. It must have been my only mom or dad I thought to myself. I heard nothing as I tried to demand answers. It was then I realized that the voices were coming from within my head.
"Peter Sanderson, you are recently born baby with the family name of Sanderson. You are still in your infancy as we speak," said a voice within me.
"Who are you?"
"I am your hologram within your head," said the voice.
"My father's hologram?" I asked.
"No, you are not on the same level as your father, nor family," the voice reassured me.
"Still don't know your name or why you are in my head," I said.
"Do not worry about those things," said the voice. "You must learn to be able to use your body first before learning about the details."
"Okay, what is your name then?" I asked.
"I am your mind's hologram, as your brain's hologram, as your mother's hologram, as your father's hologram," said the voice.
"Okay, what is our next step?" I asked. "As parents new to the mission, we vowed to take care of our children. Our children have been breaking all their bones because of all the gravity. My son is just starting to wake up," said the voice.
"We must take care of our children," said the voice.
"But, I never agreed to be, to be immune from all this," said my father.
"As we approach the space station of the fourth planet, the last planet suitable for life, I suggest we go to the space station. If possible, we should get the kids inside the space station before they are harmed. I believe the best way to enter the space station is to turn off all the electricity within the ship. Next we need to get the gravity off and make sure the chairs are installed properly. Then we can start the descent," said the voice. While the voice gave us procedure for the construction of the space station, it was at that moment that I started to feel the gravity and start to wake up.
One thing that I would never forget though was hearing the following:
"Boys and girls, please proceed to the space station and administer second tablets if necessary," said the voice.
"Dad, mom, I am going now," I said.
"That was me," said the voice.
"How was me?" I asked.
"I was you," said the voice. "As you rise up in the gravity, I will be revealed to you. I am how you see each other. Those are your parents. Your father is your father and vice versa. Think of tai chi. You are trying to master this by stretching and bending and having your partner move back against thrusts thrown by your partners. Now, think of this only when you are not falling. Here is how you enter the station. This is an electric beam you must attach to a safety rail. This is your friend's chair and she is kind enough to join you. The best way to enter the station is to bend down and swing your body forward, bending for about one second only, then at that end popping up into the air with the assistance of the safety rail. Try it. The door will open just as far as the safety rail allows," said the voice.
"Do you think a few seconds of falling will hurt? I land on soft sand or a pillow," I asked.
"No, I don't think it will hurt. I do not want you to fall," said the voice.
I immediately went to sleep as the fatherly instructions were given to me. I woke up a few hours later to a world where gravity worked. We went through the process of setting up the chairs. We then built the structure according to the instructions given by the voice.
As the platform lifted from the entrance, I felt the gravity change. However, the gravity here was too much. I moved my hand down and the gurney moved upwards in total defiance of my intent to stop it. I realized that the platform was being powered by the space station. The platform then settled in front of the entrance of the space station.
"I think this is what they mean by the difference between heaven and hell," I said. However, I just followed my dad's instructions and pushed myself into the site.
Image Source
"Peter Sanderson, your body will undergo phase changes and you will grow older. Your skin will show the effects of the oxygen and iron components of the atmosphere. The tissues within your friend's walls will grow and they will also grow within your walls. The velocity that you have achieved as the space station speeds up your heart will grow to having a normal pace. Your muscles will grow rapidly and your bones will grow slowly. The cells beyond the space station will grow even faster, having to only grow within the oxygen free of the vacuum of space. This is the best way that you can warp the planet's atmosphere. Your body will use all the oxygen of the planet, just by living. The only limitation that you will have is that the space station needs to be larger than me and that the space station needs to be fast enough to sustain the gravity of the planet. However, I think your father has already thought of that," said the hologram. I did not want to hear the hologram's voice. I wanted to be here with my dad.