The Rocket Ship

(365 Day Writing Prompt Challenge; Day 7)

     Ever since I was younger I had wanted to go up into space. My Dad was an astronaut, and he was pretty good at it, too. Whenever there was a trip, he was the first one they called. With all the technology we had, we could send people to distant galaxies in a month. That's where my Dad went most of the time. Twelve out of his seventeen trips were of him exploring new and undiscovered worlds. He had always brought me back something; a rock, a plant, once even a crystal from two galaxies over. I had an entire shelf filled with cool and strange artifacts. My Dad said one day I could be the one bringing those home with me to my children. Ever since then I had wanted to go to distant galaxies, well, until the fateful day that changed my life forever. 

     My Dad had been called up for another exploration. That night me and my Mom had said our goodbyes, and two hours later the take-off was being broadcast all over our city like always. Everything was going so perfect, but as soon as the ship started moving up something terribly wrong had happened. No one ever knew why the rocket had exploded into a million shards, leaving four people dead, one of which was my Dad. Our city was devastated, I refused to leave my room for an entire week. I wanted to surround myself with all of the artifacts, he would live on through them. The funeral was nice, a lot of people took their time to show up. The scientists in charge of the rocket ships made an entire museum dedicated to that one ship and the people who lost their lives. They even displayed a piece of the rocket ship they had found. It was burnt and the sides were folded in strange, jagged angles. 

     Now, ten years later, me and my Mom were attending the annual ceremony which took place in that same museum. Our city had never lost a soul because of the trips, so every year we would take the time to remember those who died that day. I would always remembe, because ever since then I wanted nothing to do with space. I hated it, and, if possible, I hated that rocket ship even more.