Final Frontier Fears

For many of the 1960s children, space fascinated, attracted, and, at times, consumed us. Not this little Ameronaut. The beautiful pictures of our solar system sisters in the books, filmstrips, and on TV held no sway over my innocent heart. No, they filled me with another emotion: Fear. The images I saw showed not exciting and alluring worlds to explore; they showed empty, airless space surrounding these planets. All that stark emptiness left and still leaves me practically gasping for air. There is no attraction seen, only suffocation. Ironic, isn't it? In the vastness of all of space, I find the universe getting too small to even fill my lungs.