Please Listen to Kings Of Leon ‘On Call’ while reading for the immersive experience.

The shuttle came hurtling around the orbit of the sun and shot out at lightening speeds. Josh looked out the porthole to make sure he had hit the mark and there it was, Earth. He kissed a picture of Marie and held it to his heart and then he began. Jumping backwards, he propelled himself upward through the ship, towards the main controls. It had been a whole light year since he left Proxima Centauri, it was time to go home, and he wasn’t going to be any later.

Seatbelt on, and hatch door closed, first he released the survival pods. They shot from the back of the ship and burned up in the sun, pushing him faster. Now he was dialing in his positions and working out a safe re-entry. If he got it wrong, he could end up in a major city. The earth’s rotation was just right and he aimed for home, for San Diego. There were plenty of military responders there, and it would be his safest landing place. Communications were down so he had to hope they wouldn’t shoot him from the sky before he got close.

There were two more parts to let loose but if he did it too soon, he may affect the trajectory. All this just to see a damned star, and just as he thought, it never shone as bright as Marie. On the loneliest days he looked to those stars, and they still could not compare. The day before he left, they made love under the nights sky, and he promised her nothing would stop him from coming home. In the darkest times he had wondered if she would have just moved on. A dreamer lost to the stars, and love scattered to the wind, he could only wish she waited.

It was time to release the next section, and he pulled the lever. The blast sent shrapnel into the ship and his controls lit up like Christmas. The ship was rocking now, working itself against Earth’s gravity, pushing through the atmosphere. The homing beacon beeped and he switched to manual, aiming the nose to match the map. The radio started to give static and he called out, screaming into the air waves. Nothing was going to stop him now, he burst through the atmosphere. Parts of the exterior start to burn up and fly off into the sky.

The final piece still needed to be released, he kicked the lever, and the ship jumped. Nothing detached and his speed was too great, he would have to manually detach. This meant opening the hatch and pulling the release, the cabin could lose pressure but there was no time. On removing his seat belt, he was thrown backwards by the G force, struggling to work against it. His hands on the hatch now, he managed to fling it open and reached for the manual release. The part detached and Josh was sent back into the cockpit by the blast.

The shuttle broke through the afternoon sky like a bullet, clouds parting before it. People below watched from the sunset cliffs as it burned up and caught flames. It was spinning now, heading straight for the sea. When it hit the water, it created masses of waves and they rippled with intent towards the shore, lifting ships and submersing swimmers. In the wake of its crash it sank, and the water rushed in to fill the space it had created.

Moments later the shuttles bobbed up from below the sea level and drifted. No sign of anyone. Helicopters hovering above ,from Coronado, calling on the radio. Josh heard the static and the broken voices and rose from the floor. The hatch of the shuttle opened, and the sea air hit him all at once. Radio in his hand, he waved to the pilots and put it to his face.

“Tell Marie I’m Home”