WAITING FOR THE NIGHT BOAT
                                          "She had sent out calls on her
             by Nicole Gustas             radio until it began to consume
                                          power she needed for the heating
             Copyright(c)1992             unit in her suit."

It had been three days since she slipped from the ship. Three days since she lost her grip and slid off into the cold blackness. She knew now she had been overconfident about maneuvering in zero gee. No one had seen her slide off into space; she had been maneuvering outside on the crew's sleep shift, without telling anyone where she was going, so she wouldn't be disturbed in her research. She was alone, with little hope of rescue.

She had sent out calls on her radio until it began to consume power she needed for the heating unit in her suit. She wasn't sure if she'd heard a reply - sensory deprivation had been causing intermittent hallucinations after the first eight hours. She didn't realize how bad it was until she found herself back in her playroom from her childhood at home, sitting in front of her dollhouse. She wondered if she'd recover her sanity if a ship picked her up.

The hallucinations added stimuli to the emptiness around her. The only view was the endlessly unchanging starfield, and the only sound the rhythm of her breathing. No one had ever been so alone, she thought, as she remembered those hectic days on the ship where she had wished for complete solitude. Now she craved the stress, the constant flow of information.

She kept turning because she was sure she heard something dark and misty moaning behind her. It tried to grab her and she pushed it back, then fell into the waves of space washing over her. Cold sweat brought her back to reality momentarily. Shudders went through her. She realized, looking at her gauges, that her oxygen would soon run out. She was about to die alone. She used all the power in her suit for one last radio squirt. Perhaps when they found her they could bury her in a crowded cemetery. She didn't want to be alone forever.

The silence screamed at her once again and she turned to face it. Space came back to life around her. She tried to keep it from clawing at her, felt a burning in her chest and realized she was bleeding over the clean white tile. She fell to her knees in her kitchen, felt the man stab her again and became dizzy with the loss of blood. She turned back to the darkness and felt the beast with its tentacles wrapped around her pulling her into its maw. She opened her eyes once more to the stars; they quickly fell shut and the night embraced her.

The roaring forced her back to consciousness. She tried to run from it, but was unable to move. She opened her eyes and stared into a bright light which made a halo around the head of the man who stood before her. "You're safe now," said the man. She relaxed as she felt energy enter her once again. Everything was all right.

Nicole Gustas is currently taking night classes at SUNY Purchase in an attempt to get her bachelor's degree. She works days as an administrative assistant at JWP (hey, it pays the bills). Her ambition is to someday be wealthy enough to buy all the books she lusts after.

ngustas@hamp.hampshire.edu