Short story: Cloud

white clouds and blue sky
Photo by Ithalu Dominguez on Pexels.com

This little gem is a COVID-inspired piece I put together during the UK lockdown that wasn’t. It’s a short sci-fi piece that asks the question: what would the country look like if the lockdown was set to go on for a little bit longer …

Netflix’s Away

I got to the last episode, so I liked it enough to stick with it (which is pretty good considering the number of tv shows I abandon after part 2). So, yup, it was okay, but it wasn’t without its problems.

The story: the first manned mission to Mars, so nothing particularly new there, but this is particular outing gets away from all the science (yes, all of it), and focusses firmly on the astronauts who’ll be away from home for three years and the people they’re leaving behind. We actually don’t see too much of the other astronauts as the real family drama lies with the mission commander, ably played by Hilary Swank. On the day of the launch, her husband suffers a stroke that leaves him in a wheelchair. Naturally, she’s torn between the mission and her family. And, naturally, she chooses the mission, jetting off to Mars and leaving her daughter and her newly disabled husband behind.

Oh, and there are one or two spoilers after the jump, so proceed with caution (something that no one in Away seemed too bothered about).

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