In the slowly moving airship close to the rock ceiling, Charles was jolted awake by a loud "bang." Lying in a cobwebbed cotton quilt, he gasped for air, sweat streaming down his forehead.
"What's wrong? Is your head hurting again?" A delicate, soft hand stretched from underneath the quilt and gently stroked Charles's chest.
Charles swallowed, grasped the hand, and gently squeezed it, "It's nothing. Just a nightmare."
Asleep beside him, Anna snuggled closer, "Since it's just a nightmare, don't think too much about it. Think of something positive. In about six hours, we'll almost be there, and you can go home. Once you're back on Earth's surface, what do you plan to do? Continue studying? Or go back to work?"
