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"Airlock" - Short Story, Sci-Fi

 Cory clasped his hands behind his back as he waited for the elevator to reach the foreman’s office. He felt the communicator on his wrist vibrate. The message read: Are we still on? Cory replied hurriedly: Going to see him now. Will be in touch. He let out a shaky sigh then closed his communicator as the elevator slowed to a stop. A million thoughts raced through his mind and - the door opened directly into the office and Cory forced himself to focus. At the far end of the room, across from the elevator, was a large desk and an unusually slender man standing behind it. 

Foreman Grant wasn’t a humble person and his office made no attempt to cover it up. He was looking out of a large window that spanned across the majority of the back wall. It was a view of the entire shipyard and the darkness of space that sprawled out beyond. Cory stepped into the room. 

“You wanted to see me, sir?”, Cory said, doing his best to cover up his nervousness. There was a long pause before Grant replied, “Mr. Severet. Please, join me.”

Cory stepped up to the window right beside Grant. 

“I trust everything is on schedule with the production of our new cruiser?”, Grant continued. “Yes, sir. It should be operational by the end of the cycle. Will the crew be boarding today?”

“Yes. They’ll be shipping out for mars shortly after production is complete.”

Cory risked a glance at the foreman’s face then jerked away once he realized Grant was looking back. “Is there something on your mind, Severet?”, Grant asked. 

“No, sir. Just production. If it’s all the same to you, I believe I should get back to the drydock to ensure everything is going to plan.”

Grant glanced at Cory through the side of his eye. A slight grin formed along his mouth. Cory swallowed hard. It wasn’t often people got away with merely suggesting their own dismissal from the foreman’s office; however, Cory had built up some semblance of a good relationship with Grant, and he was on a time crunch, after all. 

“Very well. You’re dismissed.”, Grant finally replied. Cory nodded his head then made his way back to the elevator. He hesitated before entering. He wasn’t sure what he was waiting for, exactly, but something felt off. He took one final look at Grant who was still focused on the shipyard sprawled out in front of him. Cory shook off the feeling then entered the elevator. 

Once the elevator reached floor 11-E, Cory was teeming with excitement. He raised his communicator and sent another message: Leaving tonight. Meet me in the equipment locker outside the docks. He continued down a long corridor lined with windows that portrayed a view of the many drydocks that lined the station. He paused for a moment to watch one of the newly-crafted ships leave the station. There was nothing quite like seeing a cruiser-class starship start up for the first time. He watched as the launch sequence timer began counting down from ten. When it finally reached zero, the timer lit up in a bright green glow, and the ship launched out of the station. 

"A Crack in the Wall" - Flash Fiction, Fantasy

When Ellie stepped into her room to collect the final box of things she was taking with her to college, there was an overwhelming feeling of bitter-sweet nostalgia that clouded over her. She picked the box up off her bookcase and was surprised to find a small leaf extending out from a crack in her wall. She was so entranced by the frail little creature that when her mother called out to her that it was time to leave, she instead, set the box down and gently caressed the leaf between her fingers. In an instant, memories from her childhood flooded back to her. 
There was a world beyond the crack in her wall that was full of magic and wonderful creatures. She could escape to this world anytime the world we all reside in became too much. She would visit the locals in the village and take upon mighty quests. She would slay dragons and ogres or even befriend them. She was heralded a hero on plenty of occasions and it became clear that this world was meant just for her. She visited this world for years until she eventually grew apart from it. School became her focus, and she no longer found the time or need to visit this imaginary place. It was imaginary, of course. 
Her mother called to her once more and she was brought back to reality. She smiled at the leaf protruding from the crack, picked up her box then headed towards the door. She reached for the handle and stepped through the corridor for a final time. When she closed the door behind her, she was surprised to see a golden aura flooding from underneath the door. She opened it and looked back to find that the leaf had sprouted a flower and the glow seemed to be fading away into the crack in her wall. For a short moment, she had considered running back to her world. If for no other reason than to see if she had made it all up.
She pondered the thought of returning. Would she be welcomed back to her world? Or had she been forgotten? She felt herself edging her way back in until she remembered the world she currently found herself in. She had her own responsibilities here and she could no longer run away from them. She gave the plant a final smile then continued on to start her next adventure.