missiles

Harold Cranston’s Final Trip

When the missiles are launched, who among us will know? Harold Cranston whistled a  familiar old tune as he set the suitcases on the floor in the entry way of his home just outside Huntsville, Alabama. He stopped whistling for a moment and looked over his shoulder. “Helen, I’m going to put the suitcases in the car.” “All right, dear. Did you remember our pillows?” Pillows. She always insisted on taking their pillows. He could sleep … Read more

The Man with the Finger and the Rank

Phase One. Strategic. A man with a finger and the rank to use it sat on a cushioned chair at a console. He looked about. The others, at their own lesser consoles, were not paying attention. Their reports were filed. Their disbelief that the time had finally come was set aside. Barely. Anticipation filled their every pore, the space between their anxious eyes, the dead air at the entrance to their ears. All eyes were on … Read more