Five Vignettes from 1001 Nights and Other Short Stories by A T Beaune © 2014 All rights reserved. We do not remember days. We remember moments. – Cesare Pavese 1 Cocoa Beach, 1969 The launch of a Saturn V sends a bead of sun into the sky. You squint. The sky darkens around that bead of fire pushing its pale dart. Neighbours stand on their lawns around you, gazing skyward. Only after the glowing bead clears the rooftops does the sound arrive. You feel the rumble as much as hear it. It rolls toward you, takes over your ribs. Windows rattle, birds flee. Over the rumble now sprouts a burning crackle. The crackle and the rumble merge into a single growl of power. On my portable radio a tenor voice speaks through static. ‘We’ve got us a roll program.’ The climbing fireball sprouts a trailing cloud. It lengthens into a snaking white spiral. ‘Roll complete and pitch is programming.’ Crackle. ‘Copy that,’ says another voice. ‘Stand by for Mode One-Charlie.’ Nearby m
