Luna One — Joshua Viola

Forty years ago, Eddie was an astronaut poised to be one of the blessed few to walk on the Moon, but budget cuts and the shifting whims of politics denied him the only dream to bring meaning to his life. Now, he's an old man, living alone in a house full of space memorabilia, with just his resentments and a huge telescope to keep him company. Every day, gravity pulls him closer to Earth's final embrace, and the Moon seems to laugh at him. When a new mission to the Moon is announced and his application is rejected, it's just about all Eddie and his old, worn-out body can take. Is it a stroke-induced hallucination that suddenly finds Eddie rocketing to become the sole permanent resident of the Moon? Or has his wish finally, inexplicably, been granted? And don't all wishes demand a price be paid? Joshua Viola, multi-award winning author of "The Bane of Yoto" and "Blackstar," presents "Luna One," a science fiction parable in the best spirit of Rod Serling and O. Henry.