Corn Husker

Carson grew up amidst cornfields in the remote town of Greeley in central Nebraska. His ancestors had remained corn huskers for generations, content with a simple life amidst humble surroundings. In this remote part of the country, time stood still, and technology had yet to impact people's life the way it did it in bigger metros on the coast. But such modest beginnings didn't dampen Carson's desire to dream big. As a kid, when he would wander out to the fields at night, his gaze would be fixated at the stars and the moon lighting the night sky. Many a times he would stare at the moon for hours and dream of reaching it one day.

In the 70's Neil Armstrong was the person every kid wanted to emulate. Despite having no TV at home, Carson had heard about him from his friends and family and immediately developed an urge to reach the outer space. With great difficulty he learn't to pronounce the word astronaut. According to him, that was the hard part. The easy part was to follow his dream and reach the moon. At nights as his mom would put him to sleep he would often tell her, "When I am on the moon, I am gonna look down upon the earth and see our cornfield. I will come back to Earth and tell you how beautiful our cornfield and house looks from the moon". Like a good mom, she would let Carson nurture his seemingly improbable dream. Sometimes a tear would trickle down her eye and she would say to herself - Son, we have always been corn-huskers, and we shall always remain the same. This is what we were born to do, and this what we would die doing.

But determination is often under-rated. With a resolve of steel and a single minded aim, Carson started working towards his dream at the school. He immediately picked up a liking for science and started excelling in the science projects. By no means was he a prodigy, but he was definitely among the top 10% of his school. He managed to graduate with honors from his high school, but being the only son, he had to make a tough decision to forgo college, for the time being atleast, and till the vast tract of agricultural land owned by his family. At nights he would read science fiction books and secretly pine to study astronomy.

But he continued to nurture his dream and hoped that he would soon be able to go to school full-time and study his field of liking. Buoyed by a few profitable yields on his field he had already started working part time with a community college in Omaha on a degree in Astronomy. If Nature cooperated and gave him some more bountiful yields, he had calculated that he would have enough savings in 4 years to start full time school in Chicago. His family stayed supportive of his initiative and admired his resolve. In winters, when he had nothing to do on the farm, he would travel to Nebraska and study science. Through those cold wintry nights, his dream was kept alive.

However, the mid-west is known for its fickle weather. In winter there are snowstorms and blizzards, while the summers beget Tornadoes and thunderstorm. That is the price people pay for living on the Great Plains. Most people accept the perils of mother nature and continue to go about their daily lives with the faith that they would remain untouched with the grave acts of mother nature. However, one such year, Greeley was caught in a wicked twist of nature. A massive tornado in the month of June, wiped out the entire town and flattened all but the only concrete structure in the city - City Hall. The tornado was reported to be 2 miles wide and packed winds over 130 miles per hour. The town of Greeley suffered severe causalities and was completely destroyed.

Trying to cope with the bereavement of some close family members, Carson lay sleepless on his field. Without a roof, he would stare at the sky all night. At times, when he could get his mind of the tragedy that befell the town, he would look at the Moon. His mind was filled with nostalgia of the days when he would fondly look at the moon and dream of reaching it one day. Today that dream seemed more distant than ever. The best laid plans of men and mice often go awry, and tonite the biggest question facing Carson was not whether he could reach the moon but whether he could ever go back to being a successful corn husker and feed his family.