That was it. The crew tried to snag him when the cable snapped, but it was hopeless. He started spinning and kept spinning, no friction to stop him.

Spinning back in time. On the swingset in his backyard in Iowa. Higher and higher he went. He would spend hours swinging, trying to touch the sky. One day he tried something new.

It started with a little push of his Buster Browns on the worn dirt under the swing seat. Then higher with each swing. Higher. Higher. Until he got so high his body just stopped. Then — jump!

Down he went. Spinning in time and space. The future ahead of him. He would own the skies.

As his body spun in the aether, he closed his eyes and kept the memory alive until his last breath.

The sky opened up for him and he became one with the stars.